Daeric Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Well, if past experience is anything to go by I'm sure we'll see a lot of running about, quite a few goals, and then a marked drop off in both once he has secured a mega-bucks wage increase. I'm not sure Wenger's gonna fall for it again. As he showed by jettisoning Podolski, getting the odd goal while offering not a lot more to the team is perhaps not enough to keep you in an Arsenal shirt these days. I'm not sure what Walcott you were watching during and after his contract negotiations, the one I remember was a Walcott earning the contract and then playing like he deserved it until the injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigima Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 He is a decent player.What size shirt should I get you? I really dislike him, and his brother. It has nothing to do with their technical ability and more for their propensity for unsportsmanlike behavior like diving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I'm not sure what Walcott you were watching during and after his contract negotiations, the one I remember was a Walcott earning the contract and then playing like he deserved it until the injury. Meh. He scored in a couple of games after signing his last contract, then went three or four months putting in the some of the laziest, weak-ass performances I've ever seen from an Arsenal player. To be fair, he got his shit together for the last couple of games that season, and played well enough at the beginning of last season. But given that he's one of our most injury prone players (and that's saying something), and quite frankly, nowhere near as good as he thinks he is, I wouldn't be at all bothered if we sold him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJDonegal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Sam Allardyce twisting the knife into LVG, with only a side reference to him. Good reference to the time Allardyce claimed he could win the league or double every season at Inter Milan or Real Madrid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Three things. 1. Ozil was excellent in the first half against Leicester but more or less invisible in the second. I don't think it was really his fault, the team as a whole was poor, but I wouldn't categorize his game as excellent. 2. Walcott will get you goals and occasionally assists from limited opportunities. He's not the type of player to do anything other than that. He's very much like Podolski except he has much better off the ball movement that stretches the defense whereas Podolski has no movement. I saw a number of diagonal runs yesterday that Walcott made and others missed and there was one or two times he got through but did a poor job. I don't think it's fair to expect him to complete passes and make a lot of touches because that's not what he has ever done for us. He's very much there for one or two moments a game but those tend to be big (see goal scored yesterday on excellent finish). 3. I was impressed again with Coquelin even though his missed header lead to the goal (to be fair, lots of opportunities for them to clear it). He leads the league in tackles in 2015 and I wouldn't be surprised if he's up there in interceptions as well (had 5 tackles yesterday and 8 interceptions against Spurs). Hope he can keep it up as we'd be a whole lot worse without him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Walcott will get you goals and occasionally assists from limited opportunities. He's not the type of player to do anything other than that. He's very much like Podolski except he has much better off the ball movement that stretches the defense whereas Podolski has no movement. I saw a number of diagonal runs yesterday that Walcott made and others missed and there was one or two times he got through but did a poor job. I don't think it's fair to expect him to complete passes and make a lot of touches because that's not what he has ever done for us. He's very much there for one or two moments a game but those tend to be big (see goal scored yesterday on excellent finish). This about sums up the reasons for my ambivalence. Yeah, the goals are nice, but there are plenty of players out there, playing in the same position, who give you far more than Walcott ever will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 This about sums up the reasons for my ambivalence. Yeah, the goals are nice, but there are plenty of players out there, playing in the same position, who give you far more than Walcott ever will. But not for Arsenal and not with his pace. Without Sanchez, goals are an issue and they are what win games. He's capable of 20 per season and that's big. I mean, I'd prefer a Hazard or a Reus but we just don't have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercenaryChef Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I really dislike him, and his brother. It has nothing to do with their technical ability and more for their propensity for unsportsmanlike behavior like diving.So a medium then? Both of them were a pair of dickheads at Philly. But, he has not done anything so great that won't have me pulling for him at dc. Plus having him get the Philly fans all wound up when we play them will be good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 But not for Arsenal and not with his pace. Without Sanchez, goals are an issue and they are what win games. He's capable of 20 per season and that's big. I mean, I'd prefer a Hazard or a Reus but we just don't have one. But there's no reason why we couldn't go out and get one. And pace isn't necessarily the be all and end all. Especially in Walcott's case where he has *ahem* limited natural footballing ability. I mean, look at this. At 2-1 down against Spurs, Rosicky plays an absolutely beautiful pass. Walcott doesn't need to touch it - all he has to do is let the ball run and then follow it into the box. Instead, inexplicably, he takes a completely unnecessary touch and the ball ends up going in the exact opposite direction it was supposed to. For my money, Welbeck is a far more naturally talented player, just as quick, and twice as strong. More importantly, he works ever so hard for the team and I'd pick him over Walcott any day of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Walcott would be a much better player if a