By Tony Attwood
Obviously, we all want Arsenal to improve. Probably the only time no one talked about improvement was after the Unbeaten Season. But the rest of the time we want each season to be better.
And the media tells us day after day that this can only be gained by having a) new players (52 have been tipped so far) and b) a new manager. This is usually backed up by occasional figures – which are often false, as we have shown on this site from time to time.
Indeed As I write this the biggest stories circulating according to NewsNow are
So it goes, on and on. Arsenal are not very good, and even our loanees are not very good. And the solution is either (or both) to change the team and change the manager. No one considers how much progress Arsenal has actually made since last season. So once again it’s down to us.
In the table below we show the position of Arsenal in recent years after 31 games. In the final column we show the number of points we are behind fourth place, and in the two seasons we were above fourth place how many points by (shown as +)
| Pos | Season | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2021/22 | 31 | 17 | 3 | 11 | 45 | 37 | 8 | 54 | -3 |
| 6 | 2020/21 | 31 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 43 | 35 | 8 | 45 | -10 |
| 9 | 2019/20 | 31 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 41 | 2 | 43 | -11 |
| 3 | 2018/19 | 31 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 65 | 39 | 26 | 63 | +2 |
| 6 | 2017/18 | 31 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 58 | 41 | 17 | 51 | -13 |
| 6 | 2016/17 | 31 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 63 | 40 | 23 | 57 | -7 |
| 3 | 2015/16 | 31 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 52 | 30 | 22 | 58 | +4 |
At this stage of the season we have only twice in the past seven seasons been at fourth or above, in 2018/19 and in 2015/16. And this period has been one of managerial change – three different permanent managers have been at Arsenal between 2015/16 and 2021/22. And yet this regular change of management has not brought about the desired finish.
Indeed correspondents have often written in and said that doing same thing which fails, over and over again, is a sure sign of madness. But that is what many correspondents suggest: change the manager, change the team, even though that keeps failing.
Of course we might still get fourth this season, but recent results have knocked us back, and at the moment one would have to say the odds are against.
So we’ve had this period of regular change (three permanent managers in seven seasons) and failed to get what is now seen as the target (fourth) more than twice, and the call from “supporters” is to continue with the failing policy of changing managers AND DO IT AGAIN.
Yet there are obvious reasons for not changing managers again: the manager brought in a young set of players last summer, all in defence, and while I have never quite understood why this happened given the success of the last two-thirds of last season, it has been done.
Next season the defence will come back in settled, older and more experience, and I would expect them to get the club back to the defensive qualities of the last two-thirds of last season when we had the second-best defence in the league.
Changing the manager now would undoubtedly mean that the new man would rip up that defence. And even more dangerously I doubt that he would fully appreciate the size and nature of the vendetta against Arsenal defenders practiced by the PGMO.
For we must not forget that Arteta took Arsenal from being the club getting the most yellow cards down to the club with among the fewest cards by changing tactics – all in one season. The danger of a new manager is that he might well not understand just how vindictive PGMO men can be given half the chance.
What improvement? Ridiculous sentiment over reality. Arsenal spent the most money in Europe last summer and there has been no progress. By the end of the season Arsenal will be in a similar position to where Arsenal finished the last two seasons. Arteta is now blaming players for running out of ideas. Whats his job exactly?
Jenius – is your name ironic. You ask “what improvement” and I spent the article pointing out that after 31 games last season we had 45 points and after 31 games this season we have 54 points. Should I also have said that 54 is nine more than 45?
I have been a bit down lately so would like to thank Jenius99 for giving me such a laugh with his hilarious ‘what improvement’ comment and brightening my day up.
Some one needs to explain to him that April fools day only applies to April 1st.
Unless of course Jenius99 really is a fool.
For some.see le grove.Unless you’re wining or drawing every match & I mean EVERY match! There is no improvement.I always thought the “ Invincible “ standards would be a rod for our back.
if Arsenal seriously want to fight for CL places, the club have to consistently getting 70+ points every season and 80+ points to fights for the title. it don’t matter much if we got 54 points after 31 games but continue to drop points (and worst if we lose all the remaining matches but i seriously doubt that). i believe this team will bounce back and there’s a long road ahead of us. yes, we see improvement but it’s the points tally that matter most in the end of the season
This team will bounce back, one game at a time. A series of steep learning curves. As for Mr Arteta he’s in at the deep end and swimming in full view.
Tony I will say this once so you hear t clearly.
You are wearing rose tinted glasses.and have been blowing smoke up Arreta and KSE go years. Starting to think you are just a KSE mouthpiece in disguise.
You surely cannto support this level of absolute fucking incompetence . I am beyond angry with you and this site for you absolutely ridiculous bias towards Arteta, Edu and KSE. It’s gone far enough.
Arteta OUT, there.is no coming back from this shambles.of a season. We have.laot what 11fames already, by the end of will be around 15. It’s.simply.not good enough by any metrics.
Attacking is rubbish, midfield rubbish, defense where Arteta spent 130m is worse also. What exactly are you no seeing here. Wake the fuck up.
I am happy to go on a podcast and debate.this with you to actually debate what I am saying with evidence
Well Tony, Free has certainly put you straight on a few things in very lucid and erudite fashion.
I hope you are feeling suitably contrite and in future refrain from writing such nonsense.
Maybe run all articles past Free before publication for his approval and he could proof read them at the same time to check for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.
What with Jenius99 and now Free I think this is appropriate….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THjBJk8R2MY
@free, so you are saying any supporters and fans who supported manager of Arsenal football club is somehow a mouthpiece for the Kroenke. that just a dumb and childish accusation. tell me who’s not, fans and supporters alike who don’t get angry when their team is losing games on the trot. it’s okay to get angry but to bring out the pitchforks, calling for manager head and condemned the whole team when the team is in a pinch is not a sensible solutions. what the hell is wrong with fans of this generation
What wrong with my team?
No defence, no penetration, slow on the ball, what happened to the hunger?
Then no dummies before a free kick.
At their next training session the lads will be put through their paces by Danny Mills, Free, and Piers Morgan waving his Nelson Mandela banner. The event will be filmed.
There is a massive contradiction in football. Every club fan applauds the goal scored in a moment of total identification with the scorer. Nothing exists except that goal. When the team cannot score, the same players who electrified the fans, are now completely subservient to the manager, slaves to the manager, run by the manager, they have no free will, no identity of their own. They fail, the manager must go.
Utter madness.
Totally agree, there is no need to change manager, most would jphabe taken being in the race for 4th at this stage is asked at the start of the season?
Arteta or the club may have made some mistakes, most do, and our last three results were poor admittedly, but go through the trauma of changing a manager?
Paddy is doing well at Palace, but a completely different club with very different pressures and expectations to this one.
Arteta is getting a new deal by the look of things anyway whether Morgan agrees or not. Will have a new strike force next season, let’s see how get on with that