TOTTENHAM

[flash gunner]

Very concerned

[SouthCoastArsenal]

I didn't watch the game, but had 909 on the radio on the way home from 6 a side & there was a bloke called 'John' on. He has followed the Jews since 1960 & was "actually frightened how good they were" and "rated them as good as, if not beter than the 61 double winning team".

Unfortunately I could not get through to contradict those points. They beat Villa 2-0 and they are world beaters.

I reckon old John had forgotten that they have only played 2 decent sides this season (City & United) and have lost by an aggregate of 8-1.

I fucking hate everything about them

[highburyJD]

I was agreeing with lots of what augie was saying
then I got to this

I can assure you that if their squad had gotten into the positions that our squad found itself in march time in the last 3 seasons then they wouldnt have continue to shit themselves and fall away to the point that they would come 4th in what was a 2 horse race

wait - over the last few years we have consistently look like contenders but flattered to deceive, always falling away when it counts
Sperz in that same period have not got close to contending ever

and THAT shows they are better than us?!?!

bizarroworld claim
somehow its better to never even be close than it is to be close then bottle it?

nonsense

[Percy Dalton]

I didn't watch the game, but had 909 on the radio on the way home from 6 a side & there was a bloke called 'John' on. He has followed the Jews since 1960 & was "actually frightened how good they were" and "rated them as good as, if not beter than the 61 double winning team".

Unfortunately I could not get through to contradict those points. They beat Villa 2-0 and they are world beaters.

I reckon old John had forgotten that they have only played 2 decent sides this season (City & United) and have lost by an aggregate of 8-1.

I fucking hate everything about them

I hate them as much as you but you really have just got to laugh at these moronic pricks.

My only issue is that we have got umpteen fucking threads about the Sheenies on here now which gives them more credence and importance then they deserve!

[augie]

I was agreeing with lots of what augie was saying
then I got to this

I can assure you that if their squad had gotten into the positions that our squad found itself in march time in the last 3 seasons then they wouldnt have continue to shit themselves and fall away to the point that they would come 4th in what was a 2 horse race

wait - over the last few years we have consistently look like contenders but flattered to deceive, always falling away when it counts
Sperz in that same period have not got close to contending ever

and THAT shows they are better than us?!?!

bizarroworld claim
somehow its better to never even be close than it is to be close then bottle it?
nonsense

No that is not what I meant - what I am saying is that if they were put in our position for the past 3 seasons then they would learn from the previous season's screw ups and amend at least some of them. Like it or not we have a manager and squad who appear to learn absolutely fcuking nothing from their mistakes and I doubt there is another top 8 club that could be that stupid therefore with the added experience they are accumulating I believe they would make a better effort at maximising their chances if they got to that position

[highburyJD]

No that is not what I meant - what I am saying is that if they were put in our position for the past 3 seasons then they would learn from the previous season's screw ups and amend at least some of them. Like it or not we have a manager and squad who appear to learn absolutely fcuking nothing from their mistakes and I doubt there is another top 8 club that could be that stupid therefore with the added experience they are accumulating I believe they would make a better effort at maximising their chances if they got to that position

which is a HUGE leap - why do you believe that?
because they kept on bottling it and coming 5th?
because once they got into the CL they dropped out the very next year?
Liverpool and Leeds have both challenged for a couple of years then disappeared off the title map
you think it's amazing we havent learnt from our mistakes
I think the opposite - the hard thing is staying in contention at all

[SteveO 35]

Under Redknapp, like it or not, their attitude as a club has changed. I think the flimsy Spurs of old, were very similar to the modern Arsenal and always fell away when it mattered most. In fact we all know that they suffered it ten times worse than us - collapse for us was finishing 4th, for them it was barely managing to scrape a UEFA place. But we shouldn't confuse then and now.

