Those two wins...

[unit kaboom]

The difference between a spurs side, who we all agree have had a disappointing season, and an arsenal side who until Saturday have been considered tittle challenges...... 6 points from the TWO NLD WINS.
I'm not stating anything new here, and yes they do also have a game in hand but when I thought of it like this, although frustrating, it actually makes me much more hopeful for the future.
We've been poor, players yet to settle, manager sacked, novice put in caretaker role, and two many boring ground out wins then I care to mention.
Arsenal, except in 3 big games (city,pool, chelsea) have on the whole played well, scored goals, led the table for most of the season and received plaudits.
I'm not trying to paper over cracks and claim we are on their level. On this seasons showing we are not. However the fact that the two NLD results are all tht separates us in terms of points shows how far we could progress next year.
Unfortunately i don't expect us to catch them this season, so that wil be another summer where they have the money and lure of CL.
However as ourselfs and also them with Ozil have proved, it's not easy to buy big players over the summer and come to rely on them straight away.

Suddenly I'm feeling like my glass is half full after months of feeling down in the dumps!

 

[Sandman]

The difference between a spurs side, who we all agree have had a disappointing season, and an arsenal side who until Saturday have been considered tittle challenges...... 6 points from the TWO NLD WINS.
I'm not stating anything new here, and yes they do also have a game in hand but when I thought of it like this, although frustrating, it actually makes me much more hopeful for the future.
We've been poor, players yet to settle, manager sacked, novice put in caretaker role, and two many boring ground out wins then I care to mention.
Arsenal, except in 3 big games (city,pool, chelsea) have on the whole played well, scored goals, led the table for most of the season and received plaudits.
I'm not trying to paper over cracks and claim we are on their level. On this seasons showing we are not. However the fact that the two NLD results are all tht separates us in terms of points shows how far we could progress next year.
Unfortunately i don't expect us to catch them this season, so that wil be another summer where they have the money and lure of CL.
However as ourselfs and also them with Ozil have proved, it's not easy to buy big players over the summer and come to rely on them straight away.

Suddenly I'm feeling like my glass is half full after months of feeling down in the dumps!

that is a glass half full feeling. IF you ask Scum fans they generally feel like us as well, dont forget they also have taking some big spankings at the hands of the Top 4 sides. They have been thrashed at Liverpool, Emirates Marketing Project and Chelsea. And although they are so called title contenders its a little bit like the fact they are the best of the rest.

But that also means that the Top four is not so unatainable. We just desperately need some fluidity in attack however that comes. If by formation, new players or a change in tactics etc.

 

[NWND]

that is a glass half full feeling. IF you ask Scum fans they generally feel like us as well, dont forget they also have taking some big spankings at the hands of the Top 4 sides. They have been thrashed at Liverpool, Emirates Marketing Project and Chelsea. And although they are so called title contenders its a little bit like the fact they are the best of the rest.

But that also means that the Top four is not so unatainable. We just desperately need some fluidity in attack however that comes. If by formation, new players or a change in tactics etc.

This is the way I see it too. The top four is not unattainable. Things change in football so quickly, for example Liverpool have looked insane this season, it has to be said. Probably played the best football in the league, but when you think that Real Madrid always make one massive signing every summer and its normally whatever footballer is "flavour of the year" on the European/world football scene, I can imagine them making a huge offer for Suarez this summer to replace Benzema. And as we saw with Bale, you can spend all of the money and buy as many 'good' players as you like, you're not going to replace someone so clearly world-class. There just isn't many players like that out there.

 

[unit kaboom]

This is the way I see it too. The top four is not unattainable. Things change in football so quickly, for example Liverpool have looked insane this season, it has to be said. Probably played the best football in the league, but when you think that Real Madrid always make one massive signing every summer and its normally whatever footballer is "flavour of the year" on the European/world football scene, I can imagine them making a huge offer for Suarez this summer to replace Benzema. And as we saw with Bale, you can spend all of the money and buy as many 'good' players as you like, you're not going to replace someone so clearly world-class. There just isn't many players like that out there.

