As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
Bendtners Drinking Buddy wrote:We are 7 points off the top - Ramsey, Walcott, Wilshere and Ozil are worth those 7 points, plus their absence meant our bench / options in tight games were particularly poor.
Im not saying we are the bestg football team in the world, but our key players have been injured together at key times and it has had an effect.
I do not disagree that buying a striker in Janaury might have cut that gap down, or indeed another attacing option - im just stating that injuries have held us back this year, i dont see how that can be disputed.
BDB, I think the problem is that it (at least) appears that you seem to be defending Arsene with the injuries, as if he couldn't allow for that. Correct me if I'm wrong there, mate. But my point and many others too is that this happens every season and thus it is gross mismanagement for Arsene not to anticipate it happening and plan accordingly by strengthening in the summer and in January.
I'm not really defending Wenger per sae - i think he has left himself open to a huge amount of critism with some of his tactical set-ups, selections and lack of strengthning, moreover we could all see the Ramsey injury coming - just not to the extent it was.
My point is really that despite some horror shows we could have won the league this year, we really could - so we are not the dire straits some likle to make out (whilst conceding we do need to push on from here)
4th and the FA Cup - we would have all taken that in August in light of the spending of other clubs.....one team spent £100m trying to get where we are. Im not saying 4th is enough, it isnt, but we are competing against a couple of teams with resources we dont have, and one that has played 1/3 less games than we have. Yet we could have still won it this season if just 2/3 of thise key players had stayed ifit
The issue here though is that a repetative mistake keeps having a repetative outcome.
As I said in an earlier post, Chelsea went to Liverpool with a weakened team and won. That's because they have two things we don't.
1. Depth of squad beyond the first 11.
2. A manager that has tactical awareness and understands how to get a result in any circumstances.
And with regard to the other team that spent £100m this summer, they didn't really did they. They spent a nett amount of about £20m. That's half the nett amount that we spent. Yes, they bought a load of shite but at least they went and spent what they had in the bank from the sale of the monkey. We would have banked £80m+ of that windfall, not reinvested it in the squad.
I accept the high spending of two of the top three but don't accept the excuses that Liverpool played far less games than us. If our players have all been out injured at various times for long periods, they haven't exactly played many more games than Liverpool's players have they?
Spurs have spent £100 oi players - thats a fact mate, gross net doesnt matter they spent 100m on new saignings and it got them nowhere. We have lost our best player every year for years and still not dropped out of the top 4.
Liverpools players have been fiot for all their league games, thus their league perfornabnce has been much better than usual. They wont be up there next year with CL football in my opinion.
Bendtners Drinking Buddy wrote:We are 7 points off the top - Ramsey, Walcott, Wilshere and Ozil are worth those 7 points, plus their absence meant our bench / options in tight games were particularly poor.
Im not saying we are the bestg football team in the world, but our key players have been injured together at key times and it has had an effect.
I do not disagree that buying a striker in Janaury might have cut that gap down, or indeed another attacing option - im just stating that injuries have held us back this year, i dont see how that can be disputed.
BDB, I think the problem is that it (at least) appears that you seem to be defending Arsene with the injuries, as if he couldn't allow for that. Correct me if I'm wrong there, mate. But my point and many others too is that this happens every season and thus it is gross mismanagement for Arsene not to anticipate it happening and plan accordingly by strengthening in the summer and in January.
I'm not really defending Wenger per sae - i think he has left himself open to a huge amount of critism with some of his tactical set-ups, selections and lack of strengthning, moreover we could all see the Ramsey injury coming - just not to the extent it was.
My point is really that despite some horror shows we could have won the league this year, we really could - so we are not the dire straits some likle to make out (whilst conceding we do need to push on from here)
4th and the FA Cup - we would have all taken that in August in light of the spending of other clubs.....one team spent £100m trying to get where we are. Im not saying 4th is enough, it isnt, but we are competing against a couple of teams with resources we dont have, and one that has played 1/3 less games than we have. Yet we could have still won it this season if just 2/3 of thise key players had stayed ifit
The issue here though is that a repetative mistake keeps having a repetative outcome.
