I'd confidently say that you could count on one hand how many of our players would be coveted by those teams though. Even Leeds! The majority of our squad are mid table level or worse. I'm certainly not comparing our players to those of old. I am comparing them to the squads of the teams around us. We're even being linked to players from Sheff Utd and Bournemouth.augie wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2020 10:48 amClummo2019 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2020 9:18 amBut Augie sadly we are not a top team ourselves atm. We are a mid table team roughly at the same level as all but one of those that you mention.augie wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2020 9:03 amDB10GOONER wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2020 7:17 amLike celebidee slag Jordan on a Saturday night I'm sandwiched right in the middle of this.....
I can see some improvement in our set up and in our spirit but nowhere near the turning a corner thing some are implying has been achieved.
We look harder to beat than under Dick's last 6 months but equally look less able to win than under Dick's first 6 months.
Our main problem is the playing squad. Too many are not good enough or past their best. Most top teams can carry one or two lesser players but not 4 or 5 starters that are not good enough.
What's the solution? Can't see the wigged avenger releasing 500million to buy in what we need and can't see 4 or 5 youth players stepping up and being capable of playing at that level.
Arteta (like Dick) has inherited an abattoir of a club 10 years in the building. That will not be rebuilt in a couple of months or even years.
The part highlighted in red is exactly what I have been saying - tiny improvements yes, but nowhere near what some are claiming
The part highlighted in blue is where I feel those that are championing arteta already are muddying the waters - yes only top teams can carry one or two lesser players, but Bournemouth, palace, leeds and Sheffield united are not top teams, and we absolutely should be beating those teams with the players we have available. Setting us up to be harder to beat against the chav and manure c.unts is fair enough, but then we have to be able to step up and take the game to the lesser teams that I mentioned, and he hasn't fixed that at all
BTW I'm certainly not championing Arteta in any way at all. I didn't want him first time around and didn't want him this time but it is what it is. There are enough small signs of improvement for me not to be so dismissive of him. The old adage in football is when you're trying to rebuild you first make yourselves harder to beat. I think we're heading in the right direction on that in spite of the sub standard personel at his disposal.
We are not within a million miles off the top clubs but lets be honest, on paper our players are streets ahead of the likes of the 4 teams I mentioned - ability is only a part of any player and teams usefulness, but it is every managers job to get the maximum performance of every player under his control, and I cant remember the last time we can say we had that (certainly not in the last decade or so). We are comparing our players to our teams of old, but comparing our players to the teams we are now facing would give a better reflection of where we should be - I think most will acknowledge that we should be doing a lot better than we are (that's why emery was sacked), but doesn't that say that we have players better than those teams around us ?
Also would like to play Devil's Advocate with a few comments from people today digging at the fact we've only won one game in seven under Arteta. You can counter that with only LOSING one game in seven. That certainly suggests to me that we appear to be harder to beat?
As I said earlier, Arteta was never my choice but things have been so shite lately that I'm willing to grasp at anything even remotely positive!