As a seasoned Arsenal fan I should be used to transfer window deadline day by now. You would think that I would be able to ignore all the speculation and not pay it the slightest attention. You would think that I wouldn’t be clicking refresh on NewsNow and Sky Sports Transfer Clockwatch every 30 seconds. You would think that I wouldn’t believe anything Wenger told us anymore regarding transfers. But you’d be wrong on all counts.

I always start off the day with great optimism, blind though it may be, that this is the day when Monsieur Wenger will finally give us fans what we are crying out for. I secretly pray for a surprise marquee signing, remembering that precious moment of pure unadulterated joy that I felt when the news of the Sol signing filtered through. But in reality all I ask for are the signings that my football club badly need, the signings that our manager has promised us on numerous occasions.

As the day progresses I experience my fair share of highs and lows. A high being when Dave from Acton reports that Messi has been spotted getting a kebab on the Holloway Road, a low being when the Scum announce their 5th signing of the past 61 minutes. I feel myself getting more and more dejected as the clock counts down, the grim reality of the day creeping up on me like how it must do to the scum every year on St. Totteringham’s day. Come the end of the window I have now accepted the inevitability of it all. I feel used and demoralised, a broken man cheated by someone I have loved dearly for the past 14 years.

Wenger has had the past 3 months to sign a world class goalkeeper, one that will allow us to maintain a serious title challenge this season. Every single fan, every single pundit, every single ex-player, even seemingly our manager agrees that this is what we so desperately need. Yet here we are, window closed, empty handed again (an apt metaphor) as we try and win silverware for the first time since 2005. Is it Wenger’s stubbornness, stinginess or just blind faith in his current players that has brought us here? A pathetic £2mil bid for Schwarzer followed up by another bid of the same amount a few weeks later. You either want a goalkeeper or you don’t Arsene? If they want an extra million then just please give it to them. That million will be paid back many times over if it leads us to some silverware at the end of the season. Stop playing Russian roulette and then shooting yourself in the face by leaving everything to the dreaded deadline day. Stockdale picked up an injury, Given decided to stay, Almunia is not serving Paella for another year.

August 31st 2010, 6pm: Arsenal still have Messrs Almunia and Fabianski as their two goalkeepers. Sunday 22nd May 2011, 6pm: Arsenal will not be lifting the Premier League trophy. I bloody hate transfer deadline day!