Firstly, I refuse to believe we have seen the last of Graham Poll, although his decision to disallow Pompey’s goal at least leaves him on better terms with Arsenal fans if he does go. And ultimately he did get it right as the ball did no come back off Senderos (and indeed the ironically Croatian scorer was in an offside position when the shot before came in, becoming active after the rebound – so offside on two counts). I think the whole retirement story thing is just a big attention seeking tease. He hasn’t actually confirmed it himself has he? We live in hope although one suspects even if he did say he is done, he will be back.

I hope the same cannot be said of Julio Baptista in an Arsenal shirt. The Highbury Spy spent the duration of the Chelsea match winding up his neighbours stating how valuable both Baptista and Hleb were to the team. When challenged to repeat his assertions for a podcast recording two days later, he was strangely of a different opinion, knowing any vestige of credibility he retains amongst Arsenal fans would be shattered into a million pieces were he to repeat his statements of Sunday 6th May.

People can argue that Baptista is being played out of position, but it is difficult to argue with the stats of how many clear attempts on goal a professional footballer needs to actually stick the ball in the back of the net. It’s been the story of the season, and Baptista has been by far the worst culprit. What use getting into those positions if you can’t do anything with it.

For all Arsenal fans, I am stating the obvious. And although I wouldn’t expect Arsene Wenger to lay into a member of his playing staff, the least he could do is not pick the lumbering fool. When we look back at this season, as certain memories fade, my suspicion is that I will remember this season for two things – the new stadium and Julio Baptista. If this man had the conversion rate of an average striker, Arsenal would be on for the quadruple.

Still, let’s look on the bright side. We only had to put up with him for a season. Arsene didn’t buy him (unlike Hleb).

2006-07 has been a season of mediocrity broken by occasional highlights. That Arsenal actually finished fourth shows the poverty of the Premiership. It also gives a strange kind of hope. If the team can finish 21 points off the champions playing such poor football, imagine what they would be capable of if they got some confidence and put a run together.

The truth is this. If fans put their hands to their heads when Baptista gets the ball, imagine what is going through the minds of the players. There is no confidence, there is no trust. Team spirit inevitably suffers. Arsene has a summer to sort it out. So out with Baptista, out with Hleb and in with a bit of quality. If we start next season with the kind of displays with which we’ve seen too often this one, even I will doubt that Arsene really knows.