Well, there's only one thing to talk about this morning and that's the injury sustained by Cesc.

We had feared it might be a matter of three weeks, it turns out it's three months and that is a monstrous blow to our season. He stands head and shoulders above the rest of the central midfielders at the club, he is the captain and as difficult as our season has been it's going to be even more so now.

Make no mistake, his absence from the team is going to be sorely felt, particularly as the potential replacements aren't exactly setting the world on fire at the moment. He is a truly world class player and even a team with proper depth to its squad would miss him. How we're going to cope without him is truly worrying. Yes, he's just one player but he's by far the best midfielder we have.

It makes the manager's job in January even more difficult. I think we all accepted that he needed to buy a midfielder to play alongside Cesc but now he's got to think about buying somebody to replace his creativity and craft. Let's be realistic, Diaby is not up to the task, Denilson, as the manager has been telling us all season, is being groomed as the new Gilberto, Alex Song is a defensive midfielder with not much in the way of passing ability, leaving only 17 year old Aaron Ramsey.

So instead of one midfield player we now need two and we do need them. No doubt about it. We need to bring in that player who would have played alongside Cesc anyway and we need someone who can do what Cesc does. So a proper partner + 1 and the thing is it's so difficult to see Wenger doing that. I can understand it in a way, he'll think that he's buying somebody but then in 3 months Cesc is back and what does he do with that player.

But those 3 months are vital for this football club. We're in a massive scrap for 4th place at the moment, never mind the title, and if we sit on our hands and hope for the best then we could find ourselves in real trouble.

Finishing outside the top 4 is a green light for other clubs to come and cherry pick what's left of the talent at Arsenal. Champions League football next season is the absolute minimum and if that means the manager has a selection headache in March, when Cesc comes back, then so be it. That's a much better problem to deal with than the one that sees you slip down the league table because you don't have enough quality in your team.

It speaks volumes about that very issue though that one player being injured, even one as good as Cesc, is so utterly devastating. In the past if someone like Vieira had been injured he'd have been a big loss but we had good, experienced players to fill the gap. Now we have guys who are still developing and are a long way from being the finished article - and that's leaving aside the issue as to whether that finished article is even good enough.

It's a huge worry and this is something the manager has to deal with in the transfer market. I don't see how he can do it effectively otherwise. In the meantime all we can do is wish Cesc a successful recovery and a speedy one too. I was out with mates last night and even he said 'With Arsenal's medical team he could be out until 2011!'. 

Fingers crossed it all goes well for him, being on the sidelines like that is so frustrating and this is his first real injury. He's had his niggles along the way but nothing like this - the temptation is to get back as quickly as possible but he's just got to make sure he's as close to 100% as possible when he does come back. Anyway, it's depressing news for Christmas week. I may just stay drunk.

In other news Kolo Toure is being linked with a move to Manchester City. He's obviously struggling with form and fitness. His bout of malaria seems to have knocked the stuffing out of him but he cannot be allowed to leave. I suspect this is just paper talk without anything substantial behind it. 

Zenit St Petersburg are hoping Arsenal will make a £20m move for Andrei Arshavin. Yeah, and I'm hoping Santa brings me a Ferrari. And a mansion. And my own island. And a lightsaber.

Alisher Usmanov says concern over Arsenal's boardroom affairs means he won't be trying to take over the club, however he did say:

We have never concealed that we would like to acquire a blocking stake of up to 29.9 per cent and nothing prevents us doing that. That’s what interests us and, little by little, without hurrying, we are buying up shares from the market.

Yes, how positive, a blocking stake. That's obviously to work in the best interests of the club. And with Nina Bracewell-Smith's shares up for grabs that's certainly a distinct possibility. However, there are many who will raise their eyebrows at the fat Uzbeki's apparent concern at the way things have been happening at board level as certain events appear to have had Fat & Orange fingerprints all over them. 

He might pledge unwavering support for Arsene Wenger and his team but he's only saying that because he thinks that's what he should be saying. Usmanov would be bad for Arsenal. I've said it before. No matter how much we're struggling on the pitch he does not become a more attractive option. He can go and fuck himself, the ugly fat cunt.  

Right, that's about it. I've got to finish off my Christmas shopping today so it's off into the thronging crowds I go. I wonder do they have midfielders on special offer anywhere. 

Morning all,

hope your day started well and that you didn't knock a full cup of coffee all over your desk, soaking your phone, wallet, keyboard and some paperwork before it spilled over the back and down on top of your amplifier which is now making strange buzzing and hissing noises. Fucking joy. 

Anyway, Eduardo made his long-awaited comeback against Portsmouth in the reserves last night. The Crozilian played 45 minutes before being withdrawn at half-time after tweaking something in his hamstring.

It's been a long road back to fitness after what was a truly horrific injury. And as much as the fans are glad to see him on his way back the players are too. Robin van Persie has been singing his praises, saying:

We need him, because he has his own style of playing and I cannot compare anyone with him. He still moves the same way and if you look at what happened to him, that is a really positive thing. I think the way he finishes and the way he plays makes him very unique.

