It’s not all doom and gloom. ‘Cautious Optimism’ is what my teacher used to call it when we wrote codes in C++ on a vi editor – chances of it to fail were various, you could easily miss out a semicolon and things won’t work, the error descriptions weren’t ‘descriptive’ enough and you would have to start from line 1 to debug and fix the problem. Mikel is trying to do it on a football ground with 25 players from last 3 seasons and he is still to run it, successfully.
It was called a ‘Good Job’ when we finished 2nd for the first time in 2022-23 season. We lost the games in 36th and 37th week, against Brighton at Home 0-3, and Forest Away 1-0 and we lost the title by just 5 points. It wasn’t a bad result for the club and the fans, in a sense that we finished 2nd after a very long time, the players had the better days ahead and we had built a solid defensive unit. After the defeats, we picked ourselves up, and started from scratch in the next season.
2023-24, we finished 2nd again against Man City who were in tremendous form in the second half of the season. They had 91 points, we had 89 by the end of it. This time, we did well towards the end winning 6 out of last 6 games, beating Chelsea and Spurs on the way. Aston Villa did beat us which allowed City to go in front and they never dropped a point after that. Arteta & Co. were beaten by Pep and his players in a title run. We did well, very well and learnt from some of our earlier mistakes. Mikel bolstered the back up options in an attempt to keep the injury factor away. Alright, lets go again, boys.
2024-25, we finished 2nd again but it hurt this time. Almost everyone struggled but Liverpool, because of an extra ordinary season from Mo Salah, won the title with 84 points. We finished our season with 74 points, not good enough considering our points tally had dropped massively, we had improved in every area of the field, we had better back up players and almost everything else was in a better shape around the club that earlier seasons.
So far, this season, we have been doing good, again. We are sitting at the top after 21 games with a 6 points difference to our rivals – Man City, amidst injuries to many players. Martinelli was out for few games, Gabriel / Saiba partnership wasn’t available for few games, RB was a problem, Madueke picked up an injury, Saka was out after ages and Havertz / Jesus has made it for the selection only now. We have also managed to beat Unai Emery so, yeah.
There has been some concerns apart from the injuries. We spent some money in the CF department which hasn’t paid well, but it has been the system more than the player in my opinion. If Arteta things Havertz and Jesus will better suit his style, they are available now and he can do what he wishes. Bukayo has some drop in form, and it hasn’t costed us still but we surely need the best player in his best form if we are going to compete at all levels and win something of importance.
Premier League – sitting up top with 6 points lead and 17 games to go. It’s achievable and let us just agree that not winning from here should be called a bottle job.
Champions League – we haven’t dropped a point in Champions League so far and we have beaten Atletico and Bayern in the process. We were beaten by PSG in Semi Finals last season, and they went on to win the title, so it wasn’t a all-sad affair. We can do better than that, this season. We can go all the way.
Carabao Cup – We are playing Chelsea in a 2-legged semi finals. Chelsea has sacked Maresca and we can take advantage of that. It’s not easy considering we will face one of the Man City and Newcastle if we manage to beat Chelsea but again, it’s achievable. We have beaten all three and we know how to do that.
FA Cup – FA Cup third round got us some very unexpected but sweet results. Forest lost to Wrexham in a penalty shooutout, Newcastle somehow managed to win against Bournemouth after a 3-3 result in regular time, Tottenham lost to Aston Villa (lol) and Brighton beat Man Utd. We beat Portsmouth 4-1 after going down in 3rd minute which was expected. We are going to play Wigan Athletic in 4th round. We will have a 5th round, quarter finals, semis and finals – so it’s a long road and we have just got started.
Yeah, we are doing well. I am Cautiously Optimistic.
Could it have been better?
Certainly.
Are we struggling in some departments?
Yes – because some of those games in PL were won by set pieces and our open play goals had dried up.
Can we make it to the end?
I hope so, considering we have 3 seasons of falling short and we have practically 2 playing XI that can finish the season in the top half of the table.
See you in the comment section.
A little known fact obtained from a friend if mine – an Iranian surgeon who fled Iran when the Shah was deposed.
When living in Iran (Tehran) a lot of his friends were Jews. They still remain – about 40,000 in Tehran and double that throughout Iran. They still practice their religion with approval from the state.
