From Martin : Who was surprised?
Good Afternoon Myles ,
You asked the question “who was surprised” and think the answer is nobody, even those who hope beyond hope that this might be the game where it all changes.
Personally do not judge anyone for being a fan and hoping things get better and even denying issues to themselves in process, as being a fan is built on hope really.
But even the most ardent fan, the defender of the indefensible was not surprised deep down as the process repeats over and over each season.
Me? just confirmation, which as a fan from early 70’s take no pleasure in, but still, you say what see http://arsenalnewsreview.co.uk/wp/how-can-wenger-claim-this-is-arsenals-best-squad-ever/
Roy Keane made a good observation, that a player not in the team 3 weeks ago was given armband, a player who has never shown qualities to be a leader of men.
The Arsenal team is made up of nice people who play nice football when conditions are perfect for them to, and when those conditions are not there, they collectively do not have the character to respond.
Arsene, more than anyone else in most leagues, has the final say on who comes in, and preaches to ethos, he cannot point to players not being ‘his’ as they are all his and so more than any other manager the buck stops with him.
If we were being sold top 6 and last 16 with a cup run, we would have no reason to moan, but we are not, we are sold the dream of challenging for the biggest prizes domestically and in Europe
Challenging is the key word, as we could also still finish 4th each year given the depth of league, but the team may fall down on the fine divides, giving it a real go to then end, where recent history is season is done on February with a late run to respectability once the pressure of actually winning something is long gone.
Winning your last 8 to finish 4th, ending ahead of Spurs, means very little but has left hope for the next season.
No guarantees with new manager, and in fact think squad needs such turnover that it be 2 years to be competitive again, but new energy is needed and think we can all take a transition period and understand it.
It is one of the best jobs in football, stadium, location, history, fanbase, finances, and with the current atmosphere an opportunity that many would like to grab.
My choice would be Allegri, for the discipline and organisation and toleration of only real players, who have heart and desire.
He played decades at low levels, been in winning and losing teams, and the mentality of playing football is the same, the winning teams always had players with heart and desire and the losing teams always had a collective of sometimes decent footballers but not so strong when challenged. So not just an armchair critic who freely throws around words like weak minded, but again, say as see it.
Obviously Spurs friends revel in this stuff, but will say that if they been reading this page or just have an understanding of the feeling of Arsenal as a team in at least last 6 seasons, they would see the worst teams in Arsene era have still proven to be better than the best teams in Spurs history.
Personally think Spurs have a great first X1 and style, but depth of squad and that style make it unsustainable over long season with Champions League
Amusing to realise one of our worst teams has still proven to be better than one of their best ever.
So 5-1 not unexpected, and likely a good thing, as catalyst could only come from really poor results and with Wenger lauding this as his best squad ever, he falls with that comment.
Myles says:
Ivan Gazidis must be thinking Italian.
HE MUST BE!
In the last eight seasons Carlo Ancelotti won the Premier league for Chelsea, Roberto Mancini won it for Manchesterr ,Claudio Ranieri won it for Leicester, and now the dynamic Antonio Conte looks like winning the title for Chelsea in 2017.