Winning the league

[Bumble]

I think we will do it this year. We seem to be having a bit of luck on our side... penalty against Southampton or Leicester cant remember which, draw against United when we didn't play well, draw against Spuds when again we didn't play well.

Also against Sunderland and United we showed that we do have a bit of fight in the belly and don't give up attitude. Giroud on the bench does provide something different as well, Walcott is playing like a footballer again. Sanchez and Ozil are the business. So I do think we will do it this year.... or at least get past the first knock out round in the CL.

Then Wenger will sign a new contract and all will be rosy in the garden of Arsenal, Brexit will be reversed and a recount shows Trump lost.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Brexit will be reversed and a recount shows Trump lost.

And the blind will see, and the lame will walk

[Niall_Quinn]

Rooney had his rating slashed in FIFA17 so anything is possible. He's down from 101 to 100.99.

Yes, I think we will win the league too. I can't think of several longstanding reasons that have not been addressed why we wouldn't.

[Marc Overmars]

I don't think we have seen anything new this season really that suggests we are better equipped to win it.

[fakeyank]

Quadruple is on bitches!

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I don't think we have seen anything new this season really that suggests we are better equipped to win it.

Nothing either that suggests we definitely won't, the proof will ultimately be the two league fixtures in and around the period where the Champions League resumes AKA - The time in the season where it usually goes tits up for us.

We have Southampton and Liverpool away, Southampton we have lost on the last two visits to St Mary's and Anfield we have conceded an equaliser in injury time both times. If we are in a situation where we are challenging for the title and we overcome those two potential minefields, than that would suggest to me that things might be different this time around.

Of course this is also dependent on getting through the December fixtures against West Ham, Everton and Manchester City relatively unscathed.

If we are still in the title race after we visit the Hawthorns on the 18th March, i'd say we have a shot at the title.

[Marc Overmars]

That's it really, I'm not thinking about the title until the spring. We know how our form can dramatically fall off a cliff and we've been burned one too many times with that, as long as we are in the mix then great, lets see what we can do in the period where we always mentally lose the plot when winning the league becomes a genuine prospect.

[The Emirates Gallactico]

I don't think we have seen anything new this season really that suggests we are better equipped to win it.

Yeah this. Same shit another year.

We go on amazing runs which gives us the faint "what if's" but usually when the going gets tough, we bottle it regardless of personal. A staple quality of Wenger teams. Heck even the Invincible tean bottled a few games (FA Cup finals, Chelsea CL) and we nearly threw away the league in the unbeaten season against Liverpool but thankfully Henry went into beast mode that match.

Until things change, just enjoy the good points and meh at the bad stuff tbh.

[Marc Overmars]

The Chelsea game is the only time we went above and beyond what was expected of us. We've beaten most of the teams you'd expect us to and also dropped the majority of our points in the games against the better teams in the league.

Everything is par for the course really. Hard to assess what state we'll be in come the business end.

[Globalgunner]

Everything is on course for the announcement of Wenger`s new 3 year deal.

[Goonermerree]

Win the league - you're having a laugh!:wacko:

[selassie]

http://www.islandbreath.org/2009Year/2009-05/090506flyingpigs.jpg

[Niall_Quinn]

http://www.islandbreath.org/2009Year/2009-05/090506flyingpigs.jpg

The Flying Squad.

[mastermind84]

Can't win the league with Wenger.

[Letters]

Fact of the day: We've won it 3 times with Wenger.

[mastermind84]

Another awesome fact: Twitter was not invited the last time Wenger won the Premiership title.

[Letters]

Blah blah financial doping blah blah new financial power blah blah better squad now.

While we're in the mix I think we'll have a chance. Start of the season I didn't think we had a chance, it's looking now that there are about 6 teams who are much of a muchness and are credible contenders. We're one of them.
I don't think we'll win it but I'm not going to write us off this early.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

http://www.islandbreath.org/2009Year/2009-05/090506flyingpigs.jpg

Good for them, they finally said enough is enough....no longer will you use us as a yard stick for expressing scepticism

[dostoy]

Can't win the league with Wenger.

