Arsenal don't appear to be laughing at us anymore!

Is HIAG now your straight man, setting you up to repeat this tedious post. Surprised you still find it funny.

 

Actually it's the first time I've mentioned your bottle-job . . and only because HAIG brought it up

The simple solution would be for him not to walk into his own traps, but we all know that isn't going to happen

 

Wrong and wrong. Not only are you tedious but now you're lying, please at least try not to be a pain in the arse Piskie.

 

As I keep explaining 'bottling it' means underacheiving. So if you think we bottled it it means you concede we had the better team. If that is true why do you pay your lot 50% more.

 

Nah, no way will 'Pool finish 4th. But neither will Arsenal, at the rate they are going. I was merely wondering whether or not 'Pool could take Arsenal's expected 6th place. 5th, at best.

My prediction, though, is that Arsenal will probably hold off 'Pool - just.

 

@ PESKIE


You and I both know that last season was a freak, in the sense that two unexpected things happened:-

(1) Capello resigned as England manager, and the media started the most ridiculous campaign in the history of crusading campaigns, namely to have wide-boy 'Arry elevated to the upper echelons of power, at Lancaster Gate. It was never going to happen, but that did not stop dear old 'Arry dreaming of lifting the World Cup for England, thereby taking his mind off our push for 3rd. It cost us dear, and it cost 'Arry his job.

(2) RVP remained 100% fit the whole season, and produced performances that were absolutely out of this world, dragging your sorry bunch of under-performers along by their boot-laces.


It was a freak coincidence that these two events should coincide, but it won't happen again. We now have a manager who is clearly far superior to Redknapp in almost every department (and particularly the ones that we need the most), and you no longer have a player who can win you games that you should have lost, instead you will simply lose those games.


I'm sure we understand each other, PESKIE, so please, stop gooning around. It's becoming embarrassing. I know you are wound up by this thread, but do try to accept some deserved criticism of your team with a little humility.

 

HIAG, I think you and I both know that getting wound up by this thread, would be like getting wound up watching an episode of Chucklevision.

As for your point about RVP, you might be interested to know that we've scored more goals this season than we had at the same point last season. So more of our players are scoring and we're not relying on one player to get them.

So you are saying that Arsenal will finish 5th with Liverpool in 6th.

Let's see if that's another prediction that comes back to bite you on the arse . . .

 

I think it might go the way of HIAG's other numerous predictions.

Predicting the north london power-shift(TM) for example. One of his ancestors probably came up with Doomsday 21st of December 2012 as well

 

Arsenal's goals for stats do create a misleading impression.

7 v Newcastle, 6 v Soton, 5 v Reading & Spurs, 3 v West Ham & Fulham. So 29 goals concentrated in 6 fixtures.

In the remaining 14 games (70% of all PL games played), Arsenal have scored just 11 goals. It's in those types of games- almost three quarters this season- where RvP was making a difference previously. Going on to thrash teams in a handful of games tells us less about Arsenal's goalscoring prowess than failing to score consistently and when required, in the vast majority of them.

 

Whilst it's true we've scored a lot of goals against some teams, like against Spurs - and struggled to find goals against others. Players like Giroud and Walcott are now scoring more consistently, so I'd expect that stat to even itself out over as more games are played.

The fact remains thought that in terms of raw figures, we've scored more goals so far this season without RVP, so HAIG's assertion that is was only because of him (and Arry) that we finished above the spuds and without him we will lose those games, is of course more wild speculation that is likely to be another 'prediction that will come back to haunt' him

 

Both Spurs & Arsenal are on decent runs of form.

Five teams have lost 1 (or less) of their last 9 games- Spurs, Arsenal, Utd, Everton & Stoke. City, Swansea and Soton have lost 2/9.

Too many draws for Arsenal. RvP is scoring late winners elsewhere!

 

Other than the Soton game, where we were flat. We've had six different scorers in four league games and we won all of them. Including two players who got a hat-trick. So even without RVP we are scoring more and more of our players are scoring goals too.

 

So you're glad he went then?

 

What does it actually tell us though? Clearly RVP wasn't a drain on the rest of your team, it just so happens that last summer you attempted to properly replace the likes of Nasri and Fabregas, whilst strengthening other areas, rather than trying to keep most of the money and buying dross like you did before. I wouldn't get too excited though, your Christmas run in always looked likely to yield plenty of wins for you and that run includes two games won with penalties. City look to have a few players out with injury for your game so come through the next run of games with a good points total and that's when you'll know whether you've improved despite losing RVP.

 

No, it's just not turning out to be as bad for us as you were hoping it would be

 

6 players - Dempsy, Adebayor, Defoe, Dawson, Lennon and Bale have all scored for us in our past 3 matches...don't raelly mean **** cos we played *Villa (seriously ****) *Sunderland (really ****) and *Reading (worse than ****)
*at the moment (no offence intended to their supporters)

Your matches were Reading (Worse than ****) and Newcastle (ditto - again at the moment with 9 losses in 11) and Southampton

Stats can be used to prove anything but the truth is we are both on good runs because we have not faced Chelsea; United; City or eachother ... your only loss in the last 9 matches was to Swansea and ours to Everton (2 of the best teams outside of City Chelsea and United)

Personally I think we are both flattering to deceive ... this months matches against the bigger teams will give a much more accurate assessment of our development...and I suspect (in our case) it'll leave us outside the top 4

 

Edwin van der Sar, ex-United keeper, has declared that AFC is now a selling club.


This, according to the BBC:-

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar believes Arsenal have become a club that nurtures players for bigger sides. Van der Sar also told the BBC's World Football programme that he encouraged compatriot Robin van Persie to move to United from Arsenal in the summer.



So, not only is the ex-United keeper telling us that Arsenal is now a selling club (which most of us already knew), but that he stuck his oar in to ensure that RVP left AFC and went to United.

No doubt, PESKIE will now ban him from the Gooners' board.

 

Another lucky escape for Le Prof and his team of chancers. From what I hear, they should have lost 1-0 today, but managed to scrape a fortunate relay against the Welsh-Wizards.

It's one more game for them of course, in what will become a very congested schedule for them.

It really isn't looking promising for Arsenal's chances at a top 6 finish, at the moment. But, of course, it's far too early to write them off. 5th could be a possibility for them, if Le Prof spends some big money on experience, in this window.

 

Actually, I don't think there is a straight-man in the comedy duo act that I perform with PESKIE, as we're both hilarious; PESKIE for all the wrong reasons, of course. He's more the slap-stick clown (of the Keystone Cops variety) to my sophisticated scythe-like, rapier-wit infused, observational-humour driven social commentary. You guys laugh with me, you laugh at PESKIE.

 

The funny thing is, you're both on the same side as you both want Wenger to stay. Another season of plodding along with the same old problems beckons, if they can sneak 4th again I'm sure they'll be delighted as another season of stagnation would be great when they're so close to falling out of the top 4 for good.