Top of the league after 9 games. Best goal diff. Clean sheet yesterday with 10 men; and still>>

...all a surprisingly high number of people can do is moan.

Some of our supporters are a truly unbelievable bunch...

It was always going to be a tougher game than everyone predicted and given their tactics of sitting seep and losing the Flamster so early compounded it but there is a higher level of understanding and maturity now in that we are far more patient and organised and have faith that at some point in 90 minutes our quality will show, much like Swansea game and if it looks a little scrappy then so be it.

The only time we lost this new found maturity this season was in last 10 minutes vs Dortmund where we were quite controlled in looking to create chances but without exposing self until that point. A bad result because of, but for the season a hard hitting piece of pain that will benefit as we stick to plan for 90 minutes.

Think Saturday was a little reflection of that though they do need to have a last man with pace when we have corners that is for sure, even if it was never a red.

This is still an incomplete squad, we miss Walcott more than most think as he keeps the defence honest for the ball slid behind them, without him the game is all in front for a defence to defend.

But with Podolski, Walcott and Chamberlain to comeback there will be some freshness and good rotation for us to sustain our attacking game throughout season.

So we having a little disrupted patch with some players coming in and out but we still winning! and that is a great habit to have as we will still get better.

As for fans who have a moan, then whatever really, I am personally enjoying watching a team that looks like it cares and wants to do things and know there is far more who think like that than not and the minority always carry the loudest voice it is just the way. Cannot be assed to even argue it with them

We not finished article there are some additions needed but when look at squad now to some over last few seasons then there is no real deadwood at all, with likes of Gnabry and Monreal coming in and bringing no real drop off at all - As much as like Groud and think Bentdner is a decent squad forward we do need another top drawer striker who can play in place of or with Giroud as a deeper striker, a Lebanowski for example who can play all positions.

Big run of games to year end coming we will soon know how good we really are but for now just enjoying us being truly in there and challenging :)

And the negativity and scepticism still fuelling our various media outlets is feeding that.

There was an expectation that we'd thrash Palace, it didnt happen.
They expected us to lose to Dortmund and we did
If we lose to Chelsea this week in the CC that means we have no realistic chance of winning anything

I mean we have to play Liverpool!

and left ourselves a little too open at the back.

I dont think it was remotely to do with maturity. We shipped plenty of chances, got caught from our own corner amd had to rely on two superb saves.

I repeat, palace are well ****. Virtually any of the sides in the bottom half of the table would have made us pay yesterday. We were poor.

But its ok if we pick up again now. Our last three performances in the league havent been good and if we play like that against lierpool and united we will lose both games. We need toick up our levels a bit, sharpish.

He does mak a good point about walcott and that his absence allows defences toush higher against us. Dortmund's pressig game wouldnt have been anywhere near as effective if we had had theo running behind them, pushing their line back.

But he isnt fit. Tough!

On a positive (and i like to finish on a positive :-) ) i think we might have a cracking player in gnabry. Won both 'penalties' yesterday and put a beauty of a through ball for ozil. He looks a bit more confident now and his technique and tricks are coming out.

We can worry about the small stuff like goal difference in May :-)