So the champagne remains on ice, the celebrations on hold and the wait for a trophy continues. There’s also the joyous revelation this morning that the media stories about time since our last success can now be gilded with comments about we lost a final to little old Birmingham.

Honestly, the way Sky were talking yesterday about Birmingham being such underdogs you’d swear we were playing a non-league side and not a Premier League one that has beaten Chelsea this season. Not that they’ll care about what Sky said yesterday and congratulations to them for winning the cup.

From an Arsenal point of view it’s hard to look at the performance and rank it anywhere near our best this season. Not the worst either but when the time came we couldn’t raise our game to the level we know we’re capable of. Some of that was down to the way Birmingham played, they worked hard and defended very well. They got ten men behind the ball at all times when we had it and on a day when we lacked a bit of spark that was always going to make life difficult for us. And as much as Birmingham played well we were leggy and careless, not a good day to have one of those days.

We started poorly and got lucky when Bowyer was played through but given offside. Wojscez took him down but with the offside flag up the result was a free kick to us, instead of a penalty to them and a red card for our keeper. The defensive solidity we’ve enjoyed over the last little while wasn’t really obvious as we struggled to cope with Zigic. Time and again Birmingham hit him with the long ball and when you’ve got the best part of a foot on your opponent you’re always going to win more headers.

In possession we were careless, giving the ball away too easily, and the first goal came after a mix-up between Sagna and Wilshere gave the ball back to them. A cross to Zigic was cut out by Koscielny for a corner, and from the subsequent set-piece Zigic headed home from close range after they won the initial ball. Shortly afterwards it really should have been two, Gardener was stopped on the edge of the box, the ball rebounded to Zigic who was clean through and denied only by a Wojscez©® save and the fact he had to use his feet.

It was bit of a wake-up call and Jack Wilshere drove us forward from midfield, cracking the bar with a shot. When it rebounded to Arshavin he skinned the defender, crossed back into the area and van Persie, moving away from goal, swiveled and fired home with his right foot to make it 1-1. A brilliant finish but a costly one. He injured himself scoring the goal, it looks like a knee problem and the prognosis is ‘not good’ according to Arsene Wenger.

Still, it gave us the chance to go in and regroup at half-time, to pick ourselves up and lift our game a bit. The initial signs were good, Rosicky firing just wide after a decent move down the right hand side, but we just didn’t get going fully. Fahey hit the inside of the post for Birmingham after a fortuitous rebound off Zigic. We made changes. RVP came off due to his injury replaced by Bendtner, Arshavin, who was clearly spent and had nothing left in his legs, made way for Chamakh.

And I suppose that brought about our best spell of the game. Some tired legs meant the game opened up a bit and Foster made a string of saves from Arsenal players. We certainly looked the most likely to score at that point but then, with just a minute of normal time to go the unbelievable cock-up between Koscielny and Wojscez©® that handed Birmingham the cup. A free kick was headed on by Zigic, there was no danger at all, it just needed one of them to deal with it. Instead Koscielny’s miskick, perhaps having heard a shout from the keeper, meant the ball squirted into the path of Obafemi Martins and he had the simplest of tap-ins to make it 2-1.

We don’t know what kind of communication went on between keeper and defender but for me, once Koscielny has come that far, he’s got deal with it and just lump it into the stands. I don’t want to be harsh on the bloke, he’s had some excellent games recently and there’ll be nobody more upset about what happened than him, but it’s a very harsh lesson to learn. And whichever Birmingham player slapped him on the head after the goal really is a snide cunt. Celebrate, by all means, but there’s no need to do that.

Anyway, it was a ridiculous way to lose a game and I doubt there’s another team in the world who could conspire to lose a final that way. I don’t really buy the people who say they deserved to win the cup. I think the stats show we had twice as many attempts on goal, twice as many on target, and it was only a ludicrous freak of a goal which won it for them, but the only stat that counts is the scoreline and we’re on the wrong end of that.

Obviously losing a cup final hurts, we’ve been there before and we’ll be there again, and it will raise many questions about the team and it’s ability to make that next step. Rightly enough people will debate the issue. Is there a mental weakness? Birmingham are a team we’ve beaten twice already this season. Did they want it more than us? I don’t think so. We just didn’t play well on the day. Do they care enough? Of course they care.

We’ve spoken a lot about the team’s maturity and their development this season. Winning yesterday would have calmed many fears, washed away many doubts. Losing does nothing but heighten those and I understand that completely. Losing can become a habit as much as winning. Sport is littered with examples of teams and players who, when it comes to the final hurdle, just can’t get over it. A sliced drive into the trees on the 18th, a bad race in an Olympic final, unforced errors with a grand slam in sight, and at the moment we’re one of those examples.

