Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

tayto lover

We have the best centre-half pairing in the league by far.

FearDark

AdamD wrote: »

Miss after miss after miss vs City (during his massive goal drought), misses vs Everton (nearly cost us badly with his fresh air, lucky that Ozil was behind him), had some misses vs Chelsea too.

Genuinely believe most decent strikers would get more chances playing for us than Giroud does, passes need to be inch perfect for him, hes that slow and he rarely takes good touches in his stride (though they are normally good in hold up play)
and of course on balance he will have 'won' more points than hes lost, hes a striker.

I'm not saying hes completely useless but hes not up to the required standard for me, and I think he severely limits the players behind him.

This is exactly how I feel too only I'm not as good with words and I just end up blurting out the word "donkey"... He's obviously not but he's not Arsenal standard of striker.

tayto lover

FearDark wrote: »

This is exactly how I feel too only I'm not as good with words and I just end up blurting out the word "donkey"... He's obviously not but he's not Arsenal standard of striker.

You don't remember John Radford, Ray Kennedy or more recently Alan Smith then.

FearDark

tayto lover wrote: »

You don't remember John Radford, Ray Kennedy or more recently Alan Smith then.

No but I remember Francis Jeffers, Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho.

ronjo

tayto lover wrote: »

You don't remember John Radford, Ray Kennedy or more recently Alan Smith then.

Am not having that.
Smudger was class Tayto

Maire2009

Good win today - did what we had too. We're not going to walk over everyone. 3 points is the most important thing.

Koscielny, Cazorla and Szczesny had top games today. I don't get all the moaning about Giroud and Ozil - they play the game like they always have - if there is a problem then it is with Wenger buying and playing them. That's how they've always played. I think we're ticking along nicely.

Skylinehead

Jernal wrote: »

How many lefties were are in the Arsenal squad? Is that the squad with the most lefties in the Europe/World?

Vermaelen
Podolski
Wilshere
Ozil
Monreal
Gibbs

Miyaichi?

And Cazorla is both so I'm counting him.

tayto lover

FearDark wrote: »

No but I remember Francis Jeffers, Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho.

And combined they have less goals than Giroud.

Alfred Borden

Great win even with a not so great performance. A few things though. We have became awful slow starters this year, in seasons past we would be pressing very high first ten minutes and if we didnt score we would still be creating bucket loads of chances. However maybe that explains our late surges in second halves which can only be a good thing. We dont kill teams off which might come back to haunt us in a while down the road, i liked seeing podolski come on today because you know he wont just pass it around but will put the head down and shoot. Monreal is so underrated and has to be a one of the best full backs in the league. Think we miss Arteta in games like these, Flamini is good against the big boys but when teams park the bus and play behind the ball, i think we do need Artetas vision and pass ability out of the back. need to get the signings in now if there is going to be any and maybe bed them in at the cup game. Onwards and upwards anyways!

FearDark

tayto lover wrote: »

And combined they have less goals than Giroud.

I honestly have no idea what your point is?

ronjo

FearDark wrote: »

I honestly have no idea what your point is?

Pretty obvious point.
Giroud isn't that bad

gosplan

FearDark wrote: »

This is exactly how I feel too only I'm not as good with words and I just end up blurting out the word "donkey"... He's obviously not but he's not Arsenal standard of striker.

You're ignoring how little we get caught on our heels because he holds up the ball so well and rarely gives it away in a stupid fashion.

He's a huge reason that we're conceding so few.

I do wish he was a bit neater at times but he's still a work in progress.

He's not up to the RVP, Henry standard but he's actually not that type of player. If he improves, which he should, he'll end up like Drogba or something.


Look at the match against Southampton for a decent example of what he can offer aside from goals. They play a high pressing game and rely on winning the ball in the opposition half to create quick chances. Because of Giroud, we were just able to bypass all of that by pumping every ball long and still retaining it.

wandatowell

tayto lover wrote: »

3 points but we were dire in that first half.
Great to be still on top though.

16 games left. Still tops :D

Spot on.


Wow, only 16 games to go. Just keep ticking off those wins

Dolph Starbeam

Skylinehead wrote: »

Vermaelen
Podolski
Wilshere
Ozil
Monreal
Gibbs

Miyaichi?

And Cazorla is both so I'm counting him.

Miyaichi is right footed afaik.

tayto lover

ronjo wrote: »

Am not having that.
Smudger was class Tayto

So were the other two.

greendom

FearDark wrote: »

No but I remember Francis Jeffers, Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho.

You're not comparing Giroud to those are you ?

ronjo

tayto lover wrote: »

So were the other two.

You have a few years on me.

Only remember Kennedy from his Liverpool time

greendom

tayto lover wrote: »

You don't remember John Radford, Ray Kennedy or more recently Alan Smith then.

Alan Smith is a very good comparison to Giroud. Only thing is Olly doesn't have Ian Wright playing alongside him.

ronjo

greendom wrote: »

Alan Smith is a very good comparison to Giroud. Only thing is Olly doesn't have Ian Wright playing alongside him.

