Time to face reality

We are not getting in the top 4. There are 5 and possibly 6 teams better than us atm and it isn't going to change.

We are going to miss out on the CL. For the first time since 1996. For most of us, we don't remember how it is like not being in the competition.

So how do we feel about that?

Eh, I stopped caring about the CL a long time ago. Probably since United beat us in the semi's in 2009. After that it became abundantly clear we were never going to compete with the best teams and never have a realistic shot of winning the competition. I enjoyed the big nights against Barca and Bayern but then we started drawing them every year and it just become boring. Getting wins against the Pot 3/4 teams isn't all that enjoyable.

Not getting into the CL is an under achievement and one the club should be embarrassed about. At the same time, I don't know if that's more embarrassing than losing a two legged tie 10-2 or 7-2 or whatever the Barca score was in 2016. I don't know if it's as humiliating as being being outclassed by Monaco in 2014. Or losing to Zagreb and Olympiakos. Or letting a 3-0 lead slip at home against Anderlecht. Or that game against Schalke in 2013, easily the worst CL game I've seen us play.

So yeah, it'll suck and we'll be mocked for it, but it's doomed if we do/don't. If it ends up being a catalyst for change then maybe it's not such a bad thing. Time will tell.

its safe to say wenger will quit at the end of the season the only thing is who do you replace him with.

RG, I was born in 1997

Uhm. To be quite frank I'm not that all bothered. As Jay, said if it will be a catalyst for change then well good...so be it. Of course, the negative part about not qualifying for the CL is that it will be more motivation for some of our better players to decide to leave. And we won't be able to attract the best of the best players. But this needn't slow us down in building a new team. It could probably take us 5/6 years, and if it is to be the case, then so be it. I'm not that much worried about the money we will missing out on. We are in great position financially.

Wouldn't be bothered if we slug it out in the Europa League for a season or two. Hell, we might even win it.

But bruv. I reallllllllly honessssstly don't care yea. All I know change is needed at the top position of this club. And that's all I'm looking forward to at this moment of time.

RealGunner wrote:We are not getting in the top 4. There are 5 and possibly 6 teams better than us atm and it isn't going to change.

Why? Arsenal has 2 games in hand, the table is deceiving.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

RealGunner wrote:We are not getting in the top 4. There are 5 and possibly 6 teams better than us atm and it isn't going to change.

Why? Arsenal has 2 games in hand, the table is deceiving.

If you could wrap your head around our current state, you would understand why.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

RealGunner wrote:We are not getting in the top 4. There are 5 and possibly 6 teams better than us atm and it isn't going to change.

Why? Arsenal has 2 games in hand, the table is deceiving.

Nope. We are on a negative spiral.

Our games in hand include southampton away which is an automatic defeat since we never win there in the PL

And our remaining games are against Tottenham, City, United and Stoke away which we never win either.

We are done.

Wenger always said (or hoped) that he would leave us at a better place than Ferguson did at Man Utd but look at the state of us now.

Our two best players leaving, half of our squad at the end of their contracts and uncertain to stay, a failed youth contigent, no plans showed from the board as far as succession goes, and no CL next season. While our rivals are settled with their managers in their 2nd or 3rd year. The next manager is doomed to fail in his first season even if change is absolutely needed.

I kinda accepted this reality 2 weeks ago but last night was the final nail and I've completely settled with it now. Watching United & Spurs playing and winning, I saw energy, excitement, fight from players, fans, things I haven't seen from us since the collapse. Their coach running up and down, jumping around like a clown and I just for once want to see Wengers could do that again. Fans got frustrated as *bleep*, toxic and repeat their stance over and over again like hitting their heads to the wall. Players don't care, seeing Ramsey & Ozil rosy and inspirational facebook post made me sick, u fake nuts, suck it up and grind it out.

The air around the Emirate, the team just feels wrong, I don't know. I usually project like I don't care but it kinda hurts watching the team like it is right now or maybe I just overreacted.