As I said in an earlier post, Chelsea went to Liverpool with a weakened team and won. That's because they have two things we don't.
1. Depth of squad beyond the first 11.
2. A manager that has tactical awareness and understands how to get a result in any circumstances.
And with regard to the other team that spent £100m this summer, they didn't really did they. They spent a nett amount of about £20m. That's half the nett amount that we spent. Yes, they bought a load of shite but at least they went and spent what they had in the bank from the sale of the monkey. We would have banked £80m+ of that windfall, not reinvested it in the squad.
I accept the high spending of two of the top three but don't accept the excuses that Liverpool played far less games than us. If our players have all been out injured at various times for long periods, they haven't exactly played many more games than Liverpool's players have they?
Spurs have spent £100 oi players - thats a fact mate, gross net doesnt matter they spent 100m on new saignings and it got them nowhere. We have lost our best player every year for years and still not dropped out of the top 4.
Liverpools players have been fiot for all their league games, thus their league perfornabnce has been much better than usual. They wont be up there next year with CL football in my opinion.
Simply not true. Their first choice left back has been out nearly all season and they have had a reserve right back playing out of his skin there. Suarez missed first 6 games, Sturridge has had periods out injured, Agger and Lucas too.
We have only had 2 injuries that have genuinely hurt us in my opinion - Ramsey and Walcott - neither of whom would have prevented the five and goal massacres that have ultimately been the difference between fourth and first
Bendtners Drinking Buddy wrote:We are 7 points off the top - Ramsey, Walcott, Wilshere and Ozil are worth those 7 points, plus their absence meant our bench / options in tight games were particularly poor.
Im not saying we are the bestg football team in the world, but our key players have been injured together at key times and it has had an effect.
I do not disagree that buying a striker in Janaury might have cut that gap down, or indeed another attacing option - im just stating that injuries have held us back this year, i dont see how that can be disputed.
BDB, I think the problem is that it (at least) appears that you seem to be defending Arsene with the injuries, as if he couldn't allow for that. Correct me if I'm wrong there, mate. But my point and many others too is that this happens every season and thus it is gross mismanagement for Arsene not to anticipate it happening and plan accordingly by strengthening in the summer and in January.
I'm not really defending Wenger per sae - i think he has left himself open to a huge amount of critism with some of his tactical set-ups, selections and lack of strengthning, moreover we could all see the Ramsey injury coming - just not to the extent it was.
My point is really that despite some horror shows we could have won the league this year, we really could - so we are not the dire straits some likle to make out (whilst conceding we do need to push on from here)
4th and the FA Cup - we would have all taken that in August in light of the spending of other clubs.....one team spent £100m trying to get where we are. Im not saying 4th is enough, it isnt, but we are competing against a couple of teams with resources we dont have, and one that has played 1/3 less games than we have. Yet we could have still won it this season if just 2/3 of thise key players had stayed ifit
The issue here though is that a repetative mistake keeps having a repetative outcome.
As I said in an earlier post, Chelsea went to Liverpool with a weakened team and won. That's because they have two things we don't.
1. Depth of squad beyond the first 11.
2. A manager that has tactical awareness and understands how to get a result in any circumstances.
And with regard to the other team that spent £100m this summer, they didn't really did they. They spent a nett amount of about £20m. That's half the nett amount that we spent. Yes, they bought a load of shite but at least they went and spent what they had in the bank from the sale of the monkey. We would have banked £80m+ of that windfall, not reinvested it in the squad.
I accept the high spending of two of the top three but don't accept the excuses that Liverpool played far less games than us. If our players have all been out injured at various times for long periods, they haven't exactly played many more games than Liverpool's players have they?
Spurs have spent £100 oi players - thats a fact mate, gross net doesnt matter they spent 100m on new saignings and it got them nowhere. We have lost our best player every year for years and still not dropped out of the top 4.
