Originally Posted by
Niall_Quinn
I'm not convinced it is, at least not for the 90 minute duration of the match. Seems to me much of our game is about wearing out the other team with pass, pass, pass, and then picking up the pace (or attempting to) later. Wenger is big on stats, yards run, efficiency. There's no spontaneity in our game, it is mechanical. Like a wannabe German machine but built from Chinese parts unfortunately. Our players just aren't as good as many make out. They may be able to score the odd flashy goal or pull the odd trick but they break down at the key moment, both mentally and in terms of the intelligent application of talent. Can't cross, can't shoot, can't head the ball, can't do any of the basic stuff with enough of that fabled efficiency to keep the other team under genuine pressure. For the opposition it must be like being battered by a feather duster. Irritating but hardly damaging. We give teams confidence by our style of play.
Dempsey, Drogba, some hard bastard in the middle, we could have brought plenty in to add that bit of steel where it is vitally needed - and we could have bought a number of reliable keepers over the past couple of seasons too. But there was probably some sort of statistical calculation that made Mannone and Giroud and Chamakh and Gervinho and Ramsey and Diaby and even the likes of Walcott theoretically suitable to do a job. Practically though we all see the reality. Pansies with big mouths, grand gestures but no consistent end product and over 38 games it's the consistency that will pay and the lack of it that will cost.
We should resort to hoofing the ball, we'd lose most of the possession in the final third as a result but we already do that. At least hoofing it would wake the opposition defenders up, right now they can read the newspaper and have a coffee while still batting away our forwards like irritating flies. Still, selling possibly the world's best striker and replacing him with a one season wonder from the lower leagues was never going to improve things. But even Giroud might get some joy if only we could "resort" to the style of play other teams find so successful, if only occasionally.
It's embarrassing to lose to Norwich, really embarrassing. But the worst bit is it's not unexpected and we'll lose a few more like this too. Having lazy, complacent, pampered, self important cocks on the pitch really doesn't help our cause. Even if Wenger is fucking them up with his stupid patterns and statistics they still should be able to pass a ball in the final third or put in a cross. What the fuck is wrong with them and why aren't they embarrassed about it along with the fans? They'll be in the papers next week telling everyone how we can win the title, just as they were before the Norwich fiasco. Cocks who don't do their job, that's what they are.
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