Mikel Arteta: Aston La Vista To The Title?

[OnlyOne]

Honestly I’d probably hate Arteta much much less if I didn’t have to come on AM and read the horrendous posting by the likes of @HairSprayGooners and others.

‘Expected the loss to Villa’ just after David Moyes bullied them week before.

 

[truth_hurts]

I mean its just stupid logic. Look at where West Ham are, they're that team that's an anomaly this season.

Villa spent a lot of money and let's be honest if they didn't have Grealish it would be a completely different story. They have a good team around Grealish which helps.

Both of these teams are balanced. Id say that when the season started we had the most unbalanced squad in the league. And if you look you'll see that performances have vastly improved whilst the squad has been trimmed and we've become more balanced.

I class the Wolves loss as a complete anomaly due to what happened. Villa loss I sort of expected away from home. Other than that though we've been excellent in 2021. City and Leicester next in the league will test our progress. But in fairness I dont care about our league finish this year, I want top performances and a Europa league run. Get Partey and Tierney fit for an entire season, add some more magic to the side and we'll make top 4 next season.

So you are advocating two teams who fought of relegation last season possibly finishing above Arsenal. It is mindsets like this which allow us to hover in mid-table mediocrity.

I don't want to hear about anomalies and Jack Grealish. Last season was supposed to be an anomaly for us and we have a squad littered with international starts. A bunch of Championship fodder plus Grealish has no right to be above us.

Stop making excuses.

 

[avenellroad]

They were struggling last season. Indicates the need for patience for managers and for signings to gel.

What is crap about the reasoning that expectation should be determined by the owner’s ambition, which in turn is dependent on how much money he/she spends? Yes, how the money’s spent is important, but Villa have not only spent more than us, they’ve spent and got the profile of players they want. That second part is what we’re now trying to achieve with Arteta, correcting mistakes of bad acquisitions we made in the past, but it’s going to take a lot of time; we only managed to get two marquee signings in the summer. We need a lot more than that.

This is the joke of it all, like we are some bottom of the barrell dross ****e who should be grateful to have Arteta managing us and espousing a ‘process’ like every other new gen manager.

We are haemmoraging money on turd like Willian, which was signed off by Arteta. How do you explain this, and where does this fit in the ‘process’?

And yet the clubs who are/ were supposedly in turmoil like Sp**s and Chelski sit comfortably above us, some with games in hand to spare.

The mental gymnastics on show is really a thing to behold. A lot of our problems this season have been self inflicted by the management. Arteta shouldn’t be getting credit for something any old fan could have told you was the issue (play a number 10 type earlier in the season, lo and behold EsR plays and performance somewhat improves).

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

When you look at it, the first 1/4 of the season really did for us.

This is such a topsy turvy season with the lack of a proper pre season / all the Covid stuff. When you see the likes of Villa and West Ham loitering around top 4, it's frustrating. They're no better than us on paper, in fact they're worse.

If we could have backdoored our way into finishing 4th this season with all the crazy results / underperforming big sides, that could have been a (financial) springboard to really cement ourselves as a fairly consistent top 4 side in the future.

Think we've really missed out this year, unless we win the Europa League. League seasons as open as this one don't come around too often at all.

We wouldn't even have had to performed exceptionally well results wise to hit 4th this year. I imagine it will be a pretty low points total for whoever does finish 4th this year.

 

[El Duderino]

Honestly I’d probably hate Arteta much much less if I didn’t have to come on AM and read the horrendous posting by the likes of @HairSprayGooners and others.

‘Expected the loss to Villa’ just after David Moyes bullied them week before.

Grabbing my popcorn to see what passive-agressive insult he comes up with next.

 

[Macho]

Honestly I’d probably hate Arteta much much less if I didn’t have to come on AM and read the horrendous posting by the likes of @HairSprayGooners and others.

‘Expected the loss to Villa’ just after David Moyes bullied them week before.

Fam

Quoted for truth.

 

[amigo]

Most people here seem to have given up already in the league. there is everything to play for and if we keep winning games we will move up the table. How far depends on how other teams do. The encouraging thing is that we are playing much better. If we take our last four games, even the two losses were not woeful performances, unlike earlier on. Mikel needs to take every game at a time and see how far he can take us, and of course in the Europa league too. Based on performances in the last ten matches I'd say he warrants being given to the end of the season. If by then we are still losing many matches we ought not too, then a change will be warranted. The problem about Europa is it is not much use unless you win it apart from testing squad player options.

