NEWCASTLE AWAY

[donaldo]

Gazidis has suggested if it comes to a 3rd place playoff it should be played on a best of 7 game basis like the world series.He's not bothered about 3rd place its all that lovely wonga.More fucking profits

[franksav63]

Gazidis has suggested if it comes to a 3rd place playoff it should be played on a best of 7 game basis like the world series.He's not bothered about 3rd place its all that lovely wonga.More fucking profits

It must be a right toss up for the club, finish 4th and get another guaranteed 2 games next season for the qualifiers, or play the Chavs in a 3rd place playoff, they're licking their lips all the way to the bank!

[DB10GOONER]

Don't worry lads, you'll finish above Spurs because we're going to repay you for last night by battering them at the Lane. Just Chelsea to finish ahead of if you're wanting automatic CL qualification

[OneBardGooner]

Fingers crossed we can find ourselves 4 nil up at half time. I mean what could possibly go wrong after that?

[OneBardGooner]

Gazidis has suggested if it comes to a 3rd place playoff it should be played on a best of 7 game basis like the world series.He's not bothered about 3rd place its all that lovely wonga.More fucking profits

It must be a right toss up for the club, finish 4th and get another guaranteed 2 games next season for the qualifiers, or play the Chavs in a 3rd place playoff, they're licking their lips all the way to the bank!

They could call it The Kerrrrchinnnnggg Cup

[SteveO 35]

Just a few days away from "Wenger's greatest ever achievement" according to Souness

Yep, how I'm glad we've moved on since those dark days in 2004

[g60gooner]

Just a few days away from "Wenger's greatest ever achievement" according to Souness

Yep, how I'm glad we've moved on since those dark days in 2004

We shouldn't be too surprised, after all, it is his best ever squad.

[highburyJD]

every season it's the best ever squad - would you prefer he does a Redknapp/Mancini and slates his own players?

[g60gooner]

every season it's the best ever squad - would you prefer he does a Redknapp/Mancini and slates his own players?

No, good point, he's doing everything right.

[afcforever]

Just hope we win and finish above the Scum.
Id even settle for losing and they draw.

[northbank123]

every season it's the best ever squad - would you prefer he does a Redknapp/Mancini and slates his own players?

Definitely not. But as much as you don't get the best out of your players by talking them down you're not going to do so by protecting them from real criticism, talking them up to an unrealistic level and then still setting and celebrating some very modest targets.

At the end of the day it's what goes on behind closed doors that worries me. I don't think any fans or any of the squad believe they're our best ever squad. And if they do they should be sectioned. Whilst much of what Wenger says is annoying it's really a supplementary annoyance to our general underperformance that frankly people wouldn't give a fuck about if we were winning stuff. The real problem is that he appears to genuinely believe in nearly everything he says and this underlies his refusal to change coaching methods and transfer policy.

[bergkamp10]

Fingers crossed we can find ourselves 4 nil up at half time. I mean what could possibly go wrong after that?

[Rohan]

Some stats from that f365 website.

Newcastle recorded a pass completion rate of just 65% v QPR (their average for the season is 79.6%) with Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa the worst of the outfield players at 56%.

Stoke Ryan Shotton completed four out of 11 attempted passes in his 75 minutes v Tottenham on Sunday. He also made one tackle, one interception, one effective clearance and committed two fouls.

Wigan lost 4-1 to Arsenal despite having 52% possession and a pass completion rate of 84%.
They have recorded the seventh-highest average possession (54.4%) and the eighth-highest pass completion rate (82.5%) in the PL this season.

Feel sorry for Wigan. Bar codes game looks fine on the paper. Howard web is a good ref when he is not playing.

[bunch]

If we do manage to win this game, the run points from the league since the game in Munich has been pretty impressive. Maybe this team has grown up and like the teams from the early Wenger years has moved beyond the need for motivation from the manager, which I think has been the clear failing over the past 8 barren years.

I turned against Wenger when he was unable to pick the team up after losing to Birmingham in the CCup ("4th in a 2 horse race and all that"). I felt we would never win another trophy with him because he cannot motivate a team to cross the line when the pressure is on . But, if we were to win in Newcastle conditions for next season could be good and one of the main ones is keeping the team together. Last two seasons we've suffered gutwrenching losses of marquee players. It's not going to happen this season. Pod might go but he's hardly the main man Judas van Staplecunt was. And maybe some of the recent good results are because this set of players are leaning to play together. Plus we are going to see the back of some of the deadwood. One or two key additions, up front obviously, goalie, midfield ball winner maybe.

Another may be the state of our rivals. City may be a shambles next season. Manyoo under Moyes will be an unknown. Chelsea will have a new manager, but that never seems to stop them anyway. It's be a shock if one of them completed a whole season. I think Spurs will be stronger if they can hold onto Monkeyboy.

I hope next season is Wenger's last, but he could go out on a high and I'd be delighted if he did.

[highburyJD]

every season it's the best ever squad - would you prefer he does a Redknapp/Mancini and slates his own players?

Definitely not. But as much as you don't get the best out of your players by talking them down you're not going to do so by protecting them from real criticism, talking them up to an unrealistic level

this sounds precisely like Purplenose, the (once) SpecialOne or even GeorgeGadaffiGraham - siege mentality one eyed BS is standard teambuilding

and then still setting and celebrating some very modest targets.

but this is the problem, and we don't know quite how serious it is because-

At the end of the day it's what goes on behind closed doors that worries me.

and it's what worries me too

I don't think any fans or any of the squad believe they're our best ever squad. And if they do they should be sectioned.

I don't even know the particular 'quote' we're talking about, when it was made, whether it was a response to a question. A pre-season boost or testy response to criticism would make more sense than an off-hand comment last week. As you correctly say -

Whilst much of what Wenger says is annoying it's really a supplementary annoyance to our general underperformance that frankly people wouldn't give a fuck about if we were winning stuff.

the bit I differ slightly with is

The real problem is that he appears to genuinely believe in nearly everything he says and this underlies his refusal to change coaching methods and transfer policy.

I think many top managers seem to genuinely believe in what they say, Purplenose many times: he recently said the press 'made up' Shrek rumours pre-Realmadrid 'just to sell papers'. His Veron rant was legendary - he still flogged him shortly after. Re: coaching don't know what happens on the training ground. Is there a change? There's an argument he's always over-favoured player development - whereas PurpleNose or Mourinho for example, 100% concentrate on the team. Our tactics have changed, me and a lot here would like to see us (as least sometimes) return to 4-4-2. I think the signings of Tets, the BFG and Podolski represented a transfer policy departure...