A bloody task carried out ruthlessly.

ARSENAL 4-1 WIGAN ATHLETIC
Podolski 11' 68', Maloney 45', Walcott 63', Ramsey 71'
Att: 60,068

There was a lot at stake for both clubs going into this fixture. For Arsenal: a top-four finish, or bust. For Wigan Athletic: survival, or bust. Unfortunately, for the Latics, anything other than a win would relegate them. Arsenal were feeling the pressure, too, as they were pursuing their quest for Champions League football next season.

The tension was unbearable. While many fans, I included, have a soft-spot for Wigan Athletic, I could only wish for an Arsenal win. I was happy that the Latics had triumphed in the FA cup, but I am an Arsenal fan first and foremost; the trials and tribulations of my club come first. Whether Wigan stayed up, or not, was frankly irrelevant to me.

The opening exchanges were pleasing. Arsenal seemed focussed during the early furrows of the match. A goal in the 11th minute epitomised this; LUKAS PODOLSKI nodded home from a Santi Cazorla corner, the perfect start.

Wigan just didn't seem to be able to get anything going. They lacked the verve and precision they showed at Wembley on Saturday, and Arsenal were playing confidently. It seemed that they needed a bit of luck in order to get anything from this game.

And, as half-time approached, they were granted a free-kick in a promising position just outside the penalty box. Replays suggested the free-kick had been awarded in fortuitous circumstances; Arteta appeared to make little, if any, contact. That didn't bother Wigan, however, as SHAUN MALONEY stepped up and curled the ball into the bottom-right corner of Szczesny's goal. Wigan back in the game.

A frustrating blow for the Gunners, who had dominated for much of the first half. The Arsenal faithful made their feelings clear as the teams exited the field for their half-time pep-talks.

Martinez, after seeing his side win the FA cup, stressed that Wigan were entirely committed to achieving Premier League survival; they muted their celebrations in order to focus for tonight's game. Needless to say, the 15 or so minutes between the first and second halves would be the most important of his entire managerial career. Could he stir his side to recreate that passion and determination that bagged them the oldest cup competition in the world?

As the teams emerged for the second half, the tension was contagious. Wigan started better, as Kone forced a save from Wojciech Szczesny in the early stages of the second half. A heart-in-mouth moment, Arsenal were perhaps lucky to escape unscathed.

Arsenal scored a second in the 63rd minute. As Santi Cazorla raced down the wing, he drilled a low cross in which was met by the onrushing THEO WALCOTT, who found the net via Wigan goalkeeper Joel Robles. As has been the story of Arsenal's season, this goal inspired the team to hunt for more.

And, five minutes later, it was 3-1. LUKAS PODOLSKI bagged his second of the evening after being sent through by Santi Cazorla. His 16th goal of the season, Wigan were well and truly on the rack. They simply couldn't handle this resurgent Arsenal side, especially Santi Cazorla, who has arguably been Arsenal's player of the season. He was deservedly awarded Man of the Match.

The result was confirmed when AARON RAMSEY scored in the 71st minute. After being found with time and space, the Welshman advanced before firing into the net. There was no hope for Wigan anymore. A cruel end to a truly valiant effort, their players collapsed to the floor in disappointment.

Arsenal had played the role of pantomime villain by relegating Wigan Athletic, sending them down to the Championship after 8 long years of successive survivals. Martinez has pulled off some remarkable feats as Wigan boss; one can remember their survival two years ago, at the expense of West Ham United. Tonight, however, it just wasn't to be, sadly.

While Wigan will be missed in the Premier League, tonight's result concluded a disappointing league season for the Latics; they simply hadn't won enough games or, indeed, played well enough. Tonight was a harsh lesson on the competitive nature of the Premier League. Arsenal needed to win just as much, and went about their business just as they would any other game. One can only wish Wigan the best of luck for next season.

As for Arsenal, their fate will be decided on Sunday against Newcastle, away at St James's Park. It will be a decisive game, whatever the result. Arsenal could confirm their place in the Champions League qualifiers, but equally could slip to fifth should they fail to collect three points. Eyes will be on the match at White Hart Lane, too; Spurs have to win, otherwise they will not have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Tense, tense times.

Pre-season 2013

Now that the 2013/14 Premier League season is all but over, Arsenal fans' eyes will be turning to the summer break in 2013. While most Arsenal fans will be resting their tired souls, after yet another season of disappointment, it can be said that this summer will not be a quiet one for Arsenal.