I suspect it'll be well into January before we see him back in contention for the first team but van Persie is right, he does add something to this team. His finishing is clinical and in games when we're struggling to make a shedload of chances having someone like that in the side is a massive bonus. After such a long time out there's no point rushing him in any way but I'm really looking forward to seeing him in red and white again.

There were fresh doubts over the future of William Gallas after Arsene said the player had lost his 'joie de vivre' since having the captaincy taken away from him. Wenger said:

On a human level, what happened with William was the toughest thing I had to deal with in my career because I regard him with a lot of esteem. He has refound the stability in his game but I am not convinced that, in his mind, he has refound his stability and his joie de vivre.

Some reports this morning say that during the warm up at Boro he ignored Pat Rice when the rest of the players were called over for a teamtalk, which isn't good if that's what happened. Can anyone who was there confirm or deny it?

It would be no surprise at all if Gallas was sulking a bit. He's a senior professional who has been publicly stripped of the captaincy at Arsenal. I'm sure in his own mind he was only trying to do what he thought was right but it simply showed how unsuited he was to the role. While it's hard to see any kind of long term future for him at the club it's also difficult to see him move on in January, given the lack of depth the squad already suffers from. 

Maybe the summer will be the time but it'll all come down to his state of mind, if you have a player who really doesn't want to be at a club then it's best for all concerned if he moves on. If it's a striker the worst that'll happen is that he doesn't score but if a defender is ambivalent about his job then the consequences could be much more damaging. It's down to Gallas, I suppose.

The boss has also been talking about Samir Nasri and how he's been injured too much. The boss said:

You tell yourself that if the guy was always with us, he would bring us a lot, but for the moment he has only been there half of the games, and fits and starts are bad for high level football.

Five injuries in five months is not good, by any standards. Especially when you're a first XI player who is badly needed by the side. No Walcott, no Nasri = no width. Of course you could ask questions of the manager whose winger rota is completed by central midfielders but Nasri is important and we have to get him fit.

His injury record at Marseille, from what I can make out via stats, wasn't bad at all. He missed a lot of last season after suffering from a virus similar to meningitis but that aside he played 133 games for Marseille between his debut in January 2005 and the summer of the 2008. I'll stand to be corrected by French football experts but that seems a reasonable return to me.

His talent is obvious, even with the injuries he's scored 5 goals so far this season - and often important goals too. He got the winner at West Brom, the equaliser against Everton and the two against United which showed he can do it in a big game. We've been lacking that kind of threat from the wings since the days of Pires and Freddie so to see him so often on the sideline is frustrating. Fingers crossed he can get fit and stay fit but then we seem to say that about rather too many of our players.

The boss claims the 'big four' in England is a thing of the past. I'm quite sure Arsene would say no such thing if we were higher up the league and not in an almighty scrap for fourth place at this moment in time. Yes, smaller teams have picked up good results this season but it's not something I expect to happen in the next campaign. It's crazy and mad this year but to me, at least, it's not a sign of vast improvement by those teams.  

Responding to Rio Ferdinand's claims that Arsenal are not in this season's title race, Cesc said:

With all the experience they have, they should know more than anyone that football can change in one week, two weeks.

Quite right. In two weeks time we could have some new players adding quality, experience and competition to this squad. What's that buzzing and hissing? Oh crap, some of that coffee is short-circuiting my brain. Cesc is right though but with Liverpool and Villa our next two matches we'll have a much clearer idea of our title chances before any new players don't arrive.

Right so, that'll do. See ya'll tomorrow. 

And here we go again. Exactly seven days after the last one, it's Friday again. Hope we find you well this morning, there's plenty to get through so we'll crack on.

Starting with team news ahead of tomorrow's game against Wigan we're without William Gallas (calf strain) but Kolo Toure returns and could play alongside Johann Djourou in the centre of defence. We might also see the return of Eboue after his knee injury. Beyond that it's the lifers although Eduardo is getting ever closer to his comeback.

He was scheduled to play a friendly game last week but that didn't happen. However, the manager says he's back in full training and just needs games. There's a reserve match against Portsmouth on Dec 16th in which he's likely to feature

We know it's a game we have to win in order not to render the Chelsea result completely useless and you hope that the post-United lessons have been learned. More on the game itself tomorrow.

So, while one Arsenal player was quickly playing down a move to AC Milan (Cesc's wonderful habit of killing these kind of stories is fantastic), speculation was growing over the future of William Gallas. The Sun quotes a 'source' who says that Gallas feels 'humiliated' by recent events and would welcome an escape from the club. I have no doubt he does feel a bit humiliated but he doesn't really have anyone to blame but himself, does he?

Since being stripped of the captaincy though he's put in two decent performances at the back (clanger against Kiev aside) but I've always maintained that his future at the club was in serious doubt after everything that happened. I'm told that Arsene's priority in the January transfer window is to reinforce the defence (see below for more on that) so Gallas moving on and someone else coming in wouldn't be a surprise at all.

