Unbeaten

I’ve had almost a week to get used to Arsenal being the unbeaten Premiership champions, and I haven’t been able to. Being the champions isn’t the problem. Despite some nervous weeks, most Arsenal fans have expected to win the title for some time. What hasn’t quite sunk in yet, is being the first team in 115 years to go a whole season unbeaten in the top division in England. I don’t think that will ever sink in, to be honest, and I don’t think it’s an achievement that will be matched in my lifetime. When I was thinking about this record today, I considered the achievements of the club, to try to put this season into some kind of perspective.

In the 1930s, Arsenal had a remarkable manager in Herbert Chapman. He was a modern coach, way ahead of his time in terms of his thinking on tactics, diets and fitness. He developed a system of play which used fast, direct, wingers and a third defender and his philosophy, despite his untimely death in 1934, produced sides which dominated English football in the decade, winning five titles, two FA Cups and four Charity Shields. Arsenal became a club to be respected under Chapman and he’s considered the greatest Arsenal manager of all time. Perhaps until now …

When I think of where Arsenal were heading before Arsene Wenger’s arrival, struggling to get into the UEFA Cup, and compare that to where they are now it’s quite scary. Arsenal have a great history, but they’re a small club compared to most. To have won three titles and three FA Cups and to have come second in four championships, an FA Cup final and a UEFA Cup final is a remarkable record of success. Our finances are sound and we have money when we need it, but Wenger has rebuilt Arsenal from top to bottom and spent around £45million to do it. Over eight years.

This season has clinched Wenger’s place as Arsenal’s greatest ever coach, in my opinion. Some of the things he does tactically drive me mad and he sometimes seems afraid of winning games with his defensive substitutions, but this season it all worked out in the league. He was misquoted two years ago, when he said it wouldn’t surprise him if this team could go through a season unbeaten. He didn’t say we would, but when we threw away the title the critics pounced and ridiculed him.

They are not laughing now …