I cannot believe we have a thread on this.

There is no chance whatsoever of us winning the league ever again with Wenger in charge.

I thought we all knew that.

I would take fourth now as long as the Spuds were below us in 5th or 6th, as long as they are in that Thursday night shit.

[Niall_Quinn]

I'll judge it at the end of the season.

[Letters]

I'll judge it at the end of the season.

The best time to judge a season is after 1 game, which we lost ergo the season is over.

[Niall_Quinn]

The best time to judge a season is after 1 game, which we lost ergo the season is over.

True. Because Wenger has only been in charge for 1 game so who can possibly tell how he'll do over, say, a decade?

[Letters]

Got the DVD of Anfield '89. Boring game. Turned off at half time. Can't believe we didn't win the league that year :(

[Niall_Quinn]

Got the DVD of Anfield '89. Boring game. Turned off at half time. Can't believe we didn't win the league that year :(

So basically, judge him at the end of the season? Yeah, we heard the first time. And the second, third, fourth, fifth... Round and around we go, where we'll stop? Everyone knows!

[Chippy]

Fact of the day: We've won it 3 times with Wenger.

Second fact of the day: Wumger inherited the best back 5 this country has ever seen.

[Letters]

Second fact of the day: Wumger inherited the best back 5 this country has ever seen.

Did any of those play in 2004?

EDIT: No, not really. Only Keown was inherited and he only started 3 games...

Lehman (38)
Cole (32)
Lauren (30+2)
Cygan (10+8)
Clichy (7+5)
Campbell (35)
Toure (36+1)
Keown (3+7)

[Letters]

So basically, judge him at the end of the season?

No. Judge the season at the end. Obviously.
Judge Wenger when you like.
This isn't rocket salad...

[Niall_Quinn]

No. Judge the season at the end. Obviously.
Judge Wenger when you like.
This isn't rocket salad...

Because Wenger and the outcome of our season aren't really related.

[Letters]

Of course they're related, but you can only properly judge a game when it's over, you can only properly judge a season when it's over.
I shouldn't have to explain this to someone who does coding and therefore should be fairly conversant with logic.

[dostoy]

Why should this season be any different to the previous 10 ?

We perform to a high standard under Wenger like getting in the top four every season, something that a lot of clubs would love to do, but we have not actually won the PL since the landscape changed when the Russian arrived at Chelsea.

Top four yes but winning, no chance.

[Letters]

I think we've got a better squad than last year, IMO it's the best we've had for years.
I don't think we'll win the league but I'm not writing us off just yet.

[Niall_Quinn]

Of course they're related, but you can only properly judge a game when it's over, you can only properly judge a season when it's over.
I shouldn't have to explain this to someone who does coding and therefore should be fairly conversant with logic.

And when is it safe to judge a decade of the same old season on repeat?

How many more thinly concealed excuses for Wenger, I wonder?

[Power n Glory]

Did any of those play in 2004?

EDIT: No, not really. Only Keown was inherited and he only started 3 games...

Lehman (38)
Cole (32)
Lauren (30+2)
Cygan (10+8)
Clichy (7+5)
Campbell (35)
Toure (36+1)
Keown (3+7)

After reading Bergkamp's book and I think it's fair to say that the mentality that squad had came from training and playing with the guys at Arsenal before Wenger. It's not just the backline, it's that winners mentality that Henry and Vieira picked up from guys like Bergkamp, Adams and Keown.

[Letters]

After reading Bergkamp's book and I think it's fair to say that the mentality that squad had came from training and playing with the guys at Arsenal before Wenger. It's not just the backline, it's that winners mentality that Henry and Vieira picked up from guys like Bergkamp, Adams and Keown.

That's a slightly different argument although valid enough. It's nonsense to say all our success came because Wenger inherited a good squad

[Letters]

And when is it safe to judge a decade of the same old season on repeat?

How many more thinly concealed excuses for Wenger, I wonder?

I've said you can judge Wenger when you like.
But you can only judge a season at the end, even if you think now the end will be wearingly predictable, and I don't disagree it probably will be.

