Let's get this out of the way first - I am a Tottenham supporter, so it is very hard for me to watch Arsenal players, coaches and supporters celebrate, especially when it comes at the cost of my own club.
But a thought did occur when I watched the scenes at full time at St James' Park on Match of the Day - just why were Arsenal celebrating so much? Sure, those of us at White Hart Lane would have 'gone f-ing mental' had we snatched fourth place and the chance to test our nerves again in a Champions League play-off, but then again Tottenham have only qualified for Europe's premier competition once (in it's current form). For Arsenal, it is almost a given.
To explain my point, consider the Aston Villa fans when they found out they would be safe - should they celebrate as if they had won the title? No, because a team the size and quality of Aston Villa should not secure Premier League safety with just one game to spare. Relief, naturally, tons of it, but celebration?
Of course, the margins for finishing in the Top 4 are a lot smaller than finishing in the Top 17, but the reaction on Sunday evening in Newcastle continues the worrying trend at Arsenal over the last five years or so. Ambitions continue to slip, to a point where locking in that fourth place finish on the final day is nor a massive achievement.
Now, if it means Arsene Wenger can stop operating in the relative bargain bin of the big teams' transfer market, stops signing one season wonders from France (Olivier Giroud), recently relegated Bundesliga players (Lukas Podolski), inconsistent hair transplant victims (Gervinho), and Sebastien Squillaci, then it would be a cause for celebration. If Arsenal can move on from a collective of young players struggling to meet the hype, established internationals and European stars who cannot establish themselves in the Gunners starting XI, and one or two genuinely world class players, to a side resembling the early Wenger teams, aligning break neck pace with a winning mentality and a rock solid defence, then the finale to the 2012-13 season will be remembered as the moment that re-launched Arsenal Football Club.
I admire the way Wenger has managed to run Arsenal economically and prudently, especially since the building of the Emirates. The stick he gets for an unwillingness to spend money the club doesn't have is ridiculous, however not enough is made of the many he has spent. 17 years in the Champions League and the team has changed from van Persie, Fabregas, Nasri and Toure to Giroud, Ramsey, Cazorla and Mertesacker. The star players shine less brightly than their predecessors, while those around them are of a much lower standard. Arsenal used to have young prodigies bristling for the chance to play, whereas now Wenger has players sat on the bench who he would rather not have to rely on.
This summer we can expect big spending from Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea as they prop up new managers. Liverpool will hope to continue their good form from the first half of 2013, although the likelihood is Everton will suffer in the wake of David Moyes' departure. Arsenal and Tottenham will be going head to head, and whoever has the better summer transfer window is likely to come out on top next season. Both teams could do with a new lead striker, while Arsenal lack fortitude in midfield and Spurs lack a playmaker. At the back Totttenham will be happier with their lot, while rumours persist over the Gunners' No.1 spot.
What gets me is that while the likes of Villas-Boas and Brendan Rodgers look up, Wenger is more worried about what is below. The Top 4 as a trophy did not sit well with ordinary football fans, and while it is a sign of the evolution of modern day football it also demonstrates a worrying attitude from Wenger. Nobody believed him when he said at the beginning of the season that Arsenal were title contenders, and most alarmingly of all was that you did not feel Wenger really believed it either.
It is apparent that Wenger is caught between a rock and a hard place - set targets too high and they will be dismissed out of hand, set them too low and there is a chance the club becomes complacent. However, it is better to fail aiming high than fail aiming low.
Wenger himself needs to demand more from his players, who might not cost the top amount in transfer fees but certainly take home big wages (even by your average Premiership players' standard, and some Arsenal players are very average cough Bendtner cough) but the Frenchman also needs to sharpen up his act in the transfer market. Newcastle signed Moussa Sissoko, a rampaging, physical box to box midfielder, for around £3million with agent fees, where were Arsenal? Tottenham signed Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen, two players who would have loved to have joined Arsenal by all accounts, but Wenger said no. Why? Blind loyalty? Or has the ex-Monaco boss started to doubt himself and worry a little too much about what might happen if the transfer doesn't work out, rather than what will happen if the transfer succeeds?
The one ace in the hole that Arsenal have, especially over their North London rivals, is they have the new stadium already. Other teams will have to restrain their budgets to pay for a bigger capacity, however the Financial Fair Play rules may turn that Ace into a Jack or ten. Still, if Wenger is gambling that everyone else will be penny pinching and Arsenal can take advantage of their financial planning, I fear he is massively mistaken.
So this it, a crucial summer that will either make those last day celebrations to start with more to come, or the final hurrah as the club continues to slowly slip away from the top.
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