Some other little snippets - Aaron Ramsey is the future of Wales, says Ryan Giggs, while Fabio Capello has raided Arsenal again for one of our club doctors. Dr Ian Beasley will start work straight away and hopefully he can slowly poison John Terry.

Right, I've been running a competition this week with a rather fine prize. A copy of Arsènal: The Making of a Modern Super-Club by Kevin Witcher (The Gooner) and Alex Fynn, signed by Arsene Wenger. I have never, ever seen a response to a competition like it in all the years of Arseblog. Obviously the number of entries means odds are slim but thanks to everyone for taking part all the same.

The three lucky winners, selected by the RNG, are: Ian Allerton, Kevin Faulkner and Alexander Ridler. Well done to you three, I'll be in touch to get your details and have the books sent on.

Bad luck to everyone else but if you do want to get your hands on a copy for yourself or for someone else as a Christmas present (it is a very good read) then simply go to this website and using the code 'rocky' at checkout will get you a £2 discount on the price. Can't say fairer than that, can you?

Now, speaking of the book I'm joined on this week's Arsecast by one of the authors, Alex Fynn. He's spoken to Arsene recently and has some insight into his thinking on the squad, possibly reinforcements in January, the appointment of Ivan Gazidis and what it might mean, amongst other things.

As well as that there's a player history from The Man in the Bar, a tale of the unexpected and more scarf related goodness from the fine people at Savile Rogue, makers of the finest neck warmers known to man.

You can subscribe to the Arsecast iTunes by clicking here. Or if you want to subscribe directly to the feed URL you can do so too. To download this week's arsecast directly - click here (16mb MP3) or you can listen directly below without leaving this very page.

As well as that there's a dedicated Arsecast hotline available all season long should you desire to make a comment, get something off your chest, share a song a chant or hilarious anecdote. Feel free to call it any time during the week, it'll go to voicemail and you can leave your message. The number from inside the UK is 020 3286 6360 or from outside the UK it's +44 20 3286 6360.

Right so, get that lot down ya. More tomorrow. 

Fun times Arsefans. Yesterday's win over Chelsea was a huge, huge result. Instead of being 13 points off the pace we're just 7 and everything looks a little rosier.

We do like to make life difficult for ourselves though, don't we? Chelsea started brightly but I thought we'd weathered the little storm and gotten into the game quite well when we gifted them a goal. It was a poor throw from Almunia, he should have held on to the ball and calmed things down, but Samir Nasri will think he could have done more to track Boswinga. The Chelsea player's cross was poked into our net by Johann Djourou to give them a 1-0 lead.

Given Chelsea's record at home and the fact they'd only conceded four league goals all season one goal would have been impressive, to score two and win the game was just fantastic. The first came when Adebayor won a header, it came to Denilson and he poked it through to a clearly offside van Persie. But there was no flag and he lashed it past Cech with his right foot to equalise. Scolari was less than happy, can't say I blame him, but sometimes decisions like that go against you. We can all remember van Persie scoring a good goal against Chelsea at Highbury but being flagged offside, so this made up for that somewhat.

It's the kind of decision that you need to go for you when you're down on your luck too. I have to be honest, despite the fact Chelsea weren't playing that well I wasn't confident we'd get anything from the game. On moments like that seasons can change, however, and God knows we've needed a little bit of luck and not gotten it.

Chelsea barely had time to regroup when we scored the second. Cesc floated in a free kick, Adebayor won the header well, it fell to van Persie and he turned on a sixpence to fire a low shot through Lampard's legs into the corner of the goal. Cech got a touch but it wasn't enough. 2-1.

At this point you expected the Chelsea onslaught to begin but it just didn't happen. John Terry should have been sent off for a horrendous two-footed tackle on Bacary Sagna but then the England captain doesn't get sent off for things like that. There was a Malouda free kick which went flying over the bar but after we scored our second Almunia didn't have a save to make. We defended very well, both full backs in particular were excellent as they broke up play and won tackles high up in our half of the pitch. Chelsea were toothless and even 4 minutes of injury time was no bother.

In terms of our performance it would be easy to sit here and pick holes in it. We didn't have a great first half and certainly there were players who never really got into the game as well as they should have but sometimes we over-analyse things and strip any enjoyment out of them. We all know beating Chelsea doesn't mean all our problems are solved but you've got to make the most of results like this. What is the point of winning a game like that, coming from behind at Stamford Bridge, and then saying 'So and so was shit' or 'This player did fuck all'?

Well done to the lads, I say. In particular I liked Djourou at centre-half. He didn't let the own goal faze him one bit and he's got to keep his place now. In no time at all nobody will remember the performance, simply the result and the result is what we should celebrate. Without getting too carried away, of course! We've been here before. The great win against United was followed by two defeats so what's vital is that we keep focussed, take the belief and confidence this gives us but make sure we don't fall into the same trap again.

Afterwards Arsene Wenger was keen to make that point as well, saying:

I am very, very happy to now, after beating Manchester United, we beat Chelsea and I believe that brings us back. It is still far but not impossible. I have an intelligent team, a talented one, but we want to come back with humility and work hard. We have learned that we need that kind of focus in every game no matter who you play.

