Rumble in the jungle? More like fight at the 'sh*te'.

So c'mon... who was it? Who signed Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer and forgot to tell the rest of us. Seriously though, how good was that? When my team loses a game, the last thing I want to see is a bunch of overpaid players strolling off the field, shaking hands, and then heading home in their Bentleys. No, what I want is a bit of passion. Show us it hurts to get beaten. Break a team mates nose if you think he is under performing. Really, the only shameful thing in this whole event is that Jens Lehmann wasn't on the pitch. Imagine that! Poor old Jens lives for this stuff - that is why he didn't go to Dortmund. He must have seen the potential in the youngsters. I bet he felt left out watching from the bench:

'Zer is ze madness on ze pitch. Verr vass my invitation!!!!'

I'd like to think the whole thing was Arsene's idea. Losing is just not acceptable these days. The current team has to face the facts that comparisons with the 'Invincibles' team are inevitable. So, anytime someone scores an own goal, he must be punished. I have the sneaking suspicion that is why Baptista was signed last season. He looked menacing. I can imagine it now, in the changing rooms at the Grove before the game, Arsene pulling him aside:

'Julio, you are not much of a footballer, in fact, you are not a footballer at all. But you look like a hard b*stard. Kind of, part man, part Orc. Keep Jens in check, and if any of the lads scores an own goal, you have my permission to scythe him down, snap his neck and eat him'.

Unfortunately for Arsene, Julio turned out to be neither a professional footballer nor a maniac with a blood lust. However, as he is wont to do, I'm sure Arsene spotted a quality in Ade that the rest of us hadn't seen. Much like he knew that Kolo would make a great Centre Back, that Thierry was shackled by the wings and should really be a forward. He saw that Adebayor was not just a centre forward, but a ruthless disciplinarian prone to the odd spot of violence. He has nurtured it, through the Reserves team last year, and turned him into a brilliant striker this season. And finally he felt Ade had come of age and the time was right to bring out his iron fisted side. Wenger must have whispered to him in the dressing rooms at Sh*te Hart Lane:

'It is alright Manu - you have proven yourself as a player, you have scored some great goals for us and replaced Henry as our main threat. But now you must step up as a player and become the nose breaking team leader we need. Keep you eye on Nicklas, he is Danish and cannot be trusted - their strange pastries are a sign of individualism not team spirit.'.

Sure it all backfired and we lost 5 -1, but that isn't important. It was only the London disabled girls under 12's youth cup. The important thing is we learned team spirit, unity and conditioned ourselves to fear conceding goals. I wonder if Vinnie Jones fancies a game against the Geordie's this weekend....?

By Paul Wright

Further evaluation –

1-0, or 5-1… it would have all felt the same. Irrelevant.

The pain and heartache of witnessing your domestic season flatten for two years. 3-1 away defeats to Fulham. 1-0 defeats to Man City, Sheffield Utd, and West Ham. Home draws to PSV, and Birmingham. A 0-0 away draw to Pompey. 1-0 up with 15 to play of the Champions League final, then losing 2-1. And whilst we take the Carling Cup seriously, it is not our main objective to win the competition. Our objective is to give the future of Arsenal Football Club games in order to further their progression – regardless of what round of the competition it is. The games in mention are the real meaningful games for supporters of “The Big 4” … and whilst Tottenham are our rivals, due to the dominance of the red half of North London it isn’t as meaningful as what the Man Utd and Chelsea clashes are now. Because of Tottenham's inept, and lack of ability to keep up with Arsenal since the early 90’s – which they should have no excuses for – they simply aren’t a patch on us. Yes they pushed us to 4th one season, but that was only one season. They weren’t even capable enough of finishing the job having held that position for 3/4’s of the season.

Unlike Chelsea, Man Utd, and now Liverpool, we can’t go out every summer and spend money to accommodate the forthcoming season. Chelsea for example, its summer time they need a striker… Bang, £24m Didier Drogba… Didn’t quite work out the first season or two, so bang, £30m Shevchenko. Shev hasn’t worked, bang… £15m Nicolas Anelka. You’re talking £70m without a care in the world. We as a club simply can’t do it, we can’t. So, as unfortunate as it may seem, the Carling Cup is a mere write off for us every season. We use the competition to help develop our younger generation, with the hope they gain valuable experience, and character, to put together with the majorities all round technical ability, in order to become a top class player.

Clichy, Flamini, Cesc, Van Persie, and Adebayor are all as good as they are at the age that they are, because of our policy in this competition. You can bet if it wasn’t for the games they featured in between 2004 and 2006, they wouldn’t be no where near the level they are now. Beating two or three Premiership clubs in this competition a season gives the younger players the confidence and belief to prove their potential. They taste victory, swallow it, and like a drug it becomes an enigma. A hunger to want more. A supernatural feeling which only exists in their heads and hearts. A craving like no other. Like the opposite, they experience defeat, and they don’t want it. They don’t want to feel that feeling again. Together, both sets of feelings and emotions entice with one another to set about in creating a future first team player of Arsenal Football Club.

Yes, no one likes to lose.

Semi-finals.

Against your rivals.

5-1.

But the fact of the matter is, would you rather be playing Slavia Prague in your next European fixture – of which, is considered a mammoth tie, whilst languishing in 11th place, 27 points off your most hated… or be sitting pretty 27 points clear, in second spot, level on points with top – knowing that a truly magnificent clash against one of Europe’s most famous is just a matter of weeks away??

Spurs will never have that feeling. They will never win the league. They will never play Champions League football even. They will never play a preliminary round fixture of the Champions League? They will not win a cup competition every season. Let them have their moment, for we have had plenty. A ridiculous amount against this one club. We have knocked them out of cup competitions, and won titles against them.

5-1 or 9-1 … Were as far superior to this club, as the difference in Arsenal and Tottenham’s trophy cabinet suggests…

By Scott Davis