significant portion of Arsenal fans didn't chant his name every time he so much as twitches. He doesn't appear to ever have thought about how he plays and what have you.Compare and contrast the returning players from injury- Ozil appears to have spent his entire time off studying how to play from the left, including picking up a very Ljunberg-like tendency to ghost in from the flank and pop up with a shot. Walcott is exactly the same as when he got injured, which is pretty much the same player he was when he broke through, just a bit more polished. I'd prefer a Hazard or a Reus but we just don't have one. Yes you do, he's called Alexis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Ramsey out for a month. Can't say I'm all that bothered. One or two matches aside, his form has been pretty much in the toilet all season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 But there's no reason why we couldn't go out and get one. And pace isn't necessarily the be all and end all. Especially in Walcott's case where he has *ahem* limited natural footballing ability. I mean, look at this. At 2-1 down against Spurs, Rosicky plays an absolutely beautiful pass. Walcott doesn't need to touch it - all he has to do is let the ball run and then follow it into the box. Instead, inexplicably, he takes a completely unnecessary touch and the ball ends up going in the exact opposite direction it was supposed to. For my money, Welbeck is a far more naturally talented player, just as quick, and twice as strong. More importantly, he works ever so hard for the team and I'd pick him over Walcott any day of the week. I agree about that play with Walcott and I remember it. But lets remember he's been out of football for a year and has played in what, 3 games? He's rusty and not sharp, but his finishing is class and that's something that Welbeck is completely incapable of. The other thing I dislike about Welbeck now is his off the ball movement. It's terrible. There were so many situations where we broke and he made the wrong run, fucking up the movement and clogging the space. He has talent and he works hard, but man has he been disappointing. I'd rather take the 3 goals in 3 games from Walcott vs the 4 goals in 16 games from Welbeck but he works hard (not sure that's entirely accurate but it's not far off). That being said, I like both players and I think they should be used in certain situations. It offers versatility to the side that Wenger can put out and I like that. I just wish Welbeck was better. It hasn't been impressive at all. Walcott would be a much better player if a significant portion of Arsenal fans didn't chant his name every time he so much as twitches. He doesn't appear to ever have thought about how he plays and what have you.Compare and contrast the returning players from injury- Ozil appears to have spent his entire time off studying how to play from the left, including picking up a very Ljunberg-like tendency to ghost in from the flank and pop up with a shot. Walcott is exactly the same as when he got injured, which is pretty much the same player he was when he broke through, just a bit more polished. Yes you do, he's called Alexis. This is fair. We do have Alexis and we were even debating that a few days ago. I guess I'm just saying that we can't have one in every position and Walcott offers movement that if found, could be very valuable. Can't have a Reus/Hazard/Alexis on both wings since we don't have another player capable. Ramsey out for a month. Can't say I'm all that bothered. One or two matches aside, his form has been pretty much in the toilet all season. I'd agree except I like having him available even with his form being shit. I keep hoping he'll magically revert to 2013. It just lessens the squad overall with him injured. If Wenger was capable of dropping him, he'd be a solid squad player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Perhaps the uncomfortable truth regarding Ramsey is that his 2013 form is the exception, rather than the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJDonegal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Perhaps the uncomfortable truth regarding Ramsey is that his 2013 form is the exception, rather than the norm. Kinda brings you back to the old adage "form is temporary, class is permanent". Soz, Rambo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Perhaps the uncomfortable truth regarding Ramsey is that his 2013 form is the exception, rather than the norm. It certainly seems that way which is a shame. He always had the talent to be class which gave us hope that he turned the corner. Seems not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I still think he has it in him to become a top class midfielder. A lot of the problems with his game are eminently fixable. If he works on his positional discipline, cuts out the ridiculous backheels and unnecessary Hollywood passes, and avoids the frequent lapses in concentration, he'll be a fine player. If ever there was a player who needed to go back to basics, it's Rambo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I still think he has it in him to become a top class midfielder. A lot of the problems with his game are eminently fixable. If he works on his positional discipline, cuts out the ridiculous backheels and unnecessary Hollywood passes, and avoids the frequent lapses in concentration, he'll be a fine player. If ever there was a player who needed to go back to basics, it's Rambo. I agree with this and I know Raja appreciates what he brings to the team defensively. There is ability there, but everything needs to be simple with him. When he tries to do more than he's capable of, he really puts us in a bind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex. Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 If anyone fancies a bet then Stoke and City drawing 1-1 is nailed On. Maybe also a bit on Stoke winning to cover all eventualities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 If anyone fancies a bet then Stoke and City drawing 1-1 is nailed On. Maybe also a bit on Stoke winning to cover all eventualities. Pretty much. City hasn't beaten Stoke right? Lots of draws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I believe in Stephen Ireland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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