It’s Midweek

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It’s amazing, isn’t it, that we’ve got 74 points and people are saying we’ve had a poor season. When we won the double in 1998, we took the title with just 78 points. And of course, if we were to win our final four games, we’d end up with 86 points, only four shy of last season, when we didn’t lose, or one shy of our other recent double success in 2002, when we won the title with 87 points.

That’s all I wanted to say really.

Jim

Arsenal since about 1979. Thick, thin and all that.

This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Farnborough Gunner

    I agree totally. However, despite favourable comparisons with previous seasons’ points tally the most important comparison is our points compared with Chelsea’s haul this season. This indicates that we have to raise our standards next season.

  2. Farnborough Gunner

    I have read quotes from Arsene this morning where he says that Chelsea have been lucky during this season with fixture scheduling and that the run in to the end of the season has favoured them. He also blames our run of bad form on the condition of the pitches during the winter affecting our passing game (football is a winter sport isn’t it?).

    Making these comments achieves little and makes Arsene sound like that red nosed moaner from Manchester, and a bad loser.

    Arsene has also called Chelsea worthy champions – why couldn’t he just leave it there?

    Chelsea have led the league by a distance for much of the season, without the diving, cheating and bought refs that ManU rely on. As much as it hurts, maybe we come out of this looking a lot better by just saying “well done” and “congratulations” to them, rather than carping on about excuses that are so open to ridicule.

  3. Tom

    Actually, it’s on course to be our best post-Premiership-winning season for points – let’s compare:

    1999 – 78 points (1 point behind)
    2003 – 78 points (5 points behind)
    2005 – 74 points (with 4 games to go, 11 points behind)

    As Farnborough Gunner says, it’s the Kings Road billionaires that have made the difference – 80-85 points may be enough to see off Ferguson and his cheating red mancs, but we have to aim at 90-95 these days to have a chance.

  4. Green Gooner

    You have to take comments like that in context. If Arsene is asked when he thinks we lost it, he’ll give his answer. The next question asked is ‘when’, and he’ll answer that too. Then the whole lot can be strung together to sound like either a rant or an endless list of excuses. Plus he works in a results-driven business, and every boss in every field is asked for reasons if results aren’t up to expectations. Chelsea deserve their league- they’ve been the most consistent team by far. While I have issues with the moral aspect of where the Russian’s money came from, them spending millions doesn’t excuse us from dropping points at home to Southampton and Bolton, to name just four.

  5. Dom

    Worth remembering as well that the much of the season has been played with a largely transitional squad. A team built of youngsters finishing with a points total that would be good enough to win the league? That’s not bad going.
    Yes, we’ve got to do better to overhaul the Chavs, but the performances and results of the latter part of this season bode extremely well.

  6. Gun

    wenger is respected for his willingness to discuss the game with journalists. Comments like the pitch one are valid, it’s not an ‘excuse’. After we lost it in 93 he said well done utd, and that we didn’t defend as a team enough. This time he said well done chelsea, that our defence was loose and that our game didn’t work in winter. Hopefully we’ll respond as well this time as we did in 93-94.

  7. kidK

    the only thing we really need to do is beat chelsea twice a season and the title is ours! and never lose to the mancs at THOF again!!!!!

  8. Adam.T

    what do you mean without the cheating and bought refs? are you blind, how many handballs in the box does a ref need to ignore befotre they’ll pay him? a lot of penalties should have been given against them this season and werent

  9. vivb

    AW has put up with a lot of stick this season about the team in terminal decline etc etc, his coments about the lack of pressure on Chelsea are relevent. Last season we were going for the treble, he rested players against Man Utd in the semi final which we lost, then we lost to Chelsea in the European Cup and then it was being labeled a “disappointing season”! Chelsea’s critical part of the season has been helped by moving the Man Utd game, they were fresher playing us. Mourinho would have had to have juggled his squad (which has a fair share of injuries). Imagine how they would have been after Man Utd had played them at Old Trafford like they did us. One loss could have caused the same loss of form as we suffered. Instead irrespective of the game against Bolton they have an easy 3 points against Charlton to rap up the league.

    I think AW is making educated comments not really an excuse about the game he tries to play is on the ground and needs good pitches. Maybe he needs to be able to adapt the style, Chelsea can do it demonstrated by their reverting to long balls against Bayern Munich who we rather tamely went out to. We also haven’t won any games against big sides (Chelsea, Man Utd, and Liverpool) in the Premiership and only Bayern and PSV at home in Europe. I think he should be applauded though this season how he has managed to marshall a small squad to an FA cup final and 2/3rd in the league.

  10. vivb

    He should have mentioned the Charity Shield Hoodoo!

    The press appear to be spinning this, I think they are fair points:

    We play a fast game on the ground trouble is that is the only way we play. Chelsea showed the effectiveness of changing to the long ball game against Bayern which we failed to do.

    Pressure last season we were chasing a treble (with a the same Squad than this year) the wheels almost completely came off when we went out of the FA Cup and Champions League in one week (disappointing season headlines again). Chelsea would have had Bayern, Man Utd, Arsenal in a week. With Man Utd likely to do what they did to us at Old Trafford they could have lost 2 on the bounce, instead they had a weekend off before they faced us, partly why they finished stronger in the second half.

    I’m sure AW is quietly content, he has guided us through a season blighted by serious injuries (at certain times, Vieira, Henry, Campbell, Gilberto and Edu), he is some way to re-building the team.

    But any team that only loses once in a season is worthy winners of the Premiership. So well done, Chelsea but the pressure is on for next year.

  11. Gerry Gooner

    I think Chelsea are worthy champions and agree that Wengers comments sound like he’s clutching at straws a bit- but he’s probobly been asked the question and was just answering. Its very hard for us to compete with Chelsea but for me finiching ahead of Man Utd will provide some comfort. despite all Chelsea’s spending Utd would have us believe that they still have a glorious youth team- they’ve spent over 160 million since 2001!! Given our budget I think we’ve had a good season but we have to look to improve for the next one. i think FA Cup victory would be a massive morale boost for the club and would stick it beautifully to the mancs.

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