EPL: Arsenal 1-0 Sunderland

Hello there Arseurs! So that's the season done and dusted, and for the third time running there's nothing to show for it. The Red Chumps rounded it off rather well yesterday, with four points separating first and third place in the final standings.

On to our away fixture yesterday against Sunderland. I didn't get to watch the game yesterday, as we here in Asia only got to watch the top two play out their games live.

It ended with a 1-0 scoreline, and it was Theo who got on the score sheet for us with his 24th minute effort, a fine pass from Gilberto to set the young man on his way, and another national team callup.

So that finishes it up for us , with 83 points and with a sense of yearning for more. That sentiment is not lost on Arsene.

Arsene spoke about the performance yesterday:

"It was an anticlimax, but part of our role is to do the job when it is less prestigious and glamorous. We did that well. We scored and we should have scored more. We had a very young side out. The average age was 22.3 without the bench. With the bench that would have gone down to 20."

And about the season in general:

"There is disappointment. We don't fight and work as hard as we did all season to finish third. But there is hope for the future if you can make 83 points with such a young side."

There is a future which the Chairman backs him up on, and us indeed. I'm sure we will do the business next year. I really don't know if it will be in Europe or domestically, but we are nearer the finished product, I think.

Arsene, though, will have to add to this squad, and with some real talent, experience, and quality in the right areas. A fit RVP was something we lacked for the majority of the season, and he is someone else who sees us adding to the trophy cabinet next season. He is someone who will have to be a prime figure, now only if he could stay out of the blood bin...

Arsene also has it in for Milan, saying that trophies are not everything, and comparing the histories of Flamini's current employers to our own club:

“I’m not sure that in the history of Milan, you’ll find the same values this club has.

“And, for me, that is a big club, a club that comes out of people’s desire to respect values. Look at our whole history, it’s clean.”

This story here claims that we are close to signing Mario Gomez from VFB Stuttgart. He's a 22-year-old striker, scored a bagful of goals and was player of the year last season in the Bundesliga.

His Wiki page (I've checked) says at the end of the 07/08 Bundesliga campaign, Gómez is said to be joining Arsenal FC.

I somehow don't really think that a striker will be on Arsene's shopping list this summer, considering all the talent we have in that area already. Maybe Wenger will turn him into a centre half or something.

And I will have to leave it at that today... the post season has begun and now over to the rumour mongers... and I would get used to it if I were you!

Cheerio!