It’s that time of year.

Once again, we face the terrifying prospect of two long, arduous months of non-competitive football.

Two months of rumours.

Two months of hearing how someone’s best friend’s brother’s sister in law went to a hairdresser and heard that Arturo Vidal’s second cousin’s Geography teacher came in looking for directions, which is conclusive proof that he’s on his way to the Emirates.

Two months of pretending to care about international football.

Two months of trying to come up with a plausible justification for spending £50 on another new Arsenal shirt. Although this year’s kit is pretty sweet. See. I’ve started this already.

Two months of seeing the phrase ‘ITK‘ on every third post on Twitter and Facebook.

Two months of Tottenham fans thinking that next year will be their year.

Two months of cash-milking friendlies against teams who will mark players tightly just so that they can ask for their shirt after the game.

Two months of bloggers and news sites recycling the same old s*** in order to keep hit rates up and stay financially solvent………….except for Daily Cannon, of course, please don’t fire me.

Two months of Liverpool fans thinking that next year will be their year.

Two months of having to watch whatever your partner wants to watch on TV on Saturday nights without getting the payoff of getting to watch Match of the Day afterwards.

Two months of cricket.

Two months of watching YouTube videos of a 17-year-old French kid playing for Lens with the intention of sounding optimistic about him when he’s our only signing of the summer.

Two months of lists.

And so on.

We only have one more chance to see the Arsenal play in a game that actually matters until August.

After Saturday, a huge gulf will once again appear in our lives. Win or lose against Villa, it’ll be our last chance to forget about everything else that is going on in our lives for nine long weeks.

With the onset of two agonising months without Arsenal to look forward to, one can’t help but feel the cold embrace of sadness wrap itself around me.

At times like these, there is only one thing left to do.

*fetches guitar*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUIQgEVDM4

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
Of Arsenal’s season, the end
Only a final left, the end
A summer of boredom awaits, the end
I’ll never look at Podolski, again

Can you picture what will be, A cup final victory
Desperately in need, of some, silverware,
For our, fans to share

Lost to a Roman chequebook of pain
And Jose Mourinho is insane, Jose Mourinho is insane
Just wait for his star to wane, yeah
There’s hope on the edge of town
Ride Arsene’s highway, baby
Great scenes inside the Emirates
Ride the Arsenal west, baby
Ride Mesut, ride Aaron
To the title, the Champions League, baby
The road is long, nine months

Ride Alexis, he’s cold, and his skill is cold
Arsenal are the best, Arsenal are the best
Cheer here, and we’ll do the rest
The red bus is callin’ us, the red bus is callin’ us
Arsene, where you taken us

Gabriel awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall

He went into the house where Arsene lived, and, then he
Paid a visit to Koscielny, and then he
He walked on down the Bridge, and
And he came to a door, and he looked inside
Terry, yes you, I want to kill you
Mourinho, I want to, murder you

C’mon Arsenal, take a chance with us
C’mon Arsenal, take a chance with us
C’mon Arsenal, take a chance with us

And meet me at the back of the red bus
Singing our song, on a red bus
Singing our song, c’mon, yeah
Win, win, win, win, win, win
This is the end, beautiful friend

This is the end, my only friend, the end
It hurts to see you leave
But we’ll never abandon thee
The end of following our team
The end of nights we dared to dream
This is the end