2006-05-09 : Arsenal v Wigan

Dear Arsenal supporter,
I felt that Wigan gave us a hard time on Sunday and we had to deal with nerves as well considering the occasion and the fact that we had to win to give ourselves the best chance of finishing fourth.

We went into the last week knowing that we had two away games, and one home game against Wigan, and less than nine points would probably have given us no chance.

But we won all three and we did it in a fantastic manner because we scored 10 goals, and we had three 'cup' games because all three teams gave us a very hard time. I'm very proud for my team because they showed a lot of character.

As for Tottenham, I don't know what happened there but I feel sorry for them. It was in their hands but they had to play Bolton and West Ham and I knew that they could drop points. Frankly, they could have dropped points against Bolton too.

In the end, even a draw for Tottenham at West Ham would not have been enough for them after we won. Sport is like that sometimes, and to lose it in the last game is difficult.

Securing a place in the Champions League via the Premiership will take a little bit of pressure off when we play Barcelona in Paris on May 17. We won't be favourites but I'm confident my team has the right character to bring the Cup back.

Sunday will always be remembered as the day we said goodbye to Highbury and the atmosphere in the ground - especially with the reaction to events at Upton Park - affected our nerves a little bit.

I tried to convince the players to remain calm because I felt that when we got back to 2-2 we rushed our game a little and tried to play the final ball too quickly. In the second half we did better.

I am regularly asked which players will stay or go in the summer and, frankly, I don't know who will go and who will stay. Personally, I want to keep everybody because I feel this team is growing particularly well.

But for now it's important to enjoy what was a magnificent final day at Highbury after 93 years there. I feel for the history of the Club and for the history of the stadium, and I'm very proud that we finished on a high.

We would all have felt guilty to walk out here on a low, after what has happened here for years. Happily, it was a celebration on and off the pitch.

Thanks for your support.