IMO this season has shown a marked improvement in performances (the obvious aside).

While there was very little hope of challenging for the league given the shambles in the transfer market, there are signs that we will be able to sustain a challenge next season.

It's hard to see how we have actually improved, our football has been dire for 70% of the season and we have been absolutely abysmal against the top teams.

If Fergie hadn't retired would we have even finished 4th?

(U19399)

IMO (especially second half) we were excellent against City.

Granted in the main (against the better teams) we have struggled but with the return of our injured players (and one or two in the summer) I see no reason not to be more optimistic than in previous seasons.

In the first part of the season, when Ramsey was banging in goals, we were looking great. Deserved to be top. So what if they were mostly 'lesser teams' - Crystal Palace vs Chelsea?
It's easy to forget that after the depressing total defeats and collective droop.
I'm still really frustrated about losing Ramsey then Walcott.

That's the hallmark of Wenger's sides, they only tend to play well when all is lost... the real games were against Liverpool and Chelsea- we ended up conceding 11 goals.

Only a few people have said that to be fair.

I think if we finish 4th again regardless of if we win an FA Cup we haven't improved that much.

I am sure we will end the season strongly now and all will be rosy again till the same mistakes are repeated in the summer and our season blows up again in Feb/March.

I think the main worry has to be can Wenger take Arsenal forward again.

He has done a very good job of maintaining that top 4 status and being largely competitive in Europe butr the club have been treading water for the best part of 5 or 6 seasons now. There are long standing problems that dont seem to have been addressed such as adding that steel in midfield or up front.

I'm not an Arsenal fan but I am a fan of Wenger, I think English football has a lot to thank him for but I just think the game has moved on and he hasnt moved with it. I can understand the boards reluctance to sack him as they know by keeping him they are fairly sure of a decent go at most competitions, 4th place in the league and a run to the knockout phases of the champions league therefore generating a nice healthy stack of cash for the club each season. If he leaves who knows what will happen. Look at United, the Arsenal board arent going to do a Chelsea/City and automiatically give the new manager a blank cheque to go out and buy everyone he thinks he needs at the time.

Up till January it was a massive improvement. After that it went all pear shaped.

If we had a full strength squad all season I believe we would still be top.

If we had a prolific striker we would possibly still be top.

We have been better this season especially in defense.

comment by What would Stuart Pearce do? (U3126)
posted 9 minutes ago
IMO this season has shown a marked improvement in performances (the obvious aside).

While there was very little hope of challenging for the league given the shambles in the transfer market, there are signs that we will be able to sustain a challenge next season.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
We might if we overcome two obstacles:

1. Wenger's propensity for slipping into a false sense of security, which is arguably the reason we had such a poor January transfer window - it only took a run of good results to completely ignore any warning signs that things might start to turn sour (i.e. overplaying of the likes of Koscielny, Giroud, Ramsey).

2. If we can overcome an even stronger group of rivals next season. This was a transitional season for United, Chelsea and City, who all had new managers and new playing philosophies to bed in. Liverpool will only build on this positive season. We only just kept our heads above water in what was a very disjointed season for all those sides, and it's fair to say that none of them will ever be as weak at the same time as they were this year.

I like to believe that if our team from the first half of the season - with all that confidence and energy - had stayed together, plus had Ramsey and Walcott, those results against Liverpool and Chelsea would have been very different. Who knows? But those awful results are very painful, after that start. Wish it could be the other way round!

well unless we sort our injuries and get a top striker, we won't win the league or come close.

I have no faith in arsene to do something about this.

At the moment I am at pains to get rid of AW but at the same time I am hesitant to retain him too. IMO there are valid arguments for both.

Irrespective of opinion it is evident he will sign his new contract at the end of the season. I therefore feel that (as we seem to be stuck with him) AW deserves fans support. No more so during games.

That however doesn’t mean he is free from critique (on here for example) but don’t want to get to the stage when banners are flying above the ground demanding his resignation.

“Remember who you are and what you represent.”

2. If we can overcome an even stronger group of rivals next season. This was a transitional season for United, Chelsea and City, who all had new managers and new playing philosophies to bed in.


As the longest serving manager in the league this was Wenger's best chance to win the title but sadly he was tactically outwitted again by his new peers.

I guess he just loves the race for 4th a bit too much.

this was wengers best chance of winning the league & he f'd it up to put it bluntly. You had 3 teams with new managers & he still couldnt get it done, possibly Liverpool can. This blaming our blight on injuries when ever we have a dip in form is getting redundant, we just aint that good as Wenger makes out & the constant praising of our players by him is awful. Our lack of depth is his & the boards fault, football is a squad game make us of it instead of patiently waiting to arrival of Diaby to turn us around when he is wasting a squad spot.

