Sentences with phrase «than they did last season when»

Now that the fixture list is out hope Wenger and the board prepare better than they did last season when we went unprepared away to Liverpool with an incomplete squad.

Let's just hope that our lads make it look a bit easier than they did last season when the 2014/15 campaign gets underway!

Not exact matches

The Sixers have blatantly tanked for high draft picks the last two seasons, and don't seem any closer to competing for a playoff spot than they did two year ago when master - tanker Sam Hinkie was hired as GM.

And yet, United don't seem to be a great deal better than when he took over, unless you really buy that last season's Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League wins really counted as a «treble»?

Pace has taken guys with high ceilings and disregarded the risk / low floors in the draft in the last 3 season but that doesn't mean he'll do it again now that the Bears are much more stable roster than when he took over.

best formation is 4 -5-1, high pressure and fast counter attack, something like Klopp did with BvB seasons ago, Ozil vision, Walcott speed and Sanchez class can defeat anyone, passing is good but when opponent like Watford just sit and wait its hard to pass and score, start game with high pressure and fast counters than in second half start playing pass game, so with right balance it could be done, something we did against Liverpool last year on Emirates, first half high pressure and counter while in second half passing and controling game.

I get your point.But it won't help us if we're playing in 3 back and some of our players are being played out of position.Our success of 3 back last season was more of mentality than due to the formation.The formation seemed to renew the mind of players and they started playing better.Little did people realize that we always go back to our old ways only to put up a strong surge in the end.We'll do well for a while when we go back to 4 back because our players will again change their mentality then after some time we'll go back to our old ways.

We have only seen his best in the last few seasons, he was virtually none - existence before then, we look @ Ramsey who was absolutely terrible prio to last season, it took him almost three yrs to make any meaningful impact and yet Wenger stood by him, and he came good, look @ Wilsere, he has never been the same after beiing out for more than a year, look @ Eduado da silva, I culd go on and on, truth is, when you are out for that long, it takes time for you to return to you usual level, it doesn't help his cause that he is not even being used by wenger, how is he suppose to get the match sharpness that he needs?

3 League titles / 6 Fa cups and constant champions league last 16odd years out of 19 also but no matter what anyone says his time as our coach has come to an end even if we win the league which in fairness we have a great shot so going out of Europe could help us win the league for Wenger to leave on a high like fergie did... This has to be his last season in charge along with Stan the Conman... Money needs put into this squad to get it to the next level and a different direction because in all honesty when we beat Bayern they just did nt take their chances like they did last night and they already had a great squad and added to it in the summer with Costa etc... we had a real chance this year if we had brought in more than Cech and that is Wengers fault!

Unless we raise more money through sales we may have 50 - 60M max in remaining budget (having spent 11M on Cech and get back around 2M through Podolski sale)-- if we spend 25M on a DM like Schederlein / Kondogbia / Carvalho now — we do not have any budget left for the World Class ST that we direly need more than the DM (Arteta played whole 2013 - 2014 where we have one of the best defensive record — people seem to have short memory — he would be ok as backup for another season) Wenger have done well in the last 2 seasons — bringing in Ozil when Real signed Bale, bringing in Sanchez when Barca signed Suarez.

why was Sanchez truly playing... no one believes he was too injured to play to start the season, and some like myself would go as far to suggest he wasn't injured at all... so why play him... they can't say it was to appease the fans because when was that ever a factor at this club except when «panic buys» were in the offing... I believe that this was to give Arsenal a little leverage when it comes to negotiating his transfer... just imagine their horrible bargaining position if Sanchez never saw the field before the deadline then heading back to South America and played for Chile... regardless of the facts, this was sadly again another example of a team putting business ahead of fielding a team with the greatest chance to secure 3 points... of course, some will say that Sanchez is, or was, our best player, so obviously he's a no - brainer to start, but those who really watch the game know that his heart hasn't been truly in it for quite some time... even at the end of last season you could see a definitive difference between the Sanchez who played for Chile and the one that played for Arsenal... that being said, 70 % of Sanchez is still better than a 100 % of the vast majority of our remaining roster... shame on you Arsene and shame on you too Sanchez for that telling smirk... I've supported your attempt to push this squad to the next level but don't pretend for a second that you didn't know you were being watched... don't lower your standards or you'll end up like this club, on the outside looking in