 

[Sweet'n'Soulful]

Honestly I’d probably hate Arteta much much less if I didn’t have to come on AM and read the horrendous posting by the likes of @HairSprayGooners and others.

‘Expected the loss to Villa’ just after David Moyes bullied them week before.

Tbf, only 47% of the forum thought we’d win that game and 22% thought we’d lose, so he wasn’t the OnlyOne.

He didn’t fancy we’d win for whatever reason and he was right. The fact they were awful against West Ham and lost was never going to have any bearing on what happened against us because football maths never add up, do they?

As for Bald as a poster, I’d say he’s far more centered than most on here. A lot of what he posts regarding Arteta is merely countering some really negative crap, which will usually mean it won’t be long before you’re labelled some sort of fanatic and ridiculed at every turn. He’s one of the better posters on here tbh, and I know my sh1t.

 

[Iceman10]

Most people here seem to have given up already in the league. there is everything to play for and if we keep winning games we will move up the table. How far depends on how other teams do. The encouraging thing is that we are playing much better. If we take our last four games, even the two losses were not woeful performances, unlike earlier on. Mikel needs to take every game at a time and see how far he can take us, and of course in the Europa league too. Based on performances in the last ten matches I'd say he warrants being given to the end of the season. If by then we are still losing many matches we ought not too, then a change will be warranted. The problem about Europa is it is not much use unless you win it apart from testing squad player options.

When we lost to Olympiakos last season it was said our early exit cost us as much as theoretical 20m revenues, and even though it is a second-tier competition a club can earn up to 40m revenues total from participation in the tournament (and going all the way), so there is still value from EL even if it is not won, but we need to re-qualify for it, at minimum, for sake of our transfer budget. That’s why I will support the club to get Top 6 and to go as far as possible in EL. On that I would agree with you that the season isn’t dead, there is much to play for, and negative vibes from fans pre-match where you know a section of fans will still be negative even if we win means there is only downside not upside, which doesn’t help (tension).

I don’t like the job done by club executives over the last five years, but I also intensely dislike what I see from a faction of our fans who in their inner rage to get rid of players and managers often appear to actually want losses rather than wins at times, which is disgusting. I do agree with some commenters here that their comments end up worse because they are often reacting to opposite view comments that are equivalent to propaganda.

 

[Moah]

Tbf, only 47% of the forum thought we’d win that game and 22% thought we’d lose, so he wasn’t the OnlyOne.

He didn’t fancy we’d win for whatever reason and he was right. The fact they were awful against West Ham and lost was never going to have any bearing on what happened against us because football maths never add up, do they?

As for Bald as a poster, I’d say he’s far more centered than most on here. A lot of what he posts regarding Arteta is merely countering some really negative crap, which will usually mean it won’t be long before you’re labelled some sort of fanatic and ridiculed at every turn. He’s one of the better posters on here tbh, and I know my sh1t.

The majority of the 22% percent that thought we would lose didn't believe Villa were a better team than us, they doubted the manager. That is the key difference I see.

 

[amigo]

When we lost to Olympiakos last season it was said our early exit cost us as much as theoretical 20m revenues, and even though it is a second-tier competition a club can earn up to 40m revenues total from participation in the tournament (and going all the way), so there is still value from EL even if it is not won, but we need to re-qualify for it, at minimum, for sake of our transfer budget. That’s why I will support the club to get Top 6 and to go as far as possible in EL. On that I would agree with you that the season isn’t dead, there is much to play for, and negative vibes from fans pre-match where you know a section of fans will still be negative even if we win means there is only downside not upside, which doesn’t help (tension).

I don’t like the job done by club executives over the last five years, but I also intensely dislike what I see from a faction of our fans who in their inner rage to get rid of players and managers often appear to actually want losses rather than wins at times, which is disgusting. I do agree with some commenters here that their comments end up worse because they are often reacting to opposite view comments that are equivalent to propaganda.

Good point about the revenue, yes I forgot that.

 

[Sweet'n'Soulful]

The majority of the 22% percent that thought we would lose didn't believe Villa were a better team than us, they doubted the manager. That is the key difference I see.

Bald didn’t say we’d lose to Villa because they are better than us.

I doubt anyone at all thinks Villa are a better side than us.