And that's the thing. We can't think that because we've beaten United and now Chelsea that we just have to turn up to win the game against Wigan. Perhaps things have been a little fraught in the camp recently and under the new captaincy things are looking a bit better. A new focus on the team. When asked by Sky if the two goals meant it was a big day for him, Robin van Persie replied:

It is not my day, it's our day. I was the one who scored the two goals but that doesn't really matter. It was our day - the whole squad really gave extra of everything. If you win the game like that it gives you a lot of confidence and this is what we need at the moment.

It's good to hear him speak like that and it was good to see him finally deliver in a big game. We spoke about the win against Kiev being a baby step back to where we want to be. Yesterday was another one. Slowly we'll get our confidence back but that confidence has be kept in check. It has to be allied with hard work and commitment and that'll get us results. There's still a way to go for this team but let's hope yesterday was the start of something and not another false dawn.

So today's a day for enjoying things. One of the most enjoyable things was watching the Sky pundits squirm. 'How did that just happen?', said Monkey-hands Richard Keys, as if they'd just witnessed Brazil being beaten by an Arseblog over 35s XI, hungover from too much Havana Club the night before. Stick it up your holes, you cunts.

And Jamie Redknapp provided the comedy moment of the day. When asked about Arsenal he said:

That's the thing with Arsenal. They're either brilliant or completely inconsistent.

Haha, spa. The way they glossed over the John Terry challenge was disgraceful as well. Not at all unexpected of course, but disgraceful nonetheless. The way they replayed Eboue's innocuous tackle in last season's game again and again and again and they fail to show the England captain jumping in on a player with two feet. Ruud Gullit, mad fucker that he is, tried to say that was the kind of tackle that could break someone's leg but the subject was changed very quickly. Terry got a yellow card so no further action can be taken and we won't hear another thing about it.

No mention either of Chelsea fans belting out that song about Arsene Wenger. That just made victory all the sweeter and people who sing that in a football stadium with kids of all ages are just the scum of the earth. If the FA can investigate racist chants against players, why can't they do something about this?

Still, there's nothing like a bit of outrage to mix in with your morning enjoyment, is there? We're back in the title race, folks. It's up to us now to make sure we stay there. At this stage of the season 7 points is nothing. There's a lot of hard work ahead but how much better does it feel this morning?

Much. That is the answer. Much. Have a great Monday.

Morning all, it's Friday. Hurrah! I have a poxy cold. Booo!

Early team news ahead of the Chelsea game on Sunday is that Adebayor, Nasri and Sagna might be back from injury. Let's hope they are because we need them back and we need a big performance, similar to the one against Man United.

Chelsea are formidable opponents, people might talk about how their form is not great at the moment, but they've only conceded four goals in the league all season and they've scored thirty-two. It's not exactly as if they're there for the taking, or anything. In fact, they'll be looking at us and thinking it's a great time to play us. The only thing is they have been more prolific in front of goal away from Stamford Bridge and have conceded more goals at home than away so perhaps that's something we can exploit.

Cesc says we won't be going there to defend, which is good because we're really not very good at it. He says:

Our target is to go there and win. We need to get some points back. Arsenal never go for a draw and a club like Chelsea will be the same as us. Every time I have played against them they have gone forward and tried to gain victory. We will expect it will be the same on Sunday.

There's no Drogba, of course, he's suspended after his coin chucking antics but they do have Nicolas Anelka who is probably in the best form he's ever been in since he left Arsenal. We know they have quality in all areas though so it's going to need a big, big performance from our boys. More on that game in the next couple of days.

The pre-match stuff will be full of the return of Gallas to Stamford Bridge, particularly after what has come to light in his autobiography. He has well and truly poked the hornet's nest by bringing up his acrimonious departure in his book and that's making plenty of headlines this morning. All I'll say is that I think footballer's biographies are a stupid idea when they're still playing. When you're retired you can say what you want but given everything that went on last week the last thing we need is another Gallas inspired media shitstorm. What good does it do anyone?

Chariman PHW says Arsene has reiterated that the manager has money to spend, if he chooses to spend it. He says:

There have been suggestions that we keep stopping him from buying - that is not the case. He certainly has got money if he wants to spend it.

He goes on to talk about how Arsene will only buy if he can find players who will improve the squad. Which is just common sense - but when it gets to a point where every single fan can name players who would be an improvement over some of the squad members then you have to accept that the squad needs work. Anyway, this is old ground which has been covered time and again and we still have January to cope with.

Aaron Ramsey talks about living with a Sp*rs player and his ambitions to become an established first team player at Arsenal.

Not much else going on so let's crack on with the Arsecast. On this week's show I chat to GilbertoSilver from Gunnerblog about the events of the last week both on and off the field, as well as that I get some insight on our new CEO from Glenn Davis who is a football writer for the Houston Chronicle as well as a radio presenter for 790AM Houston where he has a show/podcast called 'The soccer hour'.

