By Boris Mellor
May 3 2010
Arsenal now have one point out of the last 12 available, the team have the weary look of a bunch of losers who don't know where their next win will come from. Yet Arsene Wenger can proclaim that this team has progressed since last season. After a defeat away at Blackburn, a team the Gunners used to beat for fun, Arsenal Times asks how does the season compare with the last?
Well last season the team garnered 72 points from 38 games, and now has 72 points from 37 games. Assuming they beat Fulham on Sunday that could be 75 points from 38 games. Now I expect them to beat Fulham as Hodgson has more important fish to fry than exerting himself against the overpaid win nothings of Wenger's five star rest home.
Compared to last season
So let's assume, for arguments sake, its 75 points, and third place is secured, surely that is progress? Last year was 4th place after all, so it must be progress. Well last year the team lost only six games and conceded 37 goals. Wenger promised a much improved defence, so far it has conceded 41 goals, and lost 9 games. The Gunners have conceded more goals and lost more games than last season, strange sort of progress.
The only bright spot is that the team have scored 6 more goals than last year, but on the down side failed to beat Man U, Chelsea or Man City. They also went out of the FA cup and CL competitions earlier than last season. Also the bulk of the goals were scored in the first half of the season.
How can Wenger think there is progress?
To understand his mistaken belief you have to understand the optical illusion of self motion. Have you ever sat in a motionless train and thought it was moving due to the fact that a parallel train on an adjacent line is actually moving? The passenger has the illusion that the train is moving, but the reality is it has never left the station. This is known as a self motion illusion.
An opposite feeling is when a train is travelling at speed so smoothly that the passenger doesn't feel the train is moving at all, but that it is the trees and houses that are hurtling by.
I am not quite sure which of these two illusions Wenger is suffering from, but both could equally apply. However if we replace the hurtling trees and houses with Liverpool then it is certainly a self motion theory. Arsenal would appear to overtake Liverpool, when in fact having made no progress at all still appear to move forward.
If Liverpool had failed to hurtle backwards from 86 points to their present 62 points Arsenal would be in fourth place with the threat of being pushed into 5th place. Thanks to Liverpool, and I am grateful to them, 4th place is assured. Arsenal fans will have to hope that Spurs and Man City draw so we can feel the train is going forward, if not it could be squeaky bum time on the last day of the season.
Meanwhile the weakest top three in a very long time stumble towards the finishing line, none of them strong enough to finish off their opponents until the very last day.
That a team that has lost 9 games, conceded over 40 goals can finish third beggar's belief, to claim it is progress challenges credulity even more.
Wenger might think there is progress; unfortunately the train hasn't left the station.

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what he wants to see
, feels what he wants to feels and is always in another realm were he is the supreme master
and in most cases self destructs
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Quote:Merse'n'Smudger
Without drawing out the standard excuse....the team sheet produced in the last four games (five if you include the Barca game) has been nothing short of a 'B' team....first choice CB's out, first choice MID players out, half fit RVP and woefully out of form other strikers....
That said...our deficiences of last term have been sprung out this year due to these injuries, and have shown Wenger has not learnt from the mistakes of last year. I hope he takes this summer seriously, otherwise we may fall behind those teams chasing and improving behind us.
Quote:Padre
Your the idiot if you are proud of yet another poor season.
You havent got enough sense to be embarrased.
Quote:Tom
ouch
