Make sure you check in on this chat with Jonathan Woodgate on Thursday to hear some great stories from the man himself!
Ooo, the names just keep racking up for Behind the Bet! Nice find on the Boro player turned manager.
Arsenal, on the other hand, had their Invincibles season and then found a place they called their own (regular champions league). Fans didn't like it, celebrated when they kicked Wenger out, and now look back in anger.
Yeah, football fans are not the most realistic social group out there. What Arsenal had is for me very good target for strong PL teams. Secured finish in CL places without realistic chance of getting the title but being ready to seize opportunity if miracle season happens or other competitors have rough time. Yeah it is not as exciting as fighting for the title every season but makes for much more viable economy in the future and stable results throughout the seasons.
To actively fight for the title you have to bring 1-2 top players each season and it will backfire at some point and then you are looking at even more hasty transfers and if they backfire than slow recovery over 5-10 year period. That is why clubs like Liverpool and United are doing it in cycles.
Absolutely. That was a great scenario, which allowed the club to be profitable and sustainable. Had they kept it running like they did during the Leicester season, they'd probably have pipped them for the title. I know the main point of contention in this era was that the team always failed near the end, too lightweight, and kept feeding stars to other teams (but hey, that's ok by me if I'm honest).
Like you say, even if you get top players every season, you can maybe get juice in a cycle -- if you're really unlucky, you overextend and then lose it all. As Arsenal did.
That could be a bit of a Hollywood reasoned as well. I mean we have seen so many "underdog" stories that we are used to thinking like that as well. I am not saying that Arsenal is an underdog by the way, but lower chance stuff happened so why not.
I call teams like Arsenal and pre 2019 Liverpool "seeded underdogs". Odds on these teams pre 2019 (and in fact even in Liverpool's title winning season itself) reflect that. Liverpool were regularly 4/1 and 5/1 to beat City, Real, Barca...
Let's wait and see what happens in second part of season before making any predictions for title and top four positions.
Man City still have best odds for winning EPL title, but Arsenal is now on high third place after Liverpool in second.
Yeah, breaks tend to change things for a lot of teams sans City (I want to say it's because they have the widest bench but then Chelsea haha).
If I wasn't in a hurry I would have brought this beauty of mine to over 1 BTC, as it stands just posting it here to rub it in when it all passes 
