Arsenal 2013-2014: Insufferable & Unsuccessful -- And Worse than Chelsea

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DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Arsenal are all but done and dusted now for top 4.
 
Wouldn't it be funny if Everton catch City?
 

mikeford

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DennyDoyle'sBoil said:
Arsenal are all but done and dusted now for top 4.
 
With a one point lead?
Surely you jest.

Saying that, can't be understated what a massive favor Tony Pulis has done us today.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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mikeford said:
With a one point lead?
Surely you jest.
Saying that, can't be understated what a massive favor Tony Pulis has done us today.
As a neutral, I think I have a bit of perspective that recent-history-traumatized, fatalistic Gooners might not. Anything can happen of course. But Arsenal have a lead, only one pursuer, and a quite dramatic schedule disparity. No more mid-week games in other competitions, and a return to health. They look no more precarious to me rhan City at this moment, and of course if City falters, Arsenal have another route to top 4. But more than that, Arsenal are a horse who knows every bump in this path, and Everton are not. Doing what they must against mid to lower table teams in April is not a position they are unfamiliar with. Seeing Tim Howard in the Champuons League would be fun, but, baring a sale, I don't think it will be in 2014-15.
 
DennyDoyle'sBoil said:
if City falters, Arsenal have another route to top 4.
 
You don't seriously think Arsenal might finish behind Everton but ahead of City, do you? That might be the most ludicrous suggestion I've seen in this thread - and this coming from the guy who wanted David Moyes to replace Wenger last season.  :whistling: Man City have a game in hand, a four-point lead over Arsenal and a +36 goal difference advantage...I know they just drew with Sunderland, but your scenario requires Everton to win their last four matches, Arsenal to get three wins and a draw *and* Man City to pick up no more than five points from matches against West Brom/Palace/Everton/Villa/West Ham. Not a chance in hell.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Ludicrous?  No, for the record I do not think WDDL is the most likely outcome for City in its last 4 non-Everton games.  Though I'd say that if West Brom were to find a way to get a result against City, sphincters start to tighten in Manchester.  But my point was that I do not see WDDL as dramatically less likely than City failing to chip at least two points off Everton.  Is there a scenario where Everton plays massively against City, gets full points, but it doesn't mean City has simply dropped to crap form?  Sure.  This is the nightmare scenario for Arseanal, though even so it's still in control of its own destiny.  At this point there is no reason to bet against the most likely script -- that Everton has a ceiling of around 8 points from here out, and Arsenal will take care of business.  If one wants to go off script, my point is that one can get just as crazy optimistically as pessimistically.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Don't sleep on the Everton-United match this weekend.  United have been in very good form for the last three weeks and are plenty motivated to beat out Spurs for the last Europa League spot.  The match this weekend is really the key remaining fixture for them and they'll be better rested.  I wouldn't be locking in three points for Everton there by a long, long shot.
 

Zomp

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Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
Don't sleep on the Everton-United match this weekend.  United have been in very good form for the last three weeks and are plenty motivated to beat out Spurs for the last Europa League spot.  The match this weekend is really the key remaining fixture for them and they'll be better rested.  I wouldn't be locking in three points for Everton there by a long, long shot.
 
 
I disagree.  I don't think they want the extra travel.
 

soxfan121

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Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
Don't sleep on the Everton-United match this weekend.  United have been in very good form for the last three weeks and are plenty motivated to beat out Spurs for the last Europa League spot.  The match this weekend is really the key remaining fixture for them and they'll be better rested.  I wouldn't be locking in three points for Everton there by a long, long shot.
 
Did you talk yourself into it? Or, at the end of this post, were you like, "shit, I wish I believed that"?
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Zomp said:
 
 
I disagree.  I don't think they want the extra travel.
 
You would know better than I.  There was a story on espnfc this morning about the Glazers putting pressure on Moyes to make Europe but I don't know how credible it is.
 
More generally, the ability to qualify for CL by winning the Europe League seems like a good safety valve to have next year given the competitiveness of the premiership.  And if you don't make Europe at all, your UEFA coefficient is going to sink badly, for whatever that's worth.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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soxfan121 said:
 
Did you talk yourself into it? Or, at the end of this post, were you like, "shit, I wish I believed that"?
 
Maybe a little of both.  But have you watched them recently?  Their last two league games and the Bayern matches were probably one of their best stretches of the season.
 

soxfan121

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Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
 
Maybe a little of both.  But have you watched them recently?  Their last two league games and the Bayern matches were probably one of their best stretches of the season.
 