In the Summer they had Bale and Modric linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. They kept them without CL football to look forward to. Levy stuck his neck out and insisted that Modric stayed and told the Chavs to fuck off, whether it was 20m or 40m. Can you imagine our board taking that stance? Not a chance

I think what augie is saying is that under their present management (from board to team) they are prepared to take steps to continue developing the team and will learn lessons. Finish 4th and get to the CL quarters....then finish 5th. Two options

(a) sell your best players knowing that your income is about to drop by 25m the following season and take the easy life

(b) keep hold of them, sell fringe players like Crouch and Palacios, and bring in a couple of players in the positions you most need to strengthen (CDM and CF)

Ask yourself what will we do if we finish between 5th and 7th? Keep RvP. I think not. Strengthen the squad with new signings - definitely not.

[highburyJD]

Under Redknapp, like it or not, their attitude as a club has changed.

yeah - changed to Redknapps short-termism
he's about right now not building for the future (which is fine it's served Mourinho very well) as long as you change clubs every few years it works perfectly

I think we miss out on (a bit) of short-termism
Arteta is probably our first expereinced signing since buying Davor Suker
I liked the idea of us signing Parker - my preference was the more technical but also old and experienced Senna

[Babatunde]

A few points I'd like to make on this thread I somehow started...

1. Remember when Spuds almost pipped us to 4th in 2005/6? Well here's a simple comparison. Are the current Spud team better than the Spud team under Jol back then? No question. Much better side.
Are the current Arsenal team better than the Arsenal team of back then?
No chance. The current Arsenal team are severely lacking in quality.

2. IHH made the point and I agree 100%. It's a bit concerning to see how dismissive and smug some Gooners are being about Spuds. They are ahead of us in the league and have better players.

3. Arsenal are a one-man team. If RVP gets injured, Arsenal cannot do a thing. See Marseille at home for evidence. Arsenal's attacking play is entirely reliant on one man being fit. Spuds actually have a system. If Adebayor gets injured, Defoe has proved more than capable of scoring goals. Their attacking threat comes from the wings with Bale and Lennon deadly, whilst they have far superior attacking creativity in the middle.
Take the Arsenal blinkers off for a second and it's obvious to anyone who understands football. The Spuds midfield is far, far superior to the Arsenal midfield. Only a fool would choose the Arsenal midfield.
It would take injuries to: VDV, Bale, Adebayor, Lennon and Modric for Spuds to be seriously depleted. That is SIX senior first team players. That is usually the case at top clubs, that they have so many options is takes several injuries to deplete them.
At Arsenal, all it will take is one: Van Persie.

4. I don't understand this injuries talk? Spuds have played the whole season without their first choice centre-back pairing and King doesn't even train. Yet their defence is far superior to ours, and that includes post-Mertesacker. I said it before and I will say it again: Spuds have a much better and more organized defence. Their midfield is the best in the PL outside of Citeh (better than ManYoo's even). And their keeper is far more reliable and trustworthy than ours. Arsenal are only superior to Spuds in attack. I cannot believe Wenger has been so incompetent to have taken Arsenal to the doldrums of being an inferior football personnel side to Spuds. Because we are.

5. I keep hearing from Arsenal fans on this forum that 'Spuds weren't that impressive at Shite Lane against us'. Yet they still beat us 2-1 despite playing second-rate football. What does that say about us? We lost to a disinterested Spuds side who strolled along in second gear or 'with the handbrake on' as Our Dear Leader would put it. That to me is the side of a superior side.

6. I am going to repeat a point I made long ago.
In 2008, Kolo came back from ACN with malaria. We were desperate for a defender in the Jan window and in with a shout at the title: Wenger did nothing. We finished third.

In 2009, Adebayor was injured and Arsenal desperately needed a back-up striker for the number 9 position in the January window to push us on for the league. Everyone knew it, everyone said it. Instead of going out and buying a quality striker, Wenger preferred to play the midget Arshavin as a number 9. He fucked our season yet again, even though the whole world knew Arsenal needed a striker.