Say what you like admin.Even Diaby upon doing nothing for several seasons was able to secure a move to Marseille which to me is a top team.Was it not last season that before he went to Bournemouth teams like Juventus and AS Roma were interested in him?He just needs a league which is not physical for the mean time.I mean any time he gets a run of games he begins to hit top forn and just when things are looking up things go down again.This injury thing is a menace in our club.Look at the number of games Gnabry has played.But I will urge him to leave Arsenal because all he needs to do is to remain injury free.It's not rocket science.If Wilshere remains injury free for just one season he'll be great.It's just like the Van Persie case.A lot of people were frustrated with him and cllled him man of glass but I knew he just needed to be injury free for one season.To me he's a better player than Ramsey though Ramsey is on form.He also has the ability to surpass Cazorla and be Arsenal's number one.He's also Arsenall thrugh and through.Arsenal has to solve his injury problems because he's shown that when he gets a run of games he can do it.

I thought people here were debating about two or three seasons back why he should be our top striker.When I thought the Monaco match was the icing on the cake to show how average he was it seems just like Wenger we» will never learn our lesson.Now people our okay with him being a super sub which is debatable.Giroud was a super sub in games last season because he wasn't played when he was supposed to.He's not your ideal super sub because he very hardly creates but rather requires people to create for him.Most of the time super subs are the one's who tend to create the chances and open up spaces in the opposition defence.West ham are ready to pay and hence we should demand more from them.We can then use the money from his sale on far better players.Given the same seasons, time and chances a lot of average strikers can do better than what he did.This is because Arsenal create a lot of chances and it just needs someone who can finish.Goodbye!.

He did struggle a bit with the pace of the game last season but he worked on his strength and fitness when recovering from injury and after that he covered more distance than any other Arsenal player, as reported by The Telegraph.

This is an incredibly difficult question to answer for a variety of reasons, most importantly because over the years our once vaunted «beautiful» style of play has become a shadow of it's former self, only to be replaced by a less than stellar «plug and play» mentality where players play out of position and adjustments / substitutions are rarely forthcoming before the 75th minute... if you look at our current players, very few would make sense in the traditional Wengerian system... at present, we don't have the personnel to move the ball quickly from deep - lying position, efficient one touch midfielders that can make the necessary through balls or the disciplined and pacey forwards to stretch defences into wide positions, without the aid of the backs coming up into the final 3rd, so that we can attack the defensive lanes in the same clinical fashion we did years ago... on this current squad, we have only 1 central defender on staf, Mustafi, who seems to have any prowess in the offensive zone or who can even pass two zones through so that we can advance play quickly out of our own end (I have seen some inklings that suggest Holding might have some offensive qualities but too early to tell)... unfortunately Mustafi has a tendency to get himself in trouble when he gets overly aggressive on the ball... from our backs out wide, we've seen pace from the likes of Bellerin and Gibbs and the spirited albeit offensively stunted play of Monreal, but none of these players possess the skill - set required in the offensive zone for the new Wenger scheme which requires deft touches, timely runs to the baseline and consistent crossing, especially when Giroud was playing and his ratio of scored goals per clear chances was relatively low (better last year though)... obviously I like Bellerin's future prospects, as you can't teach pace, but I do worry that he regressed last season, which was obvious to Wenger because there was no way he would have used Ox as the right side wing - back so often knowing that Barcelona could come calling in the off - season, if he thought otherwise... as for our midfielders, not a single one, minus the more confident Xhaka I watched played for the Swiss national team a couple years ago, who truly makes sense under the traditional Wenger model... Ramsey holds onto the ball too long, gives the ball away cheaply far too often and abandons his defensive responsibilities on a regular basis (doesn't score enough recently to justify): that being said, I've always thought he does possess a little something special, unfortunately he thinks so too... Xhaka is a little too slow to ever boss the midfield and he tends to telegraph his one true strength, his long ball play: although I must admit he did get a bit better during some points in the latter part of last season... it always made me wonder why whenever he played with Coq Wenger always seemed to play Francis in a more advanced role on the pitch... as for Coq, he is way too reckless at the wrong times and has exhibited little offensive prowess yet finds himself in and around the box far too often... let's face it Wenger was ready to throw him in the trash heap when injuries forced him to use Francis and then he had the nerve to act like this was all part of a bigger Wenger constructed plan... he like Ramsey, Xhaka and Elneny don't offer the skills necessary to satisfy the quick transitory nature of our old offensive scheme or the stout defensive mindset needed to protect the defensive zone so that our offensive players can remain aggressive in the final third... on the front end, we have Ozil, a player of immense skill but stunted by his physical demeanor that tends to offend, the fact that he's been played out of position far too many times since arriving and that the players in front of him, minus Sanchez, make little to no sense considering what he has to offer (especially Giroud); just think about the quick counter-attack offence in Real or the space and protection he receives in the German National team's midfield, where teams couldn't afford to focus too heavily on one individual... this player was a passing «specialist» long before he arrived in North London, so only an arrogant or ignorant individual would try to reinvent the wheel and / or not surround such a talent with the necessary components... in regards to Ox, Walcott and Welbeck, although they all possess serious talents I see them in large part as headless chickens who are on the injury table too much, lack the necessary first - touch and / or lack the finishing flair to warrant their inclusion in a regular starting eleven; I would say that, of the 3, Ox showed the most upside once we went to a back 3, but even he became a bit too consumed by his pending contract talks before the season ended and that concerned me a bit... if I had to choose one of those 3 players to stay on it would be Ox due to his potential as a plausible alternative to Bellerin in that wing - back position should we continue to use that formation... in Sanchez, we get one of the most committed skill players we've seen on this squad for some years but that could all change soon, if it hasn't already of course... strangely enough, even he doesn't make sense given the constructs of the original Wenger offensive model because he holds onto the ball too long and he will give the ball up a little too often in the offensive zone... a fact that is largely forgotten due to his infectious energy and the fact that the numbers he has achieved seem to justify the means... finally, and in many ways most crucially, Giroud, there is nothing about this team or the offensive system that Wenger has traditionally employed that would even suggest such a player would make sense as a starter... too slow, too inefficient and way too easily dispossessed... once again, I think he has some special skills and, at times, has showed some world - class qualities but he's lack of mobility is an albatross around the necks of our offence... so when you ask who would be our best starting 11, I don't have a clue because of the 5 or 6 players that truly deserve a place in this side, 1 just arrived, 3 aren't under contract beyond 2018 and the other was just sold to Juve... man, this is theraputic because following this team is like an addiction to heroin without the benefits