Even this guy is baffled by your non-negative thoughts on ManU.
 

sachmoney

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Mesut is back in the line up today. Vermaelen not in the squad with a hamstring injury, but Koscielny is starting anyway. Like the team today. Like it a lot, minus Arteta.
 

sachmoney

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Terrific link up between our three creative mids. Ozil to Cazorla to Ramsey who broke through. The movement is much better today, even if the possession hasn't been that great. Guys are looking to make runs into dangerous positions.
 

sachmoney

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Ramsey was phenomenal. When you put him and Özil on the pitch, everything seems to just work. The start wasn't great, but the effort level started to pick up and everyone was moving without the ball, especially our tireless welshman. Poldi had the two goals, but Ramsey was the one with the monster game. He really imposed himself and made his presence felt. He's playing as well as he did at the beginning of the season. You can't help but wonder if things would be different had he been healthy for the two months he was out. Regardless, his presence now gives Arsenal a good chance at getting fourth and the FA Cup. 
 

SidelineCameras

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Well Man U isn't doing us any favors, but whatever I hate rooting for them anyway and good show by Everton against Moyes.

Four more wins and I'll call it a good (not spectacular) season.
 

JimBoSox9

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SidelineCameras said:
Well Man U isn't doing us any favors, but whatever I hate rooting for them anyway and good show by Everton against Moyes.
 
 
Everton's handing out favors this morning like you could only dream about last week
 

sachmoney

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I can't say I have any complaints about that result, but I'd love to see the team finish strong besides getting the results they need (fourth place/FA Cup). Wins in the next 5 competitive matches would be great.
 

Luis Taint

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Good news is that Arsenal is playing today, bad news I have to watch Ben Afra for 2 hours.
 

Blundatola

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You won't be seeing any of Ben Arfa.  He didn't make the trip to London due to fitness apparently.  I'm recording this match, but don't expect to need to watch it this evening.
 

soxfan121

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Blundatola said:
You won't be seeing any of Ben Arfa.  He didn't make the trip to London due to fitness apparently.  I'm recording this match, but don't expect to need to watch it this evening.
 
Pardew's pregame interview was like a rice cake.
 

soxfan121

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Giroud fucking sucks. TWICE?! What a goddamned joke. 
 
That said, this is gonna get ugly. 
 

sachmoney

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More importantly, it puts Arsenal in commanding position to lock up fourth place. With a win or a draw, it's ours. With an Everton loss to City (I don't know who people want to win the league here, it seems to be split between Liverpool and City overall), fourth is locked up even before kickoff on Sunday. I would anticipate that a full squad is featured Sunday regardless, with it being the last home game and all. Locking it up this weekend would be great as far as resting key players for the Cup final.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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sachmoney said:
More importantly, it puts Arsenal in commanding position to lock up fourth place. With a win or a draw, it's ours. With an Everton loss to City (I don't know who people want to win the league here, it seems to be split between Liverpool and City overall), fourth is locked up even before kickoff on Sunday. I would anticipate that a full squad is featured Sunday regardless, with it being the last home game and all. Locking it up this weekend would be great as far as resting key players for the Cup final.
As remote as it might be, so long as the possibility of finishing third exists, I believe you have to play for it. Without the guarantee of the group stage, the team might be a little less free spending in the transfer period than it might be with a top 3 finish.
 

soxfan121

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Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
Not even the FA Cup to finally get your precious hardware?
 
Its the Arsenal thread, man. Five pages ago, finishing fourth was enough reason to have Arsene drawn & quartered before lighting him and Kroenke on fire and then pissing them out. 
 
Ho hum, another Champions League qualification. Arsene sucks.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
 
I don't know you, but you're coming across as just an awful fan. My goodness.
 
And here I was hoping Arsenal would win the FA Cup. No longer.
 
He doesn't speak for all of us, or most of us from what I can tell.  I just want Arsenal to succeed and don't really give a fuck about Saint Totteringham's Day.  Lording it over a lesser club with fewer resources just doesn't have a lot of attraction to me.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
 
He doesn't speak for all of us, or most of us from what I can tell.  I just want Arsenal to succeed and don't really give a fuck about Saint Totteringham's Day.  Lording it over a lesser club with fewer resources just doesn't have a lot of attraction to me.
 
I get it, I really do. The rest of the Arsenal fans here have been great. Mike....man, I dunno.
 

mgoblue2

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mikeford said:
Nothing is more important than finishing above the scum.

Nothing.
 
Hey, if Arsenal finish 18th and Spurs finish 19th, then mission accomplished. To each his own.
 

ifmanis5

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Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
Not even the FA Cup to finally get your precious hardware?
I'd choose FA Cup for sure. Ten year trophy drought is long enough. And we all know they will go nowhere in the CL as usual. It's nice to have the prestige (and money) of it but ultimately meaningless since they'll be drubbed out again. Give me a cup, I'm thirsty.
 
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