We are punching above our weight.

[IMISSVDV]

Watched the game last night and it really hit home how much better City are than us. They have Aguero we have Dempsey and that is the difference. To be fair so they should be. They have spent £100's of millions whilst we in comparison have had a shoe string budget.

Chelsea at times also have looked quality this season and United are still 12 points clear of everyone (Don't know how to be honest)

Arsenal make more money from match days than anyone in the league and have been ever presence in the CL for 14 years.

Liverpool have spent a fortune aswell.

To even be in the mix for a top 4 spot at this stage of the season is a huge achievement for us and AVB has done a great job.

Looks like we will fall short when all is said and done and we will probably lose Bale for 50m. We have still done really well. With a 36k stadium and out budget for transfers and wages we have surely surpassed expectations?!

 

[Shadydan]

I agree with you but you know what really annoys me about this phrase; it implies that we shouldn't be anywhere near these other teams when in reality we should be. We've earned the right to up there competing at the top end of the table through brilliant on and off the field management, so when people always blame Levy for the fact that we didn't buy a striker or we didn't give the manager his specified targets remember where we are and compare it to where we were 10 years ago.

 

[MightyModric]

Disagree.

With the team we've got we should be competing for 3rd/4th in the league and we are. That's as high as we're getting with the squad we've got. We're 2 or 3 players away from making the step up and challenging the Manchester clubs.

 

[beats1]

We are punching above our weight

These are probably the worst Arsenal and Chelsea team in the last 10 years

We are doing ok, it just helps everyone else is really bad atm other than United

 

[Liquidator]

I don't think the CFC team are that shabby (much as I hate to say it) but RA's interfering hand along with some right old plonkers like J Terry makes management there pretty difficult.

Arsenal keep selling their best players, rather than buying the kind of quality that might persuade Fabregas and RVP to stay.

 

[stemark44]

We are not punching above our weight,we are not a very good team but this isn't a very good league either.

 

[bobby_stills]

We are certainly if we finish in the top four. If you equate our league position to our wage structure, we are certainly overachieving.
A comparison point is often Arsenals net transfer expenditure in relation to ours but they spend in the region of a million more a week on wages than we do.

 

[Gbspurs]

We are punching above our weight

These are probably the worst Arsenal and Chelsea team in the last 10 years

We are doing ok, it just helps everyone else is really bad atm other than United

Srs?

 

[NEVILLEB]

That Arsenal sold RVP and will still finish above us is embarrasing.

To be fair, our transfer spending isn't in line with a club that really wants to push on. It's the minimum amount to keep us where we finish every season (4th-5th)

 

[Spurs_Bear]

We're not overachieving. Everyone else is shit too. Chelsea are a disgrace.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

We are not punching above our weight,we are not a very good team but this isn't a very good league either.

I think we are a better team than you think.. Granted we have a mix of some very good players and some very average players, and it's these average players that set us apart from City, Utd and Chelsea.

To push on, we will need to keep hold of the good players, and replace the average ones with better. This where we tend to fall down as most upgrades will come at a considerable cost and there is a reluctance to adopt this policy

 

[beats1]

I don't think the CFC team are that shabby (much as I hate to say it) but RA's interfering hand along with some right old plonkers like J Terry makes management there pretty difficult.

Arsenal keep selling their best players, rather than buying the kind of quality that might persuade Fabregas and RVP to stay.

I disagree that squad is pretty poor with all their best players being in a few positions mainly AM, Ba has made them stronger, other than AM, I would say we as good or better than them tbh overall

 

[beats1]

Srs?

what statement do you have a issue with?

 

[Dazza86]

That Arsenal sold RVP and will still finish above us is embarrasing.

To be fair, our transfer spending isn't in line with a club that really wants to push on. It's the minimum amount to keep us where we finish every season (4th-5th)

And we sold Modric and VdV, whilst having our best defender retire. Yet, they're still struggling to finish above us. Not sure embarrassing is the word.

 

[Stavrogin]

That Arsenal sold RVP and will still finish above us is embarrasing.

To be fair, our transfer spending isn't in line with a club that really wants to push on. It's the minimum amount to keep us where we finish every season (4th-5th)

It shouldn't be embarrassing. We don't play arsenal every week. 70% of the time we play teams that are much weaker than us. So do they.

They're still better equipped than us when it comes to rolling over smaller clubs and their experience means they're less susceptible to loosing their nerve/cracking under pressure than we are.

 

[Gbspurs]

what statement do you have a issue with?

Mainly the fact that everyone is bad. I would argue that the reason Chelsea, arsenal, Liverpool etc don't dominate like they used to is down to the fact that the rest of the league is more competitive.

Also we have obviously improved or is the fact that we are beating our points total records, away wins records etc also down to Arsenal and Chelsea being crap?

 

[Flightrisker]

And we sold Modric and VdV, whilst having our best defender retire. Yet, they're still struggling to finish above us. Not sure embarrassing is the word.

They also reinvested the money (plus extra) on 2 strikers and an AM. Not that we didn't invest ours, but it's not like they just lost Van Persie and played with 10 men. Cazolra (12 goals, 7 assists), Giroud (10 goals, 3 assists) and Poldoski (8 goals, 9 assists) have all settled in very well. If you compare them with our three signings (not like for like and they've not all played the same amount of games I know but humour me), Dembele (1 goal, 3 assists), Ade (3 goals, 0 assists) and Dempsey (5 goals, 3 assists).

They've replaced goals with goals. We've been lucky to have Bale this year.


Not sure what my point was.. kinda got away from me...

 

[Blake Griffin]

city and chelsea's wage bills are double ours. utd's is some 70m more, arsenal 50m more, liverpool 40m more. so yes, we are overachieving as it stands.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

city and chelsea's wage bills are double ours. utd's is some 70m more, arsenal 50m more, liverpool 40m more. so yes, we are overachieving as it stands.

It's been like that for last 2 or 3 years and the general consensus was that we were under-achieving though?

 

[Dazza86]

They also reinvested the money (plus extra) on 2 strikers and an AM. Not that we didn't invest ours, but it's not like they just lost Van Persie and played with 10 men. Cazolra (12 goals, 7 assists), Giroud (10 goals, 3 assists) and Poldoski (8 goals, 9 assists) have all settled in very well. If you compare them with our three signings (not like for like and they've not all played the same amount of games I know but humour me), Dembele (1 goal, 3 assists), Ade (3 goals, 0 assists) and Dempsey (5 goals, 3 assists).

They've replaced goals with goals. We've been lucky to have Bale this year.


Not sure what my point was.. kinda got away from me...

Was thinking the same thing whilst posting but didn't want to create a massive reply!

Next year I think we'll focus on replacing what we lost last year and hopefully make us more exciting to watch and competitive.

Thinking about it at the moment, but can see us going for players comfortable on the ball and able to pass. Moutinho and Eriksen would be my shouts.

This year we've only really had one game winner whilst our competition have had numerous. Really shows just how special Bale is.