Match Reaction vs Spuds (away, COC).

[Niall_Quinn]

Ox is just not that good.

He wasnt helped being played on the left, but he is just not a good player.

If you mean he's not the rounded and finished article, that's true. But he has huge talent. Just needs somebody to work with him and teach him how to apply that talent. Legend goes Wenger is the ideal man for that job, but watching Ox's decision making on Wednesday makes you wonder what's happening on the training pitch.

[Niall_Quinn]

not defending Giroud's overall performance, but this is completely untrue. He won 10 aerial duels

He got his head on the ball ahead of the defender, but not in a controlled manner that allowed him to ever direct it and retain possession. In the second half he gave up jumping for it. It's another case of Wenger placing his faith in a player who was always unlikely to deliver at the required level.

[mastermind84]

Source? I need a site/app that covers the Carling Cup so I could be wrong.

10 is a high number and has to be a record for Giroud. 10 out of what? We must have been totally pubbing it up to win 10 aerial battles.

But from what I saw of that game he wasn't helping us hold possession or pin Spurs in their half. It was a really bad performance.

I got it off WhoScored.com

That definitely needs more qualifying. Winning an aerial dual doesn't mean they are useful to the team. What would make this a worthwhile stat would be knowing what happened to the ball as a direct result of those. If 6/7 of those ended up with the ball going out of play, ending up with the opposition etc it becomes pretty meaningless.

He got his head on the ball ahead of the defender, but not in a controlled manner that allowed him to ever direct it and retain possession. In the second half he gave up jumping for it. It's another case of Wenger placing his faith in a player who was always unlikely to deliver at the required level.

No where in my post did I say Giroud played well. I didn't even say his headers lead to anything substantial, just that he won 10 aerial duels which was more than any other player on the pitch.

[mastermind84]

If you mean he's not the rounded and finished article, that's true. But he has huge talent. Just needs somebody to work with him and teach him how to apply that talent. Legend goes Wenger is the ideal man for that job, but watching Ox's decision making on Wednesday makes you wonder what's happening on the training pitch.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is not a huge talent. Our fans get suckered into thinking these players are better talents that they are because Wenger plays them at age 12 due to a lack of options.

I do think he I one of those guys that needs clear instruction because he is brainless but we have seen huge talents at Arsenal. We see them at similar ages in the premier league, Oxlade-Chamberlain ain't it. He can't dribble with his head up. He also makes the wrong runs, which is seriously annoying.

[Niall_Quinn]

I got it off WhoScored.com




No where in my post did I say Giroud played well. I didn't even say his headers lead to anything substantial, just that he won 10 aerial duels which was more than any other player on the pitch.

Nowhere did I say you claimed Giroud played well. I'm saying the even when his stats appear decent he's not productive.

[Niall_Quinn]

Oxlade-Chamberlain is not a huge talent. Our fans get suckered into thinking these players are better talents that they are because Wenger plays them at age 12 due to a lack of options.

I do think he I one of those guys that needs clear instruction because he is brainless but we have seen huge talents at Arsenal. We see them at similar ages in the premier league, Oxlade-Chamberlain ain't it. He can't dribble with his head up. He also makes the wrong runs, which is seriously annoying.

He influences games, sometimes in our favour and sometimes not. He's confident in his own abilities, even though the end result is not always there. He's positive and would rather press forward than play it sideways or square. He has enough pace to be dangerous. He's prepared to shoot at goal rather than bottle it and pass the responsibility. He has plenty going for him and glimpses of his natural talent can regularly be seen. He needs a decent coach now to bring his game together. He's not going to get that coaching at Arsenal, unless things change dramatically. Big shame but we've seen the same thing with many players now. Makes you wonder if it is the player who has to help Wenger along rather than the other way around.

[Power n Glory]

I got it off WhoScored.com




No where in my post did I say Giroud played well. I didn't even say his headers lead to anything substantial, just that he won 10 aerial duels which was more than any other player on the pitch.

It's a lot for a centre forward. We were really pubbing it up. But as Kano and NQ say, it wasn't productive and that's what I mean Giroud.
He's not knocking them down to our midfield and he's not a beast in the box that attacks the ball if ever whipped into the box. But cheers for the stat site.

[mastermind84]

Nowhere did I say you claimed Giroud played well. I'm saying the even when his stats appear decent he's not productive.

It's a lot for a centre forward. We were really pubbing it up. But as Kano and NQ say, it wasn't productive and that's what I mean Giroud.
He's not knocking them down to our midfield and he's not a beast in the box that attacks the ball if ever whipped into the box. But cheers for the stat site.

no prob

and Giroud is pretty much void of confidence right now. He is awful. Just want to keep it factual with his awfulness.

He influences games, sometimes in our favour and sometimes not. He's confident in his own abilities, even though the end result is not always there. He's positive and would rather press forward than play it sideways or square. He has enough pace to be dangerous. He's prepared to shoot at goal rather than bottle it and pass the responsibility. He has plenty going for him and glimpses of his natural talent can regularly be seen. He needs a decent coach now to bring his game together. He's not going to get that coaching at Arsenal, unless things change dramatically. Big shame but we've seen the same thing with many players now. Makes you wonder if it is the player who has to help Wenger along rather than the other way around.

I just dont see a big talent in him. And he has been at Arsenal for 4 seasons and is still raw. If he did not have the price tag, he would have been shipped out.

[Penguin]

Give the boy a chance, in his first three seasons he only started 2 games, 5 games and 3 games in all competitions. The first time he got a real, uninterrupted run in the team was last season and he not only impressed, but was one of our most dangerous attackers.

He has plenty of talent. The challenge now for him is staying fit and adding an end product to his game. Wenger and Ox have both said as much in preseason, so let's see if he steps up to the challenge.

[A Gunner]

Gabriel suspended for one match.