Eboue, Gallas, Nasri, Bendtner, Diaby & Song are not fit to wear the shirt. Or so I've been told repeatedly by numerous Arsenal fans of both the pitchside and armchair variety. I've been assured they're crap on numerous independent Arsenal websites, blogs and Arsenal forums throughout the land. The ranters have ranted about them all. But they've all tended to go a bit quiet of late.

Let’s start with Eboue whom I've personally castigated in the past for being a diving, whining, useless headless chicken devoid of a brain cell. Well I still don't overly rate his positional play, I still think he sometimes goes down too easily and I regard him as less dangerous to us whilst going forward than defending. But it has to be said he has done tremendously well in the face of massive terrace adversity. He can and often does now make a difference when coming on as a sub. He can turn a game, he can run with the ball, he is strong and there are even some fans now begging for his shirt that he's taken to giving away at the end of matches. There is even a moderate chance of him putting the ball in the net when he has a shot. Respect. Emmanuel will be 27 this summer and at long last he's maturing into a very decent player. There I've admitted it.

Bill seemed to have totally lost the plot when blowing a fuse as captain. His antics dragged 'his' team down with him and he looked to have Kamikazied his way onto a near certain transfer listing. I too wanted him gone. But his turnaround from has-been mentalist to steadfast anchorman has been quite remarkable. I'm not convinced it was quite all Toure's fault but Gallas certainly hasn't missed him. Whether this new improved Gallas is all down to the Verminator is hard to say, but probably not. Should he leave at the end of the season it will be a great shame and quite a hole to fill. Just why is it that centre backs mature like a good wine rather than a mouldy cheese? He's coming up for 33, is that really too old for a two-year contract? Is it really such a massive financial gamble?

Samir was certainly not giving his all, he seemed to be losing his way and looked like being replaced by one our injury prone returnees in either Rosicky or Eduardo. He wasn't cutting it out wide, looked too meek in the middle and little threat to an opponent when defending. Then Cesc got a hammy, he took on the mantle and before we knew it was scoring goal of the season against Porto and running the show. I believe we forgot that a broken bone takes a long time to heal both mentally and physically. He's there now and performing as a very worthy Cesc replacement, even though he inevitably performs far better at home than away. Nasri will be 23 this summer and I believe we have a lot to look forward to as he gains further experience and confidence.

Nick has the sort of ego capable of matching Mourinho, which obviously grates with many. It doesn't grate as much however as all those missed chances which can cost both points and games. But when the chips were down and he was the only card Wenger had left to play from a disappearing pack our massive B52 bombed in to lift the team. Just as with Henry the crowd have discovered he responds well to vocal support. It is a simple concept but one worth considering when you next go to slag him for missing a sitter. Nick will never be a Dennis or a Thierry but then again they didn't excel in the air or upset centre backs by battering them. At 22 there is still room for massive improvement and as the first centre forward for ages to match Alan Smith's temperament he could really be as good as he thinks he is.

Abou is another one who has suffered from injuries and taken time to overcome them. His ability was always there to see, but it was just too well hidden for most to comprehend. His physical and mental strength has come with a renewed confidence not previously apparent. The way he now drags a ball around 180 degrees reminds me of Kanu, his telescopic legs are similar to Vieira. Cutting out the stupid errors is what has improved his game of late, not making suicidal passes in dangerous areas, turning into trouble or taking dumb chances. At nearly 24 he's knocking on a bit by our standards, but you have to feel there is a whole load more we've yet to enjoy, quite apart from his clearing headers at set plays.

We've only got one Song but we almost didn't have. Such was the abuse heaped on this young lad during an infamous away day at Fulham. Quite how he had the mental fortitude to overcome such adversity is a story in itself and may be the only thing the African Nations Cup has ever done to benefit us. Now at the ripe old age of 22 he is becoming a major force not just for us but within the Premiership. Song is now the heartbeat, the engine room, our destroyer and certainty for the team sheet. Clearly he has what it takes and all he was previously missing was the physical strength to carry it through. As he's gained strength he's also gained confidence in his own passing and dribbling ability and quite rightly.

Is it possible that really great players require a certain amount of adversity to overcome in order to achieve greatness? If that is the case then this lot have overcome a whole load of negativity from the terraces and slung it back in a whole lot of faces. How good are you at eating humble pie?