So, due to a ridiculously hectic summer I haven’t really been able to write about Arsenal for quite some time. A hell of a lot has gone down over the last few months, what with our dealings, or lack of, in the transfer window followed by Eduardo and Adebayorgate. Our sensational start to the season seems like a distant memory, yet despite back to back defeats in Manchester, there doesn’t seem to be the same pessimism surrounding the club as there was last season, at least not with me. In fact I think there is a quiet, underdog feeling of belief.

I actually think the whole Adebayor debacle will ultimately help the team. Just like his departure in the summer clearly rid the squad of any animosity and selfishness and made it visibly more united, the ridiculousness of his behaviour on Saturday could serve as a reminder to the squad about the frequent ill feeling associated with us last season and that this season is massive for the club. It won’t be long before the attitude he showed with us will repeat itself at City and their fans are deluded in thinking he’s going to play like he has been for 38 games. He’s an immature man who had it in his head that he was the victim of unfounded and unprovoked abuse by the Arsenal fans and wanted to show the world on Saturday what a martyr he was, but has just succeeded in making himself look like the brainless, money grabbing fool he truly, truly is.

Moving away from the inevitable and unavoidable Adebayor rant and, yes, the nature of our defeat on Saturday was bitterly disappointing and all too familiar, but at the same time, the football we were playing and the chances we were creating seemed to be a marked improvement on last season. The squad has improved in terms of unity and belief, but the same old idiotic tendencies remain, as illustrated perfectly in the defeat at Old Trafford, with Abou Diaby opting to play like Mr Hyde, as opposed to the Dr Jekyll we saw him as at home to Pompey.

The win at Celtic Park was a sign that the squad had matured, as was the all round performance which should have brought three points at Old Trafford. Those games have given me genuine hope that we could land silverware this year. Was Wenger stupid and naïve not to have bought in the window? Possibly, time will tell. For now though, we have a good set of fixtures coming up and hopefully we can get our title challenge back on track because the position we are in now means that there is not much room for dropping points from here on in.

I wrote in March about the continued need for patience, and now is as good a time as any to reinforce that need, but I just have a feeling that that patience, and the supporters who follow the ‘In Arsene We Trust’ way of thinking could be about to be rewarded. The team just need to transfer the feelings of injustice created by the idiocy of the English press, UEFA and Emmanuel Adebayor into increased unity on the pitch. I believe there is a real underdog mentality brewing at the club, which hasn’t been present before, and that this new edge could be incredibly beneficial a few months down the line.