Wenger continues to insult Arsenal fans' intelligence

Last week I was optimistic, but it turns out Arsene Wenger was misquoted and therefore a defensive midfield purchase is no longer the managerial priority I thought it was. I am now therefore back to being pessimistic and doubtful that Wenger knows what he's doing.

Instead, it appears to be full sail on the ship Arshavin. If Wenger does make the purchase, Arshavin will doubtless be thrown wide right - not his natural position. I already have grave doubts regarding Arshavin's ability to adapt to the Premiership, and playing out wide won't help him adapt, but I suppose anything has to be better than Eboue.

There's two weeks until the transfer window closes, and it appears as though Wenger has thrown all his eggs in one basket as usual. In the summer it was all about Xabi Alonso, but Wenger was too tight to stump up the extra £2m that might well save Arsenal £40m if they fail to make the top four.

If only our astute manager had known Arsenal would rake in £5m from Lassana Diarra's transfer to Real Madrid he might have been more willing to spend the extra £2m on Alonso.

If not Arshavin, then I don't see Wenger making another signing in January. I do, however, see a plethora of excuses about the credit crunch, and more miserable fans jumping on the anti-Wenger bandwagon, growing ever-increasingly impatient with what appears to be the club's total lack of vision or ambition.

The fact that at least 5,000 supporters are missing from the Emirates each week indicates more than troubled personal finances in a turbulent economic climate, rather that such individuals would rather sell their ticket on before watching the dismal entertainment they've been served up at the Emirates of late.

Wenger and the board would be wise to wake up to the signs of dispassionate supporters unwilling to pay extortionate prices for a substandard product ahead of the prohibitive spending of a recession-hit family.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger's claim that injured players returning to full fitness will be just like new signings is rather insulting the supporter's intelligence. I doubt it will be music to the ears of new CEO Ivan Gazidis either; doubtless twiddling his thumbs waiting for some transfer action.

Of the long term injuries Arsenal do have, Eduardo will not be playing in the first team for another 2-3 weeks, and it would be folly to expect the player to return to top form much before late March/April. Likewise Theo Walcott.

Cesc Fabregas is unlikely to play anything other than the final 2-3 games of the season, whilst Tomas Rosicky is two months away from training again.

Besides that, none of these players are defensive midfielders, an absolutely critical vacancy in this current Arsenal squad.

So, Arsenal travel to Hull City tomorrow looking for a win that will break their wretched chain of away results - one win in seven.

Am I confident Arsenal will record a victory? No.
Am I eager, excited and looking forward to watching the match? No.

I see a game of struggle, lacking in flair and imagination, with few genuine chances created throughout the ninety minutes.

Arsenal have scored a pitiful 12 goals in their last 11 Premier League games, and their midfield is so massively dysfunctional that it neither protects or creates.

Gaining a result tomorrow evening appears to be almost entirely down to whether Van Persie or Nasri can weave a bit of magic in the final third on at least two or three occasions.

As for Hull, they've scored just 14 goals in their last 11 Premier League games, resulting in a singular victory. Hull are in freefall, however Wednesday's 1-0 victory at Newcastle in the FA Cup could break the chain and restore some confidence to a side that massively over-achieved earlier in the season.

Hull will be without defensive midfieder George Boateng, who damaged knee ligaments in the Newcastle game, whilst defender Paul McShane's loan spell has ended. Full-back and Andy Dawson and Anthony Gardner should recover from minor strains. New signings Kevin Kilbane and Manucho go straight into the Hull squad

For Arsenal, Alex Song is back.

Arsenal's closest rivals for fourth place, Aston Villa travel to Sunderland, whilst Everton travel to Liverpool.

With three away games from their next four, it's crucial Arsenal begin to pick up some wins on the road - defeat tomorrow would further shatter confidence ahead of trips to Cardiff in the cup and West Ham and Spurs in the league.

My prediction for tomorrow? Arsenal are too flaky on their travels to predict, it will mostly be down to Hull's application and willingness to grind out a result. Only if that's lacking will Arsenal profit.