This is all well and good if that squad of players goes on to show he was right — but if they don't, which is more than likely, then he only has himself to blame when we turn on him like we did last season.

than Ozil when both are inform and is Ramsey not a better box to box player than Cazorla when both are inform and do not even deny even if you have your own opinion.Why not put Cazorla in Ozil's position and put Ramsey in the box to box position where he plays best.Can you imagine Giroud on the wings and Mertesacker at right back.I for one still stand by my word that Ramsey is a better box to box player than Cazorla yet peeps will deny.Which position did Ramsey play when he was at his best some seasons ago.To me he is better than him in that role.I remember the man utd match last season yh.Also Cazorla can do anything Ozil can do and do it better including shooting.I mean what is this we are not accepting the realities of the team but we ourselves are forging our favourites into the team.Do this and you will see we will be better.I just do not get it at allllll.Please share your views on my comment on what you think

You are dead right been saying it since he came waist of money and why late in changes says a lot about Wenger, he moans when last season not having subs, the bench was full and he left that tall Zulu up there doing nowt Bendtner was far better than him He is late in getting one all other teams have beaten arsenal in the striker position He can't honestly say Sonargo will do till Giruid gets back please tell me I'm wrong CB

of course no team wants to lose but I can guarantee you that the reaction by the Chelski fans after today's results are nowhere near what would have occurred if we shit the bed on opening day... the difference is they have tasted EPL success on more than one occasion recently, they have won the Champions League and they have done it with 3 different managers in the last 12 years with a similar, if not smaller, wage bill than us... in comparison, we have been experiencing our own personal Groundhog Day with nothing to show for it but a few silvery trinkets that would barely wet the appetite of a world - class club... so it's time for Wenger to stop gloating over our week one escape act and make some substantial moves before this window closes or I fear that things will take a horrible turn when the inevitable happens... living on a knife's edge is no way to go through a full season of football and regardless of what side of the argument you fall on, you could feel high levels of toxicity in the air and that was friggin week one... I would much rather someone tried their best and failed, than took half - measures and hoped for the best

LVG is playing mind games frankly I don't think he is doing a better job than David M did last year, when you look at all the factors he has just 3 points more than David M. Had at this point last season and spent 150m to improve his team.