Afterwards Arsene described the team as ‘bitterly disappointed’ and Koscielny and Wojscez©® as ‘destroyed’. The keeper and the defender will have had a sleepless night, I’m sure, replaying that incident over and over again. The team as a whole knew they had something to prove yesterday but the monkey remains attached firmly to our back, it’s balls un-kicked. Fucking monkey cunt.

And yet, without trying to gloss over the hurt and disappointment of yesterday, we still have much to play for this season. The maturity of the team might be measured in their response to this. We can do two things – we can sit around, feel sorry for ourselves that we lost a final in freakish circumstances, or we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and keep fighting. And there’s only one option, isn’t there?

The fallout will continue as fans rightly discuss the issues that losing yesterday brings up, but the team don’t have any other choice than to just keep going. We play again on Wednesday, then Saturday, then it’s Barcelona, and so it goes until the end of the season. In the past setbacks have become excuses, any psychological blow becomes a major issue, the team requiring a metaphorical straight-jacket and padded cell, but no matter how much they hurt over this, and they do hurt you know, they’ve got to realise there’s still a lot of football to be played this season.

I’m not trying to make any excuses for them. They had a brilliant chance to silence the doubters and cocked it up in spectacular style. Unfortunately that’s football. Swindon 69, Ipswich 78, West Ham 80, Luton 88, Arsenal teams in the past have blown cup finals against teams they ‘should’ have beaten. Arsenal teams in the future will do the same. Underdogs will win finals. Ask United, Sp*rs, Liverpool. It’s part and parcel of the game. Of course it raises issues about mentality and belief, the ability to deliver when the time comes, but I’m not going to sit here this morning and castigate the team.

They know as well as anyone what they’ve allowed slip, and the repercussions of it, but they simply cannot let it affect them negatively. I don’t want to be trite and suggest they turn the negative into a positive. It’s too much like woo-speak bollocks but the reality of our situation is that we still have three chances to win a trophy this season and we have to regroup, refocus and quickly. Although worried about the damage it will do to the team’s confidence Arsene Wenger says:

It is a massive disappointment for the team but we have massive challenges in front of us – the Carling Cup is four games, five games but a championship season is 38. We will not throw 38 games away because of one game.

Let’s hope that’s the case. The faith in the team is shaken this morning, no doubt about it. The only way to regain that is through performances and results. There’s not much else we can do now but consign this to history, painful history I fully agree, and move on. Whatever does’t kill you and all that.

We’re wounded, not dead.

Join me for live blogging of the Carling Cup final between Arsenal and Birmingham. Just open the window and read – updates will post automatically so there’s no need to refresh the page.

Kick off is 4pm – team news posted as soon as we have it. You can also join in with ‘Matchday chat’. You can sign in with Twitter or Facebook or register a new account. When you log in with Twitter or Facebook for the first time you’ll be given the chance to choose a chat username. Then just post away.

The live blog is brought to you in association with TeamOdds – providing you with the best Arsenal odds from a range of bookmakers. If you fancy a flutter, just click through to our special Arsenal odds page and take your pick. There are some interesting free bets with some of them too so feel free to sign up and take advantage of those.

Click to launch Arsenal v Birmingham – Carling Cup final live blog.

Come on Arsenal!

Morning finalists,

in a few hours from now we’ll be kicking off against Birmingham at Wembley. Our first final since Paris Chelsea in 2007 and the closest we’ve come to a trophy since then also. Plenty of water has gone under the bridge since but this team now have a chance to show they’re mature enough and good enough to win things.

There are those who might scoff that it’s just the Carling Cup. I don’t pay any attention to that. The aim of any tournament is to win it, and we have that chance today. So much has been said about our trophylessness (yes, it’s a real word) that it really does feel like a monkey on our backs. Today, we need to shake off that monkey, kick him squarely in the bollocks and say ‘Fuck off monkey, you little cunt’.

In terms of the team I think the only decision the manager has to make is how to replace Cesc. Earlier in the week I was thinking he’d bring Diaby into midfield and play Nasri on the right. This morning, bearing in mind Diaby is just back from injury, I think he’ll put Nasri in the Cesc role and play Bendtner on the right, giving us a line-up of:

Wojscez©® – Sagna – Djourou – Koscielny – Clichy – Song – Wilshere – Nasri – Bendtner – Arshavin – van Persie

For some it’s an opportunity to add silverware and winners medals to their established Arsenal careers. For others it’s a first chance and hopefully the first of many. Two of our most important players today are in their debut seasons for us. Wojscez©® and Jack Wilshere will have had hopes of making the breakthrough this season but a cup final so soon was probably not in their thoughts. Thankfully for us they have real character and won’t be fussed by the importance of the occasion.