His son returned to Iran about 20years ago and much of the middle class have been waiting for the current uprising. A lot of Jews hate their regime also.
simply put, there’s no excuse for us not winning the title this season…so come year’s end I don’t want to hear any nonsense about injuries and/or officiating conspiratorial hijinks should MA find a way to somehow cock-up this silver platter opportunity, especially considering what has transpired this season with Pool, Chelsea and City…Villa’s a nice first-half story but they aren’t really a bona fide threat unless they’re as busy in this window as they were a year prior
City’s clearly the only true contender, unless our form dips so drastically that we allow others to enter the equation…Semenyo’s a nice add, as he’s a true two-footer, just not sure about what Pep will do from a rotational standpoint with Doku back and Marmoush soon to return from the Cup of Nations (not to mention Bobb, who’s now a likely loan candidate)…that said, the more intriguing add would be that of Guehi…they’ve got some serious backline concerns and he would go a long way in addressing them, as he’s a plug and play quality starter…even so, I’m not so sure that Pep will continually deploy his best 11, offensively-speaking, until Rodri returns to form, which might not happen in time to properly impact this particular race
anyways, unless something unexpected occurs this might be the most uninteresting and uneventful title run ever, as we’re a melba toast watch, which will likely only get worse when MA’s balls continue to shrivel once the stakes are raised…regardless of the circumstances I’ll be elated for the players if we win it all, even though my excitement will undoubtedly be tempered in light of the manner in which it was achieved…tbh I hope that our whole set piece/own goal horseshoe up our arses shit fades so that MA will be required to actually manage his way to a title…otherwise we’ll have to endure a shit ton of matches with Rice, Zubi, Merino, Havertz and/or Jesus as our main threats in and around the box, which is a truly unappealing prospect
today should be another gift-wrapped affair against a poor side who struggle for goals…as such I will not be watching in real time, as I will no longer fight off alternative plans to watch our rinse and repeat borefests…Cheers
This season will be the one where everybody has had a run of games where they implode – except our lot.
NORG
Mentioning Iran in the context of this afternoon is something of a non-sequitir, but if you really must, here goes.
I worked in Tehran for 4 months in 91. A sinister and unpleasant place where the authorities harassed anyone and everyone including foreigners. A nasty theocracy where people were under strict control. Just like eastern Europe pre 89 yeah? It’s much the same now.
Very little difference between Iran and Israel, an equally nasty theocracy where everyone bar Zionists are distrusted. I’ll never forget my sense of relief flying out of Tel Aviv after 5 very stressful days spent meeting some properly ‘vile human beings’ – see above 😆
Before any Netanyahu fluffers out there talk about the ‘d’ word, bear in mind that only certain groups in the apartheid state that is Zionist Israel are actually allowed to vote so not a democracy after all.
After the death count of innocent women and children is totted up and compared, Israel is far and away the world’s biggest murderer of civilians and a genocidaire. Many of their football fans share that ideology along with our own UK-based extremists.
Er if you’re chasing a goal and making subs (not a bad thing) and you decide to take Ode off surely the obvious replacement is Eze and not Merino?
If you’re looking to protect a lead it might make sense but its another Arteta decision that to me at least just doesn’t make sense.
No set pieces today you cunt.
Well played Forest.
Carrick is a better coach than this cunt.
KP
Pre deposition Tehran was quite a good place, I have never been there but one of my neighbours in the 90’s was a partner at Cooper Lybrand and ran the Tehran office. He and his wife loved the place.
When I met my surgeon friend in 2007 he was telling me the horror stories. His Son returned to Iran and has been there for over 20years. He must now be pleased that a new dawn should soon be coming over the horizon. I have never been to Israel but I have met some extremely rude Stamford Hill cowboys – who hate everybody.
