- Jul 6, 2012
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Let's be clear - we are comfortably 3rd because Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have woefully and abysmally under-performed.
We have lost 25% of our games - a higher percentage than anyone else in the top 6.
We are one defeat away from equaling our total from last season, we've already accumulated 50% more defeats than we had in the season before that, have already equaled the total from the season before that, and we have already surpassed the cumulative number of defeats suffered by the team who finished 4th last season.
I accept that we are on course to equal our best-ever points haul of 86, however that only took us to 2nd place, two seasons ago. This season it should just about see us in to 3rd. That should be proof enough, if it were needed, that standing still while others progress is a sure fire way to go backwards.
We've done incredibly well to keep up with the top two thus far, but we're in no danger of overtaking them, and if the three teams immediately below us were playing as they should be, we'd be comfortably top 6, not comfortably top 3.
I can't help feeling that we're at a very real risk of plateau and stagnation here - we're showing no signs of doing any better in the league this season than we did two years ago, and for all the talk of Wembley and stadiums, you can't help but feel that lack of squad investment must be the reason for that. Liverpool and Manchester City have come on leaps and bounds since then, and that's because of squad investment.
While we won't match Liverpool and City in terms of financial clout any season soon, being unable to spend £100M every window cannot be considered a legitimate reason or excuse for spending zero in two windows on the bounce.
Agree with this except about Arsenal. They are doing about as good as they can hope for with that squad and a manager doing his first season there.