The Premier League campaign - 2011/12: Page 74 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

The Premier League campaign - 2011/12

Tony Montana

For some reason I thought of the CL.

Coombs

Let's face it. If we had a better manager, we'd probably just be a bit closer to the Mancs (7-10 points off probably). Could have Fungus coaching us and we'd probably still be in 3rd. Just the way it is. Everyone has to stop deluding themselves into believing we're a top club. We're an elite club, but not at the top, and the difference boils down to one thing: money.

Before anyone says that the above is just "speculation," anything you say claiming that we'd be in a better position with a different manager is no more factual. We made our choice. Winning the CL or the EPL would be a coup, and a massive, totally improbable achievement with our resources. 100 million pounds in the bank is peanuts in comparison to what we're up against, absolute peanuts. It's not an excuse anymore...its just the way it is. Time to adapt our expectations to the current climate. 2006 was a long time ago.

Biggus

Captain wrote:
We don't have the money to be in that race unfortunately. We have a manager who tries his best though.

Not the crazy blank cheques of City- No, but we're not poor either with the some of the most expensive tickets in the world, we can afford better than Chamakh and Gervinho.

And his best has proved not good enough, with a better manager we would certainly be at the races.

Captain

We are poor compared to who we are competing against. That's a fact.

Burnwinter

We could clearly get a better result and have come closer in recent seasons to doing so than we have this season. It would just require many planets to align. All our squads since 2006 have still produced big results, but have generally had fatal flaws or been ruined by injuries or weak leaders and weak heads.

The outcome between City and United this season, and the forthcoming incumbency of either club next season is going to have a massive impact on the Premier League horoscope for 12-13.

If City win, they'll have established their desirability and will no longer seem ridiculous when they front those "£100m for Kaka" sorts of offers. They'll be able to pick and choose from the European elite on a greater scale than ever before.

If United win despite their evidently inferior personnel, Ferguson will be perceived as retaining an unshakeable hoodoo over the PL. And if he remains manager (which he will) he will be given money to spend.

There may not be much point discussing which players will want to go where, or what sort of impact this summer's spending may have until we know the result.

Claudius

Burns, I don't think it makes any difference who wins the league from our perspective.
The losing team will take such an emotional battering from the event that they will look to retaliate with a big signing. I fully expect the biggest bids for Hazard or similar stars to come out of Manchester. If Ferguson loses, he'll turn the hairdryer on the Glazers and get 100m pounds. Citeh will work doubly hard to improve what Mancini already calls a thin squad if they lose.

Either way, we should keep our eyes on what happens at Citeh. If bargains in the shape of Johnson, Balotelli, de Jong, Kolarov etc should appear, then we should think long and hard about it.

Burnwinter

We should definitely look to rescue any rejects from City who might complement us, just as we should with the likes of Madrid. No desire to see De Jong in an Arsenal shirt though.

Biggus

But a successful team is more than the sum of all its parts, Wenger has always been good at unearthing hidden diamonds, he's also dug up some buried rubbish too but mostly it's been positive.
Where he falls down is his lack of interest in welding them into a complimentary unit, he usually just mumbles some ridiculous platitudes about everyone being a leader.

TomasCR

If Chelsea draw and Bolton beat Tottenham tonight then the 3rd is pretty much ours. Those results are worth a drink if it happens, would be lovely.

lorddulaarsenal

I think we'll finish fourth

Gazza M

i never thought we'd get above spurs this season, so i'm not going to stop believing now. Norwich at home, WBA in a bit of tumult due to the Hodgson appointment. We have to show the hunger to get the job done.

Qwiss

Burnwinter wrote:
We should definitely look to rescue any rejects from City who might complement us, just as we should with the likes of Madrid. No desire to see De Jong in an Arsenal shirt though.

Like who? Can't see too many they'd want rid of that I'd take. Best of the bunch is Ade but his bridges are burned and Tevez who's a disaster in a personal sense and would want too large a wage packet.

Timbob

Dzeko.

Burnwinter

qs! wrote:
Burnwinter wrote:
We should definitely look to rescue any rejects from City who might complement us, just as we should with the likes of Madrid. No desire to see De Jong in an Arsenal shirt though.

Like who? Can't see too many they'd want rid of that I'd take. Best of the bunch is Ade but his bridges are burned and Tevez who's a disaster in a personal sense and would want too large a wage packet.

As Tim suggested, Dzeko, and I'd take Adam Johnson if I could get him, I think he's a very decent player.

Certainly wouldn't take Tevez or Balotelli, historically those sorts of personalities have fucked us up under Wenger, he can't handle them.

But you're right, looking at their list there's noone from midfield they'd ever jettison worth the wanting, no central defenders leaving, so it's a short list. But the 25 man rule basically means ridiculous clubs like City have to get rid of talent to make signings.

--

Another issue is that the player would also have to be willing to take a massive pay cut.

Coombs

Burnwinter wrote:
We could clearly get a better result and have come closer in recent seasons to doing so than we have this season. It would just require many planets to align. All our squads since 2006 have still produced big results, but have generally had fatal flaws or been ruined by injuries or weak leaders and weak heads.

This is the perfect description of what I mean when I say we're not a top club. A top club doesn't need the planets to align to challenge, they just do, because thats just what they are.

Whoever wins the title this year doesn't really matter to us, we're not involved and probably won't be next year bar some planets aligning.

Burnwinter

In 07-08 the planets seemed to be aligned ... unfortunately so aligned that they collided and Eduardo got his leg broke.

We have the nucleus of a good squad, but you need the whole of a good squad to challenge, and we've had relatively weak links like Gervinho, Jenkinson, Ramsey and Chamakh hovering just outside our first XI. I shudder to think where we'd be sitting in the table if Van Persie had picked up a serious injury.

Biggus

Burnwinter wrote:
In 07-08 the planets seemed to be aligned ... unfortunately so aligned that they collided and Eduardo got his leg broke.

And knocked Gallas onto his fat useless arse.

lorddulaarsenal

Wish I could trust wenger's team to get the job done. Just can't.

Ramsey is sending us into europa

Burnwinter

Could be as much as a 10% chance of a Lampard penalty putting us into the Europa at the moment.

us to finish third 50/50
Chelsea to beat Bayern on a bad decision or penalties 20%

Nightmare scenario.

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