The negativity that has a habbit of plaguing our board seems to be bubbling about a bit at the moment. So i thought we should have a look at where we are at so far. First of all the squad and new players: We are without several first team players and a couple of players of the edge of the first team - Szs, Gibbs, Wilshere, Diaby, Sagna, Rosicky have been missing for chunks of, if not all of this season. At least Wilshere and Sagna are close to a return and Walcott and Oxocube won't be out for long. I think we have had a couple of poor games but some more depth is comming back to the team and this will make a difference to our squad. Three of our players have been settling into a new team in a new league in a new country where they are given quite a lot of responsibility to do well. Podolski has also been playing with a small ankle injury i believe. Overall i think we have been playing well this season. Before Diabys injury we where solid as a team, we where working hard and as a unit. Even when we failed to create or score enough we where looking good and less brittle. We have had some games where we let in silly goals like against Chelsea, but our performances were not bad at all. It's only 2 of our games where even the positive fans amongst us have been facepalming. In general i'm happy with the squad, but can see we are missing one or two bits of flair or spark to change games. Now let's have a look at our standings in the four competitions: The League - Currently we sit in 9th place after 8 games. This may look bad at first glance however we have the 4th best goal difference, behind Chelsea, United and City. We are also on 12 points - this leaves a 3 point gap between us and Everton in 4th and a 6 point gap between ourselves and Utd/City. At this stage in the league it is hardly like we need to go into panic mode about letting teams pull away from us. We are not in the best of positions and i think most of us would have hoped that after Noriwch we would be sitting in 4th above Everton. At this point a single win could put us into 4th spot and back into the mix. It's far too early to think single results like Norwich have decided our season. We need to push on and get a result against QPR and our position will look far healthier. The Champions League - Currently second in our Group after 3 games. For everyone who si worrying about our CL position, firstly it is still very likely that we will qualify from the group. That is the most important thing in the group stage. Secondly we are only half way through the group and still have to play Shalke again so everything can still change around and with 1 point in it, first place is still up for grabs. And finally take a look at all the other groups. PSG, Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Arsenal, BATE, Celtic and Cludge are all in second in there groups. If the groups finish as they are there is a higher chance of getting one of the big teams than if we where first. Also Bayern Munich and Juventus are in third in there groups and could both still end up comming in second. Also some of the big teams i have mentioned are further off in points from top of there group than we are. We are still in a good position to qualify and don't think one loss is the end of the world. The League and FA Cup - Not entered yet. People are going into doom and gloom mode and two of the four competitions for the year haven't even begun! Let's try and support the team and wait a while before we decide it's all over! Maintain some hope for a bit longer - its far more enjoyable! Overall - It's still too early to tell how the season will pan out, we could be doing better in the league but it's still early enough for everything to change dramatically and in football thats always the way it goes! And finally: Off the field we are looking financially very strong and the signals from the club are that we have the funds in place to make a significant signing if we can find someone to make the difference. Wenger is happy to buy in January and we could well see an addition to the squad. For now we just need to keep ourselves in all competitions and take each game as it comes. And hopefully as players return from injury and our new players find there feet we will be right in the mix in the second half of the season. So it's not all doom and gloom - keep your smiles on your faces! - We're not Liverpool just yet!
I admire your spirit, but the previous two game have been hard to take. It's not just the result, the performances have sapped most of the optimism out of me.
afcftw. Not "spirit", more a balanced perspective. At the risk of being told to piss off and mind my own business, here's how I, an outsider, see it. Like Gazidis says, good business decisions made with foresight, and steadfastly adhered to, have got you to a position where the future is bright; but that could yet be scuppered by the combination of a hostile major shareholder and tunnel-visioned supporters. My other observation is that unity gives clubs strength, division weakens them. There are many in the media and elsewhere just waiting for you to implode.
This is true, how many other clubs have every defeat and their chances of success analysed after every game? How many clubs have 'experts' and ex players recruited by Sky coming out of the woodwork to criticise? How many papers print every little comment out of context from other clubs' players to stir up disharmony? I watched the CL game and awful commentator (Tony Gale?) was picking every last fault Santos made, he also does this with Walcott, as does Andy Townsend. Why does nobody point out Liverpool and Spurs lack of EPL success or any other teams' lack of success, every ***ing game? Every little mistake or poor game Gerrard/Rooney/Bale makes or has? Why do they all offer their expert opinion that we 'should' win something, and criticise the club for not doing so? It's not like we waste as much money as a lot of clubs to achieve very little.. Agggh!
I saw a video on another forum and it linked to this one. I like it a lot For the negative comment about player and manager it good to remember that whilst the team is not the best the club is always the greatest to a fan no matter what. [video=youtube;nIy5Ee42Vv8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIy5Ee42Vv8&feature=related[/video] A lot think winning is everything but it isnt. Winning with the right principal is everything.
Is it not a sign of "success" of a sort that explains why Arsenal are "victims" of the criticism you outline above? Many clubs would love a stadium such as the Emirates, would kill for 15 years consecutive qualification for the Champions league, are envious of the youth policy and thus the price they have to pay when they have to buy one of the products. It would, however, be highly satisfying to be able to celebrate "success" with a trophy -- if only to ram it down all the doubters throats--and whilst we await delivery of such a trophy, we will have to grin and bear the sh1t3 that comes our way. It could be worse. We could support Stoke.
Agree about all that. I don't know whether it is just me, but there does seem a peculiarly gloating quality to criticism of AFC though. On the BBC for example. If Pougatch or Chapman are presenting, they are incapable of commenting favourably without it being grudging and accompanied by some sniping, snide further comment. I find the same thing in the written press as well. When Man U or Man City, or Clelsea or Liverpool, fall short, by and large there is consternation mixed with understanding and sympathy. With AFC it's a different story for some reason. I just don't get it. It's as though if you're not prepared to spend huge sums of money and inflated wages, and carry vast sums of debt, you aren't admired in the media. How upside down is that?
