The way I see it we're at our very lowest ebb ever under Wenger, playing our worst football, devoid of serious quality where it matters - right through the spine of our team.
Our ability to attract the level of players that we need to eliminate our debilitating weaknesses will certainly be impaired if we don't get CL football.

I'm not in the least bit happy or comforted when I look at our current squad - the only reason we won't be losing any big players this summer is because we have none to lose.
Having said that it would not stagger me if we sell Poldi.

I do expect some big deal signings though, maybe not as many as we need but enough to put us ahead of the Spurs, Evertons and Liverpools of the league.

of the sports team i support, arsenal are the most recent champions. i have to go back to the mid-90's for any success with my american teams. as long as they are trying their best and getting the most out of their squad and the front office is making the right moves, i'm pretty ok.

flobaba wrote:

For the old-timers amongst us (no disrespect intended), how did the periods of drought in our past compare with this one, not in terms of length, but more in terms of cause, and the club's ambitions. And how did you manage to stay interested and supportive?

I'm feeling particularly depressed, angry, and out of love with Arsenal today, and this season in general.

Its normal to feel that way Flobs, this is the 3rd ice age I've lived through.
The first was 72 - 79 we won the double in 71 and lost the FA cup in 72 as as kid you assume that every year will be like that, by the time we had a good team again I was older and wiser.
The next freeze started after we lost the 80 ECWC that one really pissed me off and it added to a very turbulent period of teenage years in my life where I took less of an interest in football until reignited by the return of GG.
And this is the 3rd and longest one I've lived through, I'm definitely more acutely aware of the passing of time and the urgency of every season because you know glory is fleeting that's why all this a waste and a disgrace.

Biggus wrote:

I'm definitely more acutely aware of the passing of time and the urgency of every season because you know glory is fleeting that's why all this a waste and a disgrace.

That's a class sentence. 😆

I lost interest last season for a long period. Was just about watching our games but that was it. No reading the news, posting on the tolly, or any real interest in footy between games. Even then I watched like a zombie at times.

But, the passion came back, I can't really explain why. I'm not all doom and gloom mind you, I genuinely think it will be a decent summer and next season will be interesting.

This squad is better than most people think or have thought, including me. We can't afford another summer of upheaval, just 2-3 additions to fill the holes and we're good for next season.

Yep. After the final day madness of the summer before last, and the patchwork Cazorla-Giroud-Podolski surgery of last summer, we need a couple of players of the quality that we've let leave to give the Arsenal Frankenstein a brain and some balls.

If we can get Jovetic early and find a striking solution that isn't deploying him at point, half of our problems are solved. For me, a goalkeeper should be a priority signing as well.

That's purely in terms of signings, we need some other changes as well.

Captain wrote:

This squad is better than most people think or have thought, including me. We can't afford another summer of upheaval, just 2-3 additions to fill the holes and we're good for next season.

Burnwinter wrote:

Yep. After the final day madness of the summer before last, and the patchwork Cazorla-Giroud-Podolski surgery of last summer, we need a couple of players of the quality that we've let leave to give the Arsenal Frankenstein a brain and some balls.

Thank God for that, some of us beginning to get a bit worried there for a moment but it looks like everything is fine now.

Looking forward to this summer more than any other over the past five years

Captain wrote:

This squad is better than most people think or have thought, including me. We can't afford another summer of upheaval, just 2-3 additions to fill the holes and we're good for next season.

Define good....good for a title challenge and a challenge for trophies or good for an easier path to CL football but ultimately more of the same?

Good for a title challenge. I don't define the other stuff as "good".

Ok cool. Think we probably need 4 at least but we'll see. I'm expecting your average Arsenal summer anyway so i'm not confident.

Certainly some very different takes on where we are and what we have to work with.
I can't see the strength in the squad myself, I've tried but I feel like I'm lying to myself.
Lash out on a 20 + goal a season striker, a strong dynamic intelligent ball winning midfielder and a top mature goalkeeper and I'll feel good again.

So that would be 2-3 additions to fill the holes then, y va? 😆

The premiership is rubbish at the moment and it's not going to vastly improve over the summer. Since christmas I have learned two things; this team is actually capable of putting a run of results together and they can beat a top side. In fact, I'm fairly confident in saying that we can have a better season next year without any signings (but 'better' isn't good enough).

I know Captain 🙂 but they are massive holes in key areas.
It's very much a glass half empty Arsenal day for me today.
I'm just getting it out of my system.

How many points do you think a world class striker and midfielder would be worth to us y va?

I'd estimate between 9 to 15 points, which would be enough to turn us into contenders.

3 world class players to fill the holes and we'd be in business. But we won't even attempt to bring in 3 world class players, so thats a big fat non starter.

Best hope; sort the keeping issue out, plow our money in to bringing in a worldy forward-someone who can bang them in AND create- and hope like fuck that at least 2 out of Ramsey, Jack and Ox takes a step up to being among the best in the country in their respecting roles. Quite a big ask really...