Play your part

Tomorrow's game against Burnley promises to be an emotional experience for us all. As if the situation at the top of the table wasn't exciting enough, everyone connected with Arsenal Football Club will be doing their best to go out and win their game against Burnley for Aaron Ramsey. The stadium, with banners prepared by the Arsenal fan community in support of Aaron Ramsey, promises to be quite a sight. It is to be hoped that both the players and fans do young Aaron proud tomorrow.

If I'm honest, I'm a little apprehensive about what awaits us tomorrow. I know the on pitch reaction, whatever anyone else says, last week was a good one and in marked contrast to the self inflicted implosion of St Andrews two years ago. But I was at the Aston Villa game that came a week after that Birmingham game and, for a team that was, at the time, three points clear at the top of the table and as a desperately lacklustre performance unfolded below us silent witnesses, it was clear that some scars would take a long time to heal. I guess the poverty of Arsenal's performance that day was mirrored by our complete failure to react to any number of distasteful chants from the Villa fans regarding Eduardo. I would hope the Burnley fans tomorrow will be a touch more respectful, but I won't hold my breath.

Anyway, that was then and this is now. Rather than a moody, if brilliant Frenchman (hmm, sound familiar?) we have a young Catalan warrior leading the side and I think, forget what our detractors have said about his visible and visceral reaction to the injury inflicted on Ramsey (as if he shouldn't have reacted to the side of a team mates leg being cut in half), he has matured nicely into a good Arsenal captain. We also have players at the club who know how much our failure to deal with the aftermath of Birmingham, not to mention a very tough run of games compared to what lies ahead of us now, cost us.

I've now convinced myself that we're going to be... not just ok, but I think a statement about Arsenal's place in the Premier League pecking order will be given tomorrow afternoon. I mentioned the return of Arshavin yesterday and it seems like Denilson will also return to the side - Abou Diaby is currently rated "50/50". I think that means Diaby, perhaps with Porto in mind, won't be risked from the start tomorrow. But, as we all know, it is nigh on impossible to second guess the manager. Especially if you're relying on information lifted from Arse.com. At the back, it seems likely with William Gallas still unsure of a return date and doubts over Sol Campbell's groin that Silvester will return to the side. Stop it...

I remember last year's FA Cup tie against Burnley, where my friend Ben sold me his season ticket for £20 and I had the pleasure of watching one of the goals of the season via Eduardo's ankle. The team that had beaten us, I maintain somewhat fortuitously, in the Carling Cup was unable to cope with us in the wide open spaces of the Grove. Yeah, Burnley have now had three quarters of a season in the Premier League to get their bearings, but in the meantime they've lost the manager that got them here in the first place. It is to be hoped that the pattern of doing well at Turf Moor, not so well away, reflected not just by those cup matches last season but Burnley's Premier League form this season is repeated.

One man who must be desperate to kick start his season (in March!) is Theo Walcott. Theo is a player that, I think it's fair to say, has almost gone backwards over the last couple of years. I feel a bit sorry for him actually. Making my return to football after a gap of six months last night, having had a frustrating time of it since spraining my ankle a year and a half ago, I can appreciate how difficult it is to get some form going when everything is so stop start. And that's just playing with friends on a Thursday. It must be even worse for Theo because, not only is he playing at a level several times above mine; he is at an age where if he was playing regularly he would surely be developing. Though I appreciate that assumption is based on a belief that he does have talent in there that needs unlocking. Others might look at it as though Mr Wenger is flogging a dead horse, but I don't believe we should rush the judgement until all the facts are in, i.e., he's had something approximating a full season.

Moreover, I don't think any Gooner should be getting on his back now, with Chris Waddle achieving the rare feat of making criticism from Ian Wright seem rational and level headed, there's enough people lining up to take shots at us and ours. We are at a crossroads and if Arsenal are to win this league, then we will have our part to play too. Remember that if you're at the game tomorrow afternoon.

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