The league title is challenged from August to May, not until January. Arsenal's title campaigns have always fallen apart (post 2006) after a certain point of the season, and our's predictably started in January.The only two teams that have played consistently and looked the part over the course of the season, has been Leicester and Spurs. Yes Spurs achieving top 4 is a good achievement, but finding yourself in a position to challenge when so many top teams have been poor, and your team playing your best stuff for ages, is understandably disappointing. Most Spurs will share that sentiment, if they don't then they are liars.
Right, I'm sorry RCL, but if you're going to spout rubbish, I am going to pull you up on it. You've just done it again in your next post! No, I wouldn't have. But that's easy to ask in hindsight. And I don't see the point of this question. It has no relevance to anything I've said. I didn't say we hadn't bottled the title either. You venture on our board a lot so if you've read my comments on here, you'd see that my view is that we had bottled it. That we have underachieved this season and that we have missed a massive opportunity this season. I won't deny any of that. What I WILL deny is that if we finish 2nd/3rd/4th, that would in some way be disastrous or awful - which was the original statement I challenged. It would have been where we'd have expected to finish anyway, so if it's disastrous to finish where you're expected to finish, then **** knows how much of a disaster Spurs have been over the years. Has this season been disappointing given the circumstances? Yes. Awful? No. My position was consistent throughout. I said let's see where we get to in February or March before assuming we were title challengers because we'd been in this territory all too many times in the past. Ultimately, what I most feared would happen did end up happening, so I guess you could argue that I felt we were never truly in the title race because we failed the most testing period of the season, yet now we look awesome again now that the pressure is off. Losing against a Newcastle side who look dead certs for relegation and failing to beat an Arsenal side who had lost their previous 3 matches, were 2-1 down and had 10 men is poor. You also needed to win at Anfield to keep up the pressure on Leicester and you didn't do it. I haven't denied how well Spurs have done this season, but I refuse to accept the idea that your fans would be happy even if you don't win the league because I know even some of your own would see it as a chance missed. Whether it was self-inflicted or not, the situation still hampers our chances of being genuine title contenders. I wasn't using it as an excuse, I was explaining why people legitimately were sceptical of our title chances during the season. It's not hard to see why. Yet again - you are simply putting words into my mouth. Where have I said we can take satisfaction from the season? I haven't. You're arguing with yourself... But fans have been calling for Wenger to leave for multiple years now - it's not a recent phenomenon. But apart from all that, excellent post, RCL.
You've just said it yourself - in January! Nothing is won or is decided in January. We've been top of the table before in January in previous seasons yet faltered, so that's why I and others remained cautious about the crunch time period which we inevitably ended up crumbling. The idea that being 2 points ahead of Leicester in January is vindication of us being proper title challengers is preposterous, frankly.
The idea that we bottled the title is preposterous. ..we have been behind Leicester all season. I posted on here in response to claims that we bottled our title challenge. I found it funny that we are accused of bottling a title bid but Arsenal were never even in the race.
First of all 1) re your awful season...i accepted that was a wrong term in post #16265 ... you must of missed that so you have been arguing against something that I have accept was wrong. 2) I have been discussing this with a few arsenal fans on here today...some have excused there season, some have simply accused us of bottling it and others said we should be gutted cos this is our only chance whereas they were never in with a shout. So my responses haven't been just aimed at you. 3) my expectations of spurs are dictated by my years of supporting them. We have, in the past 10 years, mainly been around 5th or 6th...everytime we look like breaking through with a good team we fall a bit short and players (being what they are) demand to leave and we go right back to square one again. This year we have made real progress (so far) ... for us to be in with a chance of the title so far into the season is way beyond my wildest dreams. We have a young team that needs to learn and become more experienced. .. that's why we have made mistakes. I do not see how the same can be said of Arsenal...you have plenty of experince including world cup and CL winners in your team yet you have not moved forward. You comments re the transfer window are completing irrelevant as an excuse. 4) you say no one expected you to win the league in September. ..if they had the power of hindsight everyone would expect you to have won it...to say otherwise is patently untrue. 5) your description of a NLD is a bit pointless...form usually goes out of the window in them so you losing 3 previous games is irrelevant tbh. 6) you list our disappointing results to make a point but ignore yours as though they are irrelevant. I am pleased with our season, so far, and genuinely do not get why I am supposed to be disappointed with us battling for the title and not winning it. Maybe my standards are too low but if we get top four having been in with a slight chance of winning the title I will be happy. Only our cup loses have been a disappointment to me. I am genuinely sorry if I have come across as a wum...maybe I spoke out of turn but was just chatting .... have a good evening
If they're not just aimed at me, then why quote me and direct the comments towards me? Experience alone does not win you the league. If you have some good players in one position, yet are weak in others, the team is unbalanced. This is the case for us. Also, you need to be led by the right man in charge. We don't have the right man in charge. You do. Hence why this has been a major factor in explaining you've been outperforming us (to date) this season and why you have looked like a very solid yet dangerous team. Bollocks it's irrelevant. If you clearly don't see the managers incompetence in the transfer market as a reason why we've had a mediocre season, then that's your problem and not mine. It's a good thing I haven't said otherwise, then, isn't it? Yes, we should have won it this season. Yes, we will not get a better chance for a long while. Yes, we should have taken advantage of the other team's shortcomings this season. But finishing in the top 4 is not a 'bad' season. It's average and boring and dull, but it cannot be considered bad, especially when you look at the fluctuation of other teams that have better resources than us. But it's not though, is it? We had 10 men and were clearly low on confidence. You didn't kill the game off and you didn't compound our misery. To say that the description of the NLD is 'pointless' is ludicrous. More often than not, the form team wins the NLD, so I don't accept the premise of your argument. I haven't ignored anything. I've already said on a number of occasions we've not performed well this season and our results have been underwhelming. I listed your disappointing results to make a point that you clearly haven't seized the day either. As I said, Leicester were promoted last season and this season they look like winning the league. Surely by that logic, every manager of every other team in the league that has been stable in the Prem for the last few seasons should be reprimanded for not mounting a title challenge as well if Leicester have been able to do it? If we're going to rightfully get criticised for not challenging for the title, then you should be as well for being a regular top 5/6 side and not being able to get the upper hand against a team that were promoted a season ago. Do you see what I mean about it being fairytale stuff? I'm certain that this season is a complete once-off and will most likely not happen again. You can hold me to that if you want. Nah, don't think you were being a WUM, but needless to say, I don't entirely agree with your line of argument.
