Why it was important to finish 4th

first of all, it enabled us to finish above those muppets. Yet again. Even with their greatest ever points tally.

but finishing 4th, and consequently gaining entry into Europe's elite competition, holds more importance than that. More so than any of the previous 16 seasons.

I'm not pleased at settling for 4th, I've stated many times I would love us to go all out for the FA Cup. I grew up in a time where Arsenal were consistently in the latter stages of that competition, and getting knocked out by lower league opposition seemed somewhat ridiculous.

But here we are. We have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The past two seasons have been horrible. Unbearable to watch at times. I've even made plans on matchdays just so I don't have to see us struggle and be downhearted at what I'm seeing. This summer though, is crucial. We have the upper hand over the top teams - continuity. And by all accounts, we have the means to improve. Really improve. The calibre of players we are being linked to, and all the noises coming out of the club, signals a change in tactic from all involved at the club. Arsene Wenger has certainly rediscovered his winning streak, as shown by dropping his No.1 and captain, working to brilliant effect. If you've seen him on the touchline this season, can you honestly say he likes finishing fourth?

None of us do. But can you imagine what finishing in 5th place would have done? Once we are out of the top 4, it is going to be very hard to get back into it. Just look at Liverpool, not long ago they ran Man Utd very close to the title 4 years ago.

We now have a springboard to use to challenge at the very top. It feels like finally, we are coming out of our transition. In that transition, we have maintained a top 4 position. That cannot be overlooked. Wenger is a genius for guiding us to that.

This summer feels different. We have no dark clouds hanging above us, the only key players who will leave (Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna) are on our say so. Which feels bloody good.

The players should be proud of their achievements in the past few months, but should not rest at that. Time to kick on, and make up some ground on those 3 teams above. All 3 teams above us, incidentally, who will have new managers in charge. How they get on is a lottery as far as I'm concerned.

Definitely looking forward to who we bring in. I genuinely feel we will sign someone with a huge 'wow' factor, someone along the lines of a Santi Cazorla type playmaker.

Finishing in the top 4 keeps us ticking over very nicely, and provides the perfect springboard for the season ahead. Times are changing at Arsenal, and certainly for the better.

Let's learn from previous mistakes and get our business done early.