Do you regard 4th as success Burns?

I regard fourth as cash in the bank and lower prices for players.

It's a necessary stepping stone. We go down to sixth or seventh we're all the way back on the loser's side of the river.

I agree. Guess all of this doesn't feel very win to me any longer.

How do you figure 4th implying lower player prices?

  1. Empirical observation. The clubs below us seem to always pay what we'd call "over the odds" for players of comparable quality to the ones we attract. We tend to chalk that up to Wenger's alleged transfer genius, but when a whole series of Everton, Liverpool and Newcastle managers produce largely similar results it's fairly certain there are deeper structural factors alongside his undoubted competence.

  2. Model of total remuneration and opportunity for players. The total consideration we offer includes Champions League football and being paraded around in front of most of the top clubs in Europe for the next career move. I'd take £25k/w less for that kind of exposure and I'd tell my sellers I wanted to move to Arsenal not Liverpool.

Diaby KungFu wrote:

We're strong favorites for 3rd imo.

Burnwinter™ wrote:

😆 at you hoping we don't get fourth.

Fourth or fifth Wenger won't resign or be sacked—if you're going to wish failure on us at least sack up and plump for the bottom half of the table.

I'll admit the chances are slim but its the best lightening conductor that will really heap pressure on him from the fans and media in the medium term And when the stadium starts emptying from Kroenke in the longer term.

Burnwinter™ wrote:

I regard fourth as cash in the bank and lower prices for players.

It's a necessary stepping stone. We go down to sixth or seventh we're all the way back on the loser's side of the river.

You still retain that tiny flicker of hope deep down that betrays you Burnsy.

I'll know when you've fully metamorphosed into a beautiful blooming ABW. 🙂

The concept is a little bizarre... surely if everyone carries on with the same points per game ratio the table will remain exactly as it stands now? 😆

😆 Hey, don't wreck the drama with your common sense oft.

It's also impossible given some teams are yet to play each other

wenger will see out his contract come hell or high water. finishing in the top 4 is still important for the overall health of the club. i think we'll still squeak in there, the competition for that spot is truly awful. if we're way off the pace wenger will make moves to january to achieve the minimum requirement.

I think there is a good chance we can still finish 3rd, despite how shit we've been our main opposition is just as bad if not worse! Think that says a lot about the state of the league this season!

Only upside for us. Wenger can't get us to play any worse. At some point the players will get fed up with it and go against his instructions

JazzG wrote:

I think there is a good chance we can still finish 3rd, despite how shit we've been our main opposition is just as bad if not worse!  Think that says a lot about the state of the league this season!

I actually thought before the season that the league would be stronger than in a long time. City, United, Chelsea and us strengthening, maybe PL wouldn't need to be a laughing stock in Europe anymore. The opposite happened. Only Chelsea look stronger than last season.

Nah, that won't happen- No true characters among this crop. Only guys who shows a bit of fire are Sanchez, Wilsh and Flamini.

Wilshere doesn't have the experience or status to influence the team in that manner.

Flamini is basically in his retirement home.

Sanchez is the new boy. New boys don't instigate revolts.

We're nine points from the bottom placed club and fifteen points from the top.
We've dropped nine points at home already as opposed to just three at this stage last season, away we've dropped ten versus five by this time last season.
Chelsea have been in searing form but if we'd matched our start from last season we'd only be four points off the pace.
Looking at what's changed (based on number of games without these players): no Sagna, no Özil, no Giroud, no Kos, disintegration in form from Ramsey.
What's stayed the same: Wenger not strengthening the spine of the team, Wenger's inability to steady the team when faced with an injury pile up.

I left him out on purpose because he only played four PL games at the beginning of last season, so I figured I couldn't really count his absence at the beginning of this season as a difference.
You can include him if you wish though.