I was idly flicking through channels on the box the other day, as you do, and chanced upon yet another replay of AC Milan versus Arsenal being shown on the world’s worst football related TV channel (as found on Sky TV Channel 423 or Virgin TV Channel 542).

I’d totally forgotten how many absolute sitters Eboue missed that night. Now I know there are not too many self professed Eboue fans out there in Goonerland. In fact most of us, I suspect, despise Eboue’s antics, are suspicious of his injuries whenever he goes down and don’t see him as an Arsenal man at all because he has so very little awareness or sense of anticipation. Add to that the fact that he’s probably a good few slates short of a full roof and it has to be said he is indeed not Mr Popular at Ashburton.

But he is fast, he is strong, he is good at going past people and he can defend, albeit not brilliantly, and on occasions he does link up well with some unexpected one-twos. He can also hit the absolute perfect cross, although granted that’s only about once in every twenty or so attempts. And if only he could find the net he would easily have bagged a hat trick in the San Siro last season. If only he could put the f***ing ball away he could have been a hero that night! If only!

So here’s my thought: what if he were to start scoring goals instead of missing sitter after sitter? What if Arsene could work on the man who is a few sandwiches short of a picnic to finish calmly and clinically in front of goal? What then if by some miracle he started to net us 12 to 15 goals a season? Would we like him then?