In 2010, Tom Vermaelen was diagnosed with chronic tendonitis. It is a long-term injury, one that Wenger KNEW would keep TV5 out for the entire season. Arsenal were desperately short on defensive cover and Arsenal had a genuine shot at competing for the title in January. Wenger lied to the fans and claimed TV5 would soon be back; and used this as a weak cover to sign...you guessed it again, no one. I don't need to tell you that Arsenal's form became the stuff of relegation contenders as they won just twice in over fourteen games, and finished Fourth in a two-horse race.

In 2011, with the competition fiercer than ever, everyone and the whole world know that Arsenal need to sign a serious second striker who can provide competition to RVP, and work in tandem with him. The whole world sees what will happen if/when RVP breaks down. The January window is upon us, and with the very real possibility of Van Persie leaving over summer, a proper striker who can also signal ambition and intent needs to be signed to propel Arsenal.

And this decision is to be entrusted with Arsene Wenger.

The same Arsene Wenger who has thrown two serious shots at winning the league, just for the sake of arrogantly trying to do it with his kids and save his pals on the board a few pennies.

You honestly, honestly, think that with Wenger in charge, the right signings are going to be made to overtake Spuds?

You are also forgetting that Chelski will be making a serious splurge in the January window, especially if AVB is sacked and Hiddink is back in with serious monies.

The Spuds are a very, very real threat and only a fool would deny otherwise.

[clockender1]

I guess the real question is, are we stronger than last year or not ? - our keeper is better, kos has improved, we have jenkinson as cover, Arteta and Ox look like good signings, Ramsey is back but Jack is out, RVP is the same but his backup is still poor, although Gervinho has added a more direct threat.

I think we are a little better this year but still need improvement.

[highburyJD]

I disagree with Baba (whoda thought it?)
that said I don't find it necessary to dismiss everyone whose opinion is not the same as mine as a fool - that would be rude

I don't think Defoe can play lone front man like Adebayor is in their current system.

I also don't think they can play from back to front without Modric OR Parker. Lose any one of those three and I think the heels come off.

This lying about the Vermaelen injury claim is amazing. Why on earth would any manager do that? It has been consistently reported it was a freak injury, with an additional tendon growth appearing. I see no reason to disbelieve that (pretty weird lie to make up).

I think if Kaboul and Kins tay fit Gallas will struggle to break into the team - they are now first choice.

I think Sperz are a good team but arguably even more vulnerable to injury than us.

[Supagoon]

I've got to take you to task on midfield baba.

Our midfield isn't the best on paper, but we still dominate the ball, its our passing style, everyone has to play it at arsenal.

How else could you explain us seeing so much of the ball against spurs (they've got better midfielders than us!) and they were the home team. Spurs' midfield would cause problems for other teams because most other teams are inept at passing the ball in this league.

Anyway we're starting to sound like spuds obsessing over our geographical rivals. If we only aim to overhaul spurs we may well finish behind.

Just do what we usually do, delude ourselves to think we try and catch utd, fail miserably and get into the top 4.

[Rosie_titters]

you don't win fuck all in November, lets see where they are in May - not that good Man City but them to the sword

[OneBardGooner]

Hey Bab's where you bin??...I've actually missed your (extended) posts on Wenger

Must admit I always thought Defoe could be our very decent back-up striker cos chammy is going nowhere but to another club...also defoe is a Gooner isn't he...which would be a nice 'rub the ole salt in the wounds' of the c**ts up the road...

Yo Bard!
Been around brotha, need to stop smoking pot though it's slowing me down in me older age!!! How ya doing pal?

I gave up da spliffin' a loooong time ago...But I'm still 'slowing down'

[OneBardGooner]

A few points I'd like to make on this thread I somehow started...

1. Remember when Spuds almost pipped us to 4th in 2005/6? Well here's a simple comparison. Are the current Spud team better than the Spud team under Jol back then? No question. Much better side.
Are the current Arsenal team better than the Arsenal team of back then?
No chance. The current Arsenal team are severely lacking in quality.

2. IHH made the point and I agree 100%. It's a bit concerning to see how dismissive and smug some Gooners are being about Spuds. They are ahead of us in the league and have better players.

