(The not-so-temporary quite-official) Gooner Thread (Part 2)

Only for the last 15 years or so. He started off so well and the gunners played some awesome football but now they flatter to deceive. Always look promising and don't deliver the final blow. You guys should have had at least 3 premierships more than you have.

LG, which three premierships should Arsenal have won ?

LG that's the most sense you've ever made in here ;-)

I'm not sure it would be either for me, as Mertesacker shouldn't start ahead of Gabriel for me.

Cazorla/Arteta/Mertesacker aren't the big 'fire up types' we want. 

The only player I regularly see doing that is Coquellin & Sanchez.

Ultimately I'd love it to be Ramsey and for him to be starting in his favoured spot too.

Yea not sure which extra prems we should've won... 

Only 2002/03 really springs to mind, but perhaps we wouldn't have won in 2003/04 had the team not been through that pain. 

Maybe 2007/08 as well, but to be fair that would've been an absolute stunner had we done it. We were at our lowest point financially at that stage, it was a miracle that we managed such a challenge with the squad we had, it was assembled on a shoe string. Still, if Clichy was more urgent with that clearance... and had Gallas acted like a real captain... who knows.

In reality if you look at the resources of the clubs we have been competing against, we probably have 3 more premierships than we should have in the last 17 seasons, thanks entirely to Wenger. 

Only now, in the last 2/3 seasons, have we had anywhere near the resources needed to challenge for silverware. So although I'm a Wenger fan through and through, even I will agree the fact that he is now under the microscope more than ever before in terms of results.

4th place or worse this season and an early Champions League exit, and it would be very hard for him to stay on. 

Think LG meant more that with the talent at our disposal we should probably have won the league a couple more times than we have, rather than thinking of particular seasons. However if you want to go that way, 07-08 we were 5 points clear in February then capitulated after the disaster at Birmingham only winning 1 of the next 8 games or something ridiculous. 13-14 we led for over half the season, longer than anyone else but again capitulated in the February-March period. Not going to say we should have won but don't think it's a stretch to say in those 2 seasons we blew it from positions where we should have at least gone close.

99 and 08. 

In 99 you finished 19 points behind the winners.

Forgot about 98-99. From memory we were top in May then lost to a last minute goal against Leeds and ended up losing the title by a point on the final day. 

That was 99-00. 98-99 see my post above.

Yeah JFH

Very painful. Worse still then had to cheer on the Cocks

Yeah that Leeds game is the first time I can remember sport making me cry. I was 12 years old it looked like we were going to win the thing again only to have it taken away.

We lost the title in 94/95, 2009/10 by one point and goal difference in 11/12.

A miss is as good as a mile.

Yikes those are some stinking rotten memories.

Also '99 was bergkamp's missed peno in the fa cup semi, and giggs' winning goal. 

Yeah, that was in injury time. Instead they ended up winning the treble. Can be such a fine line sometimes.

The fa statement regarding the last match. Hope the cod deigo gets a lengthy ban.

https://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150921/fa-statement

Bloody phone, wrote a lengthy post on it all earlier.

I think Costa, Gabriel, and both clubs will get/accept their punishment.

However I think Santi's track record should show get him out of it. We can't afford for his ban to be lengthened, especially given he was the least of the bad offenders on the day!

Edit: mis-read the statement and thought Santi had been charged, not warned.

Any of you more generously proportioned Gooners fancy a '94 Ray Parlour home shirt? I ordered one of Campo Retro thinking the sizing was similar to how it was back in the day (I was an s/m 20yrs ago but a coupla sizes bigger now lol) and it isn't... it's a very generous XL, no 'european' of 'slim' fit bollocks here!

Anyway, it's brand new - if you want it, or know someone who might - make me an offer... you can see on the link I paid thirty squid (plus postage). 

Cheers.

Makes the robbery even greater though...

And Costa has received a 3 match ban.

Still to hear results of Gabriel charge for behaviour after the red, and charges against both clubs for 'failing to control their players'.

No charge for Dean though...

Great news on the appeal and some justice for Costa, pity or doesn't help us in terms of that game though. I imagine Gabriel will still end up with a ban for the reaction after the red card anyway.

Problem is all our good kids that you would consider ready for this level are on loan elsewhere.

In off the field news Wenger has apparently split from his wife.

Don't need a striker.

Will start going i soon etc 

Weve been pretty unlucky to be fair; remember Sanchez hitting the post quite a few times.

I read that Gabriel will probably get a fine rather than ban.

To summarise: Costa should have been sent off and Gabriel should have stayed on the pitch. Fudgeing ridiculous that we got nothing from the match. 

Shark happens

Over the length of the season we will 'win' more ref's calls than 'lose'

Always the way with the big clubs

Of greater concern was an entirely predictable CHELSEA side beat us again.

Simply not good enough.

The fact that they beat us *may* have had something to do with an incorrect sending off and lack of sending off...

Moving on, Tottenham tonight!

Flamini and arteta in the middle for us. Nit confident about that

Haha yeah, gives Ramsey a chance to run the show though. Hopefully Giroud can find where the net is too. 

Flamster showing us what's what!

Fudge. Chambers should have left that for Ospina.

Would a draw mean extra time or replay?

Flamini with the 20 yard volley! Where did he pick that out from? Go for the hattrick my son!

He scores when he wants, he scores when he waaaaaaaaaaants. Mathieu Flamini, he scores when he wants.

Reminds me of that game Pascal Cygan scored 2. Has Flamini ever done this before?