players like Ozil always present the fans with a bit of a conundrum, especially when times are tough... if you look around the sporting world every once in awhile there emerges a player with incredible skill, like Ozil, Matt Sundin or even Jay Cutler, who have a different way about themselves... their movement seemed almost too lackadaisical, so much so that it seemed to suggest indifference or even disinterest on the part of the player... their posture always appears somewhat mopey and they generally have an unflattering «sour puss» expression on their face... for some their above average skills are enough to keep them squarely in the mix, as their respective teams try desperately to find a way to get the best out of them visa vie player acquisitions or the reworking of tactics... when things go according to planned the fans usually find a way to accept their unique disposition, whereas when things go awry they become easy targets for fans and pundits alike... in the case of Ozil and Sundin, their successes on the international stage and / or with their former teams led many to conclude that if we surrounded such talented individuals with players that have those skills that would most likely bring the best of these players success would surely follow... unfortunately both the Maple Leafs and our club chose to adopt half - measures, as each were being run by corporations who valued profitability over providing the best possible product on the field... for them, they cared more about shirt sales and season tickets than doing whatever was necessary... this isn't, by any stretch, an attempt to absolve Ozil of any responsibility for his failures on the pitch... there is no doubt oftentimes his efforts were underwhelming, to say the least, but this club has been inept when it comes to providing this prolific passer with the kind of players necessary for him to flourish... with our poor man's version of Benzema up front, the headless chickens in Walcott, the younger Ox and Welbeck occupying wide positions far too often and the fact that Carzola, who provided Ozil with great service and more freedom to roam, was never truly replaced, the only real skilled outlet on the pitch was Sanchez... remember to be considered a world - class set - up man goals need to be scored and for much of his time here he has been surrounded by some incredibly inept finishers... in the end, I'm not sure how long he will be in North London, recent sentiments and his present contract situation seem to suggest that he will depart at season's end, but how tragic would it be if once again we didn't put our best foot forward and failed to make those moves that could have brought championship football back to our once beloved club... so when you think about this uniquely skilled player don't be so quick to shift all the blame on his shoulders because he will not be the first or the last highly skilled player to find disappointment at the Emirates if we don't rid the club of those individuals that are truly to blame for our current woes

I also do find it annoying we haven't won the title, especially last season when it was there for the taking, and yet Wenger still couldn't get any higher than fourth.

Ramsey has had one good season for us since his horrible injury, he needlessly gives the ball away much too often and his finishing is even worse than Giroud's... once again we have fallen in love with the idea of what could have been... Ramsey has only scored 2 meaningful goals in his entire Arsenal tenure: one in Turkey and the other in last year's FA Cup, which is not near enough to make him a centerpiece of this offence... likewise simply his presence on the team sheet has led Wenger into making horrible tactical blunders because he will force Ramsey into the lineup even when it doesn't make sense... just think of all those games when Ramsey was played out wide on the right, which forced the RB to come up into the play far more often, and deeper, because Ramsey invariably would find himself in a more central position leaving us far more vulnerable to the counterattack..

Picture this, we don't come out of the gate firing on all cylinders, Wenger speaks of how there wasn't enough time for the first - teamers to build chemistry, several key players aren't even playing because of Wenger's utterly ridiculous policy regarding players who played in the Confed Cup or the under21s and the boo - birds have returned in full flight... if these things were to happen, which is quite possible considering the Groundhog Day mentality of this club, how long do you think it will take for Wenger to recant his earlier statements regarding Europa... I would suggest that it's these sorts of comments from Wenger which are often his undoing... why would any manager worth his weight in salt make such a definitive statement before the season has even started... why would any manager who fashions himself an educated man make such pronouncements before even knowing what his starting 11 will be come Friday, let alone on September 1st... why would any manager who has a tenuous relationship with a great many supporters offer up such a potentially contentious talking point considering how many times his own words have come back to bite him in the ass... I think he does this because he doesn't care what you or I think, in fact he's more than slightly infuriated by the very idea of having to answer to the likes of you and me... that might have been acceptable during his formative years in charge, when the fans were rewarded with an scintillating brand of football and success felt like a forgone conclusion, but this new Wenger led team barely resembles that team of ore... whereas in times past we relished a few words from our seemingly cerebral manager, in recent times those words have been replaced by a myriad of excuses, a plethora of infuriating stories about who he could have signed but didn't and what can only be construed as outright fabrications... it's kind of funny that when we want some answers, like during the whole contract debacle of last season, we can't get an intelligent word out of him, but when we just what him to show his managerial acumen through his actions, we can't seem to get him to shut - up... I beg you to prove me wrong Arsene

