You do all realise that Wenger has now become the victim of his own success. Had he not built you the team that won the league and the became the invincibles, had he not kept you in the top 4 for so long and so consistently, you may all be quite happy to be where you are now. Every other clubs supporters are looking at top 4 and hoping to get there, they hope they can win the league but only Arsenal supporters (some of them) expect to win it for no other reason than they think they should (are entitled to). City have lots of money, a biggish ground and a good squad, United have lots of money, a big ground and a good squad Chelsea have lots of money and a good squad They have all dropped out of the top 4 in recent years and of course none of them have won the league every year (though they have all won it recently). You don't see any of their supporters saying "a club of our stature should be winning the league/CL", they all hope they will and get excited if it looks like they might but none feel entitled to it.
I get upset when we don't win the treble 2008 was devastating for me. Worst season ever. No shame in saying that
The season is disappointing for me because we had a chance to win the league and gave away too many cheap points. Losing at Utd and then at home to Swansea was really damaging and kind of typified our season, nearly, but not good enough. Overall a top 4 finish is still an achievement, for any club and I certainly don't go along with the 'entitled' mantra, as you have to earn your place. But in the context of this season, we missed a big opportunity to win the league.
'Some may still go to games because they love the club too much' So are you saying that fans should love the club less and stay away ?
I don't get you one day you take the piss of us the next day you're all complimentary on us and telling us things are bright
Of course I take the piss out of you, it's called rivalry and banter. I cant deny the fact you have been one of (if not the) most consistent team/s over the last 20 years which is a credit to your manager and the main reason some of you are demanding more. Perhaps a few seasons down around 7th/8th may have made you appreciate you current position a little more.
Exactly right! Leicester have amply demonstrated this season that it doesn't matter who you are, how much you've spent, etc. You're entitled to **** all, you've got to get out there and earn it.
So, assuming Leicester do it this year, it will be fact that 11 seasons in the last 12 one of the richest teams with the biggest transfer spends has won the league. So that's 92% of the time. And you're going to claim that this statistic amply demonstrates that it doesn't matter how much you've spent?
Well, what do you mean then when you say :' 'some fans may still go to games because they love the club too much' ?
To some extent, yes. It's not just what you spend, it's what you spend it on. Have you bought the right pieces for your particular jigsaw? Can you put those pieces in the right place? Can you introduce, nurture, and grow an indomitable team spirit? A spirit where the collective aim is everything? Also, I believe that the latest large influx of money into the PL has leveled, and will continue to level the playing field. If the so called 'big boys' don't get their heads out of their arses, expect to see more seasons like this one.
Meh, even if Leicester win all four of their remaining games, they'll have the lowest league winning points total in years. Them winning it is intrinsically linked to the traditionally bigger and better teams being distinctly average this year. Leicester's only challengers this year have been Spurs, I mean come on. City have played properly for probably less than half the season. Couldn't care less half the time. United have a buffoon in charge, enough said Arsenal have a buffoon in charge, enough said. Liverpool have a weak squad but in a season or two will probably be back up there Chelsea imploded and also probably could have cared less for most of the season. There's no big team playing with quality, hence Leicester have won the league. There is not a cat's chance in hell that Leicester would have won the league playing against actual quality league winning teams in leagues the past. Obviously team spirit, tactics and inspirational management are important and Leicester and Spurs have this in 2015/16... but so is having every single opposing big team not giving a toss and posing absolutely no threat throughout the season. Will that remain the same next year with Pep at City, Conte at Chelsea, Klopp at Liverpool and maybe a decent manager at United? Maybe but doubtful.
Pep will take at least a season to settle and get used to the Prem. Personally, I think he's in for a bit of a culture shock. Conte? Who knows? But, good luck trying to motivate a bunch of overpaid, Prima donnas. Klopp, I agree. I think he will turn Liverpool into a force to be reckoned with. But not with the squad he's got now, so he will have to buy wisely in summer. Utd, will be there or thereabouts. But they're not the force they were. Nobody is particularly scared of them anymore. They would need major surgery to turn them back into the dominant force in the PL. Arsenal. You have most of the basics. But you lack balance. Your major drawback is that. Plus your manager seems incapable of either admitting he may be wrong, or of accepting that the game has moved on. Leicester, if they win, will have done it because they were the best, most consistent TEAM. That's what's missing from most of the names above. The balance, the spirit, the understanding that only comes when eleven well chosen players come together and form a team.