He's trying to redirect the argument to Arsenal, but he very well knows that if Spurs dont win the league then its a chance blown for tthem too. But credit to them, Leicester have played well and grinded out results like a proper Championship winning team. It's amazing to see how they've done it. As you say, true fairytale stuff.
am not directing stuff to Arsenal...just disagreeing with the idea we have bottled the title and that Arsenal were never title contenders. I would have loved us to win it ... I always thought we would never win it in my life time...maybe this will be our only chance but have to say I have really enjoyed our season so far...it's been great (apart from the cup competitions! It's one of the things that makes me laugh about Arsenal fans complaining about not winning the league for 10 years...they'd be suicidal if they supported most other sides! Leicester have been the most consistent team all season, have been top the longest, have kept 10 clean sheets from the last 14 matches and have beaten their rivals apart from Arsenal...they clearly deserve to be the winners.
You should never say Never. If Leicester do win it, surely you guys can as well. There has been talk of this massive power-shift in North London for the past 8years. I hope for your sake, you guys can keep hold of the nucleus of your team. As soon as your team begins to build up momentum, the jewel in the team are sold. We have to be humble and be gracious, if Leicester do win it. They would have been deserved champions. There are teams with bigger budgets than us struggling to make it into the top 4.
I think that if we have a CL place we will keep the players we want. The players that have demanded to leave us did so when we were not in the CL...tbh it's one of the ways I think that UEFA has broken football but that's a different discussion. I am genuinely not sure that we will secure a top 4 finish...It will take a big collapse but we do have form in that department! We have never been a league challenging team in my 43 years as a Spurs fan. Think we have only challenged in 82, 87 and this year so being genuine contenders is a novelty for me, as bizarre as that sounds. Leicester deserve all the plaudits they get ...it's the biggest achievement since forest won it in 1978 imo.
You can only win it if you're realistic close to the top spot late March/April. Talking of teams that were leading in January is pointless, as a hell of lot can change from then and now. You don't need to be an Arsenal fan to see the same vulnerabilities resurface, we've done the same thing for the past 10 years in the league, so everyone can see the patterns. But of course, we have the quality in our squad to challenge, but so have Chelsea and City. For me, and i'm sure others will say the same thing, two teams have stood out this season - Leicester and Spurs. Those two teams have weathered the season the best and are the only two standing to realistically win the title. Spurs have probably the most efficient and well rounded team I've seen in many years. They have a solid core, good work-rate and one of the best strike forces in the league, there is no surprise that they are second from top and have a great chance of winning the league. It doesn't matter if you've finished outside the top 4, if it's your time, its your time. Currently it's both Leicester and Spurs time right now, and Leicester are the ones capitalising on it the most.
Holy ****. Just read Pep will be earning £15Million a year at City. (Conte at Chelsea will be on 6.5 Million)
People say it every season but next season we could drop out the top 4 if he doesn't get a super striker in. Our current bunch won't save his @ss next season.
What does Wenger earn? £8-9m I have read. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...id-Premier-League-managers.html?frame=3468112
Think we're secure for top 4 again, . if teams are going to drop out, it's going to be Spurs, and Leicester.
Yeah its a lot £8.2 million which actually makes him the third highest paid manager in the game. (now that Mourinho is outta work)
Jokes aside, if Pikachu stays as Spurs manager and they retain all their players then I can only see them get better. This would be enough to get them top spot. But you have to factor the other 4 big clubs into the mix, and that would make it increasingly hard for us to get top 4 next season. As i said, the only thing that will save Wenger next season is if he gets that top striker this summer transfer window. The goals he would get would be enough to propel us into top 4.
True Spurs will get better but.. As I have been saying all Season: But Spurs are not as good as they are being hyped up to be. City, Chelsea and even ourselves have been pretty damn awful. Consider that City, United, Chelsea and Arsenal have had teams winning the league close to the 90pts mark in the past few years. We could conceivably have a league winning side this year with less than 80pts. Alli and Kane have been superb but IMO the squad is nowhere near as strong as the media is making it out to be.
