Unwritten futures

Okay, okay, so I'd trade them all in for the Champions League trophy - which will be lifted by either Barcelona or defending champions Manchester United tonight - but, as a football club (as opposed to just the men's first XI), it's been a pretty successful season for Arsenal, with five trophies in all to add to an already burgeoning cabinet.

The women have already completed the domestic Treble, courtesy of a do-or-die final day win in the league at Everton.

And, last night, on the 20th anniversary of the club's most famous night at Anfield, Arsenal's youth team - all of them born after that game (God, that makes me feel old!) - travelled to Anfield and finished the job they had started in the home leg of the FA Youth Cup final last Friday, beating Liverpool 2-1 to complete a 6-2 aggregate victory which was, by all accounts, every bit as dominant as the scoreline suggests.

The victory meant Arsenal's kids achieved the League and Cup double, having already sewn up the Premier League title by a whopping 25 points.

While it's gratifying to have such a potent academy, as Arseblog points out this does not guarantee a ready-made production line of first-team players. Of Arsenal's FA Youth Cup-winning eleven from 2001, only Steve Sidwell (a squad player at Aston Villa) and Jeremie Aliadiere (relegated with Middlesbrough last weekend) have played Premier League football this season, and most of the others disappeared quietly into lower division obscurity.

And while the signs are that some, most notably Jack Wilshere, have what it takes to become the next big thing at the Emirates, nothing is guaranteed. Too often in the past we have seen a great prospect stumble due to injury, lack of opportunity, bad luck or simply not being good enough to take the final step up to Premier League football at the very highest level.

Anyhow, the future remains unwritten. What we do know is that Steve Bould's youth side has completed a fantastic season, and contains enormous potential for the future. The story of how that potential rises or falls will form part of the fabric of the continuing story of Arsenal football club.

For now, congratulations should more than suffice: well done, lads!