I'm with BC here. Not that I don't see the writing on the wall, but you need to see how the season plays out near the end before you talk about missing CL. Do I think you will? Yes. Will I talk about it yet? No, anything is possible. We have seen it time and again in sports this year. Comebacks from being down 3-1 in a 7 game series, down 28-3 in the Superbowl, Barca scoring 3 times after the 87th minute to win 6-1. Trump being president

I'll see how it plays out first.

That being said, you guys are in a downward spiral management wise and even if you make CL, you're only going down or staying the same (at best) when other teams around you are headed upwards and onwards. In that case, there is right to be upset and to proclaim doom because honestly Wenger is destroying what he's created atm

For some reason, two fans holding a "Wenger Out!" banner were spotted during a match between Norwegian sides, Rosenborg and Viking  



A similar banner was found in Ethiopia...

they've been popping up everywhere around the world. In marches unrelated to football, music festivals, etc. Got me thinking that some of them might be photoshopped.

I had hope. Up until the Crystal Palace game, that is, then all hope died a sad, lonely death

The goal now is to finish in the top half of the table

Hmm

We'll have to win against United and Spurs to have a chance at the top 4. And win away to stoke and Southampton.


Thoughts?

Game by game for me, no point to think that far ahead. We need to try to win all games of course but more importantly our rivals slipping up somewhere.

United at home is winnable if we play well. Southampton and Stoke are on holiday, so those are a question of intensity.

All tough games but only the Spurs one is making me super nervous.

Still very hard considering our fixtures. We have to play away to Tottenham, Stoke, Southampton and at home against Man Utd and Everton. We will need a title winner's run of form until the end while playing against some POS's.

All depends on NLD imo
win could give us that belief and confidence to go on a strong run
otherwise not much to play for if we drop too many points in next 2 games

Massive

If we can somehow win against a better Spurs side in really good form, my confidence levels will go up for the rest of the season. They're our toughest test in the League so it's probably a good thing we face them first.

If we lose, there's still some time to bounce back if United/Liverpool slip up vs if we played them 3 weeks from now and saw our form derailed as a result.

If we win the NLD, players' confidence will soar which could mean we do go on that title winners' charge.

Still find myself asking how Wenger even made it our alive after we lost to Birmingham City in 2011. I think it was around that time that my mind was fully made up.

The losses to Bradford and Blackburn in the FA cup was another indication that Wenger never really approached games how he should've.

Back then there was still the argument that with better players and funding he would turn things around. Since Özil, Alexis, Cech, Xhaka and Mustafi, that's argument is closed however. Which makes it even more baffling that he still has supporters.

urbaNRoots wrote:Back then there was still the argument that with better players and funding he would turn things around. Since Özil, Alexis, Cech, Xhaka and Mustafi, that's argument is closed however. Which makes it even more baffling that he still has supporters.

The overwhelming evidence point to Wenger's methods being severely outdated and demotivating.

As you said, how is we spent more in one window than ever before now we've slipped out of the top 4?

It's still a mystery we couldn't find one CB till the end when we bought Mustafi out of desperation. And how we couldn't upgrade on Giroud after it was apparent he is decent at best years ago.

Our transfers have been appalling for years.

RealGunner wrote:It's still a mystery we couldn't find one CB till the end when we bought Mustafi out of desperation. And how we couldn't upgrade on Giroud after it was apparent he is decent at best years ago.

Our transfers have been appalling for years.

Let's not forget that Mustafi's price increased while Wenger dithered over whether we needed an upgrade.

Unless I'm mistaken, it was Gabriel's injury that forced his hand, by which time Valencia increased his price.

Wenger hasn't bothered to upgrade Giround for at least 2 seasons.Wenger is incompetent and supremely arrogant.

This was the template to success, why did we deviate from it?

2013-14 (Part 1/2) pic.twitter.com/QvMZBCzueu

— TheArseneView (@TheArseneView) May 4, 2017

Wonder where it all went wrong?

Was Cazorla really that important? or was it because we failed to build on that side?