”I believe in this group of players.” Or some variation, uttered more than once when Arsene Wenger has had it pointed out that his current squad is lacking in certain respects. Well I have rarely been convinced since the capitulation of the side’s title challenge last spring and even before, believed the defence were riding their luck.

The manager would have us believe that the experience of last season would make the team stronger this time out, even claiming he genuinely thinks they are good enough to win the title. So he failed to strengthen his hand in the market. The right players to improve his options could not, apparently, be found.

I’ve avoided reading what he’s had to say about last night’s abomination so far. I’m just not in the mood to hear it. But in the cold light of day, Arsenal conceded four goals at home. To a team that is sitting in last place in the Premier League.

These players are being paid fortunes (more than double Tottenham’s) but their dereliction of duty in the final minutes of a derby match they should have won by a street left a bitter taste in the mouth. This group of players has produced football from the gods, but it’s laced with Sunday morning park moments resulting in the type of errors that would see people in other professions sacked.

What I would like to see is a group of fans being invited into the cosy facilities at the training centre to inform the Arsenal players exactly what it is they are being paid for. The problem with Wenger’s squad is that they are so cosseted and removed from reality that they probably have no real concept what last night’s capitulation meant to the watching thousands. Wenger asked the fans to get behind the team more. They responded, and were then presented with the final minutes of yesterday evening’s proceedings. Granted, home supporters left in droves at 4-2, possibly on the ridiculous assumption that a two goal lead against a relegation zone outfit was unassailable, but the players aren’t paid to take their cue from the empty seats.

The match demonstrates why Arsene Wenger can be classed as a great developer of talent but a below average manager. He simply fails to make the most of what he has brought to the table. In the 2003 FA Cup Final, some of the players had seen enough. Sod the football, it’s time for some silverware. A great team had construed to lose their league crown, so it was time to make sure they had something to show for the season. Do you think Robert Pires was under orders to take the ball to the corner flag and invite the whistles of the Southampton fans as the final whistle got closer? He wasn’t going to chance playing keep ball any longer after seeing winning positions conceded all season, sacrificing points that would have given his team the title by a street.

Ever wondered why Wenger’s Arsenal have never won (and will never win) the Champions League? For the same reason you wouldn’t trust Arsenal to take your dog for a walk. They just can’t hold a lead. Winning positions have been spurned so many times. Off the top of my head, Valencia (twice), Chelsea, Liverpool and conceivably more I’ve managed to blot out of my memory. I’ll forgive him Barcelona.

Wenger’s Arsenal of 2008/09 are so uncoached they do not even have the nous to eat the clock when it is required. It’s left to the intelligence of the players to do the appropriate thing. The consequence - Alexandre Song replaces Samir Nasri and no-one can work out exactly what formation the team should be lining up in, the keep ball goes to pot amidst the confusion and there goes another two points.

You want the positives of last night? Arsenal didn’t lose. That’s about it.

It’s an experiment that has failed. Time to move on. Great piece of idealism. I care not about the results of Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool anymore. It’s Aston Villa I’m looking out for now. A team with a manager who can get the best out of his players. And conceivably displace Arsenal in the top four.

Arsenal do have money now. Or at least that’s what was relayed by Ken Friar when he told last week’s AGM how good the balance books are looking. The club has completed the move to the new stadium and if they can start seriously competing for trophies now – four each season rather than two – they will continue to make enough profit to be able to strengthen the playing squad twice a year. God what I’d give to have Fabio Capello stick a rocket up the backside of this group of players. There is a culture of complacency at the club and it is simply unacceptable.

One thing is certain, January and the long lost chequebook can’t come soon enough if the club are to manage a top four finish. But as for this idea that you can build a winning side without including a great deal more experience, can we all now move on please. That particular emperor’s new clothes experiment is over. No-one’s fooled anymore.

Arsene knows? He knows now alright. And if he’s still in denial after last night, then someone call a doctor.