The Welbz Thread (official)

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

In all honesty, and in spite of the fact that he's been around since about 2008, I don't think a lot of Arsenal fan (myself included) had actually paid a whole lot of attention to Danny Welbeck until he signed for us? I would imagine most people's first reaction was the same as mine: to be spectacularly underwhelmed, because we were rummaging around for one of Manchester United's unwanted squad players on deadline day, when most felt that we should have had the striker situation sorted out weeks or months (or years!) earlier. And the mood was then further soured by the fact that ManUre were smashing out deals for Falcaos and Di Marias (signings are the new trophies, after all). (Although, to be fair, I'm sure a lot of the outpouring of grief was just the usual football forum faux-outrage, for the sake of sarcasm and comedy, and generally just having something to tall about?) But anyway, once it was all done and dusted, and we'd had a chance to make even the slightest of slight efforts to dig out some YT clips, and see what rival fans were saying, I think he started to look and sound like exactly the kind of player that we need for the CF role (as we play it), and someone who would add a lot of the attributes that our attack has been desperately lacking. There's still a fair amount of uncertainty over what exactly we should expect from him, but the two goals against Switzerland certainly won't have done any harm in that respect!

And he's not Sanogo - that point cannot be stressed strongly enough. He's. Not. Sanogo.

To be fair, I'm not sure anyone has said that Welbeck is a better player than Falcao on an individual level - just that the deal was better, and that United may have made a serious cock-up here? They're basically paying £20m to borrow a player for 8 and a half months, whereas we've signed someone who could potentially lead our line for the next 7-10 years. But worse than that (from they're POV), they've potentially (significantly?) improved one of their closest rivals for the CL spots, when they really didn't have to. Just my opinion here, but I think they would have done their chances more good if they'd simply done nothing (kept Welbeck and not signed Falcao) and left us to work with what we had until the new year...

I'm not sure it matters a whole lot that our deal is better in honesty. There's is a signing capable of winning them the title and ours is not though I think it's important to note we couldn't afford Fatcow in any case. I haven't warmed to Welbeck any more than two weeks ago but for the fact he now plays for us and not the detestable northerns....but I have rated him for some time and hope that he does manage to climb to that next level.

Just as well I have rated him for a while because I'm not exactly enthused by Wenger's current comments on him shall we say, notwithstanding Syn's debunking of British reporting. Whilst I don't believe Wenger spends 17 million just because of another players' 3 month injury, I'm not convinced Welbeck was part of any masterplan or long standing desire Wenger had for him.

The failure to bring in a world class forward continues to frustrate in any case. You either make one or sign one and we seem to have done neither.....and for some time now.

A lot of these rumours from newspaper journalists have just made their own stories up to sell. You can watch the press conference on Arsenal.com - about going to Rome, he was arguing against the criticism he got for being away from Arsenal on deadline day, he said it's 2014 and you can make contact from anywhere (same way he bought all his other signings while being in Brazil). The rest was just usual cryptic "buy my future book and you'll find out" WUMery.

Wenger did not say he wanted a loan deal over a permanent deal - that's what the papers have made up. A question was asked about whether he would've taken Welbeck on loan, and he said 'if it had an option to buy, yes'. If anything it suggests he wouldn't have done a one year loan deal but wanted the permanent option.

Also about where he would play Welbeck, he mentioned a few times that CF would be his strongest position.

Well debunked!

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

If Welbeck scores tomorrow remember to look over at Gazidis and clap him for signing him.

[I am invisible]

I'm not sure it matters a whole lot that our deal is better in honesty. There's is a signing capable of winning them the title and ours is not though I think it's important to note we couldn't afford Fatcow in any case...

I'm looking at it more in terms of the relative gains that each club can expect from their respective new signings? The way I see it, Falcao hasn't gone to Man U to replace Welbeck on the bench - he'll be a serious challenger for first-choice striker - so the gain they're looking at is how much more of an upgrade he will be on van Per... van Cunt, I beg your pardon, or Rooney (whoever gets dropped)? For me, he's a better goal-scorer than both of them, but I'm not sure I'd say that he's so much better that he could win them the league? For us, on the other hand, the gain will be how much of an upgrade Danny Welbeck is on Yaya Sanogo (a striker so shit that he doesn't even have a goal-scoring record yet!), so I think we're looking at making potentially bigger strides as a team from our signing, even though, player-for-player, Welbeck isn't in Falcao's league (yet )

...I haven't warmed to Welbeck any more than two weeks ago but for the fact he now plays for us and not the detestable northerns....but I have rated him for some time and hope that he does manage to climb to that next level...

