Arsenal still have it in them

TWO minutes into the match and Arsenal were reduced to 10 men as their keeper was sent off for upending Bowyer. Almunia, on for the sacrificed Rosicky, could do little as Larsson smashed the penalty into the roof of the net to give Birmingham a 1-0 lead. Well that's how it could have read, but for an erroneous linesman's flag.

Later, Arsenal centre-back Koscielny could have been dismissed for a two-footed lunge on Bowyer.

There was, therefore, some poetic justice in the manner of Martin's eventual winner as he side-footed home following an error between Szczesny and Koscielny that allowed the ball to squirt sideways to the grateful Blues newcomer.

Much had been made before the match as to how this victory for Arsenal would banish the ghost of trophies past and allow them to march purposefully onward in their pursuit of three other, more coveted, trophies.

I wondered in advance whether this talk was too presumptuous and if it may lead to complacency. Easy to say now! However, just as some are now proclaiming that this Arsenal team lacks mental toughness, I don't buy into this philosophy. Arsenal are simply too good a footballing team.

Luck had a large part to play in this defeat - not during the match itself as they benefitted from some significant errors from the officials. However, in losing Fabregas and Walcott they were shorn of two of their most potent attacking threats.

In Fabregas they also lost their leader and the 'glue' that holds them together. I also believe that they need to provide Chamakh with more pitch time - at the start of the season he showed why Wenger had been tracking him for several seasons - powerful in the air with clever movement and quick feet, he provided them with a different point of attack. Yet, lacking in confidence at the moment, he needs time to find those feet again.

One defeat does not end Arsenal's season. They simply need to use this defeat as motivation to (if I can be forgiven for saying so) spur them on.

Sir Alex Ferguson has adopted the philosophy 'it's us against the world' ensuring the players work hard for the team and battle to overcome adversity.

Wenger famously conducts rigorous psychological evaluations of all players regularly - surely his young charges will have this 'in the locker'.

There is still a long way to go in all the competitions. However, they are the only team capable of challenging Manchester United to the title and will also have to find a way past the Red Devils to lift the FA Cup. It's not beyond them.

Speaking about Manchester United, it's interesting to see the latest rumours about their owners, the Glazer family, receiving a staggering $1.8 billion (BD682 million) offer from the Qatari Royal family.

Firstly, I find the valuation staggering, not least because of the reported debts owned by the Glazers secured against the club.

Earlier in the season there were reports that a number of supporters were planning an offer to the Glazers for half that amount, which was rejected. Even those not officially affiliated to the 'green and gold - Glazer-out' movement are salivating at the prospect of being able to finally compete with the wealth of Chelsea and the 'noisy neighbours'. However, they will have to move fast before the Financial Fair Play rules kick in.

If there is any truth to these rumours, I am also amazed that the Glazer's would reject this offer. I understand that their businesses in the US are suffering from the economic downturn, which will surely only escalate if the price of oil continues to rise as it has been doing.

Furthermore, the success of any football club, financial benefactors notwithstanding, is based around the supporters. Perhaps the Glazer family is not worried about the loss of 30,000 fans in and around Manchester, paying at the turnstile, when they can generate 10 times that number from a pre-season tour to India and other parts of Asia.

What would be interesting, however, would be to see how football in Manchester would evolve should it become a battlefield between the oil and gas wealth of Qatar and Abu Dhabi!