However as wise as he is, I don't feel any need to watch his season's review, I haven't watched one episode, I would rather drink cod liver oil than watch it. A friend rang me up and said he was watching it; I called him a masochist and changed the topic as quickly as I could.  Maybe Stuart will tell me how it all augurs well for the long term, but in the long term we are all dead.

Nor am I talking about trophies, I am not a glory hunter who expects a trophy every season, and I find talk of "it's our trophy", and "we got our trophy back", etc nauseating. Indeed it signals the decline of a top division dominated by one or two clubs a la Scotland.  Indeed the Scottish top division is now two separate organisations, the old firm and the rest. Most Scottish fans hate Rangers and Celtic equally and look forward to the day they clear off down south.

No club has the right to win the league every year, and if they did it would be interminably boring, but no doubt it would be nice to have the chance. No I don't just judge a season by trophies, but by entertainment and spirit, and most importantly how many times do I, after already having seen the match watch it again on Match of the Day.

Legend has it that Pat Rice arrived at Highbury, 1 February 1958, as a Man Utd supporter and left as a Gunner. Arsenal lost 5-4 so what changed Pat's allegiance?

It was watching the Busby Babes go 3-0 up in 45 minutes and then see the Gunners go level on the 60^th minute that did it. In three minutes Arsenal had ripped United to shreds, after that the game see sawed backwards and forwards with United finally shading it. Pat was so impressed by the spirit and footballing skill of the Gunners that he became a Gunner there and then.

Match of Dayometer

Can you think of such an inspiring, or entertaining match this season? Did you see anything that would shake the belief of an opposing fan? Unfortunately I rarely saw anything that even made me want to watch Match Of The Day.  I have carefully run the MOTDometer over this season and honestly I don't believe I watched it more than half a dozen times, and whenever I did we were usually on last, and let's be honest there was little justification for being ranked any higher.

By November it was clear that we would not be able to compete for top place, we were out of it. Then for the whole of February the team failed to score a goal in the Premiership, that was a period of five draws in a row. A penalty was included in the Clubs Goal of the Month, and that was from the cup. It began to look as if Villa would run away with 4^th place, fortunately they imploded. If they hadn't Wenger would have been staring at the abyss. Did he know for sure they would implode? Perhaps he had counted on the mediocrity of the rest of the league when he planned for the season. That's what Rangers and Celtic do; they can beat anyone in Scotland, but no one of importance in Europe. They plan for mediocrity.

Then came the two semi finals which according to Wenger proved that his team are winners. Well not the on day they weren't, maybe in years to come they will be, but I will never want to see those matches again. Arsenal were awful, they didn't fight, they didn't entertain, they couldn't argue they nearly won. Arsenal fans still talk about the 1958 game, fans world-wide still talk of that game. Arsenal didn't win anything but it still gave them a share a glory. However, in years to come, no months, no one will discuss the defeats in this last season's semis.

No Glory

There is no glory in this season; it does make me wonder if Wenger still believes in the glory game. No doubt Stuart Robson will argue he does, I sincerely hope he is right. Until I can really see the evidence of that for myself MOTD and Season's reviews are off my menu.

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Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Arsenal Times (IP Logged)

Date: 16/06/2009 18:38

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:06:28:10:35:03 by Padre Pio.

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Gooner_Mike (IP Logged)

Date: 16/06/2009 19:36

Quote:

No I don't just judge a season by trophies, but by entertainment and spirit, and most importantly how many times do I, after already having seen the match watch it again on Match of the Day.

That sums it up perfectly for me. If we came within one point of the title with 55 points just behind united, that doesnt mean we played well, it means every team played badly.

You watch the games, you form your own opinion, and if they havent invested in players that needed to be invested in, and that is what is wrong with the team, then you formulate the opinion that if we had bought some one in a certain position we would have fared better.

Closing your eyes and saying everything will be alright, Wenger is a genious, isnt going to cut it if hes not doing what is expected of him and that is to build a team that is somewhere on par with how much people pay to watch them and the stature the club has, ours is safe to say, one of the leading clubs in europe.

Ive sort of babbled on here and lost my point, but if any one really thinks we have developed as a club over the past 4 years, trophies or not, then I dont agree with that opinion and I dont see why we cant stand up for a bit of change.

---

"When we first welcomed Wenger to these shores we saw him as cool, calm and collected, look at him now" - Jon Champion

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Billythekid (IP Logged)

Date: 16/06/2009 22:18

Why does everyone have a pop at me when I say exactly the same thing ?! Agreed on all points.

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Padre Pio (IP Logged)

Date: 16/06/2009 22:40

Which points?

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: SandyB (IP Logged)

Date: 18/06/2009 15:58

Padre, I recall last year when everybody was talking about not having trophy and Wenger not buying players and sold a lot with Flammini on free, you ware commenting you want to give the year to see what happened and not happy with Wenger not strengthening the team...looks like now you are spellbound to even catch the point!! That's the magic of mediocrity it seems...

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Padre Pio (IP Logged)

Date: 18/06/2009 17:51

Spellbound? I have summed it up as a season not worth watching again, and am not covinced as to how much it has built for the future.

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Philly the kid (IP Logged)

Date: 18/06/2009 19:29

Going by the match of the dayometer, 07/08 season was a success? Sure didn't feel like it!!!

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Padre Pio (IP Logged)

Date: 18/06/2009 19:57

Er its on 08/9 season. Up to February 07 I certainly watched MOTD on a regular basis. 08/09 I hardly ever watched it at any time - we started off $hyte, then drew a lot and then finished off $hyte.

At least in o7/08 we were contentenders, even in April we could have pulled it around.

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: SandyB (IP Logged)

Date: 19/06/2009 14:56

Sorry, I miss understood your Padre...no worries..

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Bergmars (IP Logged)

Date: 19/06/2009 19:53

There are times I have squirmed watching some games this season,there are obvious frailties there,but hey ho Ill be watching next season loving it all.

---

DB10,the best.

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Padre Pio (IP Logged)

Date: 19/06/2009 20:37

No worries Sandy. Wenger asked to be judged at end of season.
Well in my view it was a poor season and he has to change his ways.
It may be he is covering for board. I hope that Vermaelen is first of three good buys

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Bergmars (IP Logged)

Date: 22/06/2009 15:06

Padre he knows hes on safe ground,the fans dare not criticise
or we are lambasted by all.
Judged on last season he got it badly wrong at times the FA Cup semi being just one.

---

DB10,the best.

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Re: Match of the Dayometer measures no glory season

Posted by: Since 66 (IP Logged)

Date: 25/06/2009 17:24

I never watch MOTD. Always Football First and/or Goals on Sunday with Kammy.

---

100% Risk Free Betting





6th May 2009

Chelsea v Barcelona

NEVER FORGOTTEN

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