[Niall_Quinn]

That's a slightly different argument although valid enough. It's nonsense to say all our success came because Wenger inherited a good squad

It's nonsense to say anything negative about Wenger, tbf.

[Niall_Quinn]

I've said you can judge Wenger when you like.
But you can only judge a season at the end, even if you think now the end will be wearingly predictable, and I don't disagree it probably will be.

You're trying to disassociate Wenger from a decade of these performances, and if we're fair and we look at the Fabregas era, the Arshavin period and now this period we're actually going backwards in terms of the quality of our game and the frequency at which we can produce a decent performance. Our game is so much more negative now. It's horrible stuff, the antithesis of the reputation that was built by the likes of Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp, Pires and even Fabregas, RvC, a long list of players who had twice the character and twice the drive and determination as the shrinking violets on the pitch today. I mean Theo, Bif, ridiculous disasters like Chamakh and Sanogo.

If Wenger couldn't do anything with much better players then he has fuck all chance of doing anything now. We're only talking about titles as a dim possibility because our major rivals have been going through upheaval. But we haven't come close to taking advantage of that either, failing to compete with Leicester when the door was wide open. Shocking, shocking shit.

Anyone who doesn't know where this season is going is either the world's greatest optimist or has been asleep for a decade.

This manager has to go. It's beyond a joke now. WTF is going on at this club?

Look at yesterday's non-performance. Give me an Arsenal fan from anywhere, even that Ty bloke, who thinks we can compete in the CL. But WHY can't we? Look at all the players than have come and gone, the money that has flowed, the major chances we've had against opponents we should have beaten.

We're sitting here hoping all our domestic rivals fall to bits so maybe, maybe, we can somehow finish top of the pile. Not based on our own performances, our own strengths, our own ambition, but instead on the simultaneous failure of other teams across the board.

Crazy. How has Wenger managed to get away with this for so long? Even with all the money he's stuffed into the pockets of the leeches, how the fuck have the fans bought into this for so long? It beggars belief.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

The guy is a massive prick, I don't know why I bother with him

The fucker clearly cheats at Gin Rummy by blatantly taking too many cards and having the gall to deny it when you call him out on it "I did not see that" "you didn't see yourself cheating?" "I do not like the way you speak to me, it is disrespectful"

There's never been a time where I've gone out for a meal with him, when he doesn't use the calculator function on his phone to make sure he doesn't pay a penny more than he has to. Split the bill you Tosser, sometimes you end up worse off, sometimes better off it all balances out.

And worst of all, on non match days he phones you and pays no attention when you tell him you're busy, because he wants to tell you in graphic detail the disgusting variety of porn he's just had a Barclays to (thinks it's hilarious to use Cockney rhyming slang in broken Gallic English)

[Letters]

It's nonsense to say anything negative about Wenger, tbf.

If you only had a brain...

#strawman

[Letters]

You're trying to disassociate Wenger from a decade of these performances
No...I'm saying this season, like any season, should be judged at the end. That is literally the only point I'm making.
It isn't a point I should have to make and this is not something I should have to explain.

[Kano]

The fucker clearly cheats at Gin Rummy
Finally we found someone alive who is older than Coney

[Power n Glory]

That's a slightly different argument although valid enough. It's nonsense to say all our success came because Wenger inherited a good squad

Agree with that. It was a perfect match.

[Niall_Quinn]

If you only had a brain...

#strawman

Brainless people criticise Wenger.

Brainless racists vote Leave.

Brainless racists vote Trump.

So many brainless people, what's a conformist to do?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Finally we found someone alive who is older than Coney

Hard to play Poker with just two people, and David Dein makes excuses not to come round when i'm there because i once jokingly called him "Jew Boy"

[mastermind84]

It's not just the backline, it's that winners mentality that Henry and Vieira picked up from guys like Bergkamp, Adams and Keown.
Henry and Vieira were World Cup winners and European Cup winners before they reached their peak at Arsenal. Let's NOT do that.

