"The Arteta revolution has begun!"

So a 10 man, Man City team still make top 5

 

No sign of Spurs

 

I agree but I'd also argue there was not a pre dirty money era. I'm sure dirty money got laundered in football via various means, and certain top managers took bungs. The only difference between then and now, it wasn't used as an excuse for bottling the league in the fashion that Arsenal did.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2001/apr/08/theobserver.observerbusiness15

The 'bungs scandal' - centred on George Graham of Arsenal - came at the same time as allegations that matches were being fixed in order to defraud bookmakers. It led the FA to take action.

 

Take Kane's goals away and we'd be 15th.

 

The only difference?

I think you'll find that the real difference between dirty money then and now is that now it totals billions of pounds and is often state sponsored. The scale of dirt has increased exponentially and exploits all sorts of legal and political loopholes to remain either untraceable or unimpeachable.

 

Liverpool vastly exceeded expectations and did really, really well considering the amounts City, Chelsea and United were spending at a similar time. Perhaps the major difference was that Liverpool had a settled coach with a cohesive vision and their recruitment matched that vision strongly. Klopp had a year's head start on Pep which he took full advantage of, but since Pep found his groove they've been so dominant it's a joke.

The rising average points tally compared to yesteryear is even more impressive given how many games players at the top clubs play per season, what with new and expanded European and international tournaments regularly interrupting the domestic season.

 

I'm sure if City came into buy Kane, which they wouldn't, I doubt their money would be refused, no more than it would be refused from any other buyer. The morals of football have been corrupt for decades. Afterall who in their right mind spends a £billion on building a football stadium, face fact after 15 years in exile of trophies, Spurs arre gradually moving towards NFL, and I expect that there is some long dark corridors in that sport as well. Although personally I wouldn't buy Kane, he's damaged goods, it would be like buying a voodoo doll of yourself and sticking pins into it. Spurs have suffered enough torture, you aint passing on that chalice to anyone.

 

L

You're the twat who kept bumping this thread throughout the season cos you thought you were gonna win the league you ****ing tool

 

... and not the sharpest in the toolbox by a country mile

 

**** yo mumma

I bumped it coz Arteta has exceeded expectations and thus the revolution is happening

Ya ****.

 

He did exceed expectations...no one expected the bottle job to be this bad ...

 

They have bottled it quite spectacularly.
Have to admit I didnt see this coming with 10 games left.
I thought City might go on a run, because they have that in them to do that.
But I thought Arsenal would have enough about them to see it out.....guess not.

 

It was bad

But 2nd and back in the champions league means the revolution is on.

Because we were where you are now a couple of seasons ago

 

Goonz can never call any other team out for ‘bottling it’ without them being reminding of this season



beautiful

cursed

 

****ing can and will

So **** you.

 

NLD rivalry is so peak that Arsenal felt they had to one-up our achievement of finishing 3rd in a 2 horse race by finishing 2nd in a 1 horse race.

 

That rivalry is only really in spirit at the moment, because the gap between Arsenal and Spurs on the pitch means you aren't really our footballing rivals

 

How has he exceeded expectations? ... you finished second to us too ...

 

Only fair you lot get to say that this season as we’d been saying it the last six years, bro.

 

Its another of those situations.
If you offered Arsenal 2nd place and CL qualification back at the start of the season, they'd have taken your hand off.
Its just the manner in which they led the table pretty much all season, and then ****ed it up so royally in the final stretch.
A lot of people didnt even have Arsenal in the top 4 in their pre season predictions, never mind the top 2.

Of course Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool all being dismally gash throughout the season has helped.
Few saw that coming too.
Plus Newcastle have exceeded expectations....such an unpredictable season, except for City winning the league I guess