Smith had his best seasons before Wrighty came. Before that had Quinn, Groves, Hayes and Merson for support

farna_boy

Re Giroud:
If you are going to start complaining about how many goals has he created for himself you then have to look at how many goals he has created for others, which is far more difficult to quantify.

Officially Giroud has 5 assists (PL only) but that only tells part of the story. Giroud often gives one of the vital passes in the build up or simply the assist to the assist.

More than that his movement creates so many goals as well. There was a video at the start of the year analysing Giroud's movement to the front post and how that was creating goals for him. He still does that to a degree but the quality (and quantity) of first time crossing this year has been poor. Because of this analysis though, which probably would have been done anyway by other teams, a lot more defenders are aware that Giroud does this now. So when Giroud does make these types of runs he frequently manages to pull two defenders out of position that try to stop him, making room for our other players to get goals.

Now Giroud, somewhat like Arsenal at the moment, will never get the credit he deserves for doing this but it is creating goals for other players, whether you like it or not. Next time one of our players is through on goal, look to see where Giroud is and how many people are marking him and you might get a better idea of what he offers to the team.

greendom

Great thing about this season is when we aren't playing well there is always someone to step up to the plate and take control. Most recently, Jack on Monday and Santi today. One day everyone will click and the opponents will suffer, whoever they are.

Maire2009

Sir Chesney picks out Bully (you'll know him if ye watch Arsenal Fan TV - seems to be at every Arsenal match home and away) and gives him his shirt on his 100th appearance. Class!

FearDark

Thats class, cant wait for the interview with Bully later!

wandatowell

Not sure if this has been posted up already. New merch from the Arsenal Store.

Just waiting for the dvd now.




http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/arsenal-club-shop-starts-selling-theo-walcott-2-0-spurs-t-shirts-picture/

bad2dabone

Things Giroud excels at:
Holding the ball up
Being a target for our AMF's to bounce passes off
Physical Battles with Centre halves
Defensive cover from set pieces
flicks in or around the edge of the box
Hard Work
First Time finishes
Being a pressure release valve when we're under the kosh
Being Handsome

Things Giroud is poor at:
Taking a high percentage of chances
Running with the ball

There's more in the plus column than the minus for me.

Having said that, we do need another striker

HazDanz

How good was Gnabry today? Very composed on the ball and gives something a bit different on the edge of the box.

tayto lover

On another note, how poor were our free-kicks today?
We didn't trouble the keeper and didn't get any over the wall from great positions.

gosplan

Jesus Christ.

What's with the obsession everyone has with the negatives.

This thread is worse than talksport sometimes.

tayto lover

gosplan wrote: »

Jesus Christ.

What's with the obsession everyone has with the negatives.

This thread is worse than talksport sometimes.

We strive for perfection

astonaidan

Love the way being handsome is a plus for Giroud I think this attitude is why the Neutrals want ye to win the league

ronjo

tayto lover wrote: »

We strive for perfection

Grumpy old men more like

gosplan

Rumours of a loan for Vucinic.

Lots of experience, can play as a winger or off a target man.

Nah, probably too sensible for Wenger.

AdamD

gosplan wrote: »

I think you're really getting it wrong tbh. He's been outstanding and is exactly the kind if striker that the players behind him would like.

We need something different but he's a hugely important part of the team.

My only comment on him would be that he'll struggle to make an impact against great defenders.

farna_boy wrote: »

Re Giroud:
If you are going to start complaining about how many goals has he created for himself you then have to look at how many goals he has created for others, which is far more difficult to quantify.

Officially Giroud has 5 assists (PL only) but that only tells part of the story. Giroud often gives one of the vital passes in the build up or simply the assist to the assist.

More than that his movement creates so many goals as well. There was a video at the start of the year analysing Giroud's movement to the front post and how that was creating goals for him. He still does that to a degree but the quality (and quantity) of first time crossing this year has been poor. Because of this analysis though, which probably would have been done anyway by other teams, a lot more defenders are aware that Giroud does this now. So when Giroud does make these types of runs he frequently manages to pull two defenders out of position that try to stop him, making room for our other players to get goals.

Now Giroud, somewhat like Arsenal at the moment, will never get the credit he deserves for doing this but it is creating goals for other players, whether you like it or not. Next time one of our players is through on goal, look to see where Giroud is and how many people are marking him and you might get a better idea of what he offers to the team.

bad2dabone wrote: »

Things Giroud excels at:
Holding the ball up
Being a target for our AMF's to bounce passes off
Physical Battles with Centre halves
Defensive cover from set pieces
flicks in or around the edge of the box
Hard Work
First Time finishes
Being a pressure release valve when we're under the kosh
Being Handsome

Things Giroud is poor at:
Taking a high percentage of chances
Running with the ball

There's more in the plus column than the minus for me.

Having said that, we do need another striker

Good posts but we'll have to agree to disagree. I think the importance of his strengths are being exaggerated and the effects of his weaknesses underestimated.

tayto lover

I don't think Giroud gets the credit he deserves at all.
Not only is he a great man to hold up the ball and lay it off but his defensive strengths are very good too. How often have we seen him back defending corners and heading the ball clear. he acts as a centre-half on these occasions and is not afraid to put his body on the line.

bad2dabone

City are a very impressive side, packed with really strong players. The team isn't packed with d1ckheads either And the manager has a bit of class about him.