[selassie]

No...I'm saying this season, like any season, should be judged at the end. That is literally the only point I'm making.
It isn't a point I should have to make and this is not something I should have to explain.

Nothing has changed Letters...it's as we were last season, difference being our rivals bar Man United are actually competing this season.

Wenger can't and won't change, he is the PROBLEM!

https://lessonsfromtheendofamarriage.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/pcfv01p10_15.jpg

[Kano]

Still not having it about Utd, Selass.

A year ago they were second and a point off Leicester with 27 points.

Not 6th, 6 points off fourth!

They are not getting top four again this season.

[Power n Glory]

Henry and Vieira were World Cup winners and European Cup winners before they reached their peak at Arsenal. Let's NOT do that.

Ozil, Merts, Podolski, Fabregas, Cazorla....all World Cup winners and haven't/couldn't win the league with Arsenal. Mustafi is also a World Cup winner. So what's the explanation there?

It's worth reading what what Henry and Vieira have to say about the former players and who helped them adjust to this league and Arsenal.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Ozil, Merts, Podolski, Fabregas, Cazorla....all World Cup winners and haven't/couldn't win the league with Arsenal. Mustafi is also a World Cup winner.

It's worth reading what what Henry and Vieira have to say about the former players and who helped them adjust to this league and Arsenal.

True but the experienced seasoned winners like Adams, Wright, Keown weren't exactly prospering themselves at the time Wenger came to the club. There is absolutely no doubt that their character and experience was invaluable to Wenger but i don't think we want to go down the road of saying his impact in winning what we did under him was negligible.

Wenger if you were writing his eulogy you would say was a very good manager in terms of both the football he brought and the consistency as well, however fell short of being a great manager because of a lack of success on the continent and inability to cement Arsenal dominance in the early 00s.

Kept us going well during the transition period moving to the new stadium (the idea behind which was sound enough before being blown out of the water by big money). Stayed in the job too long, incapable of adapting his methods, a spotter of great talent rather than a tactical master.

[mastermind84]

Ozil, Merts, Podolski, Fabregas, Cazorla....all World Cup winners and haven't/couldn't win the league with Arsenal. Mustafi is also a World Cup winner. So what's the explanation there?

It's worth reading what what Henry and Vieira have to say about the former players and who helped them adjust to this league and Arsenal.
The difference between those names and Henry and Vieira was that they were pivotal players. Mustafi, Per, Podolski, and to an extent Cesc and Cazorla were nowhere near as pivotal for their sides like Henry, Vieira, and Özil were for theirs.

[selassie]

Still not having it about Utd, Selass.

A year ago they were second and a point off Leicester with 27 points.

Not 6th, 6 points off fourth!

They are not getting top four again this season.

Kano, Aye United are not in the race this season...

As nuts as this sounds (because we are only 3 points adrift), I don't feel like we are in the race either...it's our performances that are really worrying me.

[Power n Glory]

True but the experienced seasoned winners like Adams, Wright, Keown weren't exactly prospering themselves at the time Wenger came to the club. There is absolutely no doubt that their character and experience was invaluable to Wenger but i don't think we want to go down the road of saying his impact in winning what we did under him was negligible.

Wenger if you were writing his eulogy you would say was a very good manager in terms of both the football he brought and the consistency as well, however fell short of being a great manager because of a lack of success on the continent and inability to cement Arsenal dominance in the early 00s.

Kept us going well during the transition period moving to the new stadium (the idea behind which was sound enough before being blown out of the water by big money). Stayed in the job too long, incapable of adapting his methods, a spotter of great talent rather than a tactical master.

Well, as I said to Letters, it was a perfect match. Wenger introduced the flair and technical side but they had the tough mentality that wouldn't allow players heads just to drop. They trained hard and it was a good blend of cultures. We're missing that in the squad now. Over the last 3 games, you can definitely see there is something wrong with how we've prepared for the game. I heard in our last visit to Old Trafford, Ozil said we were going out there to have fun and to enjoy our football. We still lost and I guess Wenger thinks the reason we lose is because we're too tense but it doesn't sound like the right way to approach a game.

