So that’s it then, we finish the season outside the top 4 for the first time since 1996. It’s an odd feeling, especially as we finish the season with more points than last season. Ultimately though, this has been coming for a good while We’ve ridden our luck an awful lot at times over the years to finish in that coverted top 4 place. Our luck had to eventually run out one day. Typically had to be the same season Spurs finish above us in 22 years, but in all honesty, I think we’d have been pretty undeserving if we’d fluked another top 4.
Sure, great comeback in the final 4 weeks but we left ourselves with such a mountain to climb, it would’ve been nuts to pulled that off from nowhere. But the team can only have themselves to blame. Their efforts and performances since Christmas were absolutely horrednous. The lack of effort and how things spiralled downhill around March early April were unbelieveable. In a season with such bitterness towards Wenger, the board and even the players, this season had a very distinct bitter taste in it’s mouth. And fluking 4th would’ve badly papered things over.
I really hope now we can win this FA Cup and salvage some pride from this season, but that’s going to be made tougher without Kos. It’s been a season of some truly hard knocks for the club. We have to play Europa League. It’s not ideal at all, but it is, what it is. We’ve been very fortunate to be about the only club that’s got away with not playing this competition for so long. And in some regards, it’ll be a bit of a refreshing change to have to go into next season with a different outlook for a change. Going into a different competition, and trying to get back into top 4.
I don’t know what this will mean for the future of Wenger, although he’ll probably stay. But I really hope the players understand that things have got to be vaslly better next season, and to have a bad season like this, can sometimes improve the situation going forwards.
Whatever happens next season and whoever’s in charge, we’ve now got to deal with the situation we’ve put ourselves in, get behind and begin the rebuild process to try and get this club back to where it needs to be.
Meh. This was threatening to happen for years. In a way it’s not that big of a deal. We might get to watch a few European knockout ties without getting humiliated.
At least it’s one less thing the Specialist in Failure can point to in his own defence.
Saddest thing today is losing Koscielny for the final and the sudden dawning realisation that I’ll probably never see Sanchez play live again. 5th is everything Mysty says above, we’ve not taken the necessary steps to avoid it and now it’s here.
Will be interesting to see if there are any real changes for the club–i.e. AW, the board, etc.
Kinda feels like Arsenal might become Liverpool and drift aimlessly around 7th/8th place for a while–especially as I believe Ozil and Sanchez are gone.
Not bothered now, but I think it’ll hurt more once the CL group stages are underway and we’re missing. At least that’s what I predict feeling like, I’ve never experienced it!
Going to break the trend and say I’m pretty gutted cos Champion’s League football was an enjoyable part of my week. Our approach to it the past few seasons has been nothing short of disgusting and not once have we tried to build a squad to compete it in it.
I genuinely think that as a club we belong in the CL and it’s a number of our players and manager who are Europa league level.
We need to make this right ASAP and bring in a manager who will not only get us back into the Cl but will have a passion for competing in it.
This season we were always going to be more close to dropping out of the top four than winning the title, I was resigned to that before the season began and now that it’s happened I’m just indifferent to it all but that will probably change come next season.
Being in the CL hasn’t meant a great deal in the latter half of Wenger’s reign, we weren’t in it to win it and all the capitulations and beat downs over the years are testament to that.
The biggest negative right now is the effect it could have on attracting players but I’m not sure we’ll be aiming for the better talents regardless, however, overall we need real change and someone that will allow us to truly compete in Europe. Because as things stand if Wenger stays we are not getting back into the top four let alone winning it all simple as that and that’s not acceptable because this club should be competing in Europe not just there for show.
The sad reality is that if another Arsenal/Liverpool situation arises for a player like Alexis like it did in 2014, we’re far more likely lose it now. And when that happens, people will start giving a shit that this happened.
It’s not just about the CL, it’ll be a lot harder to convince players we’re aiming for the title and a safe bet to commit long term next year after a 5th place finish compared to our previous 2nd and 3rd finishes.
We went into this season with weaknesses in the team and cash in the bank and we’ve been punished.
