Football 2015/16

[WS_Jack_III]

Arsenal fans protesting after only 12 months since their last trophy.

Unbelievable!

Also, c'mon Leicester!

[The Nal]

Not as good without the drugs are they?

Edited May 1, 2016 by The Nal

[Gucci Piggy]

57 minutes ago, WS_Jack_III said:

Arsenal fans protesting after only 12 months since their last trophy.

Unbelievable!

Also, c'mon Leicester!

Watched the game in a pub rammed full of Newcastle fans. The cheer when Welbz' goal went in was incredible. Shame I was with a Norwich fan who stood up and started chanting Norwich songs after the goal.

[Hugh Jass]

55 minutes ago, WS_Jack_III said:

Arsenal fans protesting after only 12 months since their last trophy.

Unbelievable!

Also, c'mon Leicester!

If I was an Arsenal fan I'd be pretty upset with things. Primarily that the exact same issues arise every season - lack of mental strength, no central midfielders, ridiculous injury lists, refusal to strengthen, Wenger's insistence that they've learnt this time... Every season is exactly the same for them in the league.

[WS_Jack_III]

31 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

If I was an Arsenal fan I'd be pretty upset with things. Primarily that the exact same issues arise every season - lack of mental strength, no central midfielders, ridiculous injury lists, refusal to strengthen, Wenger's insistence that they've learnt this time... Every season is exactly the same for them in the league.

Ultimately the title would have been theirs if he had got some players in for key areas but it's difficult to sympathise when they have been top 4 consistently in the PL and won a fair few trophies in that time.

[WS_Jack_III]

36 minutes ago, Will-2609 said:

Watched the game in a pub rammed full of Newcastle fans. The cheer when Welbz' goal went in was incredible. Shame I was with a Norwich fan who stood up and started chanting Norwich songs after the goal.

Oh wow, how did that go down?

[Hugh Jass]

7 minutes ago, WS_Jack_III said:

Ultimately the title would have been theirs if he had got some players in for key areas but it's difficult to sympathise when they have been top 4 consistently in the PL and won a fair few trophies in that time.

It's a question of expectations though. Arsenal have huge resources and huge ticket prices yet Wenger is happy to peddle the same "4th is an achievement" line year on year. I don't think the fans demand or expect success, bu9y there's definitely a feeling that they've stood still and stagnated when there were opportunities to improve, and it's Wenger who has to take responsibility.  

[thetime]

13 minutes ago, WS_Jack_III said:

Ultimately the title would have been theirs if he had got some players in for key areas but it's difficult to sympathise when they have been top 4 consistently in the PL and won a fair few trophies in that time.

They've not won many trophies in the last 10 years have they? 

[kaosmark2]

7 minutes ago, thetime said:

They've not won many trophies in the last 10 years have they? 

More than Newcastle have in the last 50.

[WS_Jack_III]

10 minutes ago, thetime said:

They've not won many trophies in the last 10 years have they? 

2? More than most clubs innit.

[Gucci Piggy]

1 hour ago, Hugh Jass said:

If I was an Arsenal fan I'd be pretty upset with things. Primarily that the exact same issues arise every season - lack of mental strength, no central midfielders, ridiculous injury lists, refusal to strengthen, Wenger's insistence that they've learnt this time... Every season is exactly the same for them in the league.

Aye Coquelin, Elneny, Ramsey, Cazorla and Wilshere are all shite.

On a serious note though I was complaining about Wenger not signing a defensive midfielder as competition/backup to Coq but Elneny looks good so far and fits that mould.

Rest of your points still stand, though.

37 minutes ago, WS_Jack_III said:

Oh wow, how did that go down?

Was actually okay tbh. We'd made friends with the people around us and they knew none of us were Newcastle fans so they just laughed. The other 3 people in our group were supporting Arsenal so they were cool with us. The fact Newcastle had gone above Norwich probably helped the situation.

[Hugh Jass]

48 minutes ago, Will-2609 said:

Aye Coquelin, Elneny, Ramsey, Cazorla and Wilshere are all shite.

On a serious note though I was complaining about Wenger not signing a defensive midfielder as competition/backup to Coq but Elneny looks good so far and fits that mould.

Coq isn't good enough for a team with serious PL or CL ambitions. Wilshire is a  perma-crock. Ramsey and Carzola are both much better going forwards than backwards...

