Arsenal...the season that was.

So the season is over for Arsenal, a few days to take stock, think about the whole season, not just the last few weeks and decide what's needed to take Arsenal back to where we all believe they should be.

And so I present my own personal review of the season, its ups and downs, and I'm sure you won't agree with all of it!

Player of the Season

William Gallas

What! I hear you cry. After losing the captaincy he has been our most consistent performer all season and you can even make a case for his injury being the single most contributory factor to us losing those key games at the end of the season.

Game of the Season

Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4

The obvious choice would have been a game that we had won, and there are contenders for that. Beating Man U at home was a great victory. However, the game at Anfield was full of excitement, goals, and with Liverpool needing to win, had the edge to it which provided extra tension. It also heralded the arrival of Andrey Arshavin who contributed 4 goals.

Most Disappointing Player of the Season

Emmanuel Adebayor

I write this as an Adebayor fan. For me, he has all the natural attributes in the world, and has enormous potential, if only he had Carlos Tevez's attitude! If he gets his head right and rediscovers his hunger, he can be a great player for Arsenal. Unfortunately, due in part to injury, but mostly the perceived courtship with AC Milan last summer, he lost the love of the fans and underperformed this season. He is the biggest disappointment because he can be so much better.

Signing of the Season

Andrey Arshavin

Samir Nasri was also a good signing but Arshavin's acquisition demonstrated the recognition by the board and manager that experience was needed and what a difference he has and will make. Especially next season when he will play Champions league.

Ivan Gazidis

I think he has been the most important signing for the club in general. He has galvanised the board, taken some of the pressure off Wenger by lightening his load, and been isntrumental in bringing the likes of Arshavin to the club. I like the way he supports the manager but is clear about his own ideas without undermining important figures in the club. I look forward to what he can bring in the summer.

Performance of the Season

Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2

People easily forget this match, but after going behind, the Arsenal team dug in and beat Chelsea in their own patch. No one expected that type of performance, and we thought it was a new dawn. Unfortunately, the erratic results continued and the team couldn't build on great results like this, and by the time consistency was found, the title was well out of reach.

Arsene Wenger's Moment of the Season

Arsenal 2 Man U 1

Despite all the criticism, there are many moments that the manager will be proud of. Beating Villareal, will certainly rank high among them but the victory at the Emirates over Man U will have given him the most pleasure. After all the criticism his young side received, to outplay the current champions and long term rivals was no mean feat. Arsenal hadn't beaten Man U so easily for a long while and in part this was vindication for Wenger's tranfer policy. It didn't unfortunately materialise into a title challenge.

Arsene Wenger Blunder of the Season

Arshavin absence FA Cup semi final

I am sure that when Arsene Wenger looks back on the season, this will be his biggest regret. If Arsenal had beaten Chelsea then they would have faced Everton in the final and had a real chance of some silverware this season. With Arshavin cup-tied for the champions league, this was the sort of game he was purchased for. Of course there have been other mistakes:Nasri given a withdrawn role in midfield with Cesc pushed forward when surely the other way around makes more sense. I would not put the failure to sign a defensive midfielder as a blunder. Clearly, this is what Arsenal need, but we know he tried and failed to sign Inler and Yaya Toure and I admire his belief that if you sign a player who isn't a youngster, he should be good enough to play for the first team. In other words, Wenger won't sign a player he intends to use as a squad player. If the right player is not available then it is better to sign no one.

Final Team Report

I would give the team a solid 7/10 this season. Collectively there have been achievements: the semi finals of FA Cup and Champions league, and finishing 4th, are reasonable achievements for a club of Arsenal's spending capabilities. If you consider Villa, Everton and Spurs, all of whom finished way below us, they all spent significantly more money, all have supposed 'great' managers and yet Arsene Wenger comes in for massive criticism. The reason is because Arsenal supporters look upwards towards the summit nowadays because of Wenger's amazing successes. And we must do the same for the next season. There have been mistakes along the way, and people forget the disastrous injuries that Arsenal suffered. Walcott, Fabregas, Adebayor, Gallas, Eduardo and Rosicky, to name but a few, all were out with long term injuries, and key players were missing at critical parts of the season, Gallas who I have already mentioned for example.

There are reasons to be optimistic: Almunia seems to be a solid keeper now, Song and Denilson have improved and most importantly, the board and manager seem to recognise what is needed, and what is missing. I am hopeful they will sign experienced players in defence and midfield. Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie, Adebayor and Arshavin should all go from strength to strength.

Star for next season

There are so many who could potentially star in the premiership. Arshavin, Nasri, Fabregas, dare I say it, Eduardo or Rosicky and even Walcott could make an impact next season. I suspect though that Arshavin will drive the team forward, and I hope another star for us will be a new signing. I also have a funny feeling about Nicklas Bentdner. But don't quote me on that!

Realistic Aims for Next Season

Title Challenge/Trophy

We keep saying it, but Arsenal need to win a trophy. I personally think they need another title challenge. I look at Chelsea and see an ageing team, Man U may well lose Ronaldo this seaon which will be difficult to recover from, and I think Liverpool have had a purple patch of a season but are not as good as they think they are. They are still heavily dependent on two players. Don't be surprised if they fall to a disappointing third. If Arsenal get in the right players, I think a title challenge is not beyond them. I think winning the title might be a step too far, but challenging is definitely attainable. Last season we finished 4 points off the leaders and really should have won the title. A trophy would be nice, but being in the final shake-up as long as possible is what Arsenal need. Look at Liverpool this season, they won nothing but no one would say their season has been a failure.

Have a great summer, and the blog will go on, with the silly season almost upon us!