Had a pal when I was at school. Andrew Thorne. Used to go round his house sometimes, especially during holidays when there was time to kill. God was it tidy. I mean meticulous. Even his own bedroom. Games and toys stacked neatly away. Looking back, I consider now there was actually some dark unhealthy thing going on there with his parents. The total obsession with order and tidiness just a little too perfect. It wasn’t natural. Of course, in my own chaotic existence, I aspire to such order. Falling about as short as a 100 metre runner trying his hand at a marathon. Oh well. It doesn’t keep me awake at night.

I remember a school trip I made one late spring Saturday to Wembley. England v Scotland schoolboys. First trip to Wembley for me. I hung around with Andrew and his old man. We were in seats at pitch side – good ones. But for reasons I can’t fathom, we initially went the wrong way, climbing up the stairs to come out at the top of the standing section behind the goal. As we came to the entrance to the terracing, the vista that opened up in front of me was majestic. A sunny day, the wide expanse of this stadium that I had only seen on TV. A great moment carved in the cranium all these years later. It was realised that, given that we had seat tickets, and there was nothing but terracing and stantions in front of us, we were in the wrong place and made our way to where we were supposed to be. Scotland won 1-0 and there was a bit of fisticuffs when we got on the coach to go back home between a couple of the lads that wanted Scotland to win and others that had not taken defeat too well.

Anyway, Andrew’s old man used to be the pools collector round our way. Every Thursday night he’d come round and collect the coupon off my old man. Why is this bloke in my mind? Well two reasons. One – I am trying to avoid repeating that has been written after the Villa and Wigan games. Two – If the football pools are still done by anyone out there, I hope they are putting their X next to the Gunners of late.

I was in the pub with some of my pals after Saturday’s debacle. We were reflecting on the days when we had Henry, Vieira, Pires and Bergkamp in the team. Three of those guys are still plying their trade and Vieira especially had a barnstormer of a game for Inter yesterday. I didn’t catch any of the Spanish football, but both Henry and Pires seem to be performing ok when fitness allows. But these guys are too old for Arsene. Past it. That’s pretty much policy. One year deals are sometimes offered to the likes of Pires in the full knowledge it’s a carrot that Arsene’s not too fussed about them taking. Henry and Vieira were politely shown the door to get a bit of income in and take their wages off the balance sheet. Milan’s mainstays are by and large getting on a bit themselves with players that are much older, but still managed to win the Champions League last season. In Wenger’s defence, they haven’t come close to their domestic title for a few years and that is partly down to the age factor.

A bit of experience though, is what is lacking at Arsenal of late. To achieve results consistently at this stage of the season, a bit of nous is required. So maybe those with a few more years behind them and a little more independence of thought would have worked out after 30 minutes that there really was little point in attacking Boro’s massed ranks through the centre. When Theo entered the fray and used a bit of width, the team looked a lot more dangerous. Width has often been a glaring weak spot in Arsenal’s approach play and yet it is so dangerous. Look how many Manchester United goals are a result of use of good penetration on the flanks.

Of course, with the players we have, certainly on the left side, the onus is on the full backs. Eboue is capable of getting wide, but more often than not cuts in. So Clichy and Sagna, having played in the vast majority of the matches this season, have run out of steam a bit and Sagna especially is not looking as dangerous going forward as he did before the turn of the year. This is where squad depth comes in. Arsenal don’t have enough. We all know that. Even Arsene probably knows it, although why he didn’t address it in January becomes more and more bewildering with every passing week. Whether we are watching a team suffering physical or mental fatigue I do not know, but it’s painful at the moment to see the errors induced – presumably by tiredness - become more frequent. The zip has gone. A well-oiled machine doesn’t misfunction like this. The victory in Milan was in part due to the lads raising their game for a big night and Milan’s own lack of spark, not least in their challenges. Do you expect a similar encounter against Liverpool?

Arsenal may still be in with a shout mathematically of winning the title, but I honestly don’t feel like I’m watching a team of likely champions at the moment. In fact, what this reminds me of is the first two years of George Graham’s tenure as the boss. The team started those seasons well and were well up there, sometimes top, in both 1986/87 and 1987/88 before the wheels came off in springtime. Those two campaigns tailed off with the League Cup finals as the fans’ highlight. Oh well, if the same happens this time with a Cup final appearance in May, then maybe we won’t feel as crestfallen as many do now. But some energy, some drive has to be found from somewhere (as well as some luck, the decisions that went wrongly against the Gunners far outweighed the one for the corner that led to the equaliser). Answers on a postcard to A. Wenger c/o Arsenal FC…