Something Great

Arsene Wenger cobbled together starting lineups with spit and duct tape and Denilson and somehow the team dragged its ass over the finish line in third or fourth.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Tottenham Signs Euro 2008 Stars, Arsenal Signs Cheque At Le Gavroche


38 games x 3 available points = 114 points

Last year, 87 points won the Premiership. 114 - 87 = 27 points to spare.

Arsenal has 6 games against Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd. Realistically (perhaps optimistically), Arsenal splits these matches and drops another 9 points. We've dropped 3 already to (shoots self in head) Fulham, so thats 12 points total. That leaves 34 games, and 15 more points to spare.

The big four averaged 10 draws last year - 13 Liverpool, 11 Arsenal, 10 Chelsea, 6 Man Utd.
The big four averaged 3.75 losses last year - 4 Liverpool, 3 Arsenal, 3 Chelsea, 5 Man Utd.

(Rubs eyes) Wait a second? We lost three times last year and finished third. FU$%!

Where was I... Ah yes. So assuming we scrounge 9 points from 6 games with the members of the Big Four, that leaves us 34 games and 15 drop-able points. Here are the options (give or take a point):

5 losses, 0 draws
4 losses, 2 draws
3 losses, 3 draws
2 losses, 5 draws
1 loss, 6 draws
0 losses, 8 draws

That's 34 games, and Arsenal needs to win at the most 29 of them, at the least 26.

We had one "bad" loss last year - Middlesbrough. The other two were Chelsea and Man Utd.

So if you wanted to know how much the Fulham loss hurts, now you know.

6 comments:

JuanFucile said...

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jim said...

A fat lot of good it's done them, though. Tottenham, that is.

Ben said...

The yids will continue to suck (for those of you not getting the reference, read, How Soccer Explains the World), or Wikipedia.

The challenge is seizing victories from the jaws of draws. Clearly the Big Four all lose roughly the same amount of games, so it comes down to getting that one extra goal.

Maybe it's mental, but Arsenal and Liverpool just don't have that swagger that you just know they're going to win when they are tied.

Kind of like when Ankiel is up with men on, i just know, he won't get the RBI, because that's what the cardinals do, squander opportunities.

JuanFucile said...

to Jim - well at least they're trying

to ben - i feel you about the cardinals and how dare you lump liverpool in with arsenal this season. They've already snatched twice and they have fernando

Jim said...

Ben, I definitely see what you're saying. However, I have to say that Liverpool are even better situated than Arsenal in that respect because they have difference-makers in Torres and Stevie G who can turn a match on its head. I just don't see that quality in any of the Arsenal players (barring Fabregas, I suppose). Adebayor and RVP are quality forwards, but they seem to lack that extra bit of ability possessed by players like Torres, Berbatov, Drogba (when he's in the mood) or Henry (in his prime). Those guys can conjure up goals from nothing.

Ben said...

I hear what you're saying, and I hope that this is Liverpool's year. And torres should be a difference maker, but they've been chokers for so long, drawing so many contests, it's disappointing.

I refuse to accept that I have hope until the second half of the season begins.