I think if liverpool can get top 3, which looks very likely, then i think they may keep hold of suarez unfortunately. Just like i think we would have kept Bale if we had done the same last year.
I agree though football can change quickly and i fancy us to look a drastically better side next year with players settled.

 

[Libero]

I think if liverpool can get top 3, which looks very likely, then i think they may keep hold of suarez unfortunately. Just like i think we would have kept Bale if we had done the same last year.
I agree though football can change quickly and i fancy us to look a drastically better side next year with players settled.

We wouldn't have kept Bale even if we had got top 4 and won a trophy last year. I have to say that I greatly doubt that Bale would have wanted to stay even if we had won the league once Real Madrid were interested. He wanted to go because it was them and they made out like it was now or never because they wanted a signing to rival Neymar at Barcelona.

I think we will look a much better side attacking wise next season and I certainly expect Soldado and Lamela to show their worth. I think we need to be much better defensively in terms of the back line and collectively in terms of whether we press or retreat behind the ball. Have a style/theme and practice it properly and apply it to each match as the ever changing situation dictates.

I think Suarez will be at Liverpool next season just purely because none of the biggest clubs will have a pressing need or desire to buy him at a price that Liverpool will consider as fair. Admittedly, That doesn't normally stop Real Madrid who buy without reason but I don't see them casting Benzema aside.

 

[Rorschach]

I think if liverpool can get top 3, which looks very likely, then i think they may keep hold of suarez unfortunately. Just like i think we would have kept Bale if we had done the same last year.
I agree though football can change quickly and i fancy us to look a drastically better side next year with players settled.

I think that is a probable outcome but you have to factor in how big of a **** Suarez is. It is not that long ago he wanted out and was being vilified by all and sundry in Liverpool for his poxy attitude. If RM come in with a big offer I think Suarez will be agitating for a move again. Liverpool in the CL is tempting but for a **** to play with a team of ****s in Madrid the draw will be too big.

 

[paxtonwolf]

If my maths is correct, its not even two wins the difference.

Had we won a week last Sunday and hung on for a draw at their place we would currently be on 60pts with Arsnal back in 5th on 57pts with tonights game in hand

 

[Raziel]

I think people who think its two wins is the difference are being deluded, and were the same people (not necessarily OP) who wanted Harry out because we weren't doing well enough.

The gap isn't two wins

- It's 6 points with a game less
- It's GD +19 (despite Scum being tonked 6-0)
- It's a cup semi-final
- It's a manager/club with stability
- It's system/style and motivated players

Top 4 is not unattainable, but it's not as close as some would like to believe

- In my opinion, Wenger is a flawed manager who still does not grasp the need for physicality, the need to be able to grind out wins, the need to buy finished product more often, the need for a keeper that can do more that talk **** on social media.

- We on the other hand are 7+ years into a project that has seen growth on revenue, European participation and PL placing go up to the point of rivaling the most consistent runs in the club history. We have worked out a buy sell system that has allowed us to compete on significantly less wages, see players like Bale/Modric/VDV/Berbatov play in our colors and make significant profits when they left.
- What we have failed at miserably is a sense of stability, a sense of football identity/style (yes we try to entertain, try to play possession & counter, but it's isn't an established system), even a DoF that we feel will stick around, and we have a dead man walking for a manager.

To me, we have to keep the faith with almost all of the 7 players we bought (Paulinho is the one I have the most doubt about suitability for eventual system), we can offload some fringe players, we need to spend well on a LB, on a creative midfielder to play next to Eriksen and another striker (Kane of the bench is not an option for a side with top 4 aspirations). We also need a proven manager to mold that, build a club system/ethos and for once in my ****ing lifetime, we need some luck, or at least not for the footballing gods to spit on us ..

 

[nelto]

I think people who think its two wins is the difference are being deluded, and were the same people (not necessarily OP) who wanted Harry out because we weren't doing well enough.