Amaury Bischoff PI is there and the penis of the William Gallas shows up too. Plus I announce the winner of the Savile Rogue scarf and give you another chance to win the sought after scarf in all of scarfdom (and do check out the site if you're looking for Christmas presents, they are quality).

You can subscribe to the Arsecast iTunes by clicking here. Or if you want to subscribe directly to the feed URL you can do so too. To download this week's arsecast directly - click here (16mb MP3) or you can listen directly below without leaving this very page.

As well as that there's a dedicated Arsecast hotline available all season long should you desire to make a comment, get something off your chest, share a song a chant or hilarious anecdote. Feel free to call it any time during the week, it'll go to voicemail and you can leave your message. The number from inside the UK is 020 3286 6360 or from outside the UK it's +44 20 3286 6360.

Ok, that's your lot. Have a good Friday. I can currently only breathe through one nostril and my eyes hurt. Stupid eyes. Till tomorrow.

It's a busy morning so let's get straight into it.

Arsenal appointed a new CEO yesterday. Ivan Gazidis will take up his new role in January after spending 14 years with the MLS. I'm not sure too many of us know a great deal about him. Chairman PHW gave the standard welcome while Gazidis himself said:

I relish the prospect of working with the key stakeholders to further propel the Club forward. It is nearly 16 years since I left the UK but I’m very much looking forward to returning in January.

I like that. 'Propel' is a good word. We could use some propulsion at the moment, no doubt about it, and it's about time we filled this role at the club. On tomorrow's Arsecast I'll be speaking to somebody who knows a bit more about Gazidis so tune in for that one.

Cesc Fabregas has been talking about his new role at the club and he'll be checking with Arsenal captains of the past to help him do the job as well as he can. He says:

I still speak on the phone to Thierry and I will ask him about it. I’d love to talk with Patrick about the job as well because he has so much experience.

He also talks about being inspired by Tony Adams, which is no bad thing when it comes to captaining a football team. On a more general level though he has set out the objectives for the season, saying:

I want to lift a trophy. It’s true that we are 10 points behind, so our immediate target is to win at Chelsea. Sunday is a good opportunity to get some points back and a couple of weeks after we have Liverpool at home. It is not over yet and it is up to us to finish where we will finish. We will see, at the moment nothing is done and we will fight until the end.

And that's the kind of spirit you want from your captain, that's exactly the attitude we need. Sunday is huge, no question, but there's plenty of time to talk about that. In the meantime something Cesc is going to have to deal with as captain is William Gallas and the continued fallout from his rant last week. The usually mild mannered Gael Clichy has accused the former captain of 'shattering' morale within the team. Gael says:

It has shattered something within the squad. It is something that should have remained between him and the boss even though there may be some truth in what William said. It is now down to the players and staff to glue the fragments back together and move on.

What William said was difficult, not only because he was the captain but because he is an experienced player.

It really is hard to see how Gallas has a long term future at the club, to be honest. At the moment the manager is being very pragmatic. He needs Gallas as a player because of injuries but if someone like Gael Clichy, who is usually a very positive person, has that to say about him then you can't help thinking there are others in the squad for whom the resentment burns much brighter. Whatever way you look at it that's not good and it's a problem you have to solve as a manager.

Maybe it's something that will repair itself with time but I suspect we'll move him on in January if we can identify a decent replacement. There's talk of Milan being interested, talk which Milan deny, but we know Italian clubs can tell a lie out of both sides of their mouth at the same time, especially when it comes to transfers. We'll see what happens though.

Nicklas Bendtner, who rather tongue in cheek (I hope) claimed to have always dreamt of wearing pink boots, is being linked with a £5m move to Spartak Moscow. There's a Danish connection there with Michael Laudrup the Spartak boss, but I'd be very surprised if it happened. Unless, of course, they give him that pair of diamond encrusted boots he so desires. Maybe we should get him a pair of ruby slippers and call him Dorothy.

Chairman PHW has given his backing to Arsene Wenger but this is not the usual dreaded 'vote of confidence'. He says:

Of course he has my backing. What he has done for the club over the last 12 years has been fantastic. You do not lose faith in a man like him after three or four bad results. It is a ridiculous suggestion really.

That seems very reasonable when it's put like that but there are still questions for the manager to answer. They may not be coming from board room level but the fans are asking them. I know there's an increasing amount of frustration with some fans about the way things are going but I can only speak for myself when I say I'd love nothing more than to see AW turn it around and start winning trophies again for Arsenal.

Right, that's about that. We should get some early team news today ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday so more on that tomorrow and in the Arsecast. In the meantime, have a good day.

Sometimes it's nice to see an old friend after a long absence and last night's 1-0 was just that. It's our first 1-0 since the opening day of the Premier League season and it will provide welcome relief to everyone this morning.

As a game it wasn't a feast of football by any means. We were pretty poor overall but with so many players out injured, confidence and form in the shitter, pressure on from all quarters and playing against a well organised defence who don't concede too often I'll take a 1-0 every single time. The goal came when Cesc fired a beautiful ball over the top for Nicklas Bendtner who controlled it well, looked for a moment to have taken it too wide but he slammed it home with his left foot to score the winner.

