The Giroud Question

[GranadaJoe]

When I logged on earlier I expected to see a torrent of abuse hurled my way regarding my comments on Giroud, only to find that Hostgator had lost them.
I posted them in the Bindippers thread, but have started a new one because the calamity in Liverpool was about so much more than le Lampost and he has been the subject of much disagreement, much of it heated.

DB10 and others labelled the Giroud critics 'haters', which I strongly disagree with. I've read hate directed at AW, Theo (you know who you are!) and BFG, but I wouldn't classify the comments about Giroud that I've read as 'hate'.

People's different views are interesting. DB10 posted that "Giroud challenged for and won every header". He absolutely didn't. In the first half hour Sakho, and even BigFat Kolo had him in their pocket. He did improve after that though.

I agree however that he is not lazy per se. However, maybe I was spoilt watching Wrighty every week, who busted his balls every minute of every match, but it drives me mad when I see OG lay a ball off out wide and then stand there watching the attack develop, when he should be sprinting for the near post.

He is obviously a decent player, but imo, he is
a) much too slow
b) not dominant against good defenders. He did well against John Stones, but even a half-physical CB usually comes out on top in the aerial duels.
c) He has no finesse or guile. He either sticks a foot out and hopes for a deflection or tries to smash it. If you look at our strikers from years gone by they have a multitude of ways of scoring. He doesn't.
d) His lack of movement causes the rest of the team problems and
e) His positional play is, at best, not quite good enough.
f) He also infuriates me with the feigning of injury. I used to see him go down, slapping the floor with his hand or flapping his wrist around in the air and think that he must have at least broken his leg, but now I know he'll be back on the field in two minutes.

As Wrighty, Shearer, Lineker and others have said, any top striker wood bag 30+ goals a season playing for us.

I don't hate him, but I do think he is well short of the quality a club which wants to challenge for honours needs.

I'm interested to hear all sides of the argument though. Fire away!!

[northbank123]

Does normally work very hard to be fair and it is a bloody demanding role. His stupid shrugging and liking wistfully to the sky can disguise that sometimes. Does also have an ego well above his ability but that's Wengers fault for making him unchallenged lone striker for 4 seasons and paying him twice as much as anybody else would.

Actually an uncharacteristically lethal finish on Weds, although also missed an absolute sitter. Good header of the ball but just nowhere near clinical enough on the floor, him managing to kick the floor when through against Newcastle sums it up really.

His biggest problem is his complete lack of pace as it allows defenders to get right up his arse and Mark him out of the game because they know he can't spin them and get in behind. Although his willingness to show for the ball rather than only wanting to run in behind means he is our best option as nobody else will bring others into play like him.

Would be a good signing for a Europa League side who are willing to play 2 up front and/or mix things round. Unfortunately just not good enough for a club with the aspirations we should have and not good enough to play such a demanding role.

[augie]

I agree with that assessment - I don't hate the guy at all and I think that he would be a great back up striker for us, but sadly I don't think that he is the level required to be first choice at a club like ours. Sometimes on this forum people grab criticism of our players, and label it as hate when it isn't necessarily the case - what I feel towards wenker is genuine hate (I don't feel one bit ashamed admitting it either), but criticising a players performance or ability doesn't always equal hate and more often than not it isn't hate
The one thing I will say though, is that I might revise my opinion IF we ever played 4-4-2 cos I do believe that he would be much better as part of a front 2 if his partner brought the things that he hasn't got (pace and a natural strikers instincts for starters)

[Supagoon]

Giroud + Pace = Great striker.

He is what he is. Not world class, not outstanding but can make a solid contribution. He can defend set pieces and, very importantly stays fit.

There aren't a lot of strikers on the market but I think when the next hot prospect comes up we need to take a gamble. We're not going to be picking top notch strikers from the likes of Madrid.

I remember when Liverpool 'gambled' on Suarez, people said he might be crap, could be the next Alfonso Alves and it worked out well for them. We may need to do the same. Everybody wants strikers and an experienced, 25 goals per season proven goal scorer will be out of our price range.

