by JBG » Tue Sep 20, 2005 12:15 pm
We have had a solid start, I agree.
Draws away to Boro and Spurs are an improvement over our record at their places in the past 5 or 6 years.
We also lost 3 times on the trot at home to Manchester UTD, so a draw is progress.
We have had a strange start given the amount of European games we have played. We'll get a run of games soon in the League when games will start coming thick and fast, so we could have an opportunity to start picking up a few decent wins.
While it is early doors yet, I reckon we are better in the Premiership than last season. We seem to be tougher to beat, and the games we have played in have been tight. We'll still lose a few times in games that will really disappoint us, but I reckon we'll do at least 10-15 points better than last year.
One thing I have noticed is that Chelsea are in a league of their own at the moment. The smaller teams are just rolling over and allow Chelsea beat them, their only concern is to keep the score down. Man UTD had a good start but they are beginning to stutter, and Keane and Heinze are MASSIVE losses for them.
Arsenal are not the team they were. Vieira is gone, Henry is injured, Pires is not the player he used to be and Bergkamp is seeing out the twilight of his career. They still have some excellent players but I think we could see Arsene Wenger's worst season in charge. I can see Man UTD and us beating them and I can also see some other sides, like Bolton, getting one over them as well. I think Arsenal will finish with 5 or 6 defeats this season, with us having 7 or 8, so I don't think there will be much daylight between us and them at the end.
Jolly Bob Grumbine.