Transfers will be a huge talking point. As soon as the final whistle is blown at the final game of the season, the transfer gossip will ensue. Every year, Arsenal are linked with several players in deals which most of the time don't ever take off. This year will be no exception. Despite Arsene being granted a transfer kitty of up to £70 million, his history of tentative, bargain-based transfers doesn't instill the greatest confidence in Arsenal fans. One would hope he uses that budget to its fullness, however. Arsenal need a replacement right-back, as it would appear Bacary Sagna is unfit for the cause, if not halfway out of the door, already. Also, some healthy competition for goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny would perhaps give provide the impetus he needs to up his game; it would appear Fabianski is far too injury-prone, and his track record isn't encouraging. I would say, however, that Wenger's biggest priority this summer has to be the purchase of a strong, holding-midfielder. Mikel Arteta has performed remarkably well, out of position, but it would appear his strengths lie in an attacking, more creative role.

In reality, Arsenal haven't replaced Gilberto Silva, one of Arsenal's greatest midfielders in the Wenger era. His ability to steward possession, organise the midfield and bully the opposition into submission was one of the reasons Arsenal went unbeaten for 49 Premiership matches. Alex Song never fulfilled his duties as a holding midfielder as he would never hold; his appetite for roaming constantly left the Arsenal defence in dire straits, and yet he was the one who failed to perform his job. Arsenal had previously been linked with Yann M'Vila, but Arsene denied such reports; consequently, M'Vila signed for Russian outfit Rubin Kazan, leaving that option closed now. One would hope Wenger's scouts have been keeping close tabs on similar talents, as Arsenal and Arteta are in real need of one.

Aside from transfers, the Emirates Cup will be making a return after being cancelled during last year's Olympic Games. Some of the rumoured teams to be involved alongside the Gunners include Napoli, Porto and, controversially, Galatasaray.

Arsenal fans of the older generations need no reminder of the atrocities that occurred in Copenhagen, before and after the 2000 UEFA Cup final. Violence across the city marred the showpiece event which Arsenal went on to lose on penalties. Reasons why such chaos erupted has been sketchy, although it has been cited that the stabbing of some Leeds United fans in the previous round by Galatasaray fans was a contributing factor. The Arsenal fans involved were apparently carrying out justice for such stabbings on behalf of English football; during the aftermath, the damage of the riot was clear: four stabbings, 11 injured and 54 arrests. A day of shame for both clubs. Those Arsenal and Galatasaray fans truly involved in the unpleasantness were rightfully punished.  In fact, it has been said that fans from several clubs in the UK were involved in the riots, as they sought to gain 'revenge', too.

For the organisers of the Emirates Cup, who are affiliated with Arsenal FC, to include Galatasaray in this year's tournament would be nothing short of scandalous. It seems like sheer folly to reignite such bad feeling amongst fans in what is supposed to be a low-key warm-up to the new season. It seems highly unlikely that Galatsaray fans would make a special trip all the way from Turkey to North London for this meaningless tournament, one would hope.

Piers Morgan admitting to the lies on Twitter to an Arsenal fan group

The fact is, however, that the riots left a deep burn on Arsenal fans, as several well-mannered, innocent supporters had their season tickets confiscated and were given lifetime bans from football arenas. Fans who, for the most part, played no role in the violence, and were unfortunate bystanders who were picked up by the cameras and were wrongly blamed in the press aftermath. The public furore was accentuated by the Daily Mirror, under the stewardship of editor and apparent Arsenal 'fan' Piers Morgan, and they campaigned for these fans to be imprisoned and banned from attending games for life. Based on lies and misinformation, Piers got his way. Arsenal fans continue to show resentment towards him and that unsavoury episode in the club's history. It was an act which Piers Morgan used as a way of gaining readership and support for his newspaper; he didn't care about the implications of his actions.

One can understand, therefore, the sheer ignorance of the organisers, should the reports be true, would cause more trouble than is ultimately worth. The Emirates Cup is a tournament where Arsenal and a few top world sides can stretch their legs and warm up for the new season. It often proves to be a relaxed atmosphere. Some fond memories have been made at this tournament; Henry's return, the visit of the Old Firm from Glasgow and the emergence of Jack Wilshere. One can be forgiven for thinking that, should Galatasaray be involved, the weekend will be spoilt by such vitriol and bad-feeling.

Maybe the reports were not accurate. I pray that they are not, because I don't want that weekend to be a disaster.

The season so far

On Wednesday, it was announced on various websites that, aside from all the shower of praise for Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsenal will be parting company with Nike and will sign with Puma, in a sportswear deal worth £30 million per year. It's worth noting at this point that, should this news be true, Arsenal will have bagged the largest kit sponsorship deal to date, leap-frogging Liverpool's £25 million deal with American manufacturers, Warrior. According to various sites, such as the Mirror and The Week, Arsenal will start wearing Puma kits in the 2014/15 season. Funnily enough, the Mirror took it further by saying that Arsene will have 'no excuses' and 'will have money to spend now'. I'll leave that thought with you.

