Anderlecht vs Arsenal. 22nd Oct. 19:45

[Letters]

Knowing how you are heavy into stats, now would be an ideal time for you to reel out some.

OK
Our points tally over the last 4 seasons - in brackets the gap between us and the eventual champions:

2011 - 68 (12)
2012 - 70 (19)
2013 - 73 (16)
2014 - 79 (7)

So fine, not stagnated. We've clearly improved over the last few years.









Your turn.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

OK
Our points tally over the last 4 seasons - in brackets the gap between us and the eventual champions:

2011 - 68 (12)
2012 - 70 (19)
2013 - 73 (16)
2014 - 79 (7)

So fine, not stagnated. We've clearly improved over the last few years.









Your turn.

Letters

Has absolutely lost it.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

What utter drivel.

You apologists sure know how to paint a rosy outlook in times if frustration, don't you?

Looking at our team getting shitter and shitter, what good state do you expect Wenger to hand over things in to a new manager after 2 1/2 more seasons? What will be better then than now?

That manager will have some task rebuilding this team, adding some bottle and instilling a winning mentality in and around the Club. As such, I say we get on with the job early. Ideally, Wenger Out by the time the January window opens.

You do realise that if your only going to respond to one sentence of a two three paragraph post it would be easier for you to merely cut and paste that sentence.
I didnt know I was a Wenger apologist, but then compared to someone who wants us to lose games just so the manager gets the push I suppose I must be.
The argument of most Anti-Wenger people (and a view I tend to agree with myself) is that the manager is the one not getting the best out of the players, and actually in terms of personnel we need one (I'd argue two centre backs) and at least one combative midfielder, so if Wenger went today doesn't exactly leave his replacement with a dire mess to sort out. My rationale for him not going, is that when most likely we will finish in the top four it seems rather churlish to upset the apple cart to replace when a season is in progress and no club other than Chelsea would sack the manager after only one league defeat in eight games

[Letters]

Letters

Has absolutely lost it.

This may be crazy talk but how about trying to respond to the point
Explain how a rising points tally over the last 4 years is us getting "shitter and shitter"

[Marc Overmars]

In terms of quality and performance there has certainly been a clear decline, regardless of results.

However last year was an improvement statistically, probably because we didn't drop many points against the teams we "should" be beating. Lots of narrow and ebbed out victories which didn't exactly fill anyone with confidence.

This year, well, fuck knows whats happened.

[Letters]

This year, well, fuck knows whats happened.

That's pretty much my feeling about this season so far.
In terms of decline, we're certainly far worse than we were, say, 10 years ago. I'm not sure we're worse than we were 4 years ago though, I think that was the season when RvP bailed us out and we were bloody awful for much of the season, we looked like a real mid-table team with one quality player who dragged us into 4th.
If we had declined as steadily as some are suggesting we'd have been in mid-table years ago. The truth is we've bobbled around for years, sometimes getting a bit better, sometimes getting a bit worse. There hasn't been a clear, consistent year on year decline.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

That's pretty much my feeling about this season so far.
In terms of decline, we're certainly far worse than we were, say, 10 years ago. I'm not sure we're worse than we were 4 years ago though, I think that was the season when RvP bailed us out and we were bloody awful for much of the season, we looked like a real mid-table team with one quality player who dragged us into 4th.
If we had declined as steadily as some are suggesting we'd have been in mid-table years ago. The truth is we've bobbled around for years, sometimes getting a bit better, sometimes getting a bit worse. There hasn't been a clear, consistent year on year decline.

Indeed people speak about huff and puff football with no end product as if its only come into being where it's been part of the Arsenal way even to an extent when we had the likes of Pires, Vieira, Henry in the side.

However I think the issue seems to be that either the players aren't fit or they are not motivated to play for this manager (or indeed both) and nothing suggests to me that Wenger is addressing this malaise.

[Letters]

Our average points over the past 6 seasons has been (rounding up a bit) 73.
We've never been wildly different from that number either, the worst was 5 below it on 68, the best was 6 above it last season on 79.
Pretty much the definition of stagnation.

[Master Splinter]

The exchange between Özil's Panoramic View and Letters pretty much sums up the internet.

"Come on and use your shit stats to refute my water-tight argument if you're hard enough."

Letters uses basic stats and proves point simply enough.

"LOL @ Letters."

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Letters, you can trump up all the stats you want - except for a comparative of how we've fared this season thus far against past seasons - all one has to do is watch the turgid shit being served up to realise we are getting shitter and shitter.