This season has been an eye opener for every Gooner and I can say this with assurance. After being dumped out of the Champions League and FA Cup in the span of a week a year back we had nothing to play for except for fourth position in the League to secure a Champions League for the current season.

Before the start of the season we lost Henry to Barca and all hell broke loose with the fans. We wanted a replacement, names kept coming up and Monsieur Wenger in his typical style bought Eduardo. Eduardo is not a replacement for Henry. There are not many who can replicate Henry in any form of football. The press kept hounding the team. We were classified as a young team that had not challenged for the Premiership and only managed fourth position in the last two seasons. Spurs were supposed to take us out of the top four. Most of us believed we would be out of the top four and the first match of the season seemed to be proving it.

Remember Fulham at home? Lehman makes a blunder and we are 1-0 down. We could not get back into the game and the writing seemed to be on the wall. It was reminiscent of last season, brought back memories of that first game at the new stadium against Aston Villa where we conceded and looked set to lose the opener. But we managed two goals in the last ten minutes and won 2-1, unlike the Villa game where we came out with a draw. That kick started our campaign; we created a new club record of going 27 games without a defeat in all competitions. The press still kept hounding us, a little praise but one slip up and the press were at it again. Ask yourself as fans if you thought we would be in this position by this time of the season after the first initial minutes of the kick off against Fulham in August?

I would dare say that none of thought we could challenge for the title. I didn't think we would be in the last eight of the Champions League. The average age of this team is 23. The majority have not won any medals. The fulcrum of the team was a 20 year old, the strike force consisting of someone who couldn't score. We were characterized as a team that had everything but the end product. This team has grown and they have done remarkably well throughout the season. It is time we realize this as fans of the greatest club in the world.

We should thank the Lord that we have a manager who has kept faith with the squad and the team has responded. There is urgency in the team; there is hunger, except for a few moments in the season, they have played their heart out. There have been a few slips in the last month and again there is talk about whether Arsenal can go on to win the Premier League. I say to hell with it. Would you have settled for fourth position when the season started or did you think we would actually be playing for the Champions League and can manage a dream final against Barca at the same time as competing for the Premier League title?

Arsene has the money to go buy players worth £20million. Do you want to be another Chelski or Manu that can throw money around and buy players that are already established or do you want to be the difference, the alternative. I would rather be the alternative, against the norm, where I can see beautiful football with the hunger and class shown by these kids. It is time we stand behind our team, get rid of the negative vibes and hope for the best. All is not lost, there is hope if not at the end of this season then definitely next and the seasons to come. Rome was not built in a day but when it established itself it conquered the world. This is my prediction for Arsenal. Patience is a virtue that we need to learn as fans. It will be frustrating not to win something when we have come this far but remind yourself of the day when Henry left for Barca and we seemed a doomed team.