You do have to wonder at the intelligence levels of some Arsenal players. With a summer ahead in which Arsene Wenger has already stated that changes will be afoot, you would imagine that some of these guys are currently playing for their places as the season winds down. Well, there is precious little evidence of many of them seeming that bothered about that as they turned in a spineless performance at Ewood Park on Monday and got turned over by Blackburn.

Yes, there are no longer any trophies to play for, and maybe it is inevitable that there will be a natural drop in application because of that, but one point from their last four games is a pitiful return that shows a total lack of pride, passion and professionalism. The Gunners have been so feeble recently that they have now actually given themselves something to play for in the last game against Fulham having allowed Spurs within touching distance of third place following their victory at Eastlands last night.

To add to the irritation, we had to put up with Arsene Wenger claiming in his post-match interviews that Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn were over-physical, that they targeted Lukasz Fabianski and both their goals should have been disallowed. Yes, there were a few challenges that maybe crossed the line but there wasn’t much wrong with the tactics of pressurising the Pole and certainly nothing to complain about regarding the home team’s goals. The simple truth is that Arsenal allowed themselves to be pushed around and paid the price for it.

I really hate that this team is so easily bullied out of games. The manager bangs on about getting more protection from referees but he will be waiting until the end of time for that to happen. Besides which, why should the players have to rely on someone else to protect them? They should be able to stand up for themselves. Managers like Allardyce only use such tactics against the Gunners because they know they will work. In the early years of Wenger’s reign, Arsenal had players who took no prisoners and who could fight fire with fire. They picked up quite a few red cards along the way but I would rather that than suffer watching this team of lightweights with some sort of victim mentality get so easily brushed aside by opposition who are prepared to use their physical strength.

We all know that Arsene Wenger will go to extraordinary lengths to defend his players in post-match interviews to the point of going on rants that open him up to the criticism of being a moaner. It is obvious that he does this to divert attention away from the team’s short-comings and keep the media off their back. However, I wonder what he really thought of the performance against Blackburn privately and behind closed doors? Despite his protestations about the goals at least he had the good grace to admit that it was a poor performance. And it was.

Whilst I respect the manager’s policy of sticking up for his players - and sometimes arguing black is white in doing so - I do sometimes wish that he would publicly criticise them on occasion. You get the impression that too many of them are complacent about both their own ability and their place in the squad. They lead a cosseted life under a manager that seems to mollycoddle them. Now and again, it wouldn’t hurt to have the bubble some of them exist in burst. I don’t think Wenger needs to be calling individuals out by name on a weekly basis but maybe some occasional harsh words about them collectively might wake up their ideas.

There is at least a bit of positive news this week as the much vaunted transfer of Marouane Chamakh seems to be finally coming to pass. This one has been dragging on for a year now, so it is good that a conclusion appears imminent. I think it is vital that Wenger does secure a few early signings before the World Cup and this is at least a start. What none of us want is for him to be scrabbling around on deadline day trying to pass off signings like Mikael Silvestre as well-thought-out acquisitions.

Anyway, the Gunners face Fulham on Sunday in the final game of the season. The Cottagers are likely to field a weakened team with their Europa Cup Final following. Arsenal need a draw to clinch third place assuming Spurs don’t run a double-figure victory at Burnley. Ideally though, winning their valedictory match should be the goal. Losing is not an option. The idea of relinquishing third place to their fiercest rivals ought to be as unthinkable to the players as it is to the fans.

They have ninety more minutes to atone for some of the shabbiness of the last four games. Failure to do so could result in their "lap of gratitude" taking place in an empty stadium.