While this can be viewed as a magnificent coup from Arsene and the rest of the Arsenal board, I can't help thinking that this development is relatively small compared with Manchester United.

As recently as April, United announced they had struck a deal worth £15 million a season with Aon for the renaming of Carrington training ground. A relatively small sum, but every little helps, I guess.

Perhaps it would be more befitting to mention that, in 2012, it was announced that, from 2014/15, Chevrolet would be the club's main shirt sponsor, replacing Aon, at a cost of $80 million (over £52 million) a season for seven years. In total, United will earn $559 million (over £346 million).

They even managed to squeeze cash out of their off-the-pitch merchandise. In 2011, they announced that DHL would sponsor United's training kits, in a deal which would earn them £40 million over four years. Ignoring the massive debt circulating Old Trafford, it can be said that these deals, plus their share of the newly announced £5 billion TV rights, their financial situation will improve.

Manchester United are the kings of globalisation and marketing. No other English team can compete with them in this sector, unless they can be as ruthless as the Red Devils. Some may cite United's recent dip in the New York stock exchange as a signal for the future. Will they be the same superpower? I'd argue yes, but only time will tell. What remains is Manchester United's impressive sponsorship deals which place them in good stead.

Does Arsenal's 'magnificent coup' look so good now?

I digress.

On the field, Arsenal are in the best form of their season. According to Sky Sports News, Arsenal are at the top of the form table having remained unbeaten in the last eight Premier League matches. The last loss suffered by the Gunners was the defeat to Spurs on 3 March (2-1), which, one could argue, was an ultimately winnable game.

I've grown confident in this Arsenal side, but cynics will pipe up and remind me of recent seasons; the fact is, this kind of late-season surge has become commonplace for Arsenal.

It happened last season; Arsenal went on an unbeaten streak and managed to leapfrog Spurs, confirming Champions League football for the current season. One would hope the side are capable of repeating such an impressive feat. But if you subtract the influence of Robin Van Persie, and his 37 goals, one can conclude that Arsenal would not have finished anywhere near 3rd.

This season, it has been all about Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott. They are names which have so frequently cropped up in the press, for right and wrong reasons.

Santi Cazorla signed for Arsenal in a deal worth £16 million, and his contribution has been unquestionably consistent. He has featured in more Arsenal games than any other player this season, 47 and counting. What's more, his 12 goals and 10 assists have been a breath of fresh air for a midfield in dire need of inspiration. He has been voted Arsenal's Player of the Month four times by the fans this season; more than any other Arsenal player. Wenger has been questioned why he didn't sign him earlier. Whatever the reason may be, we can all be glad he did sign him.

Jack Wilshere returned to action after over 14 months on the sidelines. Rather unfairly, he was labelled as Arsenal's returning hero who could turn Arsenal's tumultuous season around. He hit the ground running. His buoyant energy excited the Arsenal fans, although some fans, I for one, grew wary of Wenger overplaying him. For many he was first on the teamsheet alongside Cazorla, but one could be forgiven for thinking he should only have played a bit-part role. In January 2013, Wenger admitted that Wilshere was 'rushed back too soon' after a lengthy six-week layoff following an ankle problem. One would hope that a healthy lay-off in the summer will leave him refreshed for next season.

Theo Walcott finally resolved his contract saga, signing a deal which, initially, would see him given more time in a more central role. And, to his credit, his 20 goals and 14 assists have proved him worthy of his new, improved contract. Every Arsenal fan hopes he can build on his improved form.

All this seems irrelevant when you remember Arsenal's premature exits from the Capital One Cup, Champions League and more notably the FA Cup; many viewed it as a winnable trophy, but Arsenal threw away the cup, as well as their hopes of a trophy this season. Losing 1-0 to Blackburn Rovers at the Emirates, the Arsenal fans were left to feel bitter. It compounded a pitiful run in the domestic cup competitions, which Arsenal fans have grown to value more highly than ever.

This season is far from over for Arsenal, however. The prospect of finishing in the top four is a realistic one; undoubtedly, however, it is a prospect in real jeopardy. The competition for Champions League spaces has, again, proven to be hotly contested, and the final two places are being competed by both Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as the Gunners. Your guess is as good as mine, but I firmly believe Arsenal are in a good position to finish fourth, being a point ahead of Tottenham with two games still to play. But let us not get complacent. Arsenal have to play Wigan (H) and Newcastle (A), both teams whose Premiership positions are unsettled. Arsenal will need to play ruthlessly, secure the 6 points required to stronghold their surge towards Champions League football in the 2013/14 season.