"Luckily, Payet is unhurt." Yes, it’s very fortunate he managed not to injure himself with his histrionics. Payet has been one of the best players in the league this year, but like most does not shrink from ridiculous displays. Great that Spurs don’t play that game. I guess given his history Pochettino is not the biggest fan of diving. The red for Wanyama was harsh. I continue to hate Clattenburg. But Wanyama had no business taking a wild swipe at Payet.
He didn't mean in terms of winning the league. If you lose tomorrow and United win, there is every danger of you being sucked back into what is frankly a turd-awful chasing pack.
Either way, I have zero confidence in Arsenal to do anything right at the moment. In all honestly, we will probably lose tomorrow. Afobe 94th minute winner. Guaranteed.
We were 7 points behind you but caught you up and over took you on gd in just 3 matches...that could well be reversed in the next 3 ... it is one weird season ... I mean seriously weird, even Villa are getting in on the act and are making a fight of it
Nope, we're not in contention for the title, it's over. Hoping we can try and win the FA Cup again (winning it 3 times in a row would be impressive to be fair) and put up a decent fight against Barcelona in the Champions League to avoid getting completely demolished. But as far as the Premier League goes, we are done.
No, they still think we can win it. I admire their optimism and mathematically, we may still be able to win the league, but the reality is that this is something we've seen too often from Arsenal. Why they expect this season to be any different from the previous ones is beyond me. Fact of the matter is Arsenal don't have the mental qualities to surmount a title challenge and Mertesacker, our captain, getting sent off against Chelsea for a rash challenge that wasn't necessary was testament to this. This nervousness and unease that is dispersed throughout the team all stems from the vibes off the manager. The only thing that is keeping me sane is that once he does inevitably leave, we actually have the framework in place to be a very competitive side once again. But until that day, we just have to put up with this mediocrity for the next season and by 2017, he will go.
After such a lengthy spell as the coach it might be difficult to replace him as Man U have found out.
I would have to agree. We were always known as a bit of a soft touch, get stuck into them and they'll roll over, etc. But, since Pochettino has taken over there's a new ethic, a new resilience. We're no longer a soft touch for anybody, in fact we're bloody difficult to beat! So, I have to believe that that has been instilled in us by our current leader.
For a season or two, maybe. But no-one would expect AW's successor to be hauling in all the trophies left, right and centre. It would be a transitional period to change the mentality of the club and to alter our approach in how we do things. It gives all the players a fresh start and there would be no emotional attachment to players like Flamini, Wilshere, Arteta, who Wenger seems reluctant to let go. As AW has gotten older, he has become increasingly stubborn and selfish which has adversely affected his choices and the results on the pitch. I've made this point on the Arsenal board: if the next manager at Arsenal messes up, they would have to be a complete and utter idiot. The infrastructure is all in place to ensure that the club can perform to a high standard and battle at the top end of the table, and the squad is in decent shape, so there wouldn't need to be an excessive quantity of players coming in. I'm not even saying this to sound arrogant, but it would genuinely be a dream for most to manage us because we have so much going in our favour and we're in such a healthy position compared to 98% of clubs in Europe. But we are architects of our own downfall.
Be honest, who would like to see the Chavs win today and the goons win next week? Never in my life I've wanted to see the goons win but if they dont win at Bournemouth today I might hope that they beat Leicester. Soap......wash mouth out.... on second thoughts draw against Leicester.
A win today and next week and you are 2 points off first place with 11 games to go. You are most definitely in contention and unfortunately I now see you as favourites. (Which is why I wanted a City win yesterday)
interesting article: And Wenger is a big fan of Cherries boss Eddie Howe - comparing the 38-year-old with Leicester. “(Eddie Howe) He has done extremely well,” he added. “When I see his team play, they play well and you see he has done a great job there. “Leicester are a bit like Eddie Howe, you know. I think it’s great to see that. That’s why you ask me always ‘why do you not buy a big-name?’ “But Leicester are a fantastic example that football is not only about just spending the money. It’s the quality of work and it’s important to think that the quality of the work can get you there. Leicester are a very good example for our league.” Is Wenger basically admitting that the quality of his work with the Arsenal team has not been good enough?
He would no doubt argue that he has kept Arsenal in the CL for umpteen years but as you say his comments do beg the question; Is your quality of work good enough given the players and resources at your disposal?
I think that was testament to Ferguson's management skills rather than an accurate reflection on the quality of the squad. Despite winning the title at a canter, mainly due to van Persie, they still had a number of problems that their fans had been complaining about for years. Their squad wasn't exactly in perfect shape when Moyes took over and he wasn't given the financial backing van Gaal was in the transfer market. It is also questionable as to whether Moyes was the right appointment in the first place. A manager that had done well at a mid table side on a restricted budget, with no accolades, suddenly taking over at the most decorated club in England? It was always going to be a very tough task. Either way, the fact that it didn't work out at United doesn't necessarily mean that it won't work out at Arsenal.