Fair play to you then mate, if you've rated him for some time - you may exclude yourself from that bewildered minority / majority that I was talking about, who have had to take a crash-course in Danny Welbeck this last week

[I am invisible]

Van Gaal showing what a tiny "man" he is. Fergie was the enemy, but you could never imagine him stooping to the level of this pygmy.

Sounds like someone's strainin' to do some expalinin' to the OT faithful to me! Whatever though, Louis - you're only making yourself look small-minded and petty there, and a little bit silly too, in comparing Welbeck's scoring record to that of van Persie/Rooney/Falcao, when it's pretty widely accepted that he's never really been given a proper run as a CF in his time at Man U (and wasn't even guaranteed a starting place in any other role either)?

I'm sure Welbeck won't give too much of a shit either, if some old bloke that he's worked with for a matter of weeks doesn't rate him - when you look at the outpouring of opinion from other current and former players, team mates and coaches, you have to say that van Gaal's opinion falls in the vast, vast minority. As you say, he should just pin it to wall, use it for motivation, and live for the day when you can ram it down his throat...

[KSE Comedy Club]

The thing I like about Welbeck after watching him recently, is that if you give him the ball, he will run, take on defenders & actually shoot whenever he can. Something that we recently seem to be lacking.

He's not overly concerned with the tippy tappy bollox

[Syn]

Sounds like someone's strainin' to do some expalinin' to the OT faithful to me! Whatever though, Louis - you're only making yourself look small-minded and petty there, and a little bit silly too, in comparing a 23 year old Welbeck's scoring record to that of a 28/29 year old van Persie/Rooney/Falcao (especially when it's pretty widely accepted that he's never really been given a proper run as a CF in his time at Man U).

I'm sure Welbeck won't give too much of a shit either, if some old bloke that he's worked with for a matter of weeks doesn't rate him - when you look at the outpouring of opinion from other current and former players, team mates and coaches, you have to say that van Gaal's opinion falls in the vast, vast minority. As you say, he should just pin it to wall, use it for motivation, and live for the day when you can ram it down his throat...

I think Van Gaal is fair in his comments. The age doesn't really matter. Van Gaal is after instant success and it's a big gamble but of the type he's clearly hired to take. Rooney and Van Persie are better than Welbeck so in terms of winning the title this year, if someone had to go, it should've been Welbeck. For someone who had a more long term plan, I think Rooney should've been thrown out a year ago to accommodate someone who might actually do some justice to a £250k a week salary.

As far as I can see, most of the criticism/panic by the Man Utd fans and ex-players is based on the assumption that Welbeck could make similar improvements to Sturridge. And at the moment he has got it all to do. It's all set up very nicely for him though, he has to use the momentum and positivity of this new move. Nobody was paying any attention to him a month ago and now all eyes are on him.

[I am invisible]

I think Van Gaal is fair in his comments. The age doesn't really matter. Van Gaal is after instant success and it's a big gamble but of the type he's clearly hired to take. Rooney and Van Persie are better than Welbeck so in terms of winning the title this year, if someone had to go, it should've been Welbeck. For someone who had a more long term plan, I think Rooney should've been thrown out a year ago to accommodate someone who might actually do some justice to a £250k a week salary.

As far as I can see, most of the criticism/panic by the Man Utd fans and ex-players is based on the assumption that Welbeck could make similar improvements to Sturridge. And at the moment he has got it all to do. It's all set up very nicely for him though, he has to use the momentum and positivity of this new move. Nobody was paying any attention to him a month ago and now all eyes are on him.

I think there's ways of saying it though, that would have shown more class. If he'd come out with something like 'We had the chance to sign Rademel Falcao, one of the world's best strikers, and someone had to make way' then that would have been fair enough - it's obviously not going to be van Persie or Rooney that goes, and Wilson is still young and inexperienced enough to be a few years away from demanding a place in the side, so most people would have understood why it had to be Welbeck, without too much more needing to be said. I just don't understand the need to cast doubt over his ability and standard of play? It's all come out a bit prickly and defensive, and feels like an unnecessary attack on a young player who has done nothing but give his all for his old club...

[Marc Overmars]

I don't think Van Gaal carries much sentiment for United really, it's just a job to him.

[Özim]

I don't see what's so wrong about what Van Gaal said, he's said he doesn't score enough goals, that's a fact he doesn't.

He's signed a player who guarantees goals and got rid of one that doesn't, he's now got two strikers who can score plenty and Rooney who can also get is fair share, not a bad thing for him.

By saying Wellbeck doesn't score enough he's not insulting him, he's just stating fact, he hadn't scored a goal for a year for England before the other night which is further proof that he's not a guy who's going to bag you goals left right and center, we're just hoping he turns into Sturridge but that's by no means guaranteed, not many players start off scoring little and then go on to score loads.

[AKBapologist]

not many players start off scoring little and then go on to score loads.