For once and for all...

[Roboklopp]

how deeply tedious

[Craig_H]

brilliant lets use stats to paint a picture......read below for a truer reflection......looking at there squad and ours, I know whose would have a better chance of winning the leage

Arent the 'stats' and points/positions what actually WIN you the league?

As opposed to names on paper?

You can have all the star names you want, if that team is 4th, do the fans go 'never mind the fact we finished 4th, we are still better than the side who won the league' ?

[Craig_H]

or are you WRONG??

Ah, names again...

The side wenger inherited finished lower than the side Houllier did. Fact.

[Craig_H]

More nonsense from DJS. Areyou saying the team Rafa inherited was better placed to launch an immediate assault on the title than the one Wenger inherited? Because if so, that is quite frankly ludicrous. May I remind you when Rafa took over, Man Utd won the title the year before, Arsenal were the current champions, and Chelsea had just spent fortunes for two consecutive summers. Now remind me who were Arsenal's title rivals in 1998? Only Man Utd had any pedigree then.

You go on how Wenger won the double in his first full season, well he was at the club a full 9 months before the start of his first full season. Arsenal in 1996, had a lot of quality, the defensive base was already there. All he needed to do was bring in two or three of his own players, and get the pattern of play he wanted. And he had 9 months to experiment and get it right before his first full season. Wenger was at the club 18 months before winning the league. Rafa was at Liverpool 10 months before winning the CL.

DJS, be a good lad and stick to what you're good at ie name-calling.

Houllier's side had finished higher than the one rioch left. Say what you like, but that's the fact.

And i love the way you have a jibe at me for....having a jibe with people. Lovely irony.

[Craig_H]

I posted the arsenal squad earlier in comparison to the liverpool squad to show the absurdity of his post. cue , no response

Yeah sorry, i went out.

Didnt realise you'd be sad enough to be sat there waiting for me to respond.

[red g]

Yeah sorry, i went out.

Didnt realise you'd be sad enough to be sat there waiting for me to respond.

well i am ps thankyou

[red g]

Ah, names again...

The side wenger inherited finished lower than the side Houllier did. Fact.

so it really is that black and white with you? so answer this question based on the squads......who inherited a better team wnger or benitez?

[Dhav]

Houllier's side had finished higher than the one rioch left. Say what you like, but that's the fact.

And i love the way you have a jibe at me for....having a jibe with people. Lovely irony.

Except I didn't actually call you anything did I? That's the difference. I respect other posters enough not to call them half-wits for their comments.

I accept that it is a fact that Houllier's side in 2004 finished higher than Rioch's in 1995. But come on now DJS, surely not even you are trying to tell me that this is conclusive proof that Rafa inherited a stronger team than Wenger? A team better placed to challenge for the title than Wenger's? All you've done there is repeat the point you made earlier, and in doing so you're betraying your own signature by not addressing the points I've made.

[Dhav]

so it really is that black and white with you? so answer this question based on the squads......who inherited a better team wnger or benitez?

You see, when it was in his interests he was talking about points tallies to indicate the strength/competitiveness of a team, but all of a sudden that has changed to league positions.

[sonsofthedesert]

All you've done there is repeat the point you made earlier, and in doing so you're betraying your own signature by not addressing the points I've made.

Beat me to it.

[Craig_H]

so it really is that black and white with you? so answer this question based on the squads......who inherited a better team wnger or benitez?

Mate, isnt the important thing where a team ACTUALLY finishes?

As opposed to how good they think they are on paper?

Be honest here.

[Dhav]

Beat me to it.

DJS doesn't like addressing issues, he likes to post facts. That way we can draw our own conclusions and when we do and point out the conclusions he's leading us to are ridiculous he can say he never said that.

[Craig_H]

Except I didn't actually call you anything did I? That's the difference. I respect other posters enough not to call them half-wits for their comments.

yes, you're deeply respectful and never abusive. And you're full of class and grace too, given the fact that my apology for this (deeply hurtful, apparently) name calling got no response from you, and you choose to carry on complaining about it, a good few months later.

Very classy indeed.

I accept that it is a fact that Houllier's side in 2004 finished higher than Rioch's in 1995. But come on now DJS, surely not even you are trying to tell me that this is conclusive proof that Rafa inherited a stronger team than Wenger? A team better placed to challenge for the title than Wenger's? All you've done there is repeat the point you made earlier, and in doing so you're betraying your own signature by not addressing the points I've made.

I'm addressing the points, i consider what a team ACTUALLY achieves to be more important than what we might think they COULD (but dont) achieve.

[Dhav]

Mate, isnt the important thing where a team ACTUALLY finishes?

As opposed to how good they think they are on paper?

Be honest here.

Erm, weren't you saying earlier that it's points tallies that proves the competitiveness of a team?

[Craig_H]

well i am ps thankyou

Just so you know, i'll be going to sleep at some point - wouldnt want you sat up all night waiting for my reply