The team, despite some issues in the FA Cup, is on an excellent run of form. The confidence gained, in different areas, from beating Barcelona and then Stoke, puts us in good shape. Defensively we’ve been much more solid and the centre-halves today will have to work very hard to deal with the aerial threat of Zigic. It’s not just their job though, the best way to nullify a player like Zigic is to cut off the supply. Set-pieces and the delivery of Larsson will be a threat today and we have to be mindful of that.

We know as well that Birmingham like to play a physical game. Bacary Sagna will remember well Lee Bowyer from the game at St Andrews, and there were moments at the Grove game earlier in the season, but I don’t think this is a team that will be bullied today. Perhaps Stoke was the best preparation for this game. Holding out for a 1-0 win against a team that provide as big a physical and aerial threat as any other is good for the confidence.

At the other end of the pitch Birmingham will be worried by the in-form van Persie and the return of Arshavin to something approaching his best. The absences of Cesc and Walcott do rob us of some of our attacking verve, no doubt about it, but that’s not something we can dwell on. Nasri is capable, Song has got a few, Bendtner provides us with a different option if needed, and what a day it would be for Wilshere to step up and show he can add goals to his game, so I’m not that worried.

We didn’t create a huge amount against Stoke, to be fair, and I expect Birmingham to defend in a similar fashion today. When we’re in possession they’ll get men behind the ball and make life very difficult for us, so we may have to be patient. Other than that all you can ask from the team is that they give everything and remember the rewards that working hard brings. Think back to the games against Chelsea and Barcelona and how the high-tempo when we had the ball created opportunities.

No Arsenal fan needs any reminding how important today is. As well as kicking that monkey in the nuts we need a trophy because good teams win trophies. At the end of the day flowing football and nice passing and being technically excellent means little if you don’t have success to back it up. There’s been more than a little impatience on the way to this final. The players, the manager, the board, have all been questioned to varying degrees, depending on your point of doom, but today this Arsenal team have got to show they’re ready for the next step.

In recent years, when push has come to shove, we’ve been found wanting. Let’s go out on that Wembley pitch today and show that things have changed, that this is no longer the case. As much as the fans want success, so should the players. Perhaps there’ll be a measure of nerves and trepidation, until you get that first one under your belts it’s natural, but winning becomes a habit. Knowing you can go the distance and overcome that pressure is invaluable.

Robin van Persie will lead out the Arsenal team today knowing that it’s time he won something again. Andrei Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna, Johan Djourou, Alex Song – all established experienced players who have no measurable success during their time at the club. On the bench Diaby, Denilson, Rosicky, Eboue – not an Arsenal medal between them. It’s time to make that right. Cesc says:

As soon as we win something together, we will realise we can really go on and win more.

That’s what makes today’s game even more crucial. It’s a final and you obviously want to win any final but you just feel the benefits of doing so today would mean so much to this team.

It’s now a little before 9am and the excitement is building. By kick off I’m sure nerves will be frayed and nails bitten but then that’s all part the game. We’ve had some painful moments in the last few seasons, we’ve come close but not quite got there, fingers crossed that today is a day like April 5th 1987 (Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal) , like April 18th 1993 (Sheff Weds 1-2 Arsenal), like the cup final days that live long in the memory. And that it signals the start of something more.

Come on Arsenal!

—

As usual you can join me for live blogging of the game, I’ll put up another post with more details later on. Also, the live blog has a brand new sponsor, TeamOdds, and those of you who fancy a flutter might want to check out our Arsenal Odds page, which provides a series of bets and finds the best Arsenal odds from a range of bookmakers. There are some interesting free bets with some of them too so feel free to sign up and take advantage of those.

iPhone app – to those of you experiencing problems with the iPhone app we’re aware of it and looking into it so please be patient. In the meantime you can return to the old fashioned, archaic method of visiting the site in your browser!

As well as that today is something of a celebration for Arseblog. This day nine years ago the blog began so it’s a fun day to have a birthday. I can’t really believe it’s nine years, time flies, eh? I’d just like to thank everyone who reads the blog, listens to the Arsecast, Twitters, Facebooks, Tumbls, emails and everything else. Your support in the last few months, since the blog returned to its former home, is hugely appreciated.

