So the enigma that is Emmanuel Eboué has come out and apologised to Gooners for the current state of the team(s). I'm sorry, I just can't help but like the guy now, but I'm not sure what that says about the rest of the team.

Apart from tripping over the occasional blade of grass, at least he puts in a shift when he gets to play. Yes I'm aware it may be a none too subtle ploy to get a game, but judge for yourself.

'This week was very, very difficult for us because we lost two games, one against Chelsea and then Manchester City,' Eboué said. 'Now we try to forget those two games and try to win on Saturday against Stoke.

'Personally I just want to say sorry to the fans for both games. It wasn't easy for us but I promise we will give our best and show on Saturday that we can win because we know it will be good for the fans.

'They buy tickets to support us and then we don't win the games. We are sorry and we will try our best on Saturday.'

Now that's what I like to hear. None of this it was all very equal, we were unlucky, the universe wasn't in the correct alignment. We have lost the last three games, we haven't scored during that time and someone should be damn upset about it.

It's an over-used phrase, but it's all about the next game. It's irrelevant whom it is against, it's a game we have to win, and if we are finding winning hard, then we have to try harder. Up the work rate, think more about where the ball is going, try to (gasp) read the game so we get possession. It's all pretty rudimentary stuff, and whilst there are indeed some extenuating circumstances, if the reason we can't score is because one player is injured, then something is very wrong indeed. We have highly skilled and technically gifted players and whatever happens during the game, they should be able to find answers for it.

One player who won't be trying their utmost is Theo. He's beginning to look like a bit of a sick-note I'm afraid and I don't know if he will ever perform at the level we expected other than in very short bursts. It saddens me to say it, but I wonder whether he will ever be the player we suspect he could be. For me it is only 'suspect' because I can't find the evidence to believe he is a great player. I truly hope I am wrong.

As long as we don't get tricked by a totally unexpected long throw, we should have the nous to see off Stoke, but I am a little concerned about our physical strength against what will be a physical team and especially with Song out. Well let's be honest, it's easy to be a little down after the last few games and really I am in the situation of hoping that this team play as it can and gets a good win. I'd settle for any win, but we need to boost what seems to be a too-fragile confidence level, so a good win is by far the better preference.

I haven't mentioned that handshake nonsense to this point as it seems to have been, just for a change, inflated 'way out of proportion by the media and other chancers. Seems very straight forward to me. There were people willing to leap to the defence of a player who inflicted a open dislocation and compound fracture on another player and are now concerned that Arsene didn't shake an opponents hand. The same opponent who was ranting and raving during the match, although obviously in a very sportsman-like manner. This being the case, maybe they should take a long hard look at whether their antipathy towards Arsenal is clouding their ability to make simple moral judgements. A sense of perspective is long overdue I think.