Golden goals: Ian Wright (1993)

"Arsenal are not boring, not all the time anyway, but they are a constant reminder of why music hall died. The main act is worth waiting for, and on Saturday Ian Wright enthralled the stalls to a roll of drums and clash of cymbals, but there is often a lot of indifferent juggling in between."

The opening paragraph of David Lacey's match report in the Guardian on Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton in August 1993 neatly summed up the situation at Highbury. Solid defensively - barring the Mick Quinn inspired reverse on the opening day of the 93/94 season - a distinct lack of creativity was suffocating the team. Any excitement would invariably come through one man.

Into the 90s: Arsenal v Coventry (1993)

Opening league matches were becoming an issue for Arsenal as the Division One evolved into the Premier League. Since winning the league title so memorably at Anfield in May 1989, the club had suffered from first day nerves, losing 4-1 at Old Trafford, scraping a draw at home against QPR, and being humiliated by Norwich at Highbury.

But surely the 1993/94 campaign would be different. Starting the season at home against Bobby Gould's Coventry, the 4/1 odds on an away victory highlighted the difficulty of the task ahead for the Sky Blues. Graham's team may have developed into a cup team - the first to win both domestic cups in the same season in 1992/93 - yet some experts wondered if Arsenal were ready for another tilt at the title.