Anyway a poor result tonight – Villa win tomorrow and Emery will be sharpening his fangs.
just watched and my concerns about this away fixture were clearly well-founded…thank fucking god I didn’t create a stink just so I could watch that one live…we’re such a blunt instrument operation that we have guys waiting on double-teams to get two inches away so they can hammer the ball off their shins in order to secure more corners…it’s really quite pathetic, especially in light of the costs involved
Iranian Revolution – Wikipedia https://share.google/2EMztvNBzMGmtrdgc
NORG
Always handy to have a few historical facts at your fingertips when pontificating about foreign affairs. Iran may have been a paradise for the ruling regime (a royal family…ooh how cute) but this piece suggests the usual horrors of favouritism, murder, corruption and the foul stench of colonialism, British and American. See a pattern here? In a nutshell they were bleeding the country dry of Iranian people’s own resources. Venezuela anyone for a more shall we say contemporary example? It was ripe in 79 for a populist response because the Shah was fucking loathed. So no, nothing to suggest the Shah nor his paid goons were the good guys. Sorry…and by they way, it’s far too simplistic to think about anything like this as good v bad. That’s the sort of addled thinking Americans deploy when thinking about which side to pick in a war. Don’t get me started on the Balkans but can you imagine Clinton stopping fucking children for a few moments to pick a side among Croats, Serbs, Bosnians, Kosovans and Albanians and their proxies in each other’s countries? It’s complicated dude!
The 79 revolution delivered a punitive, secretive Shia theocracy and people’s rights and hopes are nowhere. A little like the way America is going right now, and probably us not too soon after.
NORG, I hate to burst your panglossian bubble but there tend to be very few virtuous people in the world of foreign affairs.
It’s so toxic at Spurs, even West Ham were shocked. Frank’s race looks run.
Brilliant headline from today’s Guardian suggesting Spuds are even more bitter about the ways things are going than their claret and blue neighbours down the road. A classic race to the bottom.
Why can’t they just be happy for us I wonder? Here’s two micro violins 🎻🎻 for them to play out the season.
Vieira
It was turgid I agree. But in the midst of it, Arsenal created 3 or 4 clear chances and there was a legitimate call for a second half penalty. The team didn’t click and the finishing was poor. Forest defended stoutly and offered little threat themselves. I’d have put Havertz on for Gyok instead of Jesus. And with midweek action of their own, Forest had a bit more energy. You did well to avoid watching it live.
…no midweek action
Turgid rank shit.
Call it for what it is.
The cunt prefers boring as fuck Merino and that long streak of Chelsea cunt , Havertz over Eze and Nwaneri and any other player with an ounce of flair.
A billion pound team playing for fucking set pieces and throw ins. Thats not the fucking game is about for Arsenal. Thats for fucking Aldershot.
London is red should be 100% cunt out 24/7.
Out of principle and crimes against the once beautiful game.
Obviously you need the village idiot to make things work nicely, so Wicksy does come in handy at times.
Real Madrid showed what a real big club is all about last week.
They demand perfection.
All of the time.
I am still waiting for them to appoint our cunt, because I keep getting fucking told how fucking good he is.
Art
If Villa win today we could be looking at the title race being between us and Villa. City have dropped 9 points in their last 4 matches unless they seriously get their shit together very quickly they will be out of it.
If Villa were to beat us to the PL it would end Arteta (and cause Pedro to have a complete mental breakdown!). Unfortunately I don’t think they have enough to do it – it really should be ours which means we’ll be stuck with the cunt forever.
Marc
But, if the cunt does wins the league, and I have been told by so many no good cunts he is that fucking good, all the top clubs will surely be knocking our door down to sign him up?
Cunt.
Art
I’m in a Welsh language class with a geezer who has an ST at City. We were talking about Guardiola moving on at some stage and I ventured to suggest that Stubborn would be towards the top of the list of possible replacements. He laughed in my face and said he was hated at City by the staff and Guardiola, and said quite forcibly that he would never get the job let alone be shortlisted.
If Arteta were to leave Arsenal for any reason he’d be very limited to the clubs he could join – he’d need somewhere where they’d give him a huge amount of money and it’d either have to be a one club league or a club who aren’t highly demanding.
PSG would suit him.
Anon
I had a great affection for Arsenal having spent a very happy decade living on Highbury Hill. Fantastic village atmosphere, with everyone bonding around their love of the club.
However, I dislike Arteta intensely. I loathe his dictatorial style of management, shouting at the players as if they’re robots.
Even worse is his gamesmanship, his petulance, his constant whining and his utter lack of sportsmanship.
He’s almost always outside of his technical area, often hugging the touchline when an opposition player is attempting to sprint down the wing. I would dearly love an opposition player to slide tackle him, studs up, the next time he interferes with play.
I took this from the papers today
Another one who thinks he is a cunt.
Villa lose – crazy weekend with only 2 on the top 6 winning this weekend and no one in the top 4.