His pink boots might be ridiculous but it was an excellent finish and I was glad for him that he scored. He's been subject to quite a bit of stick in the recent poor run so hopefully the goal will do him some good. And hopefully it will do the team some good too. The objective last night was to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and we did that. We kept a clean sheet too and credit has to go to Manuel Almunia for keeping us in the game with an excellent save late in the second half, before we had scored.

There was a little bit of history made too with Jack Wilshere becoming our youngest ever player in European competition at 16 years and 329 days. He turns 17 on New Year's day. Well done to him.

Amy Lawrence quotes Arsene Wenger on the Arsecast every now and again where he says confidence is the easiest thing to lose in football and the hardest thing to get back. Yesterday was a baby step in getting some of our mojo back. The manager said afterwards:

Winning is a first step for us because the team needs a bit of reassurance and at least the win will give us that. I felt that it was a more steady than spectacular performance and for us it was important to come back to win the game.

New captain Cesc said:

The most important thing was the result. It was a difficult game because every team who comes here comes to defend and try to play on the counter attack. But we were patient and continued to play our football and in the end we scored the goal that we deserved.

And he also had praise for teammates Gallas:

It was difficult but you could that every time he [Gallas] touched the ball it was cheering him up and he was fantastic. He is a big professional and nobody doubts his commitment and he has shown that tonight again.

And Almunia:

Almunia has kept us in games four or five times now. He is growing in every game and is vital for us. Everyone respects him in the dressing room and he is gaining confidence so he is fantastic for us.

So a good start as captain for Cesc and his work at uniting the squad and getting everyone pulling together in the same direction has begun. And let's not forget how important his football is to us. There's nobody else in this team who could have played that pass to Bendtner for the goal last night, so to kick off his career as captain by talking the talk and walking the walk, so to speak, is good stuff.

Now, we're not necessarily shouting from the rooftops yet but it's good to get a win under our belts. It had been exactly two weeks since our last win (Wigan in the Carling Cup) and it now gives us a bit of a platform to work from ahead of Sunday's game against Chelsea. More on that in the days to come. Who will finally top our Champions League group comes down to the game against Porto on December 10th.

Elsewhere, while William Gallas's agent was saying the player had no plans to leave Arsenal, Kolo Toure was being somewhat cagey about his Arsenal future. Responding to speculation about a possible move to Manchester City in January, he said:

I am injured and need to get back to fitness. I have nothing to say about the transfer link, time will tell.

It could be just a throw-away comment but I would have preferred to hear him say something like 'I have nothing to say about the transfer link. I am just focussing on working hard to get back into the Arsenal team'.

Maybe we expect too much from players but you'd never have Kolo down as a quitter. I'm sure he's not enjoying things at the moment but he's not been the same player since he came back from the ACN last season. Still, the last thing we need to do is sell any of our players, especially the more experienced ones.

With January and the transfer window looming ever closer I think most of us are expecting, if not praying solidly for hours at a time, that the manager spends some money to improve the squad. When you hear him talking about how some clubs are 'living in dreamland' and making his second reference of recent times to the current world economic climate you do start to worry. I'm choosing to look at this in a positive way this morning though, no doom and gloom at all, it's obviously all part of his bargaining strategy. He's making other clubs think there's no money around so when he comes along and offers three bob and sixpence for a player they'll feel like they have to take it. Yes, that's what it is. That's what it is.

Right so, not much else happening so let us spend the day basking in the warm glow of a win, at last. Till tomorrow.

Right, well plenty to get through this morning ahead of tonight's game against Kiev and obviously the main story is the fact that Cesc Fabregas is the new Arsenal captain.

Arsene Wenger made the announcement at his pre-match press conference yesterday, confirming that it was a permanent thing but at the same time refusing to give any details about previous captain Gallas, beyond the fact that he would play tonight. Despite some intense badgering from various journalists he refused to be drawn on the reasons behind his decision, saying only:

I have given you information but I do not have to explain to you why I make these decisions. This subject is now closed. You have to respect a little bit of the team’s privacy.

Gotta love that last line, aimed as it was at both the journalists and probably Gallas too. It's a big decision to have made and the boss is being pragmatic in including Gallas in the team tonight. He needs him as a player. I think if Toure and Sagna had been fit he'd be much more inclined to have let Gallas sit on the bench, or even at home, but needs must at the moment and I still think, despite some comforting words from the manager, his long term future at the club is very much in doubt.

But away from Gallas and on to the new captain of Arsenal Football Club. To me he was the only choice and I'm glad Wenger has made it. It's a great lift for the fans in difficult times and I'm sure it'll be a lift to the players too. Cesc said:

It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential.

He has received the backing of Gael Clichy (who also has words for Gallas) and I think most fans will be right behind the choice of Cesc as captain. But while we all hope this will provide the kind of spark that will get our season going, and even perhaps get his own season going, let's be under no illusions that he faces a difficult time - at least for the first few weeks of his captaincy. This is a step in the right direction, not an instant cure for what ails us.