However it f*cking galls me right in the guts that the only reason they're anything is because of the Abu Dhabi group just picked their name out of a hat.
I'll never be able to give Manchester City credit for any titles or achievements they make.

greendom

bad2dabone wrote: »

City are a very impressive side, packed with really strong players. The team isn't packed with d1ckheads either And the manager has a bit of class about him.

However it f*cking galls me right in the guts that the only reason they're anything is because of the Abu Dhabi group just picked their name out of a hat.
I'll never be able to give Manchester City credit for any titles or achievements they make.

And if the fit and proper test for ownership actually had any substance the Abu Dhabi group wouldn't be involved in the EPL.

bad2dabone

greendom wrote: »

And if the fit and proper test for ownership actually had any substance the Abu Dhabi group wouldn't be involved in the EPL.

can't say i know much more about them than they're filthy rich.

Having said that Usmanov is as dodgy as they come, but i don't think he'll ever get control of our club.

greendom

bad2dabone wrote: »

can't say i know much more about them than they're filthy rich.

Having said that Usmanov is as dodgy as they come, but i don't think he'll ever get control of our club.

Essentially it's the country that owns City - a country that outlaws and criminalises opposition, engages in torture as a legitimate act just for starters.

bad2dabone

greendom wrote: »

Essentially it's the country that owns City - a country that outlaws and criminalises opposition, engages in torture as a legitimate act just for starters.

Classy. I'm sure no city fans (all 4 of them) give a ****.

I see now this:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/southampton-takeover-chinese-billionaire-wang-3036588#.UtsE5xDFLDc

Chinese Billionaire in negotiations to buy Southampton.

Looks like those 2 available CL Spots will soon be down to 1.

FearDark

bad2dabone wrote: »

Classy. I'm sure no city fans (all 4 of them) give a ****.

I see now this:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/southampton-takeover-chinese-billionaire-wang-3036588#.UtsE5xDFLDc

Chinese Billionaire in negotiations to buy Southampton.

Looks like those 2 available CL Spots will soon be down to 1.

That utterly sickens me. Don't forget Chelsea are a nothing club too picked out of a hat before a billionaire bought them.

Call Me Jimmy

I know it's about as likely as me farting gold coins but the financial fair play needs to happen for clubs that are not self-sustaining. I know I know, people can inject money into clubs in various ways but... like they even have it in the big ol' US of A don't they? NFL has strict caps etc.

12gauge dave

We have always had a huge striker as far as I can remember ian wright, dennis bergkamp,thierry henry and van Persie he has some big names to follow and thats why he is so hardly scrutinised by some of us.
In my opinion he is a good player but not an excellent player hopefully he finishes the season strongly for us all but if he doesnt pick it up a bit there just might be a big name striker emirates bound in summer.

I didnt catch match or highlights today sadly with work how was ozil?

gosplan

Some nice stats from 7am kickoff on arseblog this morning.

Arsenal forcing the opposition to take 56% of shots from distance. A total of 143 shots from outside the penalty box but only 3 goals conceded from outside the box this year (anyone remember them?).

This contributes to the opposition's overall chance conversion rate of 7%.

Our overall rate is 14%.

Soups123

tayto lover wrote: »

I don't think Giroud gets the credit he deserves at all.
Not only is he a great man to hold up the ball and lay it off but his defensive strengths are very good too. How often have we seen him back defending corners and heading the ball clear. he acts as a centre-half on these occasions and is not afraid to put his body on the line.

I agree completely with your post but I would add very little of that is on the checklist when trying to find a top class centre forward.

efb

Glad to see so many off you defending my bf, He's a v hard worker, I don't know many strikers that work harder that him.



And he's gorgeous!!!

Galvasean

Ramsey 13 (8)
Giroud 12 (9)
Walcott 6 (5)
Ozil 5 (4)
Wilshere 5 (3)
Cazorla 4 (3)
Podolski 3 (3)
Mertesacker 2 (2)
Bendtner 2 (2)
Rosicky 1 (0)
Flamini 1 (1)
Arteta 1 (1)
Gnabry 1 (1)
Eisfeld 1 (0)
Sagna 1 (1)
Gibbs 1 (0)


Santi doubles his tally!

efb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Bg4EUfwBs

meriwether

greendom wrote: »

Essentially it's the country that owns City - a country that outlaws and criminalises opposition, engages in torture as a legitimate act just for starters.

You could make the same argument about Emirates, our sponsors.

greendom

meriwether wrote: »

You could make the same argument about Emirates, our sponsors.

Perhaps - there is a bit more distance as it's not the government but the airline that is the sponsor and they are a sponsor, not our owners.

shano_88

meriwether wrote: »

You could make the same argument about Emirates, our sponsors.

Lol, Emirates don't own Arsenal or fund our transfers though...