For the third time this season, our soft underbelly was exposed again.

Every time our boys come under anything resembling sustained pressure we crack. As with our shocking Manchester collapses, we once again threw away a strong, commanding position. This one probably the worst of all, even though we did escape with a point. For this to occur after being two up against the poorest West Ham team for a good few years is frankly shocking. So why do we buckle under periods of pressure that last longer than five minutes?

The problem lies within our own insistence with always playing this "total" football game for the entire 95 minutes. Too many unnecessary passes across the edge of our own 18 yard box, for one. Too many fancy flicks and touches in central midfield and not enough holding of the ball and playing the simple pass to a player with at least five yards in front of him. These seem pretty basic requirements when defending against a team with the bit between their teeth. Clearly not to our boys though.

This can't just be down to bad luck, or co-incidence. We do this on a regular basis, and have done for the past four years. Good positions thrown away by not doing simple things. This Saturday we welcome the Spuds to Ashburton and I am already getting very nervous about our fragile defending, because at some point during the match, the Spuds will have a 10-15 minutes period of pressure, and it will be this period that will go a long way to deciding the winner of the match. And for me, Arsene needs to ensure the players know the importance of Saturday. In recent years we have treated the two fixtures against Spuds as just another match and another 4-6 points a season to add to the tally.

But this year it's a bit different.

We must beat them at all costs, or should I say we must not lose, at all costs. We all know a Spud in some way or another, whether a relative, a workmate or a just an annoying neighbour. They have been far to cocky so far this season and even though we have just jumped over them on goal difference and have that game in hand, they still firmly believe that this year will be their year for the top four.

We have to crush this belief come 2.45 on Saturday afternoon. At all costs!