The team is struggling for form and beset with injuries (Nasri and Diaby are both added to the sick list for tonight's game) and until the manager can get the chequebook out and add to the quality of the squad in January then things are going to be tough. We need to show proper Arsenal spirit, we need every single player on the team to give 100% for 90+ minutes, egos need to be left at the door on the way in, we need to start playing as a team and less like a group of individuals who are having a kick around for the first time.

This is part of Cesc's job now. To unite the players for the Arsenal cause. And it is a lot to ask anybody, let alone a 21 year old, but I'm confident he can do it. He's never been afraid to speak his mind, to stick up for himself or his teammates, to get involved and he is a winner. He has that drive that we've been missing a bit this season. We've given him the ultimate responsibility as a player at Arsenal, we've asked a lot of him, but at the same time the club has to do likewise. Cesc is a once in a lifetime talent, the kind of player any manager would like to build his team around, now Arsene has to ensure that we bring in the kind of players who will not just help Cesc flourish as captain and player, but the rest of the team too.

I think he can be an excellent captain and we know what a brilliant player he is but it's too much to ask him to be brilliant without help. He needs a quality experienced partner alongside him, someone who will help get the best out of him, and we all know where else we need players. As much as Cesc now has a responsibility to Arsenal, Arsenal has a responsibility to him.

His appointment will be also be popular with the players and that's important. It's clear that more than a couple have personal problems with Gallas and while it's certainly right to point some fingers at them if there's a lack of professionalism on their part you have to address the root of the problem and Wenger has done that. I still think this is a decision that should have been made during the summer but it's definitely a case of better late than never.

So captain Cesc will lead his team out for the first time tonight knowing that a win will see us through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League. We know Kiev generally don't travel well but Arsenal are down to the bare bones, some suggesting that Fran Merida could start on the left hand side of midfield tonight. With Eduardo and Rosicky obviously still out we won't have Adebayor, Toure, Eboue, Walcott or Sagna as well as the aforementioned Nasri and Diaby for tonight's game.

With Gallas in the team I think he'll play in the middle with Sylvester with Djourou at right back. In the midfield we could see Merida on the left and Ramsey on the right hand side with Denilson and Cesc in the middle. I wouldn't be surprised if Vela got a start tonight either with Bendtner and his ridiculous pink boots missing out.

A win tonight would help restore some confidence ahead of what is going to be a massive game this weekend against Chelsea. It'd get Cesc's reign as Arsenal captain off to a good start and help mend the growing rift between the fans and the team. Nobody likes to be negative, nobody likes to see the team in the doldrums, and hopefully with Cesc leading the boys out tonight it'll help improve the atmosphere all round.

The OleOle graphics guys have done up a Captain Cesc wallpaper for you to download in various sizes, so smarten up your desktop this morning.

More reaction from Paul Davis, Gunnerblog, RedAction

So, here's to Captain Fabtastic, may he develop a terrible withered elbow from lifting too many trophies. Come on Arsenal.

The thing about this time of the year is that there is little time between matches, meaning we could all feel a bit better come Wednesday morning. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about really.

Ahead of the game against Kiev Arsene has hinted that Gallas could return to to the squad and perhaps the team. There are those who would say that despite his enormous big mouth Gallas is the best defender we have and for the sake of results should play. I would suggest that even if he is the best defender we have he has played his part in some of the poorest games of the season so to bring him back is no assurance of a good result.

I suppose a lot depends on the fitness of Kolo Toure. If he's available then it's easier to leave Gallas out. If Sagna was fit then it's easier to leave Gallas out. Personally I wouldn't have him near the team again, I'd sell him in January and go spending for a new centre-half, or two. But Wenger is very forgiving to his favourites sometimes and to me it looks like Gallas is one of those.

I can understand the manager's predicament. He'll see Champions League qualification as more important than principle. He'll consider next weekend's game against Chelsea as more important than principle. In the very short term there's nothing more important than the next game but longer term you've got to show that actions have consequences and giving Gallas what boils down to a day off for what he's said is hardly an example to anyone else whose behaviour is poor.

We'll see what happens and there is a mandatory UEFA press conference which takes place the day before every Champions League game. What he's asked and what he chooses to answer at that today could be very interesting.

What's also interesting is who will captain the side tomorrow. I'm with Amy Lawrence on this one, the next captain of Arsenal has to be Cesc Fabregas. Yes, it's a lot to ask of the young man - to take over as captain when the team is going through one of the worst periods on the pitch for a long time. But Cesc is not somebody who feels that kind of pressure. You don't come into a team like Arsenal at just 17 and play that way if you let pressure get to you. Wenger can talk all he wants about how he wants 11 leaders on the pitch but every team needs a figurehead. Every group of players needs somebody that will lead them, that they respect, that they will go that extra mile for.

