Rohit wrote:
Tony Montana wrote:
People on this board.
There's a perception that because Arsenal are poor then everyone else is just as bad but lucky or just pure filthy rich and don't have much of a challenge. It's the same every season. And our success is only around the corner of course.
It's my observations of this board.
Your observations are way of the mark. Even if there is an excuse culture for Arsenal that exists on this board vis-a-vis competing clubs then so be it. It is an Arsenal forum full of ardent Arsenal fans and Arsenal pride. It's better than using one-off seasons by clubs like Liverpool and Tottenham to beat Arsenal with.
In the Wenger era of 22 years, Arsenal has finished behind Liverpool only 6 times and behind Tottenham only twice. We have finished ahead of Liverpool and Tottenham in 16 and 20 seasons respectively of the 22 seasons that Arsene Wenger managed Arsenal. We finished ahead of Tottenham for 20 consecutive seasons. This while moving stadiums, taking a big debt to do so, and spending much less than both clubs in the transfer market. We qualified for the Champions League 19 times during Wenger's reign with the same restrictions, while Liverpool qualified only 10 times in the same period and Tottenham only thrice. We won three titles and 7 FA Cups while Liverpool and Tottenham combined won less trophies between them in this period - 1 CL, 1 UEFA Cup, 2 FA Cups and 5 League Cups, with Tottenham only winning 2 League Cups from that haul. Neither has won a trophy in over a decade.
Considering the cyclical nature of sport, especially football, where resources aren't very dissimilar between clubs, we have been outstanding compared to these clubs. A few days back, Liverpool were being praised on this board for taking risks in the market by buying talented players which have paid off with the likes of Suarez and Salah, while Arsenal's risk aversion was being lamented. Arsenal got more players right than Liverpool and Tottenham while spending less than them over a very long period of time. Which is why we were much more consistent than them over 22 years, the lack of major trophies post 2004 notwithstanding. Neither Liverpool, nor Tottenham have anything to show from their multiple attempts in the second tier of European competition either, other than one UEFA Cup in 2001 for Pool and a final in 2016.
Considering how poorly Arsenal are at times thought of compared to these efficient clubs, I can't imagine what the club would be perceived as if we changed managers every couple of years and still failed, spent money in the transfer market and still didn't compete for either title or CL spots, had to miss out on CL and compete in the second tier European competition every alternate year on an average and still didn't show success in it.
I know consistency like we have shown means very less for a lot of people without trophies to show for it. Those two clubs however have neither consistency, nor trophies to show for their efforts. Daniel Levy is hailed here for his negotiation skills and the current squad on a low budget, but no one will point out how he spent 100 Million of the Bale proceeds. We have got very little wrong compared to these clubs. It's nigh on impossible to not stumble when we are playing with low percentages and Arsenal has done extremely well to be where they are for as long as they have been. People hail Atletico and Dortmund. We did what they are doing now 20 years back. Let us see if they can go 20 years without stumbling themselves.
Fuck Liverpool and fuck Tottenham.
Fuck United, Chelsea and City also while we are at it.