We win because the team, we lose because the manager.

 

[Moah]

Bald didn’t say we’d lose to Villa because they are better than us.

I doubt anyone at all thinks Villa are a better side than us.

We win because the team, we lose because the manager.

I don't care what Baldy says that is not the point.

I give credit to Arteta when its deserved. Matches like the ones vs United and other big clubs, I trust him to build a formidable defensive strategy that gets us the points. Most games we win vs big teams is because of his well organized defense.

But on the other hand, games like the ones vs Villa and other mid to lower table teams is where his shortcomings are exposed. I very much doubt his ability to build an attacking team from what I have seen.

 

[Harz]

Sack him and don't miss out on Ruben Amorim

 

[GoonerJay24]

When you look at it, the first 1/4 of the season really did for us.

This is such a topsy turvy season with the lack of a proper pre season / all the Covid stuff. When you see the likes of Villa and West Ham loitering around top 4, it's frustrating. They're no better than us on paper, in fact they're worse.

If we could have backdoored our way into finishing 4th this season with all the crazy results / underperforming big sides, that could have been a (financial) springboard to really cement ourselves as a fairly consistent top 4 side in the future.

Think we've really missed out this year, unless we win the Europa League. League seasons as open as this one don't come around too often at all.

We wouldn't even have had to performed exceptionally well results wise to hit 4th this year. I imagine it will be a pretty low points total for whoever does finish 4th this year.

It was a low points tally last season too; 3rd place finished with 65 points. That is madness! We should be doing so much better these last couple of years.

 

[Macho]

When you look at it, the first 1/4 of the season really did for us.

This is such a topsy turvy season with the lack of a proper pre season / all the Covid stuff. When you see the likes of Villa and West Ham loitering around top 4, it's frustrating. They're no better than us on paper, in fact they're worse.

So you see it now?

Not a told you so moment at all because I've got plenty wrong, but this was kinda my point all along and a big part of my frustration.

In fairness to Arteta, he never got that attacking mid we desperately needed and got lucky with ESR. As we've seen we clearly need LB cover and he never got that too. Arteta isn't definitely to blame for everything.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

I was shocked with how young our squad is too. It's deceptive.

Laca's age always confuses me too. I guess its a combination of a bit of physical decline on his part and the fact people on here talk about him like he's an OAP that I just assume he's about 32

Bellerin only being 25 confuses me too. Feels like he's been around forever.

Laca is only 29 but plays like he's 40, there's players in their mid 30s fitter than him.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

So you see it now?

Not a told you so moment at all because I've got plenty wrong, but this was kinda my point all along and a big part of my frustration.

In fairness to Arteta, he never got that attacking mid we desperately needed and got lucky with ESR. As we've seen we clearly need LB cover and he never got that too. Arteta isn't definitely to blame for everything.

We definitely shouldn't be sitting 10th. This squad is good enough for 6th as it stands, I believe, possibly higher if our main players are fit and on form.

It's not that I disagree with you that Arteta and the players have underperformed this season, particularly the first 1/4 of the season.

I think I'm just a bit more willing to give Arteta a bit more leeway than most, as it's his first managerial job. I can kind of live with the mistakes he's made / making as long as he learns from them, which I believe he is doing for the most part. I think we're starting to generally see some progress now. If that dies up or stagnates I'll probably have to revaluate my stance on Arteta though. There's only so long you can play the rookie manager card after all.

Ideally though I'd like to make my full judgement on Arteta at the end of next season. After 2.5 years it would be hard to make excuses for him if we're not in the hunt for top 4 at least.

I do think Arteta has been a little unfortunate with the way the squad has been left a little short in places. We can't complain too much though, I think most clubs have gone a little short in recruitment during the pandemic transfer windows. It's not like it's just affected us.

 

[Preacher]

 

[Sniper Mik]

So you are advocating two teams who fought of relegation last season possibly finishing above Arsenal. It is mindsets like this which allow us to hover in mid-table mediocrity.

I don't want to hear about anomalies and Jack Grealish. Last season was supposed to be an anomaly for us and we have a squad littered with international starts. A bunch of Championship fodder plus Grealish has no right to be above us.

Stop making excuses.

Nothing to say we won't drop further down the table. Finishing 6th under Wenger was considered unacceptable. Now for someone reason it's 'progress' if we finish in the top half. Atleast our defence is better right?