[Kano]

Kano, Aye United are not in the race this season...

As nuts as this sounds (because we are only 3 points adrift), I don't feel like we are in the race either...it's our performances that are really worrying me.
We are and we aren't. For me, we can analyse it all to death but I've no interest in that. There is also a positive that we aren't losing games like this, when in the past we definitely would've. There is clearly a resilience to this team that hasn't been there for quite some time. Performances have been patchy but results still good enough to keep us in the mix - for now. We got through November without it being a points and injury disaster, which is a plus. Looking at Pool, City, Spuds and Chelsea, I can see enough problems with their inconsistencies too to allow me to keep being hopeful for now. I didn't expect to win the title pre-season, so it won't be too much of a surprise if we don't. I can live with being unbeaten in 18, winning 12 and drawing 6 of them. Nothing worth having a heart attack over right now.

[Power n Glory]

The difference between those names and Henry and Vieira was that they were pivotal players. Mustafi, Per, Podolski, and to an extent Cesc and Cazorla were nowhere near as pivotal for their sides like Henry, Vieira, and Özil were for theirs.

Henry and Vieira weren't first team starters for France 98. They didn't even start in the final from what I remember. I think it was Euro 2000 when Henry starting scoring for France.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Well, as I said to Letters, it was a perfect match. Wenger introduced the flair and technical side but they had the tough mentality that wouldn't allow players heads just to drop. They trained hard and it was a good blend of cultures. We're missing that in the squad now. Over the last 3 games, you can definitely see there is something wrong with how we've prepared for the game. I heard in our last visit to Old Trafford, Ozil said we were going out there to have fun and to enjoy our football. We still lost and I guess Wenger thinks the reason we lose is because we're too tense but it doesn't sound like the right way to approach a game.

Go and have fun? in a crucial game?.....Gordon Bennett

[Power n Glory]

Go and have fun? in a crucial game?.....Gordon Bennett
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mesut-ozil-reckons-arsenal-pour-2716538


“We are going to Old Trafford to have fun — and that is why we are going to win.

“The plan is not to go to United and settle for a draw. If we are going to achieve the target of our coach, then we go to win.

“Of course it’s going to be difficult," he told the Sun. "United are a high-quality team. But I’m sure they also respect us because we can beat anyone, home or away.”

Just seems like the pep talks they get is all about messaging the ego and trying to get them relaxed and to be confident. It seems like we don't have the players in the dressing room to point out another players mistake and talk. Henry did say that's missing from the game today so might not be just an Arsenal thing. But you saw the reaction when we came out to that second half after that scramble with Cavani. It's like we were fired up an played better.

[mastermind84]

Henry and Vieira weren't first team starters for France 98. They didn't even start in the final from what I remember. I think it was Euro 2000 when Henry starting scoring for France.

Henry scored 4 goals for France in 1998.

Vieira didn't start the final but he set up the final goal and Played in another match.

My whole point is they were around winners independent of Arsenal.

[Power n Glory]

Henry scored 4 goals for France in 1998.

Vieira didn't start the final but he set up the final goal and Played in another match.

My whole point is they were around winners independent of Arsenal.


I'm not taking anything away from those guys but performing for Internationals is different from a league challenge and title. When you have the right atmosphere in the changing room, things can happen. But as we've seen over the years, we have league winners and international cup winners in the squad now and seasons before but we have the same problems.

[Chippy]

I think we will do it this year. We seem to be having a bit of luck on our side... penalty against Southampton or Leicester cant remember which, draw against United when we didn't play well, draw against Spuds when again we didn't play well.

Also against Sunderland and United we showed that we do have a bit of fight in the belly and don't give up attitude. Giroud on the bench does provide something different as well, Walcott is playing like a footballer again. Sanchez and Ozil are the business. So I do think we will do it this year.... or at least get past the first knock out round in the CL.

Then Wenger will sign a new contract and all will be rosy in the garden of Arsenal, Brexit will be reversed and a recount shows Trump lost.

Cazorla out for three months. Game over.