Time for some brutal honesty... this team, as it stands, is in no better position to compete next season than they were 12 months ago, minus the fact that some fans have been easily snowed by the acquisition of Lacazette, the free transfer LB and the release of Sanogo... if you look at the facts carefully you will see a team that still has far more questions than answers... to better show what I mean by this statement I will briefly discuss the current state of affairs on a position - by - position basis... in goal we have 4 potential candidates, but in reality we have only 1 option with any real future and somehow he's the only one we have actively tried to get rid of for years because he and his father were a little too involved on social media and he got caught smoking (funny how people still defend Wiltshire under the same and far worse circumstances)... you would think we would want to keep any goaltender that Juventus had interest in, as they seem to have a pretty good history when it comes to that position... as far as the defenders on our current roster there are only a few individuals whom have the skill and / or youth worthy of our time and / or investment, as such we should get rid of anyone who doesn't meet those simple requirements, which means we should get rid of DeBouchy, Gibbs, Gabriel, Mertz and loan out Chambers to see if last seasons foray with Middlesborough was an anomaly or a prediction of things to come... some fans have lamented wildly about the return of Mertz to the starting lineup due to his FA Cup performance but these sort of pie in the sky meanderings are indicative of what's wrong with this club and it's wishy - washy fan - base... in addition to these moves the club should aggressively pursue the acquisition of dominant and mobile CB to stabilize an all too fragile defensive group that has self - destructed on numerous occasions over the past 5 seasons... moving forward and building on our need to re-establish our once dominant presence throughout the middle of the park we need to target a CDM then do whatever it takes to get that player into the fold without any of the usual nickel and diming we have become famous for (this kind of ruthless haggling has cost us numerous special players and certainly can't help make the player in question feel good about the way their future potential employer feels about them)... in order for us to become dominant again we need to be strong up the middle again from Goalkeeper to CB to DM to ACM to striker, like we did in our most glorious years before and during Wenger's reign... with this in mind, if we want Ozil to be that dominant attacking midfielder we can't keep leaving him exposed to constant ridicule about his lack of defensive prowess and provide him with the proper players in the final third... he was never a good defensive player in Real or with the German National squad and they certainly didn't suffer as a result of his presence on the pitch... as for the rest of the midfield the blame falls squarely in the hands of Wenger and Gazidis, the fact that Ramsey, Ox, Sanchez and even Ozil were allowed to regularly start when none of the aforementioned had more than a year left under contract is criminal for a club of this size and financial might... the fact that we could find money for Walcott and Xhaka, who weren't even guaranteed starters, means that our whole business model needs a complete overhaul... for me it's time to get rid of some serious deadweight, even if it means selling them below what you believe their market value is just to simply right this ship and change the stagnant culture that currently exists... this means saying goodbye to Wiltshire, Elneny, Carzola, Walcott and Ramsey... everyone, minus Elneny, have spent just as much time on the training table as on the field of play, which would be manageable if they weren't so inconsistent from a performance standpoint (excluding Carzola, who is like the recent version of Rosicky — too bad, both will be deeply missed)... in their places we need to bring in some proven performers with no history of injuries... up front, although I do like the possibilities that a player like Lacazette presents, the fact that we had to wait so many years to acquire some true quality at the striker position falls once again squarely at the feet of Wenger... this issue highlights the ultimate scam being perpetrated by this club since the arrival of Kroenke: pretend your a small market club when it comes to making purchases but milk your fans like a big market club when it comes to ticket prices and merchandising... I believe the reason why Wenger hasn't pursued someone of Henry's quality, minus a fairly inexpensive RVP, was that he knew that they would demand players of a similar ilk to be brought on board and that wasn't possible when the business model was that of a «selling» club... does it really make sense that we could only make a cheeky bid for Suarez, or that we couldn't get Higuain over the line when he was being offered up for half the price he eventually went to Juve for, or that we've only paid any interest to strikers who were clearly not going to press their current teams to let them go to Arsenal like Benzema or Cavani... just part of the facade that finally came crashing down when Sanchez finally called their bluff... the fact remains that no one wants to win more than Sanchez, including Wenger, and although I don't agree with everything that he has done off the field, I would much rather have Alexis front and center than a manager who has clearly bought into the Kroenke model in large part due to the fact that his enormous ego suggests that only he could accomplish great things without breaking the bank... unfortunately that isn't possible anymore as the game has changed quite dramatically in the last 15 years, which has left a largely complacent and complicit Wenger on the outside looking in... so don't blame those players who demanded more and were left wanting... don't blame those fans who have tried desperately to raise awareness for several years when cracks began to appear... place the blame at the feet of those who were well aware all along of the potential pitfalls of just such a plan but continued to follow it even when it was no longer a financial necessity, like it ever really was...

