Was it just me or was the vigour in which Arsenal players celebrated their victory over Newcastle on Sunday a little uneasy to watch?

I mean, sure, Arsenal had just secured Champions League qualification (to the preliminary stage at least) but were the scenes at St James Park really worthy of a team that had finished fourth in the Premier League table?

Arsenal’s inability to lift a meaningful trophy in the last eight seasons has been well documented and maybe clinching a Champions League spot is merely indicative of where the club is in terms of expectation.

There are ulterior motives for Arsenal’s over-zealous celebrations, of course. They had narrowly beaten their North London rivals Spurs to the post on the final day of the campaign – that in itself can bring its own form of euphoria.

Although, it wasn’t only Arsenal who were congratulating themselves with a place in Europe’s premier competition over the weekend. There were similar scenes in Italy as AC Milan pipped Fiorentina to the third and final Champions League place in Serie A (which included defender Ignazio Abate taking off his shorts and throwing them into the crowd). Again, there was some degree of context to Milan’s triumphant mood having come back from 1-0 down with five minutes of normal time remaining to beat already relegated Siena 2-1.

But the premise is clearly there. Just a place in the Champions League (and even that is pending a qualifier) is seen as an a significant achievement – even for clubs as big as Arsenal and Milan.

The money, the prestige and the bragging rights of simply being there has almost become on par with lifting a piece of silverware.

Is that right?

For a club like Arsenal who are built upon a rich history of winning trophies, probably not. Would you see Manchester United players groping each other feverishly after sealing Champions League qualification? What about Chelsea? Or City?

The fact is, it wouldn’t happen. Such has been Arsenal’s plight since winning their last trophy in 2005, the manager, the players and, to an extent, the fans are jubilant over managing to secure fourth in the standings. Only changing those habits is likely to get Arsenal winning trophies again.

It’s a habit that Sir Alex Ferguson mastered at Old Trafford. As Bill Shankly once said: “If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing.” Manchester United have a winning mentality. Plainly, Arsenal do not.

But this isn’t an Arsenal-exclusive problem. It’s a football one. The truth is, competitions like the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup (ridiculous name) aren’t being held in the regard that they should be. We’ve known for a long time in football that money talks. And the celebrations – or relief, even – that followed qualifying for the Champions League for both Arsenal and Milan is symptomatic of where football is at right now.

Being in the Champions League means more money, the ability to attract better players and the opportunity to play against the finest performers in Europe.

Contrary to what Arsene Wenger thinks though, qualifying amongst 31 other teams doesn’t bring you a trophy. It doesn’t bring what every football player and football supporter should strive for; success. Arsenal, and football as a whole, will do well to remember that.