Arsenal v WHAM and a look back to the last time we won fewer games in a season

By Bulldog Drummond



 

The league table shows just how urgently more points are required.   With Manchester City banned for Europe (pending an appeal), the 5th placed club is likely to qualify for the Champions League, meaning the teams that finish sixth to eighth play in the Europa League.  Arsenal are currently three points behind Tottenham and Sheffield United, with Sheffield Utd having a game in hand.

Pos Club P W D L F A GD Pts
4 Chelsea 28 13 6 9 47 39 8 45
5 Manchester United 28 11 9 8 42 30 12 42
6 Wolverhampton Wanderers 28 10 12 6 41 34 7 42
7 Tottenham Hotspur 28 11 7 10 46 39 7 40
8 Sheffield United 27 10 10 7 29 25 4 40
9 Burnley 28 11 5 12 33 39 -6 38
10 Arsenal 27 8 13 6 39 36 3 37

West Ham Untidy have won just one of their last nine games, and that was indeed the last game.

Date Game Res Score Competition
10 Jan 2020 Sheffield United v West Ham United L 1-0 Premier League
18 Jan 2020 West Ham United v Everton D 1-1 Premier League
22 Jan 2020 Leicester City v West Ham United L 4-1 Premier League
25 Jan 2020 West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion L 0-1 FA Cup
29 Jan 2020 West Ham United v Liverpool L 0-2 Premier League
01 Feb 2020 West Ham United v Brighton and Hove Albion D 3-3 Premier League
19 Feb 2020 Manchester City v West Ham United L 2-0 Premier League
24 Feb 2020 Liverpool v West Ham United L 3-2 Premier League
29 Feb 2020 West Ham United v Southampton W 3-1 Premier League

This run of results leaves them lingering in the depths, not to mention the lower reaches. They are equal on points with the mighty Bournemouth who have a ground so small it seems amazing that they have stayed up, while WHAM are, as we know, among the giants, with a massive stadium given to them by the state and maintained at the expense of the taxpayer.  And we know just how great the club is because their triumvirate of Ceasers tells us this every day.

But it is not just the regime that keeps them just a few goals above a relegation places.  They have an even worse away form that Arsenal.

Away games only

Pos Club P W D L F A GD Pts
10 Burnley 14 4 4 6 14 21 -7 16
11 Arsenal 13 2 8 3 14 16 -2 14
12 Tottenham Hotspur 14 3 5 6 19 24 -5 14
13 Everton 14 3 3 8 18 27 -9 12
14 West Ham United 14 3 3 8 12 23 -11 12
15 Newcastle United 14 3 2 9 12 29 -17 11

And of course the benefit we have on Saturday is that we are playing at home

Home games only

Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Liverpool 14 14 0 0 38 11 27 42
2 Manchester City 13 9 2 2 33 12 21 29
3 Leicester City 14 8 3 3 26 15 11 27
4 Manchester United 14 7 5 2 27 12 15 26
5 Tottenham Hotspur 14 8 2 4 27 15 12 26
6 Everton 14 7 4 3 19 15 4 25
7 Arsenal 14 6 5 3 25 20 5 23

That table above shows the irony of Arsenal’s situation.  The work has begun on turning our away form of recent years around, only to find that the home form has now declined.  In the whole of last season we only drew three home games and lost just two, scoring 42 at home in the process.  With just five home games left to go we are quite clearly way short of last season’s record.

Indeed 2017/18 was even better at home with just two draws and two defeats and 54 scored during the season.  That sort of home record now seems but a distant dream.

So here we have the cause of the current malaise.  We have at long last started to improve the away form, only for the home form to take a knock.  We’re not going to recover from this fully this season, but a game like this surely should be the occasion for taking a step in the right direction.

And here’s a thought.   Following the decision to change managers twice, Arsenal are now in a position of having won just eight games so far this season.   The last time we won fewer than that in a season – indeed the only time we won fewer than that in a season, was 1912/13, when we were relegated.

4 Replies to “Arsenal v WHAM and a look back to the last time we won fewer games in a season”

  1. I thought Arsenal fc has never been relegated since the formation of the club and was admitted to play in the 1st division. But nevertheless, all things being in order at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow Saturday, Arsenal should be able to beat the West Hammers to all the 3 points collection at stake in the Premier League match encounter that will be played between the two club sides. Arsenal are desperate for more full points collection to improve on their standing in the PL table. David Moyes the West Ham manager whose West Ham team desperately needs to garner more points so as to avoid the drop into the Championship division next season. Therefore, I foresee a difficult match for both clubs. But irrespective, I believe Arsenal playing at home should give the Gunners advantage to white wash the Irons. Ad if need be, the Gunners on their entering into their Emirates Stadium should seize all the hammers in the hands of the Irons that they came along with to the Ems but with the aim of hammering Arsenal. But alas! It’s Arsenal who hammered the Irons thoroughly leaving the Hammers with broken legs.
    At fulltime Arsenal 3-0 West Hammers is a result before the match is played.

  2. I think that it is a fair (and possibly conservative)estimate that we have been unjustly robbed of at least 10 points by a combination of referees and VAR. I was keeping a score, but have lost track. Sheffield United away and Chelsea at home come to mind, plus the home game against Palace, when Sokratis’ goal was cancelled. By the same token, some of those points have been directly of benefit to teams above us in the league table.

    Imagine how different the “true” table would be. – and in a season when Arsenal are supposed to be in a gradual recovery from being crap.

    I recall that early in the season we got into third place – at which point a new pattern of adverse decision-making became apparent, as if the football establishment; EPL, PGMOL, media etc. determined that that situation could not be tolerated.

  3. The Guard,lxlknfkjnknfvjbkj has:

    Arsenal’s unlikely Champions League tilt will have real momentum if they rack up a third consecutive win.

    This is a prelude article to tomorrow’s game against StateAid.

    But you just know, that if Arsenal were to win tomorrow against StateAid, that their next article would be something like:

    This win by Arsenal means nothing in terms of trying to get into the Champions League positions in the EPL, because they are a team with no backbone who fails at everything they try. They really should endeavor to be more like that other most excellent club from North London, Tottenham Hotspur.

    Choke, choke, choke. Gag!

  4. Champions league qualifying tilt, not a chance, the PGMOL will see to that, especially if we start threatening a few holy of holies in this quest.
    Starting with Atkinson tomorrow, that’s another Arsenal player with a broken bone and no card for the assailant

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