A season of Biblical proportions

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I was thinking about how compartmentalized our form has been this season,

first seven games - win 2, draw 1 lose four

next eight games - win 7 draw 1

next seven games - win 2 draw 1 lose four

next seven games - win 6 draw 1 (7wins 1 draw if we win against villa Saturday)

Reminded me of Joseph's prophecy to the pharaoh about seven fat cows and seven thin cows, about periods of abundance and periods of famine.

I'm no Bible Basher I am an agnostic (or near enough) but found the comparison interesting, if we are to work to that pattern of seven shit games followed by eight good games et al then it would suggest we are to beat Villa this saturday and could indeed make QPR a very decisive fixture.

Arsenal under Arsene Wenger have always been a confidence team, we either can be unbeatable or unable to win depending on what the last result has bought us, recent Arsenal history is full of bad results begetting (religious terminology again sorry) dreadful runs of form. After QPR we play Man City and Chelsea within two weeks of each other and I have no doubt that a poor run of form would see us lose both of those games, I strongly believe therefore that QPR will be the litmus test for where we end up at the end of the season. A win at Loftus Road will give us the impetus to get the points we need to finish in our current position, a lose and a draw and a very different outcome could present itself.

It seems silly to say this but I do believe in these patterns of form (I don't believe they are coincidental or pre-ordained I think there is generally a good reason for them happening which without being at the training ground day in day out is hard to analyse) and if we win on saturday my block of four diagram above will be complete 7 shit games, 8 good ones, 7 shit games, 8 good ones.......

Of course it can be argued that the draw at home to Fulham and away to Bolton in the two blocks of good form would be a counter to my argument but I am taking the total points accumulation in those eight games and the fact that we remained unbeaten in these blocks.

[Marc Overmars]

Well the only consistent about us is our inconsistency.

[Letters]

It has been a crazy, roller-coaster of a season. Almost as enjoyable as 92/93.
Right now I'm loving it, the wheels may yet come off again though.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

92/93 is more like Liverpool's current season, dog shit in the league.....up for the cups!

I'd have happily sliced off the little finger on my left hand to see us win a domestic cup double this season :-(

[McNamara That Ghost...]

If we carry on like this, we'll end up with more points than when we won the title in 97/98. :lol:

[-Xs-]

We used to draw a lot back then

Recent Arsenal teams seem to either win or lose, there is often no middle ground with us these days

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

drew 11 times in the league last season


We used to draw a lot back then

Recent Arsenal teams seem to either win or lose, there is often no middle ground with us these days

[-Xs-]

Hmmm, and we only drew 9 times in 97/98

There goes my theory. Lol.

[Marc Overmars]

The quality of the top sides has increased a great deal since 98.

[fakeyank]

If aint Koranic proportions, it aint the right proportion!

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I honestly believe it's the opposite, the fact that sides are having to win 90 points plus to win the title suggests that the teams below have gotten worse, as if somehow they don't believe they have a realistic chance of scalping the title challengers.



The quality of the top sides has increased a great deal since 98.

[Marc Overmars]

The impact of the CL is probably the biggest reason. The cash boost it brings is just ridiculous, that's served to create a little group at the top who have the resources to improve year in year out.

[Flavs]

The quality of the top sides has increased a great deal since 98.

The quality of ALL sides has increased since then tbh

[Coney]

The quality of ALL sides has increased since then tbh

Definitely. And the lower teams are more prepared to get in the top team's faces - not just the Arsenal - and make a go of matches that a few years ago they would have written off while they focussed their entire effort on beating their peers in the hope of staving off relegation. They now pay more attention to getting a point here and there from the top teams as that odd point can make the difference at the end of the season.

[Flavs]

What I have noticed is the gradual introduction of the ball playing new boys, when teams used to get to the prem first thing they would do is revert to hoofball tactics to stay up and then build from there (Some stick with it like Stoke) But more recently teams like Norwich and Swansea and Blackpool and Portsmouth before them have tried to avoid this and play the game the way its meant to be. This i think has made the league a lot less predictable and difficult to accommodate for the top teams.

I expect Southampton to try and play next season and West Ham to punt and chase, lets see who fares better

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

today is the day when we see whether my block of fixtures diagram is proven to be false or not

[Letters]

Not really. We can't win every single game, We're going to drop points at some point, it could be today. You can't only test the 'block of fixtures' theory at the end, or near the end, of one.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Not really. We can't win every single game, We're going to drop points at some point, it could be today. You can't only test the 'block of fixtures' theory at the end, or near the end, of one.

But if we win today it will prove it to be false, becuase so far we have had 7 bad fixtures, 8 good ones, 7 bad ones, 8 good ones....and a victory today would destroy the diagram's theory and a draw or lose opens up the possibility of it being right....as you say at the end of the season.

[hymppi]

Not really. We can't win every single game, We're going to drop points at some point, it could be today. You can't only test the 'block of fixtures' theory at the end, or near the end. you can do one.
tsk.