Arsenal have not won a trophy since the 2005/2006 FA Cup, and though they are still in contention for the FA Cup this season it is looking like it will be another barren year for the gunners.

After being top for most of last season and almost winning the league, many of us could be forgiven for thinking that this season would have been  a trophy winning season, but the departure of Hleb and Flamini without adequate replacements put paid to that notion.

Problems with the current squad are many, injuries, no DM, no leadership etc. Could it be that the squad is simply to young to win trophies?

Did we really think these young boys could win us the title?

At the beginning of the 95/96 season Alan Hansen made that now infamous remark “you can never win anything with kids”, in reference to Ferguson inclusion of the Neville brothers, Beckham etc. into his squad. What Hansen failed to realise was that even with the youngsters, who were undoubtedly talented, United’s squad still had an average age of 28.

It’s is widely regarded that the peak of a footballer’s power is between the ages of 24-29, while there are lots of other factors to consider this is generally true.

Looking at recent successes the age of the championship teams was even older than the 24 – 26 range. Invincibles average 31, ManU last season average 27, Chelsea back to back 30/31.

The average age of Arsenal’s current team is 23, this by no means indicate the strength of any team but 23 is very young for a championship winning team. At that age you can see the potential of the squad, what you can also see is the problems of the squad.

This is an age where consistency is difficult to achieve, there will be days when the performances leave you breathless but more often than not you’re left deflated.

Can we wait 3 years for the team to average 26? Most of us can’t that would be 7 years without a trophy. However it is very likely that we wouldn’t have to wait so long. The introduction of Arshavin has already added a modicum of experience to the team, coupled with the return of Rosicky we could have a winning team next year.

At 27 Arshavin should be at his peak, we don’t know how he will adapt to the Premier League or to Arsenal, but historically players brought in at that age tend to do well. He could be compared to Berbatov who was relatively unknown until he moved to Spurs and at 27 you can see how much he brings to United.

We also have a huge advantage, in that these youngsters have struggled through the lean times and can only be stronger for it — that is if we fans don’t break their spirits.

We tend to forget that the players are still at a formative age, and as such Wenger must concede that it was a mistake to throw them in the deep so early in their careers. There are always exceptions like Cesc, Rooney, Owen etc. but these are exceptions.

There is no way that Denilson, Bendtner, Djourou etc should be relied on to take a team through the season. These young boys should be on the bench learning from older players, instead they have to take on grown men on a weekly basis.

My hope is that the current team come out of this campaign stronger, and more experienced. A few reinforcements in the summer — which admitedly should have been done last summer — will see Arsenal right back where they belong.