Yeah well there's a reason my tagline is "Mid Table Realist" these days. I thought we'd be 8th at season's end so we're tracking above what I expected for the moment.
The club not sucking, progress being made, ten match unbeaten run, 5th being a higher position than expected especially after the start to the season we had, players developing, new signings performing, these are all reasons to let the sun shine.
This position is not really that different from "Anything below 6th is instantly sackworthy"—there is not a poster here (okay, sorry Kingsland!) who reckoned we'd be CL contenders this season.
I'm on the fence about whether Arteta remains as manager and it does depend on performances. I don't particularly care whether he stays or goes. My concern is that we largely retain and develop this group of players and keep fixing this squad's deficiencies. Given the youth of the roster we have a huge opportunity to improve over the coming seasons with or without Arteta.
Many people have said "two or three years to rebuild is too long in this league" but actually that makes no sense if you're looking at four year contracts and players in their early 20s. We have these kids if we can keep them vaguely happy, pay their wages and make forward progress.
Has to be said we are only 3 points behind Manchester City and 2 behind Liverpool. Results are good even if the football is not and we're anything but free-scoring. Yes big and potentially demoralising challenges are in the offing, but we also have other advantages, like fewer fixtures to contend with. This is a time to accept things have been going fairly well for a change—some of the "miserable bastard axis" (said fondly) need to get on this train.
