In an idle moment recently, I thought about how important the scoreline of 5-0 has been crucial in most of Arsenal`s championships in my lifetime.

Going back firstly to September 26th 1970, we played Stoke City at the old Victoria Ground, on the way to the 1971 Double. After a reasonable start to the season (in fact the previous week, we had hit six goals past West Brom) we were royally humped 5-0 by the Potters. So much so, it took some hard talking by captain Frank McLintock and manager Bertie Mee to boot the team up the bottom, and get them moving. Much like Tony Adams saying to Dennis Bergkamp in 1997, "How long have you been here? And you haven`t won anything yet?".

Arsenal then did not lose another League game til the middle of January 1971, a run that set the team on to the League title win at The Lane in May.

Next title, a long, long, long 18 year wait. The George Graham team with the famous back four, Dixon, Winterburn, Bould and Adams. Of Rocky, Mickey Thomas and Magic Man Merse. The first game back after Hillsborough was a sunny May Bank Holiday defeat of close rivals Norwich. On a day when we all chucked money into the big bins for the families of the deceased Liverpool fans who died in Sheffield, we bitch-slapped Norwich by 5-0. We joined Nick Hornby`s Church of the Latter Day Championship Believers that day. Nigel Winterburn sent us on our way, two crackers by Alan Smith, Rocky and Mickey Thomas kept the scoreboard ticking over. The two depths of depression days of Derby and Wimbledon were a week away, while the ecstatic evening of Anfield was a 25 day wait.

Two years later, on a warm April evening we matched the Norwich score by giving a decent Aston Villa team a 5-0 gubbing. The two most memorable moments of that game were a spectacular acrobatic Paul Davis volley, and the sight of Villa midfielder, and future Highbury man, David Platt going in goal when an injury forced the Villa keeper off the pitch. Platty had to pull on an Arsenal keeper`s shirt, and suffer the chants of "You`ll Never Play for Arsenal!" Ironic! Although we were to lose the double and the FA Cup ten days later on Black Sunday, we still clinched the League a month on, with only one League defeat all season. Almost unbeatable. Almost.....

Moving on now to Arsene Wenger`s first full season. 1997-98, and, again, an April day in the spring sunshine. A game I missed because I was at a wedding in Somerset, but watched with pleasure on that night`s Match of the Day. Arsenal 5 Wimbledon 0. The Wombles had not been beaten by Arsenal at Highbury since September 1987, nearly 11 years previously. But today, with Arsenal on a triumphant, winning march towards the Championship, Joe Kinnear`s battling team were swatted aside by the on-fire Arsenal. Big Tone, Anelka and `Beep Beep` Overmars put us 3-0 up inside 20 minutes . Emmanuel Petit`s first Arsenal goal made it four, and `Riding Along on a` Christopher Wreh made it five. Eaasss-yyy!

The next title, the dynamic Double no.3, amazingly is the one that goes against the rule, as we seemed to win most of the games by 2-0. Two goals usually by Freddie Ljungberg, or so it seems with memory.

The last title, to date, was the Invincibles. And the game that set up yet another title win at the Lane, was a 5-0 humping of soon-to-be relegated Leeds United. Thierry was cooking, scoring four out of the five. Bobster Pires nabbed the opener, but his French team-mate really was the man that night. Being put clean through goodness knows how many times by the likes of Pires, Dennis or Gilberto, Henry just couldn`t miss. Did I say that the next game saw us win the League at Tottenham, again? Just checking.

Which brings me to the last 5-0. With the Spurs game being put back this season as the Totts reached the FA Cup Semi-Final, if Chelsea and Man United keep losing, and we keep winning, could we win the League by winning 5-0 at the Lane? December 23 1978, Silent Spurs, Liam Brady, Alan Sunderland hat-trick, what a night! No title that season, but a glorious memory nonetheless. Winning the League for a third time at the Lane won’t happen this season, shame, but a 5-0 win there, and you know, I think the League might just be ours again. You heard it here first.