3rd/4th vs A domestic cup double

[Marc Overmars]

I think the quality is there to compete for a cup as well as CL football, the problem is that we can't seem to cope when the fixtures pile up and we get a "season defining" week. When have we ever come out of one those in good shape? The Sunderland defeat following Milan was the most predictable result going.

It's not right to say the pressure was off. 0-2 down to Spurs the pressure was most certainly ON.

We've done remarkably well to put this run together, but I guess the frustration stems from what was mentioned earlier in the thread about Cups being for the fans, for me there isn't another buzz like it and it's disappointing that despite consistently being able to achieve our goal of top 4, we haven't managed to deliver a cup or 2 along with it.

It's not a question of one or the other, we absolutley should be able to do both. Just as Liverpool should be able to compete for the top 4 as well as the cups. It's not like City and United have monopolised these competitions as well, plenty of teams on our level and sometimes below us reach the latter stages.

[Flavs]

I do also wonder if we might pick up a couple of jobbers to reinforce the overall unit. People from the prem who wouldn't cost much but could do a job from the bench, like Benayoun has this season.

In fact i wouldn't be that surprised if Wenger took the option to keep Benayoun. Have also just seen that Clint Dempsey is coming into the last year of his contract so could be gotten for cheap, he would be an excellent rotation option.

[LDG]

I think there is room for cautious optimism. And I think that sums it up.

I still fear that we're a game away from cocking it up again, but I have every reason to believe that this squad has the basis to become a good side with a few additions in the right areas, and IF we can get our business done early.

The signs and sounds coming out of the club are very encouraging. I thik there has been a massive effort by all involved to get the fans back on side. Not just on the football pitch, but also through the media.

Just look at that Jenko Haircut article yesterday. I may be cynical, and it was a bloody good laugh, but these things are designed to bring the club back together again. It had become very fragmented, fans against manager / board etc. But one good thing to come out of the last two months, is that we're united again.

I think the fans are still very cautious, and it still needs a LOT of work over the summer. And if it becomes apparent that we're unwilling to do the necessary during season close, I think that will spell curtains.

[Flavs]

Indeed will be interesting to see how we react if/when we do lose a game, especially if its to a late goal or a dodgy penalty

[LDG]

Indeed will be interesting to see how we react if/when we do lose a game, especially if its to a late goal or a dodgy penalty

....and who the referees are for our games.

That said, we're over the Dean / Dowd hoodoo for now. Though I'm sure if we get them again, they'll do their best to cock us over.

[Flavs]

I don't think its a deliberate hatred of us, i just think they are shit.

[LDG]

I don't think its a deliberate hatred of us, i just think they are shit.

We have Mike Dean on Saturday

[Syn]

I don't think its a deliberate hatred of us, i just think they are shit.

There are certainties that you can do nothing about. e.g. the refs will always look to even things up. If they book 4 Stoke players, they'll give Koscielny a bullshit yellow for the sake of it.

But we can influence it. Our players don't even bother appealing for 50/50 pen shouts any more...they just assume they're not getting it. If we were a bunch of whiny ****s like Barca, we would get so many more decisions. Not through diving. But through moaning at the ref. Cesc was fantastic at that - he knew how to play the game. He would be at the ref's ear all game.

The crowd as well play a massive part. It's not possible to ignore 50,000 people thinking you've fucked them over. Against Newcastle, the fans got us that 5 mins added on. It may have been 3 or 4 without it, but it was 5 because they were booing Krul for time-wasting from the first minute. Everyone was made aware that Krul was taking his time and so an extra min or so gets added on. Stuff like that helps.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I think the quality is there to compete for a cup as well as CL football, the problem is that we can't seem to cope when the fixtures pile up and we get a "season defining" week. When have we ever come out of one those in good shape? The Sunderland defeat following Milan was the most predictable result going.

It's not right to say the pressure was off. 0-2 down to Spurs the pressure was most certainly ON.

We've done remarkably well to put this run together, but I guess the frustration stems from what was mentioned earlier in the thread about Cups being for the fans, for me there isn't another buzz like it and it's disappointing that despite consistently being able to achieve our goal of top 4, we haven't managed to deliver a cup or 2 along with it.

It's not a question of one or the other, we absolutley should be able to do both. Just as Liverpool should be able to compete for the top 4 as well as the cups. It's not like City and United have monopolised these competitions as well, plenty of teams on our level and sometimes below us reach the latter stages.

Spot fecking on MOe. We have a sqaud that was good enough to win something this season, then frustation is because we failed to.

Lets be real the only 2 comps we had a chance in this season was the domestic cups, no way we had to splash out to win one of those.

If all we won was the CC yes its better then nothing but it does not indicate a succesful season, same as pool finshing 8th no way can you say they had a successful season because they won the CC.

Id say our season has not be a failuire but a dissapointment. Had we had this momentume earlier in the season we'd be up there challgenging.

[Gubby Allen]

I think the quality is there to compete for a cup as well as CL football, the problem is that we can't seem to cope when the fixtures pile up and we get a "season defining" week. When have we ever come out of one those in good shape? The Sunderland defeat following Milan was the most predictable result going.

It's not right to say the pressure was off. 0-2 down to Spurs the pressure was most certainly ON.

We've done remarkably well to put this run together, but I guess the frustration stems from what was mentioned earlier in the thread about Cups being for the fans, for me there isn't another buzz like it and it's disappointing that despite consistently being able to achieve our goal of top 4, we haven't managed to deliver a cup or 2 along with it.

It's not a question of one or the other, we absolutley should be able to do both. Just as Liverpool should be able to compete for the top 4 as well as the cups. It's not like City and United have monopolised these competitions as well, plenty of teams on our level and sometimes below us reach the latter stages.

Problem is we've less points at 30 or 31 games than we had last season, we went no futher in the C.L than last season & were further away from going through and against a considerably worse side, we went out of the FA Cup a round earlier & the league cup 2 rounds earlier. So by no stretch of anyone's imagination could that be seen as progress, we haven't bettered ourself in one competition.

Yet it seems to a lot of people to have been an improvement - probably a combination of a place higher in the league for now, the second half of the season being better than the first and playing well when the first team have been fit - but there's still actually little if any improvement.