"If I'd told you in August that we would have been top for much of the season and still gotten fourth, you'd have bitten my hand off."

I've been hearing that a lot lately. And in all honesty, I don't understand the reasoning behind it.

----

Because a lot of people thought we would get worse this season. Not that hard to understand.

'Because a lot of people thought we would get worse this season. Not that hard to understand.'


We kept all our players and added a world class player to our squad, why were these fans expecting us to get worse?

We kept all our players and added a world class player to our squad, why were these fans expecting us to get worse?

---

Relative to other teams, particularly Spurs with their squad investment.

I'm not saying this is what I thought btw.

And that world class player was added after the time OP is probably talking about.

comment by Englishmen~Always~Land~Upright (U4080)
posted 1 minute ago
well unless we sort our injuries and get a top striker, we won't win the league or come close.

I have no faith in arsene to do something about this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A few weeks ago, Wenger said that Arsenal would be launching an enquiry into why there are so many protracted injuries. My first instinct was - why has it taken so long to come to the realisation that it needs be investigated? The press, the fans, everybody NOT ACTUALLY INSIDE THE CLUB has been able to see the problems we've had in that department, so why couldn't they pick up on it until now?

It just seems like Arsenal, and Arsene, are learning lessons at a snail's pace. We spent years with a solid midfield and attack, but a weak defence. Then we sorted out the defence, and our midfield suffered for a lack of balance. Now our attack seems to be suffering for a lack of pace and spontaneity, when we've finally got the midfield and defence solidified. Why is it that every other club with our budget can rectify these things and maintain some kind of balance, but Arsenal need to wait until the situation becomes critical, and comical, to do something about it?

I had very very low expectations this season, even with Ozil. I thought there must be something dodgy about his signing, he was a crock or something.
Then I had massive problems with my perceptions of reality and Arsenal. I could not adjust not only to seeing us top of the table, and for so long - but the near total absence of moaning, whining and scapegoating on these boards. Just didn't seem right!

A few weeks ago, Wenger said that Arsenal would be launching an enquiry into why there are so many protracted injuries. My first instinct was - why has it taken so long to come to the realisation that it needs be investigated? The press, the fans, everybody NOT ACTUALLY INSIDE THE CLUB has been able to see the problems we've had in that department, so why couldn't they pick up on it until now?
___
i always thought why we didnt do this sooner, should have been done years ago. Its got to to do with our lack on intensity in training former players have commented on it. My local football club a few yrs ago got someone in as they were getting far too many injuries of the same variety, voila its sorted & also they have become 1 of the fittest teams in league & really push on towards the end of games whilst others slow down.

comment by Koscielny Patented Proof Readers (U7373)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Englishmen~Always~Land~Upright (U4080)
posted 1 minute ago
well unless we sort our injuries and get a top striker, we won't win the league or come close.

I have no faith in arsene to do something about this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A few weeks ago, Wenger said that Arsenal would be launching an enquiry into why there are so many protracted injuries. My first instinct was - why has it taken so long to come to the realisation that it needs be investigated? The press, the fans, everybody NOT ACTUALLY INSIDE THE CLUB has been able to see the problems we've had in that department, so why couldn't they pick up on it until now?

It just seems like Arsenal, and Arsene, are learning lessons at a snail's pace. We spent years with a solid midfield and attack, but a weak defence. Then we sorted out the defence, and our midfield suffered for a lack of balance. Now our attack seems to be suffering for a lack of pace and spontaneity, when we've finally got the midfield and defence solidified. Why is it that every other club with our budget can rectify these things and maintain some kind of balance, but Arsenal need to wait until the situation becomes critical, and comical, to do something about it?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Honestly it's a farce, Arsene reactive rather than proactive. Why not investigate seasons ago, maybe this season after podolski's first big tear. Nope let's wait until after running Ramsey into the ground and then having a relapse and THEN Ozil tearing his hamstring let us investigate.

Smacks of someone who has an understanding of injuries from research done in the 1970s.

Complacency at the Arsenal, it's someone elses responsibility not mine. Maybe people suggested things but arsene did not listen, or maybe the staff are incompetent.

But after seasons of injuries, why an earth will next season be different?? We'll have a threadbare squad which will fall to pieces as we try and recover a 2 goals CL deficit in Feb.

Reasons for the mess could be:

The truth is maybe a lack of delegating control and responsibility. Lack of accountability or Good old complacency.

I remember Guillem Balague saying that Cesc was fed up of how Arsenal had handled his hamstring issues and was desperate to leave even if Barcelona didn't come in for him.