Cesc is that player. He might be just 21 but he is vastly experienced, extremely popular within the squad (whereas Gallas has always been a bit of an outsider and loner) and for me, most importantly, he has a real and deep connection with Arsenal football club, something I think is really important. Gallas never had that, he would never have it. That's hardly his fault, it's just a fact. Cesc understands what's special about the Arsenal. He has grown up at our football club, he learned from players like Vieira, Henry, Pires and Keown about what it means to be an Arsenal player.

He has the spirit and the ability to lead and solidify this group of players. Yes, he is struggling with his form this season but every player struggles with form from time to time. He is a world class player with great standing within the game already. Giving him the captaincy is not simply a way of fending off the inevitable advances from Spain either. It's a way of rejuvenating this Arsenal team until we can bring in reinforcements in January. It's like turning over on to a fresh blank page in a book, ready to write the next chapter.

The team needs a lift, the fans need a lift, some kind of spark to get things going again and making Cesc captain would do just that. It's a decisive moment for Arsene Wenger. Giving the captaincy to Almunia makes no sense whatsoever. Age is no reason to dictate the captaincy. He can't give it to Kolo Toure if Kolo Toure can't get into the team, and if it were to have been Kolo then it would have happened before now. If he gets this one wrong, and I think giving it to anyone but Cesc would be wrong, then it's a decision he may well regret.

So, another week begins and it's a big one. Victory tomorrow night against Kiev assures us of qualification for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and that would be a boost for all concerned. Then next Sunday we travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea. So it's a massive 6 days for the club. 

Fingers crossed we find ourselves in better form next Monday than this. 

It's going to be a strange week for Arsene Wenger. After a setback like the one against Villa you want to get your players on the training ground and work them that little bit harder, but with a round of meaningless international friendlies in midweek he's going to find a lot of his players away.

While it would have been a good time to work on the defence his entire 'first choice' back four of Sagna, Clichy, Gallas and Sylvester are away (well, Sagna would have been but he's now out injured for three weeks and won't be available).

Nasri will be gone with France, van Persie with Holland, Cesc with Spain, the two Ivorians will be gone, Fabianski will be with the Polish squad, Walcott with England, Ramsey with Wales, Bendtner with Denmark and Djourou with Switzerland. So he'll have a rag-taggle bunch of players on the training ground and with the others not due back until the Thursday he'll only have Friday to work with them ahead of the Man City game.

Hardly the ideal preparation but then a solid week's work after the United game didn't seem to do much good, did it? Manuel Almunia has described the performance against Villa as 'embarrassing' and I suppose it's good that there's that level of honesty amongst the players. What exactly will be done about it remains to be seen.

Former Arsenal player Steve Sidwell, part of the Villa side which won on Saturday, said:

You look at the top four and you come to Arsenal thinking you can pick up points. That’s how it looks to me. You can get points at Arsenal. I believe you play Arsenal home and away and think you can get a result.

There was a time when teams were beaten before we even got on the pitch. Now, I'm not stupid enough to think that lasts forever but the perception that we're a soft touch hurts a bit, I have to say. I'm not blind to the problems of my team or its players but I get all defensive when someone else starts pointing out what's wrong with us. I do not like it. It's just the way of the football fan, I suppose. I can listen to any other Arsenal fan criticise the team or point out its flaws but if I hear Alan Hansen making the exact same point I want to press his face on a hot frying pan and hear that Scottish sizzle.

We'll be without Cesc for the Man City game too as he has picked up five yellow cards and gets an automatic one match suspension. Goonerholic suggests sending him back home for a bit to let him recharge his batteries so he can come back nice and refreshed. In one way it's a nice idea but ultimately when he comes back the problems will remain, in my opinion.

Cecs is going through probably the worst run of form since he broke into the first team. He looks sluggish and lethargic and he looks like a player who isn't enjoying his football at the moment. He looks worn out and I don't think the players he has around him make it any easier for him to get himself out of this slump. It's easier to lift yourself when you've got quality around you and with the greatest of respect to Denilson I don't think he's ready yet (but I maintain he could be a good player if he were to brought through more slowly and able to learn from more experienced players) - and I look at central midfielders of not too long ago and I just do not understand what the manager sees in Alex Song.

We have a wonderfully gifted player in Cesc but I don't believe we're doing, or have done, as much as we should to get the best out of him. Yes, he can play better but it seems as if he doesn't have the confidence in his young midfield partners that he did in Gilberto or Flamini (whose style of play did so much to make Cesc so good last season - even if Flamini were to have left then he should have been replaced with a similar player). I'm sure he was disappointed when we failed to sign Xabi Alonso this summer, having talked up his Spanish colleague in interviews. We know that Arsenal wanted him but for the sake of, perhaps, a million or two, we didn't make the purchase.

So while sending him back for some home cooking might not be the worst thing in the world I'm not sure it's the full answer. What is clear though is that we need Cesc to find his form again and quickly. There's nothing the manager can do in the transfer market until January (that's if he does anything at all) and there's a lot of football between now and then.

Sorry for the glum start to the week but what can you do? This is Glummy McGlum reporting from Glumtown for Glum TV.