Arsenal’s wait for a trophy continues

Arsenal are going to finish the season in fourth place, comfortably ahead of the second-tier Premier League sides and qualified for the Champions League next season - but similarly adrift from the top three. And the architect of the team Arsene Wenger has come in for rare criticism after the Gunners endured their fourth season without any silverware.

Wenger's youth-first policy was challenged in the latter stages of the season when, despite some sparkling successes over less-exalted opposition, a callow Arsenal side capitulated to Manchester United home and away in the Champions League semi-final, where they would have been looking at a far worse aggregate result than 4-1 had it not been for goalkeeper Manuel Almunia's sterling efforts in the first leg at Old Trafford.

The manager's mulish belief in the need to bring through young players untainted by the coaching of others took a blow this season. He was forced to bring in reinforcements last summer when he signed Mikael Silvestre from Manchester United to toughen up a defence that has never recovered the composure or continuity that Wenger inherited in 1996 with the famous English spine to the side of Tony Adams and co.

The 60,000 capacity Emirates will turn Arsenal into the giant of London footballThen a raft of injuries gave 'Arsene Whinger' actual reason to gripe, as he lost Cesc Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky, Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott to long-term injuries. The signing of Andrei Arshavin in the mid-season window came too late to affect any pursuits for a title, not least as the mercurial Russian genius was cup-tied for the European games where he could arguably have had his biggest influence.

The loss of David Dein from the Emirates boardroom two years ago appears to still be haunting Wenger. Dein had brought the Frenchman to the club from Japanese football in 1996, and between them they had shared a vision. While Dein remains on the fringes of Emirates activity, having flirted with both Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov, two of the financial sharks stalking Arsenal, Wenger continues to miss him.

However querulous Gunners should pause before demanding the head of the man who turned them from 'Boring, boring Arsenal' into the scintillating side they can be on their day. Arsenal remains in long-term transition, still paying off a £312m loan to build the stadium that with a 60,000 capacity crowd in it for every game will soon turn them into the financial giant of London football.

And with the purchase of Andrei Arshavin, Wenger has shown himself open to the desires of the fans to see big names brought into the club. But without big investment next season, it's unlikely that Arsenal will challenge for either the Premier or Champions Leagues. Whether the club hierarchy and fans will put up with this is another matter entirely. ·