Originally Posted by
Niall_Quinn
No, no, no! Dude!
There's no EL miracle, there's no CL. Get that out of your head right now. That would be like a passenger on the Titanic asking if the ship was due to arrive on time, as it was slipping beneath the waves. Top 4 trophies, Europa Second Rate Champs - none of that is within our reach. Don't torture yourself with fantasies.
The remainder of this season has to be about us (the board, the manager, the players, the fans) adjusting to life as a post-Wenger, and therefore obviously second rate, mid-table team. If we can at least accept where we are then we can use that as a starting point to heading somewhere better. Right now though we're all still banging on about being a BIG club. Yeah, in terms of the past, or in terms of hyper inflated ticket prices. But in sporting terms and results? Until that desperate illusion is shattered we'll just keep making big plans for la-la land instead of the harsh reality of a competitive league where every team can beat you if you aren't on your game. Luiz is a symptom of that fantasy. A Brazilian international that has pubbed across the top leagues in Europe for transfer fees that amazed us all (not in the good way). The bloke who helped ship 7 against Germany when the chips were down. But the PR story and the transfer fees went on regardless. Fantasy football at its finest. Fits right in with our delusions of grandeur.