Liverpools players have been fiot for all their league games, thus their league perfornabnce has been much better than usual. They wont be up there next year with CL football in my opinion.
They may have failed miserably and bought a load of shite for their money but the fact remains that they have at least gone out and had a go at it. As I said, we would have banked the majority of that money and done sweet FA to improve our squad. History itself proves that. Once you step outside our first 11 we are shite. We got anally raped against the other top teams this year. If we really want to compete we have to win some of those games at the least. As it stands we are little more than flat trac bullies that can piss all over regular teams but collapse like a house of cards when we come up against any real quality. AW will never address that as long as I have a hole in my arse. He is constantly out thought by other managers, even those with little experience like Brendan Rogers FFS.
The guy has done many great things for this club and I thank him dearly for it, but it is time to move on and give us a new approach. I can't see how anyone cannot see the sense in that. I'm not Anti Wenger, I'm pro Arsenal and I happen to believe that a change is the best thing for the club at the moment.
SteveO 35 wrote: Simply not true. Their first choice left back has been out nearly all season and they have had a reserve right back playing out of his skin there. Suarez missed first 6 games, Sturridge has had periods out injured, Agger and Lucas too.
We have only had 2 injuries that have genuinely hurt us in my opinion - Ramsey and Walcott - neither of whom would have prevented the five and goal massacres that have ultimately been the difference between fourth and first
Those sort of cold hard facts have no place in this debate as the do no suit "the agenda". The shall be stricken from the record with immediate effect. The leader is good, the leader is great
After the game he said "well 3-0 what a great result. that clearly proves that we are back in business. and we are in the Cup final - what a great season"
this is how Wenger has survived and keeps on surviving
Gunner Rob wrote:I was at the Newcastle game with an AKB.
After the game he said "well 3-0 what a great result. that clearly proves that we are back in business. and we are in the Cup final - what a great season"
this is how Wenger has survived and keeps on surviving
What grates on me even more is the media smugly declaring that this must now be considered to be a successful season. Would they have said that when we were top at New Year? Would they fuck, they would have laughed at this rosy outlook back then.
For all the contempt for blind pro-Wenger fans, at least they stick to their convictions. The vast majority of football journalists/pundits are spineless wankers who will change their view like the wind to suit whatever is popular.
Gunner Rob wrote:I was at the Newcastle game with an AKB.
After the game he said "well 3-0 what a great result. that clearly proves that we are back in business. and we are in the Cup final - what a great season"
this is how Wenger has survived and keeps on surviving
What grates on me even more is the media smugly declaring that this must now be considered to be a successful season. Would they have said that when we were top at New Year? Would they fuck, they would have laughed at this rosy outlook back then.
For all the contempt for blind pro-Wenger fans, at least they stick to their convictions. The vast majority of football journalists/pundits are spineless wankers who will change their view like the wind to suit whatever is popular.
After the 1-3 defeat against Villa we'd have all settled for this apparently !
Gunner Rob wrote:I was at the Newcastle game with an AKB.
After the game he said "well 3-0 what a great result. that clearly proves that we are back in business. and we are in the Cup final - what a great season"
this is how Wenger has survived and keeps on surviving
No its a terrible season to win the F A cup and get 4th
Gunner Rob wrote:I was at the Newcastle game with an AKB.
After the game he said "well 3-0 what a great result. that clearly proves that we are back in business. and we are in the Cup final - what a great season"
this is how Wenger has survived and keeps on surviving
No its a terrible season to win the F A cup and get 4th
We won the FA cup. Fuck me that was some bender I went on.
Gunner Rob wrote:I was at the Newcastle game with an AKB.
After the game he said "well 3-0 what a great result. that clearly proves that we are back in business. and we are in the Cup final - what a great season"
this is how Wenger has survived and keeps on surviving
No its a terrible season to win the F A cup and get 4th
We won the FA cup. Fuck me that was some bender I went on.
