Why do some posters (not just you Kadian) get the idea that we can run Arsenal close?
They have strength in depth, have better players, are more technical, have a better manager, have money, have the experience of good run-ins, are more consistent - seriously, what even give you guys the idea?
The mind boggles at the football knowledge on this site sometimes.
Because they lack a goalscorer. They are perennial bottlers and are yet to have their customary blip. We play them soon and can close the gap on them with a win. Then they have a horrendous fun of fixtures in March, which could see them struggle to pick up points.
I think Arsenal will finish above us, but taking the above into account, I wouldn't say it's entirely unrealistic that we could finish above them.
As for the doom and gloom merchants, stop it. We finished 7th last season. We're not going to win every game. People need to accept that. Neither are our top 4 rivals. Villa was a poor result, but we need to react to it, as we did after the Hull defeat. People are going on like we lost.
This defeatist attitude is also pervasive in the Everton thread on the general forum, this player will score against us, we'll struggle against Everton etc. Basically, all but conceding the derby before a ball is kicked.
We are in good form. The City and Chelsea games are expected losses for most teams. The Villa draw is the only other real blip in, say, the last 10 games.
We'll push on again. Chucking money at it after a poor 45 minutes is purely reactionary and guarantees nothing. Bring 1 or 2 in, but people are talking about wholesale transfers, using our summer budget now etc. Fair enough, we'll struggle to keep Suarez with no top 4. But has anybody considered that introducing 3 or 4 new players, from foreign leagues, could unsettle the team as they may need a bedding in period (just look at Spurs early form), and actually cost us in terms of performance and points.
For me, just keep on doing what we're doing. It'll be tough, but we'll be there or thereabouts. Between us and Everton, for me. United are effectively 7 points behind. They've been poor even with Rooney and RVP in the team. They'll drop more points. I have no doubts in that regard.
Spurs are on a bounce. But, I feel Sherwood will get found out soon. They're too open and will drop points against the bigger teams. Still have to come to our place too.
Everton. They concern me the most. Playing well, doing it all, dominating teams, scoring goals, fairly tight defensively, getting points against the bigger teams. But, got a sneaky feeling they'll drop points tonight. Win the derby, and we could have a 5 point cushion over them.
So, keep the faith.
