Olivier Giroud - Another Alan Smith or "Le Chapman"?

[franksav63]

It does amaze me that the only reason that this useless *word censored* is a cult figure is because his name rhymes with Jude!

[highburyJD]

It does amaze me that the only reason that this useless *word censored* is a cult figure is because his name rhymes with Jude!

it is a good chant though....

[jrthgooner]

As soon as I had watched him play once I did not see why we spent £12m on him but like most thought that he might adapt given time so have been willing to give him a chance. However, he has got even worse as the season has gone on and I do not remember the last good game he had (by that I do not mean scoring a goal and contributing nothing else) where his all round play was good.

As a focal point of the attack you need to be strong, hold the ball up and centre backs off, make the occassional run in behind the opposition and be able to take the chances whern they come along. Sadly Giroud seems to have none of those key elements about his game

Perfect example is Chelsea away where we spent the whole second half in their half and basically battered them but I do not remember him touching the ball, hearing his name mentioned doing anything positive or looking like a threat to the Chelsea goal. His habit of hiding (especiallly in big games) is extremely worrying and not what I want in a centre forward at my club!!

Huntelaar was valued around the same price and we got this clown, you just can't make up this nonsense

[northbank123]

He's scored only 17% of our goals despite us being 2nd highest scorers in the league, being the ONLY striker on the pitch and having played 33 out of 34 PL games (overwhelmingly starts).

For those seeking to put forward a defence that his goalscoring stats are actually quite good for his first season consider this and also look at how many (and the names of) players above him.

His job as lone striker is to put the ball in the back of the net. He doesn't need to come deep or out wide, he just needs to score goals. More of them. Much more.

[kiwomya]

He's scored only 17% of our goals despite us being 2nd highest scorers in the league, being the ONLY striker on the pitch and having played 33 out of 34 PL games (overwhelmingly starts).

For those seeking to put forward a defence that his goalscoring stats are actually quite good for his first season consider this and also look at how many (and the names of) players above him.

His job as lone striker is to put the ball in the back of the net. He doesn't need to come deep or out wide, he just needs to score goals. More of them. Much more.

It's swings and roundabouts, though. Last season RVP scored 30 league goals but nobody else in the whole squad got double figures in the league. This season, the goals are being spread between Giroud, Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla.

That being said, Giroud has a shitload of chances and he fucks a lot them up.

[1989]

He's scored only 17% of our goals despite us being 2nd highest scorers in the league, being the ONLY striker on the pitch and having played 33 out of 34 PL games (overwhelmingly starts).

For those seeking to put forward a defence that his goalscoring stats are actually quite good for his first season consider this and also look at how many (and the names of) players above him.

His job as lone striker is to put the ball in the back of the net. He doesn't need to come deep or out wide, he just needs to score goals. More of them. Much more.

It's swings and roundabouts, though. Last season RVP scored 30 league goals but nobody else in the whole squad got double figures in the league. This season, the goals are being spread between Giroud, Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla.

That being said, Giroud has a shitload of chances and he fucks a lot them up.

Ideally you want someone who gets 30 league and others chipping in with a fair few as well. A combination of Judas' goal haul last season and the contribution from multiple sources that we've seen this season would ensure we challenged for the title at least.

[spendsum4uckingmoney]

I dont care about stats. Wenger justified Denilson by his pass % ratio and none of us bought it then. Giroud can't finish. Thats a pretty big handicap for a striker.

[Brady's left peg]

He's scored only 17% of our goals despite us being 2nd highest scorers in the league, being the ONLY striker on the pitch and having played 33 out of 34 PL games (overwhelmingly starts).

For those seeking to put forward a defence that his goalscoring stats are actually quite good for his first season consider this and also look at how many (and the names of) players above him.

His job as lone striker is to put the ball in the back of the net. He doesn't need to come deep or out wide, he just needs to score goals. More of them. Much more.

It's swings and roundabouts, though. Last season RVP scored 30 league goals but nobody else in the whole squad got double figures in the league. This season, the goals are being spread between Giroud, Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla.

That being said, Giroud has a shitload of chances and he fucks a lot them up.

The trouble is kiwomya a lot of those chances have been in tight games or important games, and the fact he keeps missing them has cost us points this season.

[1989]

So the Club appealed the decision to send him off.

Good. This means the FA will add one more game to his 3-game ban to guarantee the fact we won't see him again this season.

[UlsterGooner]

So the Club appealed the decision to send him off.

Good. This means the FA will add one more game to his 3-game ban to guarantee the fact we won't see him again this season.

I'd say the reason they appealed it was because it wasn't a sending off

[Perryashburtongroves]

So the Club appealed the decision to send him off.

Good. This means the FA will add one more game to his 3-game ban to guarantee the fact we won't see him again this season.

I'd say the reason they appealed it was because it wasn't a sending off

Perhaps they want the FA to deem it a frivolous appeal and stick another game on the end of the ban.

[Supagoon]

I think Giroud's lack of technique was just too much for him ever to work out here. He could have gotten away with it if he had pace. But he is so limited, its painful to hear people refer to the Didier syndrome, in which a potentially world class strikers look like mid table players. It's painful to hear next year he will 'understand' the premier league therefore master the elastico, finish like henry, and show the composure of ronaldo9 in front of goal.

After Park, and Chamakh won't shoot, we get Giroud.

At best he can be a bench striker, but really should be looking at better

[falkirk goon]

This useless lump of lard is Van Persies replacement you couldnt make it up Arsole knows though 30 odd years in management

[Herd]

It is just wrong to compare Giroud with Smudger ,I think he has more in common with this fella;

[DB10GOONER]

He's scored only 17% of our goals despite us being 2nd highest scorers in the league, being the ONLY striker on the pitch and having played 33 out of 34 PL games (overwhelmingly starts).

For those seeking to put forward a defence that his goalscoring stats are actually quite good for his first season consider this and also look at how many (and the names of) players above him.

His job as lone striker is to put the ball in the back of the net. He doesn't need to come deep or out wide, he just needs to score goals. More of them. Much more.

Mate, you are one of the more intelligent posters on here but surely you can see that those stats are hugely subjective? The qualifier for them is he was in a new league, new country, played in a system that does not suit his few strengths etc etc.

Also, lone striker is never a simple job. Particularly when playing in a poorly executed system that uses tippy tappy Barca-Lite pass the ball to death "tactics". A lone striker depends so much on the quality of the ball into him and the quality has not been there often enough, particularly from Gibbs and Sagna both of whose crossing is simply appalling. A pragmatic manager would get more out of Giroud than Wenger can, simply by playing to his strengths, rather than wedging him into a system because it looks pretty.

Having said that, I said I'd give Giroud time to see how he adapted before I made a final judgement but it was obvious from the beginning he wasn't a world beater. And unfortunately he never will be. But if you have a manager and a Board that won't spend to bring in top quality you get on with what you have and hope they can be useful. He has been ok. Not great but certainly not shit - you simply don't score as many as he has being shit. But he is NOT good enough to be playing at a club like Arsenal if we have any real ambition. Nowhere near it. But then if we are being honest about it, neither are Forehead, Fabianski, Mannone, Diaby, Squillaci, Arshavings, Ramsey, Camel, Bendtner, LegoHead, FrompSong, Djourou, Park and Santos. Not one of them would even have got on the bench in 1998.

Unfortunately, until Wiggy, Ivan The Terrible and Wenger are gone, this is the level of player we will have.