But we live in a highly competitive world where money talks. Arsenal FC’s  1^st eleven players are as good as that of Manchester united and Chelsea. Notice I have not mentioned Liverpool. That’s because they’re really a 5 man team – Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard and Torres.

Anyway back to the subject of money. Arsene Wenger since his arrival in 1996 has done exceptionally well to sustain a competitive team in the Premier League with limited transfer funds at his disposal. The arrival of the Roman on English soil has changed what used to be a level playing field.

Years before the Roman invasion, you could get away with signing one big player in a season and be in with a shout at winning the league. But not anymore. In today’s Premier League you need to sign 2 or 3 big players to ensure your team can compete on all fronts for the 4 trophies on offer at the start of a new season.

The reason why Manchester united and Chelsea are the teams that started the race and have lasted the distance so far can be attributed to their recent spendings in the transfer markets.

By the end of last summer’s transfer window, the big four transfer spending were divided thus; Arsenal FC £16m (Sagna, Eduardo), Manchester united £35+m (Anderson, Nani, Hargreaves, Tevez), Chelsea FC £14m (Malouda), and Liverpool FC £25m (Torres).

Towards the business end of the season when players like Cesc, Toure, and Adebayor where beginning to show the strains of playing almost every Premier League game, the team cried out for some fresh faces to replace their tired legs. But a look at the Arsenal bench didn’t leave the manager with viable options to freshen up the squad.  I knew the Arsenal team list before every game, and so did opposition managers. Arsene hardly had a chance to rest his key players in games.

That is the luxury both Manchester united and Chelsea were afforded with. The composition of the substitute’s bench of those 2 teams is a strong reason for their longevity and sustenance in this season’s race for the premiership title. When Lampard needed a rest, Mikel filled in or when Giggs needed a rest, Nani filled in. When Cesc needed a rest, Arsene was not afforded the luxury of resting him. Denilson could have filled in for Cesc, but his was an injury plagued season also.

So basically, our team competed manfully in a highly unbalanced world but JUST fell short of completing the marathon. While I will not question Arsene’s transfer policy, we all should note that in the world we live in today, you really have to spend money to make money.

In season 07/08 though, Arsenal FC won the hearts of many football fans worldwide with the quality of their football. The team deserves a lot of credit for trying to play the game in a beautiful way, and for matching the exploits of the big spending teams on the football pitch.

Hopefully this time next year, the footballing glory that the team craves and the fans desire, shall be Arsenal FC’s to own.