It's true in an attacking team like us a good quality striker would score 25+ goals, but you need to have pace to make the most of what Arsenal usually create and Giroud hasn't got that. We have to admit if we did have a wonder striker and he was having a quiet game, Giroud is the perfect sub to bring on.

[Henry Norris 1913]

I don't think anyone hates giroud, I certainly don't and think he is one of our most popular players. The actual issue is the people who will defend him to the edge of the earth, and laud his goalscoring record, when in actual fact and half decent striker could score the number of goals he has with the team we have behind him, and that in most cases he is often bullied off too easily and doesn't challenge enough for headers.

liverpool were an absolute shambles and gave him too much space, but fair do's, his second goal was exquisite.

[GranadaJoe]

I agree with that assessment - I don't hate the guy at all and I think that he would be a great back up striker for us, but sadly I don't think that he is the level required to be first choice at a club like ours. Sometimes on this forum people grab criticism of our players, and label it as hate when it isn't necessarily the case - what I feel towards wenker is genuine hate (I don't feel one bit ashamed admitting it either), but criticising a players performance or ability doesn't always equal hate and more often than not it isn't hate
The one thing I will say though, is that I might revise my opinion IF we ever played 4-4-2 cos I do believe that he would be much better as part of a front 2 if his partner brought the things that he hasn't got (pace and a natural strikers instincts for starters)

I completely agree with the last point.
If you teamed him in a two with a sharp striker I think it would work well, but no managers of top clubs seem willing to give 4 4 2
a go.

[Sean]

Another one of TOF's project players, who earns way more money than he would at any other club.

I don't hate the bloke and he does have a role at the club, it's just not being the relatively uncontested starting striker at The Arsenal.

Had we kept RvP, OG would have been an excellent backup and he has proved useful as an impact sub earlier in the season when we were experimenting with Walcott up front.

Sadly, TOF refuses to upgrade Giroud. As he is somewhat popular with his film-star looks, we're expected to tolerate having a limited player up front. His advocates really do champion his cause.

Does he suit the way we play? Does he suit the formation? I can't say he does. If only he had pace, he'd be lethal.

He does suit the beard though. He's forming a beard club with Ramsey

[russgoonergibson]

I've always thought this and still do, he's a good player but never going to be good enough to win champs league etc , he misses too many chances too often and at times can be lazy as fuck, then he will go on a little run of scoring . Ideally be a good squad player but for me we need better

[mcdowell42]

Giroud league goals 12,Aguero league goals 8.

[russgoonergibson]

Giroud league goals 12,Aguero league goals 8.

21 games to 14

[mcdowell42]

Giroud league goals 12,Aguero league goals 8.

21 games to 14

Touche

[russgoonergibson]

Giroud league goals 12,Aguero league goals 8.

21 games to 14

Touche

Saying that bud it's exactly the same goal to game ratio lol

[GoonerMuzz]

I'd be much happier with Giroud if he'd stay on his bloody feet, the number of times good attacking play is disrupted because he feels a player right on him and goes down hoping for a free kick instead of getting on with it is so bloody frustrating.

Even more annoying is i think most refs are wise to what he does and are expecting him to go down and don't give the free kicks when they are genuinely due.

Giroud can and does score goals and no-one in his right mind would deny that but for some reason he is a player who polarises opinion and for me personally i always remember the simple tap ins he misses as opposed to the really excellent goals such as the one against the bin dippers he does score.

Frustrating player who is probably better than we think but because of his attitude at times and lack of mobility i just cannot see him as an Arsenal Striker, maybe we've been spoiled over the years with IW, DB, TH and RVP and we expect too much from him

[falkirk goon]

Is he worth the ridiculous salary le bumhole gives him? No
Is he good enough to lead us to the title? No
Is he good enough for The Arsenal? No

[Nos89]

The problem with Giroud is that although he is a good player, he's not great. He follows Alan Smith, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie. All players capable of 20 plus goals a season, all golden boot winners. We're used to better quality striker, it is as simple as that. He's becoming more like Heskey.