I hope wenger sees these and benches ozil when he doesn't deliver to have a taste of Wilshere, but never wenger, he prefers his best on the pitch than giving willing and passionate players chances, the likes of Campbell, Gabriel, Gibbs instead of easy monreal, Perez shud av played more last season e.t.c, I hope to say xhaka, Ramsey, Wilshere in front of them, Sanchez / Perez if Sanchez goes, lacazette / welbeck upfront, giroud as sub, Gabriel along side koscielny and kolasinic, bellerin and gibbs / monreal as full backs, I want szesny back as back up to cech and Martinez as understudy.................. but I won't get it cos it is wenger......... smh

Although it will be incredibly difficult to ever match his contributions on the pitch, it's vitally important for a former club legend, like Henry, to publicly address his concerns regarding the direction of this club... regardless of those who still feel that Henry has some sort of agenda due to the backlash he received following earlier comments he made on air regarding Arsenal, he has an intimate understanding of the game, he knows the fans are being hosed and he feels some sense of obligation, both professionally and personally, to tell it like he sees it... much like I've continually expressed over the last couple months, this team isn't evolving under this current ownership / management team... instead we are currently experiencing a «stagnant» phase in our club's storied history... a fact that can't be hidden by simply changing the formation or bringing in one or two individuals... this team needs fundamental change in the way it conducts business both on and off the pitch or it will continue to slowly devolve into a second tier club... regardless of the euphoria surrounding our escape act on Friday evening, as it stands, this club is more likely to be fighting for a Europa League spot for the foreseeable future than a top 4 finish... we can't hope for the failures of others to secure our place in the top 4, we need to be the manufacturers of our own success by doing whatever is necessary to evolve as an organization... if Wenger, Gazidis and Kroenke can't take the necessary steps following the debacle they manufactured last season, their removal is imperative for our future success... unfortunately, I strongly believe that either they don't know how to proceed in the present economic climate or they are unwilling to do whatever it takes to turn this ship around... just look at the current state of our squad, none of our world class players are under contract beyond this season, we have a ridiculous wage bill considering the results, we can't sell our deadwood because we've mismanaged our personnel decisions and contractual obligations, we haven't properly cultivated our younger talent and we might have become one of the worst clubs ever when it comes to way we handle our transfer business, which under Dein was one of our greatest assets... it's time to get things right!!!

If he don't trust podi of what you said than how come he can played Ramsey all the way when he was damn shi * last few season.

So they are doing relatively speaking even better than last season when you look at the points won.

Guys why are we comparing arsenal to barca i love arsenal it my club but i must be realistic barca is lite years infront of us look at the champions league last year no match they have won the champions league twice in the last five years and the last one with kids just like arsenal so its not about how young players are because if your good enough your old enough and am afraid the arsenal youngsters walcott, deneilson, nasri, diaby, bendtner, even the great vanpercy who all arsenal fans rate who as i mentioned before (Has not scored a free kick in god knows how long) world class right these players so far have not been good enoughso do nt blame injuries too much do nt blame refs look at the way arsenal do things something is wrong here is a prime example eboue joined arsenal in the 2004/2005 season to date now tell me that a long time right would you say he is a much better player than when he arrived i think no he has improved but only very little and thats the point football is a short business at a big club you spend three seasons for the most and then you must perform.

LONDON — Mauricio Pochettino has said Tottenham are more experienced than a year ago, when they lost to Chelsea in last season's FA Cup, but he warned it will count for nothing if they do not perform in Saturday's semifinal against Manchester United.

They done so by the skin of their teeth in previous seasons, but last season Bolton finished a clear nine points above the drop, with the teams results definitely improving in the second half of the season under new manager Owen Coyle, so there were promising signs from the Reebok club that they can do a lot better than they for the most part last term, when positive form was almost non-existent and despite some valiant and brave efforts against some classy opponents they just couldn't convert their courageous performances into points which would have propelled them up the Premier League and into a more respectable finishing position.