We have been bereft of confidence recently and, consequently, inspiration has been thin on the ground. Thankfully on Sunday our players proved that they have the character to make something happen rather than pass responsibility amongst themselves.

This show of character came primarily from an unlikely source. Abou Diaby had an impressive match and showed why Wenger can still justify his unwavering faith in the French midfielder despite his horrendous injury record. He had the power to surge forward in the first half, giving van Persie the support he has lacked recently and the Dutchman repaid his energy with a perfectly weighted cross which Diaby passed in to the back of the net to complete a move he started with a great tackle.

Eboue joined the spontaneous club with a well worked one-two on the edge of the Blackpool box and Wilshere’s return gave him a bit of space which he took advantage of with a thumping left footed finish. The simplicity of the goal made a mockery of our sluggish attacking play in the last few games and suggested that this Arsenal team has only been in a lull rather than a terminal decline.

Of course we still couldn’t make it easy for ourselves and, after spurning a number of other opportunities, paid the penalty early in the second half when Blackpool pulled one back. We were fortunate even when conceding a goal though as Jens Lehmann, completing a fairytale comeback, evoked memories of the nightmare he experienced in Paris. He clattered the Blackpool player after the ball had gone and could have easily been dismissed, as in the Champions League final, but fortunately the referee hesitated for longer than in Paris and allowed Blackpool to take advantage to pull a goal back. It was a preferable outcome for us as it has emerged that Robin van Persie would have taken over in goal after Almunia was injured in the warm up.

We survived the inevitable barrage from Ian Holloway’s side which included a very strong penalty appeal and our two best players, Abou Diaby and Cesc Fabregas, combined to send substitute Theo Walcott clear down the right and his simple cross was converted by Van Persie to seal a very important victory.

We rode our luck but now have a week to rest and reap the rewards from a morale boosting win. We have to improve defensively but the return of our creative spark gives us renewed hope.

As the team flew back from the north-west news broke that Stan Kroenke was about to complete a full takeover of the club.

Although the news will cause some uncertainty, all signs suggest that there will be no significant changes made by the American, at least on the playing side and he has confirmed that he will not use the club to service any loans.

Apparently he is an expert in expanding the commercial success of his sports franchises in America which could give a welcome boost to revenue at Arsenal. There are already rumours that he will look to cancel the Emirates shirt sponsorship deal and expand Arsenal online TV. He also rarely gets involved with the playing side and already has nearly two years of experience on the Arsenal board where he has even persuaded Peter Hill-Wood that he has the best interests of the club at heart.

Danny Fiszman drove the club forward during the move to the Grove but his illness may have taken away some of the enthusiasm and drive from the Arsenal board. Arsenal fans will be hoping that Kroenke’s controlling stake will put a little more pressure on all areas of the club to improve and he could yet see a very quick return on his investment if Arsenal win the league. It’s an exciting, if slightly uncertain time to be an Arsenal fan.

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