Match reaction: Everton 2-1 Arsenal

[Letters]

I do wonder sometimes if your memory gets wiped at the end of each season.

No, it doesn't. But if you're so certain that things will turn out the same then stop watching. Why bother if you know the outcome? It's only going to end in disappointment so just go and do something more fulfilling.
Of course there are repeated failings, there are patterns but why is it so sneered at on here to live in hope, to think that there's a chance that new players coming in could change things?
In any season you get results like this. Any season. It's our first (league) loss since the opening day so I'm not going to wet my pants, the question now is how will we react? Will we react?
I fear the worst but hope for the best otherwise, to return to my original point, why bother following it at all?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

No, it doesn't. But if you're so certain that things will turn out the same then stop watching. Why bother if you know the outcome? It's only going to end in disappointment so just go and do something more fulfilling.
Of course there are repeated failings, there are patterns but why is it so sneered at on here to live in hope, to think that there's a chance that new players coming in could change things?
In any season you get results like this. Any season. It's our first (league) loss since the opening day so I'm not going to wet my pants, the question now is how will we react? Will we react?
I fear the worst but hope for the best otherwise, to return to my original point, why bother following it at all?

Again with your rather petulent response you've missed the point, there is not a single person who doesn't hope for the best. I didn't go into last night's game thinking "well it's going to be the same as always", I went into it thinking "no if's ands or buts we have to win". But there is just no sense in denying the reality when it's staring you in the face....this is the type of game we will probably lose (or fail to win) as long as Wenger is manager.

When's the last time we beat Mark Hughes managed side away from home? - January 2007!

When's the last time we beat Tony Pulis managed side away from home? - February 2010 (and they spent the last half hour down to ten men!)

When's the last time we beat a Ronald Koeman managed side away from home? - we never have!

I support this team therefore there is no choice but to hope for the best, but i'm not going to pretend there is no coincidence when the same things happen again and again.

[Letters]

I support this team therefore there is no choice but to hope for the best, but i'm not going to pretend there is no coincidence when the same things happen again and again.

I'm not arguing with that.
My point was, and remains, that I'm not sure what to make of this result. Yes, I'm disappointed but in any season you will get results like this. It seems we were a bit unlucky to lose, right at the end we had the ball cleared off the line twice before Everton nearly broke away and scored a 3rd. And earlier Ozil missed a sitter. Fine lines in football sometimes. The important thing is how we react. Is this going to be the start of one of our trademark slumps or are they made of sterner stuff this year? We'll see.
And there are some people who don't hope for the best in the sense that they "know" we're going to fail (one of the usual suspects mentioning the "fourth place trophy" even though we haven't "won" that for 3 years.
I don't know why they bother watching.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I'm not arguing with that.
My point was, and remains, that I'm not sure what to make of this result. Yes, I'm disappointed but in any season you will get results like this. It seems we were a bit unlucky to lose, right at the end we had the ball cleared off the line twice before Everton nearly broke away and scored a 3rd. And earlier Ozil missed a sitter. Fine lines in football sometimes. The important thing is how we react. Is this going to be the start of one of our trademark slumps or are they made of sterner stuff this year? We'll see.
And there are some people who don't hope for the best in the sense that they "know" we're going to fail (one of the usual suspects mentioning the "fourth place trophy" even though we haven't "won" that for 3 years.
I don't know why they bother watching.

We had one shot on target (the goal) before injury time....

Again you take these things too literally, the 4th placed trophy thing is gallows humour......it's a way of people showing their frustration at seeing the same old season in, season out. My attitude has always been expect the worst, hope for the best.....and when we lose three times in a row to the same manager away from home i'm not going to pretend it's a surprise or it's not the same old, same old.

Now if we do win at the Hawthorns, at the Britannia, beat either Everton or United at home.....than i might revise that opinion....but the precedent that's been set doesn't suggest that.