Hard to argue with that to be honest. We can say all the rest of the teams underperformed until we're blue in the face, but Leicester and Spurs went out there and grabbed the bull by the horns and went for it. There is a lot of bitterness from us Arsenal fans as we were technically the only big ones out there with the most stable and experienced manager/team of the lot. But we weren't good enough and haven't been for many years so what's the surprise? We can also say Wenger should go but we all know he won't, so we'll have to grin and bear it. I'm going to try and block it out and hope that Wenger does the decent thing and move on very soon because he won't win the title or Champions League, he just isn't good enough a manager to do it.
Yes exactly. They had the best team but that doesn't mean it is a great team. Their team has been better than the rest because the rest has been utterly pap. The chance of all the best teams remaining pap is slim. It might happen but I doubt it. The notion that Pep (or any manager) needs a year to 'settle in' is just hopeful huff. Did he take a season to get settled in at Bayern? Or did he actually win the domestic league, domestic cup, super cup and world club cup? The best managers don't always need settling in periods. Settling periods are only brought up in two situations... (1) when an excuse is needed for a manager who isn't actually all that great (eg. LVG)... and (2) When the squad is pap and needs overhauling which takes a transfer window or two. City - Pep has an excellent squad. I can't see City being as poor next year. United - if they get Mourinho in charge then they should be very effective at winning football matches. They're quite good now even with a walking gonad in charge so imagine how good they'd be with someone who didn't play Darmian as a left winger and Ashley Young in goal? If however they remain with LVG then I can see another struggle to get anywhere near top 4. Liverpool - should easily get top 4. Their form (points per game) since Klopp took over is already top 4 tier. With some of his own choice of signings I'd expect them back in there with ease. Chelsea - complete unknown. How good is Conte? How much do their players care? How many incomings and outgoings will there be? Probably the most unpredictable 'big' club. Arsenal - Wenger is still there so we'll finish 4th. Standard. Probably the most predictable 'big' club. Spurs - seem to have an excellent manager and some excellent players. Poch may be a flash in the pan like Martinez, maybe not. Alli may be a flash in the pan like Ramsay, maybe not. Can't see them not finish top 4 given their ethos, tactics and players but CL distraction may harm them like last time they were in it. But they seem more robust now. Leicester - can't see them finishing top 4. A romantic story of a small club doing it this season but ultimately will new signings go there ahead of other teams in the CL with more money who can offer 6 figure wages? Doubtful. They'll be relying on Vardy, Mahrez and Kante dragging them through a 38 game season with the added playing time of CL games. Spurs nosedived in the league when they had CL distractions. Top four next year prediction: City Spurs Liverpool Arsenal
And when was the last time a great teams won the Prem? The last two clubs to have won it were Chelsea and City and they were far from great. The league hasn't had a great team for ages. But if Leicester does then they will be regarded a great team. They did it against all odds, in an era where money rules, they did it on a tiny budget and played with no fear.
That Chelsea team last year were great for the first half. So great they could stop bothering in the second half. They played some of the best football in the last decade of the premier league in the first half. The rest of what you've written is romantic guff. Did you regard Greece as a great team in 2004? Or Wigan in 2013?
I think the empty seats showed that fans have had enough and want to make their voices heard to stop this vicious cycle of mediocrity by not going to games. I support them in this but I also feel some people's unconditional love of the club means they can't bring themselves to not attend games even if they hate the current situation. Which is fair enough and I completely get that. To try and put the spin you did on my post is disingenuous, ridiculous and childish, to be honest. Then again, I'm not sure why I should expect any less from you. Not as if you have a track record of petulance....
