[Red Member]

I agree that we need to get rid of some players - the squad is too big, I am starting to struggle to remember who we have still got or who is out on loan. At least you know where you are with Diaby, he is always in the treatment room.

I reckon that for every player we bring in we now need to sell two players.
so if we bring in Prince Poldi then we need to sell Chamakh and Vela.
if we bring in a goalie we need to sell Fabianski and Mannone.

[I Hate Hleb]

I agree that we need to get rid of some players - the squad is too big, I am starting to struggle to remember who we have still got or who is out on loan. At least you know where you are with Diaby, he is always in the treatment room.

I reckon that for every player we bring in we now need to sell two players.
so if we bring in Prince Poldi then we need to sell Chamakh and Vela.
if we bring in a goalie we need to sell Fabianski and Mannone.

BOGOFF!!

[SPARKSY]

gone backwards,

few years back we were fighting it out with United for the title, now we are contented being almost 20 points behind them and worrying about finishing above Tottenham

and the funny thing, this isn't even a great Man Utd side, weird how they have managed to maintain there challenge every year, but we have fallen away...

Spot on. this season is no different to last, or the year before or the year before that. Will we keep our star player again? Is he waiting to see who comes in before deciding? A number of players that need shipping out.

We're capable of beating anyone but just as likely to lose.

Another big summer for Wenger and the board. Haven't we heard all this before!

[Red Member]

no this is not the same as last year

this is a team and a squad on the up whereas last year it was a shambles towards the end of the season

how can a team that have won the last 9 out of 10 league games be going backwards ?

[g88ner]

how can a team that have won the last 9 out of 10 league games be going backwards ?

Depends in what context, I suppose.

Are we comparing this team to the invincibles? (some in this thread are)... if so, we've obviously gone backwards (bit hard not too)

Whereas, if we're comparing this team to 6 months, 12 months or 2 years ago (as some in this thread are) then some would argue we're slowly progressing.

On wages and transfers alone, I'd say 4th is par, and 3rd is slightly overachieving. On expectation, we're underachieving, but then again 95% of clubs probably are as fans are usually aiming high and their idea of failure isn't far short of success either... just look how Sp*rs fans have turned in the space of 3 months for proof of that.

[SteveO 35]

no this is not the same as last year

this is a team and a squad on the up whereas last year it was a shambles towards the end of the season

how can a team that have won the last 9 out of 10 league games be going backwards ?

And how can anyone judge a team by its last 10 games in a thread entitled "the greater scheme of things".

If we took events of the past couple of months up until we beat Man City, then they would be in turmoil and we'd be future champions. If we look at the last few weeks then Wigan are showing the form of a Champions League team, and next season will surely finish higher than Liverpool.

Whether you have your 9 out of 10 streak in August and September, or March and April, matters not, if the end result is still the same. Every year for about the past five, Everton have ended up with a storming run only to start the next season as slowly as they did the previous one.

The fact remains that if Robin Van Persie leaves the club in the Summer we are exactly where we were last Summer - in fact worse off because his impact on this season was greater than either Cesc or Nasri in the season they left. It really is that important. Podolski - good player that he is - can not hope to score 35 odd goals in his first season in English football, so face up to the reality that next season's fortunes depend almost solely on whether RvP stays or not. If he doesn't we are completely and utterly in the shit and a 9 game winning run does not disguise that fact

[augie]

no this is not the same as last year

this is a team and a squad on the up whereas last year it was a shambles towards the end of the season

how can a team that have won the last 9 out of 10 league games be going backwards ?

And how can anyone judge a team by its last 10 games in a thread entitled "the greater scheme of things".

If we took events of the past couple of months up until we beat Man City, then they would be in turmoil and we'd be future champions. If we look at the last few weeks then Wigan are showing the form of a Champions League team, and next season will surely finish higher than Liverpool.

Whether you have your 9 out of 10 streak in August and September, or March and April, matters not, if the end result is still the same. Every year for about the past five, Everton have ended up with a storming run only to start the next season as slowly as they did the previous one.

