Other Games 2014-15

[Lizz]

2-2.

[PeterWithesShin]

Arsenal are really, really poor this season.

You were saying?   They will finish at least 4th end of for me.  The season is still early, they have a really good mix up front, and when everyone is fit they look a good side to me.

[Gregorys Boy]

Liverpool would have taken a point before the game, and the late goal could be something to boast their confiderence and turn around their season.

[Gregorys Boy]

Arsenal are really, really poor this season.

You were saying?   They will finish at least 4th end of for me.  The season is still early, they have a really good mix up front, and when everyone is fit they look a good side to me.

I know, I know, but I didn't say that they would win this game, just that they are a good side who will finish at least 4th...

[pauliewalnuts]

Arsenal are really, really poor this season.

You were saying?   They will finish at least 4th end of for me.  The season is still early, they have a really good mix up front, and when everyone is fit they look a good side to me.

I stand by it.

Arsenal were fucking awful today, Liverpool, if you ignore the awful defending, were much better.

The quality of the PL this season is dreadful. This is one of the worst Man United sides in decades, yet they're 3rd somehow. There is next to no quality around.

[SoccerHQ]

Completely agree Paulie.

There are only two good teams in the league this year.

Seems to me Liverpool have barely won a game so far yet have 22 points and Arsenal and Man. United will both still probably finish top 4 despite both being very unbalanced teams.

[Chris Jameson]

This has gone a bit strange but I'll  make sure I keep you posted next time I'm watching Harrogate Town, they are fucking terrible.

Playing Tamworth on Saturday.
H&V grudge match.

Shame I'm working or we could've had a rumble.

Tamworth 3-0 Harrogate

In your face Jameson.

WHOEVER THE MANAGER IS OUT
WHOEVER THE MANAGER IS OUT

I'm going to get that chant going at the next home game and hound whoever the manager is out.

[peter w]

Arsenal are really, really poor this season.

You were saying?   They will finish at least 4th end of for me.  The season is still early, they have a really good mix up front, and when everyone is fit they look a good side to me.

I stand by it.

Arsenal were fucking awful today, Liverpool, if you ignore the awful defending, were much better.

The quality of the PL this season is dreadful. This is one of the worst Man United sides in decades, yet they're 3rd somehow. There is next to no quality around.

Are we going to get this said every season? As it sounds like a broken record now. The quality isn't dreadful. Man U have quality in abundance going forward, Chelsea and Man City have quality throughout their ranks, Southampton have shown they're a quality team, and West Ham have shown quality thus far. Everton have quality but aren't performing and Liverpool have quality but are struggling post-Suarez/Sturridge injury. Bony is quality and Swansea are a decent side that are only just in the top-half of the table. One of the best strikers in Belgium, who are a quality team, plays for a team that have been playing dreadfully, the same team that have a Dutch centre-half who played in teh semi-final of the World Cup. palace at home are dangerous and always have a real go. They are also quite exciting to watch. They coud go down. Just like Burnley and Danny Ings. A ream that have started to show that they have some quality in their ranks and could yet stay up.

Dreadful league? Not a chance. It's not as good as having the Arsenal "invincibles" in it. As having the Man U team of the 2000's in it. But it is far from dreasful and instead of knocking it because we want to knock Sky, just enjoy it for what it is. Still one of the best around.

[PeterWithesShin]

When 4 goal Danny Ings is proof it isn't a poor quality league, your argument is going to struggle I reckon.

[peter w]

And when you latch on to Burnley's hit man as being the only flaw in my argument then I think my argument stands up quite well.

[PeterWithesShin]

Well it was funniest one.

[peter w]

The fact that someone with the name of a Barnstonworth United right midfielder can play in the top flight shows how wonderful our top flight is. In all seriousness it wasn't that long ago people were bemoaning the fact that the likes of a David Platt couldn't sign from a Division 4 team to a top flight team (I know he didn't then either...) but that the Prem league's money made it a closed shop to many players from outside of the Championship. I think that more and more players are coming through the lower league route and aren't necessarily struggling. It's a sign of the strength in the English game for me not a sign that the quality of the top flight is dreadful.

[Gregorys Boy]

When 4 goal Danny Ings is proof it isn't a poor quality league, your argument is going to struggle I reckon.

Sorry, but isn't that being a bit of a snub?  Its like saying that just because a player is playing for one of the weakest sides in the division that he can't possible a great center forward. 

I won't agrue with the lack of quailty, but it is hard to figure why Arsenal have been so poor so far.  They had a good season last year, and if you look at their summer signings have just improved their squad even more this year.  I guess the main critque of them would be that they still have not sorted out the defensive midfield role which could make a big difference for them.  Also with Walcott being out for a long time they sometimes do lack that extra bit of pace, and a different tactic.  I see them having a strong second half of the season and getting at least 4th.

[PeterWithesShin]

Considering on another thread i'm bigging up Charlie Austin then no.

[Dave]

I'm inclined to side more with Peter on this. I don't think that there's ever been a time when people have shouted about how good the quality of the league was at the time, always bemoaning that it isn't as good as it used to be.

Everton are currently 11th, a point ahead of us. Yet in Europe they comfortably won their group, winning their two games against Wolfsburg 6-1 on aggregate. Wolfsburg domestically are second in the Bundesliga, six points clear of third. 

To pick a year to compare it to, 2003/04 (the supposed 'invincible' Arsenal year, as somebody mentioned it earlier). Yes Arsenal were good, but Liverpool in fourth finished thirty points behind them, David O'Leary took Gavin McCann, JLloyd Samuel, Liam Ridgewell et al to sixth, Charlton were seventh, Bolton eighth and Birmingham tenth.

Is that really any different to this season with a couple of teams being really good, some bigger teams underachieving and a few teams doing better than might have been expected?