3. Arsenal are a one-man team. If RVP gets injured, Arsenal cannot do a thing. See Marseille at home for evidence. Arsenal's attacking play is entirely reliant on one man being fit. Spuds actually have a system. If Adebayor gets injured, Defoe has proved more than capable of scoring goals. Their attacking threat comes from the wings with Bale and Lennon deadly, whilst they have far superior attacking creativity in the middle.
Take the Arsenal blinkers off for a second and it's obvious to anyone who understands football. The Spuds midfield is far, far superior to the Arsenal midfield. Only a fool would choose the Arsenal midfield.
It would take injuries to: VDV, Bale, Adebayor, Lennon and Modric for Spuds to be seriously depleted. That is SIX senior first team players. That is usually the case at top clubs, that they have so many options is takes several injuries to deplete them.
At Arsenal, all it will take is one: Van Persie.

4. I don't understand this injuries talk? Spuds have played the whole season without their first choice centre-back pairing and King doesn't even train. Yet their defence is far superior to ours, and that includes post-Mertesacker. I said it before and I will say it again: Spuds have a much better and more organized defence. Their midfield is the best in the PL outside of Citeh (better than ManYoo's even). And their keeper is far more reliable and trustworthy than ours. Arsenal are only superior to Spuds in attack. I cannot believe Wenger has been so incompetent to have taken Arsenal to the doldrums of being an inferior football personnel side to Spuds. Because we are.

5. I keep hearing from Arsenal fans on this forum that 'Spuds weren't that impressive at Shite Lane against us'. Yet they still beat us 2-1 despite playing second-rate football. What does that say about us? We lost to a disinterested Spuds side who strolled along in second gear or 'with the handbrake on' as Our Dear Leader would put it. That to me is the side of a superior side.

6. I am going to repeat a point I made long ago.
In 2008, Kolo came back from ACN with malaria. We were desperate for a defender in the Jan window and in with a shout at the title: Wenger did nothing. We finished third.

In 2009, Adebayor was injured and Arsenal desperately needed a back-up striker for the number 9 position in the January window to push us on for the league. Everyone knew it, everyone said it. Instead of going out and buying a quality striker, Wenger preferred to play the midget Arshavin as a number 9. He fucked our season yet again, even though the whole world knew Arsenal needed a striker.

In 2010, Tom Vermaelen was diagnosed with chronic tendonitis. It is a long-term injury, one that Wenger KNEW would keep TV5 out for the entire season. Arsenal were desperately short on defensive cover and Arsenal had a genuine shot at competing for the title in January. Wenger lied to the fans and claimed TV5 would soon be back; and used this as a weak cover to sign...you guessed it again, no one. I don't need to tell you that Arsenal's form became the stuff of relegation contenders as they won just twice in over fourteen games, and finished Fourth in a two-horse race.

In 2011, with the competition fiercer than ever, everyone and the whole world know that Arsenal need to sign a serious second striker who can provide competition to RVP, and work in tandem with him. The whole world sees what will happen if/when RVP breaks down. The January window is upon us, and with the very real possibility of Van Persie leaving over summer, a proper striker who can also signal ambition and intent needs to be signed to propel Arsenal.

And this decision is to be entrusted with Arsene Wenger.

The same Arsene Wenger who has thrown two serious shots at winning the league, just for the sake of arrogantly trying to do it with his kids and save his pals on the board a few pennies.

You honestly, honestly, think that with Wenger in charge, the right signings are going to be made to overtake Spuds?

You are also forgetting that Chelski will be making a serious splurge in the January window, especially if AVB is sacked and Hiddink is back in with serious monies.

The Spuds are a very, very real threat and only a fool would deny otherwise.

I heard someone say the other day (a pundit- I usually ignore the tossers but he said) Arsenal are just an injury to RVP away from mid-table.....and as much as I hate the thought of that, it is kinda true....we have no 'striker' who can cut it and score goals as readily as RVP....Each time we play or RVP plays for holland - I say a special prayer that he won't get any injuries.

ps: Do we have any decent 'strikers' in the reserves?...I used to follow them closely..but so busy working...they've kinda gone off my radar...