I must have spoke to at least a dozen Gooners pre-Utd, and all of them, bar one rose tinter, had us down for a good hiding on Sunday, and of course the boys didn’t disappoint us.

Time to lay out some bare, naked, glaring truths about the state of the Arsenal first team squad. Firstly, we are no longer, and can no longer use the “still young” card. Most of this squad is now approaching the 23 plus mark and have been teammates for four to five seasons. That has frankly never cut any ice with me and it never will. Fergie has proved time and again, that young’uns can win you trophies, and before you all start ranting about transfer budgets, Giggs, Scholes, Beckham, Butt, Nevilles and Co cost them academy fees only. True Utd have the power and influence to bring in some top talent, but their big spending days ended the moment the Glazers moved in. Yet they are still reaching finals and challenging for honours at home and abroad without spending Man City amounts.

The next frank truth is our lack of depth and quality in key positions. Our goalkeeper is a joke. Always has been and always will be, simply not good enough at the highest level. Lacks conviction when coming for the ball, and is a poor distributor in possession. Has simply no idea about where to stand at a corner. Basics here.

The next frank truth is that too many players are living off one or two good seasons. Gael Clichy is not good enough. He lacks basic defensive qualities and pales next to the attacking flair of Cashley, and that hurts to say, but it’s what we are all thinking. Denilson is not good enough. Squanders possession on an almost minute to minute basis and lacks the aggression and power needed in a Premiership midfield. Theo Walcott is not good enough. I have never seen such an obviously quick player have such a slow footballing brain. He always makes the wrong decision. ALWAYS. You might think every now and then he would play it right, pass it right and beat a player dead, but he seemingly never fails to choose the wrong option at the key moments.

While all the squad have had great moments of magic over the years, you can’t build history on “moments”. We lack to ability to sustain an unbeaten run of significance. 10-15 unbeaten vs your Wigans, Hulls and FC Twentes may get the media and most of the supporters excited, but most Gooners are too shrewd to believe the hype surrounding these “runs” we have most seasons.

Winning at Anfield many believed, was a sign of a “maturing” Arsenal and many believed that it would lead to a sustained challenge. Rubbish. We got lucky with an own goal against the poorest Liverpool side under Benitez. 3-0 wins over Spuds and Villa have also helped to cloud the truth about our season. Wins over Chelsea and Manchester United are vital for any team serious about winning the Premiership, simply because they drop so few points through the season.

Finally, our manager. I wish Arsene Wenger would look back at some old video footage of ‘98, ’02 and ‘04 and see how things used to be. We still played the fantasy football, but it had a purpose, an end product. We also knew how to grind it out and smash and grab results. We could play different styles and in different formations and players could fill in and “do a job” if asked. We lack this now. We only know one way. Gung ho and hope we score more than you. This will win you some matches, but it will not win you Titles. FACT.