The gap isn't two wins

- It's 6 points with a game less
- It's GD +19 (despite Scum being tonked 6-0)
- It's a cup semi-final
- It's a manager/club with stability
- It's system/style and motivated players

Top 4 is not unattainable, but it's not as close as some would like to believe

- In my opinion, Wenger is a flawed manager who still does not grasp the need for physicality, the need to be able to grind out wins, the need to buy finished product more often, the need for a keeper that can do more that talk **** on social media.

- We on the other hand are 7+ years into a project that has seen growth on revenue, European participation and PL placing go up to the point of rivaling the most consistent runs in the club history. We have worked out a buy sell system that has allowed us to compete on significantly less wages, see players like Bale/Modric/VDV/Berbatov play in our colors and make significant profits when they left.
- What we have failed at miserably is a sense of stability, a sense of football identity/style (yes we try to entertain, try to play possession & counter, but it's isn't an established system), even a DoF that we feel will stick around, and we have a dead man walking for a manager.

To me, we have to keep the faith with almost all of the 7 players we bought (Paulinho is the one I have the most doubt about suitability for eventual system), we can offload some fringe players, we need to spend well on a LB, on a creative midfielder to play next to Eriksen and another striker (Kane of the bench is not an option for a side with top 4 aspirations). We also need a proven manager to mold that, build a club system/ethos and for once in my ****ing lifetime, we need some luck, or at least not for the footballing gods to spit on us ..

Sounds like Shaw, Lallana & Rodriguez to me! Probably cost about £60m though.

 

[unit kaboom]

If my maths is correct, its not even two wins the difference.

Had we won a week last Sunday and hung on for a draw at their place we would currently be on 60pts with Arsnal back in 5th on 57pts with tonights game in hand

Yes, i just meant you can look at it as the 6 point gap being the 6 points they gained from us.

 

[unit kaboom]

I think people who think its two wins is the difference are being deluded, and were the same people (not necessarily OP) who wanted Harry out because we weren't doing well enough.

The gap isn't two wins

- It's 6 points with a game less
- It's GD +19 (despite Scum being tonked 6-0)
- It's a cup semi-final
- It's a manager/club with stability
- It's system/style and motivated players

Top 4 is not unattainable, but it's not as close as some would like to believe

- In my opinion, Wenger is a flawed manager who still does not grasp the need for physicality, the need to be able to grind out wins, the need to buy finished product more often, the need for a keeper that can do more that talk **** on social media.

- We on the other hand are 7+ years into a project that has seen growth on revenue, European participation and PL placing go up to the point of rivaling the most consistent runs in the club history. We have worked out a buy sell system that has allowed us to compete on significantly less wages, see players like Bale/Modric/VDV/Berbatov play in our colors and make significant profits when they left.
- What we have failed at miserably is a sense of stability, a sense of football identity/style (yes we try to entertain, try to play possession & counter, but it's isn't an established system), even a DoF that we feel will stick around, and we have a dead man walking for a manager.

To me, we have to keep the faith with almost all of the 7 players we bought (Paulinho is the one I have the most doubt about suitability for eventual system), we can offload some fringe players, we need to spend well on a LB, on a creative midfielder to play next to Eriksen and another striker (Kane of the bench is not an option for a side with top 4 aspirations). We also need a proven manager to mold that, build a club system/ethos and for once in my ****ing lifetime, we need some luck, or at least not for the footballing gods to spit on us ..

I agree with you. As i stated, I'm not trying to paper over the cracks.
The fact is we HAVE been poor and they have been much better then us this year. The actual gap in points remains only 6 though. (prob 9 after this eve)
The point i was making, is if we are capable of stumbling our way to within striking distance of top 4 just imagine how different it could be next year with the 7 players settled.
Its not all doom and gloom, but it really has felt like that for months now.

 

[Sandman]

now its just last weeks game and we would be a point behind them