The community here is something a bit special, online and offline, and I’m very proud that it’s grown out of this website. We might have our differences at times but Arsenal fans really are the best. Obviously you’re a huge part of Arseblog, without you it’d be nothing etc etc, so I hope later on we can raise a glass to an Arsenal win and I’ll send you on a piece of the birthday cake.

Thanks all. I love you almost as much as I love Bob.

*swoons*

Until later.

I woke up this morning wondering why on earth I felt the *boilk* the way I do. I only had four beers when I came in from 5-a-side last night.

As I was making coffee I remembered that the beer was Duvel, a whopping 9% in each bottle. And I’d had 5. And a wee tap of the Gentleman Jack. Still, it’s amazing how quickly one can move when one hears the elderly basset get out of bed, knowing that you’re in a race against his ever-loosening sphincter to get the back door open before, erm, his back door opens. Doesn’t do much for your hangover though.

Anyway. lots to talk about today with the Carling Cup final coming up tomorrow. At his press conference yesterday Arsene confirmed the absence of Cesc, in the short term, and Theo for about three weeks due to the injuries they picked up against Pubis FC. With regard to Cesc he played down any suggestion he might be able to play in the final, saying:

If he played this match, he could damage his participation in all the other targets we have. He could make the damage much worse and be out for three, four, five weeks maybe. The injury is a small one and it’s important he’s not out for longer.

And an obviously disappointed Cesc has no issue with that, saying:

The boss is right and the most important thing is to make sure I get fit as quickly as possible to help Arsenal for the rest of the season. So while it is agonising I can’t be with the lads on the pitch on Sunday, I’ll be working hard to ensure I am part of the whole adventure.

He goes on to say, in his column in the Sun:

The boss has also said the boys should go out and win the cup for me because I cannot play. That shows the spirit we have at Arsenal in the dressing room. But really, I would like them all to go out and win the Carling Cup for the club and for the supporters. They are the ones who have stuck by us and waited a long time for the chance to win a trophy.

As hard as it must be to miss a final it’s important to see the bigger picture and thankfully we have a captain who is level-headed and sensible enough to do that. Despite the disappointment there are no histrionics or tantrums and hopefully the team can do him proud tomorrow afternoon.

But now the focus has to turn to the team, to the players who will be out there at Wembley and the ones who will be tasked with winning the game. Arsene talks about there being a ‘weight’ on the team, which is completely natural when you’re at a club like Arsenal. There’s an expectation of success simply because under Arsene Wenger we grew used to it. Football is cyclical, however, there’ll be good times and bad, successful and not, and the time since we last lifted a trophy will always remain an issue.

Look at the squad we have, the talent, and how many of them have medals? Cesc and Robin from the 2005 FA Cup final, Clichy has a Premership winners medal from 2004 but he wasn’t really an integral part of the team that season. Besides that there isn’t an Arsenal winners medal to be found among any of them and that’s something they need to put right. The manager suggests winning tomorrow could bring more success and I think that’s a view many share.

Would the Anfield 89 team have had the success they did without the victory over Liverpool in 87? They also had the pain of Luton the following year to inspire them. This team has experienced the pain already. Two cup finals lost, chances for the league title have gone by the wayside for one reason or another, so it’s important that they make the next step and stop being nearly men. Bacary Sagna wants the team to take the next step, saying;

When we get close to winning something, we get scared, we stop playing. I hope [tomorrow] will be a good way to show everyone we can win things, and even more.We were scared, but we are not any more.

And let’s hope it is indeed the start of something, a platform for more trophies, more success. There’s no place for fear tomorrow and from Cesc’s column the players are going to treat it like any other game, which is probably the right way to do it. Of course there’s extra pressure and tension but keeping things as normal as possible will help counter that. Anyway, there’ll be a fuller preview in tomorrow’s blog.

In other news The Sun reports Samir Nasri has agreed a new five year deal worth a trillion bazillion pounds, as if that makes any difference to us whatsoever. The important thing is the five years part. Obviously, it being the Sun and all, we’ll hold off on the celebrations, but fingers crossed it’s true. I do know the club are confident he’ll sign so let’s wait for official confirmation.

The Independent follows up a story which appeared in the Mail last week about Chelsea trying to nab chief scout Steve Rowley. Losing him would be a big blow, not least because he’s worked with Arsene for years, knows his targets, his methods etc. And as you might imagine the way they’re ‘luring’ him is by throwing outrageous amounts of cash at him. We’ll keep an eye on this one, hopefully the club can ‘convince’ him to stay.

And that’s about that for today. A proper preview, with team predictions etc, tomorrow. Until then have a good one, the excitement is building.