Ed’s note – More from my regular emailing cohort Ian Tanner.

I feel so listless and apathetic towards Arsenal for reasons all too obvious. At the end of last week the outlook was bright on the back of wins by completely different squads against ManU and Wigan involving breathtaking football. 90 minutes later and the mood has changed somewhat.

I'm not the first to state that we must now look down at the teams (only just) below us rather than up to see how far we must climb to reach the summit. Wouldn't it be ironic if the Vela-to-Hull rumours prove correct and he undermines our fourth place assault by helping the Tigers? Stranger things have happened. It is telling that (from memory) Arsenal.com had us at 11-1 to win the Premier League before Saturday and now it's 28-1. About right, but I'd rather lay than back, as I suspect would John Terry, for all his placatory words ahead of Sunday week.

But perhaps there's an angle here. I never bet and I've always been against betting on or against Arsenal, but this seems like a money making possibility now we live in a world of instant technology and in-running gambling. I said to you before the ManU game that we'd know the outcome by 12.55 (i.e. after 10 minutes) and by that time it was obvious that Arsenal were "up for it" and highly likely to get something from the game; i.e back Arsenal and the draw and lay ManU. But after 10 mins against Villa the opposite was equally obviously the case. So why not bet accordingly?

Almunia has it right, though: "We have to make some changes now". How about starting with the goalkeeper? Decent penalty save, I admit, but Cech would have got a stronger hand to Agbonlahor's shot. Manuel said it was Arsenal's worst game for a long time! Worse than Stoke, Fulham and Sunderland (not to mention the first half at home to Everton)? Must have been bad, then. "...after the penalty I thought the team would be more excited and grow with desire to win the game. But the penalty did not change anything and that is embarrassing for us". This says it all; at no stage were they up for it and they need a catalyst to "desire" to win a game. Unforgiveable.

And now the Club want us to pay £10 and presumably buy overpriced, rubbish drinks on Sunday week whilst watching another humiliation. They've got some nerve when we can all find a decent pub - by which I mean an establishment that serves decent real ale and where there's no entry fee - with a plasma.

On Saturday people were calling for the reserves to be promoted en masse. And why not? Let's see which of them wants it. Obviously Wilshere and Ramsey (who was witnessed leaving the training ground on a f**k off motorbike) cannot play 60 games a season, but let's fast track them for Denilson and the suspended Cesc.

Even Arsene admits to being bemused; unable to rationalise the huge divergences in effort and performances. It cannot be just money - i.e. being paid a lot of money and / or being overpaid. If so, how come Chelsea have won a record 10 consecutive Premier League away games, often with weakened teams? I think back with trepidation to Neil Banfield's comments about (completely misplaced) complacency after the reserves lost to Villa 4-1 at home earlier this season.

At least there is a bit of good news, in fact the best piece of Arsenal news for quite some time: Djourou is close to a first team place, according to our Great Leader. We all felt so much more comfortable than usual when Wigan occasionally attacked, and I don't think that was because it was only the Carling Cup. Apart from the handball that should have resulted in a penalty, Johan was dominant. And remember that Wigan's Steve Bruce - who should know a quality defender when he sees one - had him on loan at Birmingham and wanted to renew whilst singing his praises. Major injuries to Bacary and on Tuesday night, Theo, is awful news though.

Elsewhere, I had to admire Fergusmoan's sucking up to Tony Pullis before Stoke's visit to OT. I wonder if he'd have said Stoke were not a dirty team if Shawcross' taking out of Adebayor (to name only the worst incident) had been reserved for Ronaldo? Methinks not. Still, he cleverly put Pullis on the spot, inviting him subliminally to cut out the "Arsenal" tackles to prove Ferguson's point that Stoke are angels and, by implication, that Arsene is a bad loser (again). And Stoke duly obliged, rolled over and hey presto, job done with no major injuries to the enormous and expensively assembled ManU squad - though conveniently several players weren't then well enough to play for England in Berlin

Ferguson wins the mind games yet again; credit where it's due. And how red would Surley's face have turned if Riley denied his team an obvious free kick in a very dangerous position only to see the opposition score immediately on the break? I've a theory; remember Riley had just given us two not dissimilar free kicks and so was reluctant to give a third.

At least Spurs lost. This "Harry is a revelation" media nonsense was really getting to me. 5 wins and a draw from 6 makes great headlines but the facts were: a 2-0 win at home to 10-man Bolton when 'Arry was not even in charge; being outplayed for almost the whole game at Arsenal; ditto the league match at home to Liverpool, when their 1-0 deficit could have been 3 or 4; the beating of a poor Liverpool second string in the Carling Cup; and victory at Citeh after going 1-0 down but being rescued after 25 minutes when a Citeh player was unlucky to get a second yellow card.

7,138 turned up to see our reserves lose 4-2 at Carrow Road last night in a friendly. Perhaps I'm being optimistic again, thinking that the Canaries only "went to see The Arsenal", as our website kind of implied. Surely they need to play more games as, looking at the official reserve fixtures, they don't seem to get a lot of matchday competition. But that won't stop the excuse of "looking tired" if they lose and / or play poorly.

I’ve been offered a ticket for Chelsea away, and I just cannot say no. Rather than kicking every ball in assisting an unlikely win - as I was trying to do last season at The Bridge - this time I can be more detached, expecting the worst and seeking any and every positive for clues to Arsenal's future. Must go, I need open a betfair account and buy a laptop as a matter of urgency...