One of the greatest things about this season has been that success has been unexpected. 

Our hopes at the start of the new campaign were that we would finally get Champions League football again.

After all we were so close last season and some great reinforcements in the summer made that look even more likely.

Some pundits didn’t even have us in their top four predictions and so a lot of us kept our expectations low, hoping we’d be competitive in what now feels like the strongest league in Europe.

Of course you can’t really call us underdogs – we may have got lucky with a manager and some amazing academy talent, but we’ve also spent a lot of money in recent years too. Estimates show we’re the third biggest spender in the league in the last five years behind Chelsea and Manchester United.

So if we weren’t in the conversation for winning the title with figures like that, we’d all be a little worried.

There are mitigating factors, such as a new manager wanting their own players and in turn having to pay off the ones that aren’t up to scratch and also the long-lasting effects of the pandemic.

But it all goes back to that point about being in the strongest league in Europe – it’s hard not to escape the feeling that if we don’t win the league this year then it feels like the chance may not come around again for quite some time. 

Just like no one predicted us to be this good in this campaign, no one predicted that Chelsea would capitulate or Liverpool would run out of steam after a breathless few years of chasing success.  

With every top club that goes up for sale, the concern grows that they will be the next Manchester City in a few years and we can see the effects state ownership is having on Newcastle with every game they play.

I have developed a fondness for teams like Brighton and Brentford in recent seasons as they have proved that nurturing young talent and discovering hidden gems can still bring a level of success. Whether that wins you cups and titles in a world where players are being sold for £100m+ remains to be seen. 

So I guess we should be proud of what this team has achieved in the context of how this league operates, and I really hope we capitalise on this opportunity we have, perhaps before it’s too late.

This article first appeared in issue 300 of the Gooner Fanzine