So, what’s happened at Arsenal in January?

Well, it started terribly with an awful performance in the 2-0 defeat at Southampton and ‘smokegate’ but since then it’s gone from strength to strength.

We bounced back quickly three days after the Saints debacle in the FA Cup at home to Hull.

Goals from Per Mertesacker and Alexis were enough to secure the win. It was a result that couldn’t have been more comfortable as Hull rarely threatened and was a great way to start our journey on the way to hopefully retaining the cup.

Our next two games saw us back in league action with potentially tricky ties; Stoke at home and Manchester City at the Etihad.

Big Dave made his Premier League debut against the Orcs as they dragged themselves down from the north. and in the build-up to the game I was far from confident following our last league outing but when the teams were announced and it was confirmed that Theo, Ozil and Ramsey were on the bench I was filled with a bit more optimism.

It only took us six minutes to take the lead through Koscielny which settled some nerves and Alexis, again, stole the show with a double to secure the win.

The only downside was a nasty shoulder injury to Debuchy after some thuggery from Marko Arnautovic .

Next up, we were looking to break our poor record away to the ‘bigger’ teams against Manchester City.

Like most Gooners, I’d have been delighted with a draw before the game but what happened next was a rare Arsenal performance – disciplined at the back and decisive going forward.

A first half penalty from Santi Cazorla was followed up by a tidy header from Oliver Giroud from a Cazorla free kick to secure a deserved 2-0 win.

Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla stole the show but, overall, we showed that we can beat the bigger clubs on the road.

It was definitely a platform to build on going forward.

The final game of the month was a tricky looking FA Cup game away to Brighton.

After Chelsea, Manchester City, Southampton and Sp*rs were knocked out a day earlier (hahaha!) and Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw to Cambridge, we had to make sure we didn’t follow suit.

It was great to see Theo and Ozil both starting the game and as both scored in the first half, the tie seemed over at half time.

Brighton came back and made it 2-1 early in the second half but super Tom scored a wonderful volley to make it 3-1 to fool us all again into thinking the game was over.

Us being Arsenal, we managed to concede a fairly soft goal to make the final moments nervy but, in the end, it didn’t matter.

We went through and were rewarded with a home draw against Middlesbrough in the next round.

Two players were signed during the month with Krystian Bielik joining from Legia Warsaw and Gabriel coming from Villareal.

A few of our squad headed out on loan – Podolski joined Inter, and has probably played his last game for the club. Sanogo went to Crystal Palace to gain some first team experience and Joel Campbell added Villareal to the list of clubs he’s had a jolly at in the last few years.

Two players signed, in the fifth round of the FA Cup, a couple of good wins in the league and now entering a good run of league games just four points from third?

I’d have taken that on the 1st January!

Arsenal have Sp*rs coming up next month – and if you’re planning on attending that game (good luck finding tickets) or any other Arsenal game next month, you may find tickets to see Arsenal here.