Well now the dust has settled a bit, we can all start getting excited about the biggest game Arsenal have had in years. Real Madrid is the tie I always hankered after, and here it finally is. It would have been nice if it had come on the back of some form for our team, but it hasn’t, and there’s chuff all we can do about that.

Yes, I was downbeat after Tuesday, but I’m now back on an even keel and I’m feeling strangely – unexpectedly – remarkably – confident about our next game. Call it blind optimism, but whatever it is, I’ve got it.

Several reasons why, actually. 1) Wenger will have stuck a rocket up their Arsenals after Tuesday, 2) It doesn’t get much bigger than this, 3) we are huge underdogs – a tradition Arsenal always thrived on in the past, and 4) wouldn’t it just be typical Arsenal to pull something spectacular off after the travails of this month (and season).

Of course, the musical chairs continues. Van Persie, Cole and Clichy were all possibilities for playing in a ‘behind closed doors’ friendly against Reading yesterday, but didn’t apparently play.

I’ve been thinking about this. Behind closed doors = potential for subterfuge if you ask me.

We’ll see.

There – how optimistic was all that? Come on you reds!