Well that's nice talk, but for all your 'aiming to be higher' you fell miles off the pace and into mid-table obscurity for 3-4 seasons. If Arsenal were in that position, and I came with this talk of oh well we tried to aim for better, while your team consistently got top 4, you'd tell me to **** right off, lol, so that's the criteria eh? Arsenal consistently get top 4 but they don't deserve it, but you lot haven't done it consistently but for some reason have some moral edge on Arsenal because you 'aimed for higher', lol. Lol okay.
You guys = Arsenal in general. I didn't say you didn't deserve top four, Billy did. In terms of the league, you obviously earn the right each year but your ambition once in the competition is somewhat questionable. The club is quick to point out how many times you have consistently qualified for the CL but you've only made one final in all those years. In fact, is it just the one semi-final too? that's not good enough for a club of Arsenal's size.
Next fixtures: Arsenal v Man City Fulham v Everton The most likely outcomes are Arsenal lose and Everton win. Let's be generous and say there's only 1 goal difference in each fixture. That means going into Everton v Arsenal it will be: Arsenal P32 63pts 18GD Everton P31 60pts 17 GD If Everton win they go ahead on goal difference with a game in hand too
not personally no i dont feel we should be in it that way, champions league is supposed to be full of champions funnily enough, as that's what the ruddy thing is called. its only designed now days to make money, ie seeding crap and the way you get better clubs in it from where they finish in their country. Arsenal used to have standards, what the **** went wrong?
You do realise we finished seventh last season right? Our situation is different to Arsenal's. Our priority for this season was getting back in the CL, this provides a platform to build from. You won't hear to many aiming for top four next season, the expectations will be higher!
I think you will find that the majority of Arsenal fans want much much more than simply getting top 4, even you know that's the case. And hopefully this season we do get that in the form of the Fa Cup. We made it into 2 semi-finals . Also the reason why Wenger does bring up our attendance in Europe is simple, it's because many always try to say Arsenal are ****, Arsenal are this, that, whatever. So in that context, he needs to bring it up, because you don't make it into Europe 17 years in a row, if you're **** and not good enough. And from Wenger's perspective, he's right, because there does need to be balance, yes Arsenal deserve some flack, but some of the flack we do get, is waaaaay out there that you'd think we're some mid-table pub team.
Not at all, in fact you could just look at the situation at Man Utd to see what you guys would get from us
I never mentioned the fans Pretty sure there are others clubs that can shout about a attendance record similar to yours that will be less liekly to win the thing such as Ajax, Porto, etc, both have won it though
Manunited is a perfect case in point of how remaining in the top 4 consistently is not as easy and simple as it sounds, even your club is another great example of that, 4 seasons on the bounce you guys didn't manage to make top 4 until this season, so it's far from a formality.
Ajax, Porto etc are not playing in the EPL are they? The competition in this league to qualify for Europe is much more fierce than the Dutch and f**king Portuguese leagues, and even you know that, so the comparison isn't much of a comparison. The best in Portugal and Holland is what, comparably equal to the 5th-7th placed teams in the EPL league. In the EPL we have City, Chelsea, United (last season at least), Everton, Spurs, Liverpool, all very strong strong teams, so it's no picnic to manage to secure top 4 in the midst of all these very strong teams.
It would be hard not to say Everton. Dave makes an interesting point - the 'hate' seems to flow one way in our relationship with Everton. That fan survey that was done recently, to rate the premier league teams in order of how much you like them, saw Evertonians place Liverpool as the team they liked least [followed by Chelsea, Newcastle and man city], while Liverpool fans least favourite team was utd [followed by Chelsea and Stoke].
If we get at least 3rd I'm going to love it if Everton get 4th If Everton got 3rd the #bitters still want us bottom It's one way but all we can do is be the bigger fans and hope they grow up soon
As I said you don't deserve to play in Europe every season as you rarely challenge for the title and once your in Europe you get nowhere fast year after year after year. It's like the ambition has been drained from the club (it happens, we were in the same position very recently) and for that reason alone I think someone else deserves a shot at it. Having the same top four season after season is ****ing dull and it's lead to complacency from yourselves just as it did here and as it has at United. Wenger and your board treat it as a banker that you'll be in it. In the long run it will be better for your club to have a year or two out of it as it might kick you into gear again. As for playing the top clubs I'll ****ing love it mate. I've missed the big European nights at Anfield and want nothing more than for us to see the likes of Bayern or Real or Barca back here. Oh and if you think we'll fare any worse than yourselves you must have missed your most recent trip up here as we looked a far superior team than Arsenal. If only your manager/board had gone all out for Suarez eh, how different things would be looking right now.
Again, never claimed they were in the PL. Fair enoguh, lesser leagues mean its easier for clubs to have the consistency level although the lesser league also tend to have less CL spots too. However, I was pointing out that so-called lesser clubs (ourselves included for 2005) have managed to win the competition yet despite having nineteen attempts you've only got remotely close twice!
Agree with all of that. Also if [big if] we did win the league, it would be some compensation for Carra - missing out on a winners medal - seeing his boyhood team get into Europe as well
Yes, we have been bad in the competition, no dispute there, all I am saying though, is we sure as hell deserve to be in the competition. We'e earned the right.
Yep. Its similar with England with Wales, Scotland and Ireland etc. They always want us to fail but we like to see them do well so long as its not detriment to ourselves. (I know this doesn't apply to everyone)
Too bad, that's not the criteria, the criteria is making the top 4, we do it, and hence we deserve it. As for our recent trip to you, if you think that's an actual indication of the gap between the 2 teams, then lol, we still beat you twice this season, 2 out of 3, we've come out on top twice, so your 5-1 was bad for us, but it isn't an indication of how much better you are than us.
If you earn it, you deserve it. Or are you saying Liverpool, who ended 7th, deserved to be in the competition more than Arsenal, that we should have just given you our place instead?
