Job Done

Montpellier our opening Champions League fixture: Job done, in the classic one match at a time mode.

The way I see it that's 3 points acquired in the Champions League in a tricky but fairly straightforward away tie against the French Champions. It wasn't always pretty, it wasn't always emphatic but there was no panicky defending, just the odd piece of suicidal dribbling from Diaby in our box. Wenger will probably trust Abou to know he screwed up, whereas I'd hope that Bould will bollock him in no uncertain terms and we'll all move on.

3 wins 2 draws to date - fine. Only 2 goals conceded - fine. One was a keeper's cock up, one was a marginal penalty which we've all seen given or not - shit happens and is better happening in a 2-1 win than a 1-0 defeat. Vermaelen knows it was a poor piece of judgement on his part so move on.

Might Uncle Bouldie be the new Don Howe?

The good news to date: I make that 450 minutes now without any noticable twitchy defending, and had we eliminated the two errors a prospective clean sheet to date. We didn't do that though so we keep working on the elimination of errors. I'm content enough with what's gone down thus far. All achieved without both Sagna and Koscielny which I find rather impressive.

Any pressure put on Giroud is totally uncalled for, he's linking well, working hard, battling well and making decent runs. The rest will come if we give him time, which we will - its the media putting the pressure on him not the fans, that's quite evident. Feck the media.

Citeh. Bring it on. No one outside of North London (other than the world-wide Gooner fraternity) is expecting anything other than a hard fought Citeh win. A draw woud be fine, a win would set the benchmark for the rest of the season and make quite a few halfwits take serious notice. I think the odds are against us. But I'm getting the sense of good things coming. Pressure for team places. Players working for each other. The TEAM playing as a single unit. Players coming in and doing a job. All of which bodes well for a decent season ahead.

Can we do it? I've no idea but with the Arsenal you just never know. Wenger is under immense pressure this season but Bould has a certain calmness about him doesn't he? I'm sensing a velvet glove wrapped around an iron fist. Is Uncle Bouldie the new Don Howe perhaps, and if he did really get a headache it certainly didn't show did it? Are he and Banfield making life just a tad less stressful for AW now? I do hope so.

Brian @Gooner48