The fact remains that if Robin Van Persie leaves the club in the Summer we are exactly where we were last Summer - in fact worse off because his impact on this season was greater than either Cesc or Nasri in the season they left. It really is that important. Podolski - good player that he is - can not hope to score 35 odd goals in his first season in English football, so face up to the reality that next season's fortunes depend almost solely on whether RvP stays or not. If he doesn't we are completely and utterly in the shit and a 9 game winning run does not disguise that fact

Do I sense a split in the steve o and red member love affair ?

[mcdowell42]

no this is not the same as last year

this is a team and a squad on the up whereas last year it was a shambles towards the end of the season

how can a team that have won the last 9 out of 10 league games be going backwards ?

And how can anyone judge a team by its last 10 games in a thread entitled "the greater scheme of things".

If we took events of the past couple of months up until we beat Man City, then they would be in turmoil and we'd be future champions. If we look at the last few weeks then Wigan are showing the form of a Champions League team, and next season will surely finish higher than Liverpool.

Whether you have your 9 out of 10 streak in August and September, or March and April, matters not, if the end result is still the same. Every year for about the past five, Everton have ended up with a storming run only to start the next season as slowly as they did the previous one.

The fact remains that if Robin Van Persie leaves the club in the Summer we are exactly where we were last Summer - in fact worse off because his impact on this season was greater than either Cesc or Nasri in the season they left. It really is that important. Podolski - good player that he is - can not hope to score 35 odd goals in his first season in English football, so face up to the reality that next season's fortunes depend almost solely on whether RvP stays or not. If he doesn't we are completely and utterly in the shit and a 9 game winning run does not disguise that fact

Do I sense a split in the steve o and red member love affair ?

You noticed it as well

[littlefire]

Fcuking purgatory.

[SPARKSY]

no this is not the same as last year

this is a team and a squad on the up whereas last year it was a shambles towards the end of the season

how can a team that have won the last 9 out of 10 league games be going backwards ?

Exactly, its only 10 games and as the QPR game and last nights defeat show that little run has been blown out of the water!

Where was the fight in those games? Where were the tactics? Tactically Wenger doesn't know what to do. Outfought and out thought by both Hughes and Martinez.

As i said and the heading suggests, in the greater scheme of things, the season as a whole is no different to any of the last few.

[DB10GOONER]

no this is not the same as last year

this is a team and a squad on the up whereas last year it was a shambles towards the end of the season

how can a team that have won the last 9 out of 10 league games be going backwards ?

You really don't understand the concept of "the big picture" or the "grand scheme of things" do you?

It is EXACTLY the same as last season and the 4 or 5 before that. We have a decent run at some stage every season, which is undone by an equally disasterous run at some other point in the season. The order of the good run / shit run is unimportant in the grand scheme of things as one is always undone by the other. You seem to think a team has had a good season if they finish strongly, as if starting disasterously now suddenly doesn't count! But then, you are the spacker that claimed our 8-2 humiliation at old shatford was imaterial...

We have no long term consistency. We cannot sustain a title challenge longer than half a season at best. This happens every season now. EVERY SEASON. And this in a PL that is currently devoid of true top quality teams.

[goonersid]

Can see us blowing top 4 spot with the games we have remaining. Wenger has lost it again, rvp is frustrated and looks tired.

[k1tsun3]

Can see us blowing top 4 spot with the games we have remaining. Wenger has lost it again, rvp is frustrated and looks tired.

I just hope that we can turn things around with Chelsea and the Scum stay in their poor form for the remainder of the season. Newcastle is another worry with their form, too.

[mikeyb772001]

I think we will struggle for 4th. Lokks like our wheels have fallen off.

With Arteta out we are doomed

[flash gunner]

In the greater scheme of things its groundhog day....

We'll get top 4 and Wenger won't feel the need to strengthen and ditch the chaff in the squad and we'll be saying the same thing in April 2013