Wenger has been making the same mistakes for the last ten years and stubbornly refuses to change. Not buying a single outfield player last summer and persisting with players who arent quite good enough to take them further (Giroud, Walcott, Ox, Gibbs, Coq) sums this up. I imagine that's what upsets Arsenal fans. 

[thetime]

Is it 5th and 6th who get Europa currently next season? If Utd win the cup it goes down to 7th.

[thetime]

11 minutes ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

If City get CL, (as they won league cup) then yes it's 5th and 6th. It used to be FA cup RU who got in if winner qualified through league or was in CL but I'm not sure if that's changed now. 

I think that's changed now.

[pink_triangle]

1 hour ago, Hugh Jass said:

Coq isn't good enough for a team with serious PL or CL ambitions. Wilshire is a  perma-crock. Ramsey and Carzola are both much better going forwards than backwards...

 

There are several worse players getting significant game time for Leicester, many players of that standard have won titles before .

While I share concerns that arsenal have stagnated, there seems to be an assumption that things will get better, there's just as much chance things will get worse. Teams with the 4th biggest wage budget in a league finish below 4th more often than they finish first.

[eFestivals]

19 hours ago, The Nal said:

Not as good without the drugs are they?

they're back to the schitzo thing, which is probably a good sign for Thursday.

It needs sorting out tho, cos they'd be 5th with a decent chance of 4th if they'd not thrown recent games away.

[thetime]

So West Ham v Man Utd next week could be a champions league play off game..

 

 

If Arsenal don't lose to City.

 

Edited May 2, 2016 by thetime

[zahidf]

48 minutes ago, thetime said:

So West Ham v Man Utd next week could be a champions league play off game..

 

 

If Arsenal don't lose to City.

 

easysh run by utd could see them pip city to 4th

[Hugh Jass]

16 hours ago, pink_triangle said:

While I share concerns that arsenal have stagnated, there seems to be an assumption that things will get better, there's just as much chance things will get worse. Teams with the 4th biggest wage budget in a league finish below 4th more often than they finish first.

It's a very fair point, and as a West Brom fan it's something I can relate to (except  the winning trophies part). There's a large section of our fan base who are disillusioned with life under Pulis and his dour, safety first, zero creativity football. However under him we haven't been anywhere near the relegation fight this season. So the question remains: do you stick with Pulis who will guarantee survival and nothing else? Or do we go for someone new who could be brilliant but just as likely could be a disaster and take us down?

Same principle applies to Wenger.

[WS_Jack_III]

Ooo Allerdyce is claiming Newcastle are lucky ( did he miss that clear offside goal against Man city and handball goal at Norwich?) And Sunderland are not.

 

Seems like someone is feeling the pressure. Trying mind games before Palace game too by claiming Palace wouldn't play 100%

[thetime]

14 minutes ago, WS_Jack_III said:

Ooo Allerdyce is claiming Newcastle are lucky ( did he miss that clear offside goal against Man city and handball goal at Norwich?) And Sunderland are not.

 

Seems like someone is feeling the pressure. Trying mind games before Palace game too by claiming Palace wouldn't play 100%

Sounds fair, if anyone can crack under pressure it's benitez.

He will no doubt have a rant about facts.

Edited May 2, 2016 by thetime

[kaosmark2]

3 minutes ago, thetime said:

Sounds fair, if anyone can crack under pressure it's benitez.

He will no doubt have a rant about facts.

I preferred the milk rant 

[TheGayTent]

4 hours ago, thetime said:

So West Ham v Man Utd next week could be a champions league play off game..

Well with Elbows McAfro suspended I fancy Carroll will be more effective than usual. 

Pity, I can't see victories against both Swansea and Stoke. 

[WS_Jack_III]

21 minutes ago, thetime said:

Sounds fair, if anyone can crack under pressure it's benitez.

He will no doubt have a rant about facts.

Seems like what he was going for.

[Hugh Jass]

I want to see both NE clubs go down. Newcastle because they'll come back stronger if they survive, which will be bad news for us and Sunderland because Fat Sam's smug face will be unbearable if they survive. Norwich are the weakest of the three which is why I want to see them survive.

And it'll make it much harder for Villa to come back, which will amuse me greatly.