Quote Originally Posted by Letters View Post
We're 15 points better off than we were at this stage last year and we haven't improved?
I'd say our record this year (W16 D4 L3) is significantly better that last year's W10 D7 L6 at this stage.

Last year we scraped into the top 4, I don't see how it's reasonable to expect us to win the league this year.
In order to assess whether we can win the league of course you have to look at how strong the other teams are.
City's squad is frightening, the fact they didn't win the league last year is a combination of poor management, Fergie being Fergie and RvP being brilliant and fit all season. They've looked far poorer this season with Moyes and with Rooney and RvP getting injuries.



We've also beaten Dortmund away (who I believe had won every home game prior to our visit), won away at Newcastle (who had only lost one home game and beaten both Utd and Chelsea at home at that stage) and beaten Liverpool at home (who would have leapfrogged us to go top had we not done so. I can cherry pick good results just as easily as you can cherry pick bad ones, and I can cherry pick bad results for our rivals (City lost away at Cardiff and Sunderland - the current bottom 2 - and, like us, drew away at Southampton)

I don't think we'll win the league because over a long season I think City and Chelsea both have too much for us.
You can blame Wenger if you like and of course he's not perfect, but we're competing with sides who don't have to cope with fatigue or injuries like we do. We've done well so far but when push comes to shove I think we'll be found wanting. The resources of City and Chelsea are a massive factor.

Do you think, given the last 2 seasons where we've just about limped into the top 4, the title is a reasonable expectation this year?
"You can blame Wenger if you like and ofcourse he's not perfect, but we're competing with sides who don't have to cpoe with fatigue or injuries like we do" - who's fault is this? - A whole summer window with big money to spend & he buys no-one. We don't even know if he would have bought Ozil had he not got so much stick after the Villa Game. He had plenty of opportunity to get a few 10-15 mill squad players that would have helped with fatigue or injuries. And low & behold, having no striking options apart from Giroud, Rambo out, Theo & his goals/assists out - we're a day away from spending fuck all again in the Jan window. The early season form of Giroud, Ramsey & Ozil has fizzled out, mosty becuase Wenger's tactics have become desperately defensive sitting back on leads against pub teams when they're there for the taking. This will get us nowhere against the better teams. When we attack with pace & numbers at high tempo we're capable of beating anyone but we only give the players license to do it if we're behind or trying to win at home against Fulham or Cardiff. Look at the differnce when we came out for the 2nd half last night, bodies up the pitch in & around the area - its the only way we know how to play, so do it from the start.
We go a goal behind, this generally means we have to score to get back in the game, maybe a few to win it - why then did we not IMMEDIATELY bring on Polds or Ox to replace one of our 2 defensive midfielders ( which was a joke in the 1st place ), these are tactical decesions that top managers make & Wenger never does it. I dont expect us to win the league, never did but I do expect us to play the football we teach at Colney, otherwise bring in Pullis.