As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
I agree with retro I never rated him and the time and thought we could do much better. He wasn't bad but was not a patch on others before him imo, petit especially.
I understand others think he was great but personally never saw it and shat myself whenever he took a penno but think TBF he was quite reliable
This is only my opinion, but occasionally a myth inexplicably grows around a player and it tended to do so around Gilberto. Ramsey was another example and it's often fueled by the media. I was sick of the constant line trotted out by commentators and pundits that Ramsey was a goal threat, when his average was barely 4 league goals per season.
Likewise with Gilberto was this notion that he was some top quality midfielder and I always remember that he was pleased when some journo called him the invisible wall. Half right in my opinion...invisible, but not much of a wall. It actually said it all, because who wants a player that no one notices? Interestingly, where I sat at Highbury, there were plenty around me that didn't rate him and a bloke 3 seats from me used to scream at Wenger "Get him off Wenger!!". He also used to say "Why did we sign the only Brazilian that can't pass?".
His passing was indeed poor and he'd often play us into trouble. While I'm not putting him in the Xhaka category, he did have the knack of making bad passes that put the would be receiver bang in trouble and by the time the opposition had turned the ball over, the majority failed to realise that the initial cause was Gilberto's rank pass. As I've already said, look up the CL Final incident and watch his pass to Hlebb. Another Gooner I knew didn't particularly agree with my opinion about Gilbeto, but like me he was in Paris and when I saw him a couple of weeks later he said "I thought of you when Gilberto fucked up that pass.". He's the only other person who I've ever known to spot it, but there must be loads (even if not IW8 ).
He was also weak in the tackle for a big fella. I was always surprised he didn't get a leg broken because he'd dangle a leg out and lean backwards, often ending up on his arse. He was however, good in the air in both boxes.
His time with us overlapped with Edu, who though unlucky with injuries, was a far better footballer than Gilberto and also tough in the challenge.
OBG will now be telling me that my ego is out of control and that I'm a global danger.
agreed never a great despite being in a great team....more of a water carrier...picking up the ball and giving to someone who could play
Blimey, we’re on a roll. I always thought I was pretty much alone in not rating Gilberto. I should have known I could rely on the informed opinions on the OG.
I did say that he wasn't in the Xhaka category, but no one is.
PV4 could make any partner look far better than they were. For me, Gilbo comes nowhere the likes pf Petit, Edu, or Cesc, who Paddy sadly didn't play with.
I couldn't get the Parlour link to open.
I agree with Mantis re the penalties, my heart was always in my mouth. A 70% success rate is meh. If he'd missed 4 out of 14, or 6 out of 21, it wouldn't look too clever.
You're not on your own, plenty liked him, but you might be surprised how many were far from enamoured. I'm probably more anti than most.
Thanks IW8, I’ll have a listen. No problem with disagreeing with each other, it’s what it’s all about. I’ve noticed that Gilbo aside, our opinions are pretty much aligned.
I did say that he wasn't in the Xhaka category, but no one is.
PV4 could make any partner look far better than they were. For me, Gilbo comes nowhere the likes pf Petit, Edu, or Cesc, who Paddy sadly didn't play with.
I couldn't get the Parlour link to open.
I agree with Mantis re the penalties, my heart was always in my mouth. A 70% success rate is meh. If he'd missed 4 out of 14, or 6 out of 21, it wouldn't look too clever.
You're not on your own, plenty liked him, but you might be surprised how many were far from enamoured. I'm probably more anti than most.
Thanks IW8, I’ll have a listen. No problem with disagreeing with each other, it’s what it’s all about. I’ve noticed that Gilbo aside, our opinions are pretty much aligned.
Like they say, great minds think alike but fools seldom differ
Joking aside I remember watching gilbert play at the Emirates, I was with my son, I was saying watch how many 5 yard passes he fucks up, he would literally win the ball back and give it straight back to the oppo.
A guy sitting next to my boy leaned across and said you're right mate, I hadn't noticed how bad he was at passing till I overhead you so watched his game.
A couple of guys behind scoffed like Fred and Perry being told off by Mrs Patterson, some people couldn't see it and even when they do just ignore it.
Gilberto, Vieira and Fabregas played together in the 2004/05 season. Gilberto had a lot injuries that season but all 3 started the FA cup final against United. It was after this season that Wenger lost the plot.
Fair enough G. I didn’t really recall Cesc playing with Paddy. Imagine both at their peak, what a partnership that would have made.
You’re right about the end of that season being the beginning of a long, slow end under Wenger. We never recovered from letting Paddy leave. Dennis B remains my all time favourite player and no one can ignore how vitally important Henry and Pires were, but it was Paddy who was the beating heart of that side and who was truly irreplaceable.
People were trying to justify selling him by saying he’d had a poor season, but it was bollocks imo. From memory he might have missed some games through injury, but his performance levels when playing were still excellent. Anyway, 50% of Paddy was 100% of most other midfielders. A colossus.
Pat was 29 then and still looked formiddable in the middle against Fergie's savage animals. A stong central midfield shapes the entire dynamics of a team and as you say we never recovered from letting him leave. Fabregas had a great football brain but there was no concerted effort by Wenger (and his scouts) to find a solid powerful partner for him. We went from a powerful outfit to a fragile mess and the drop off in the last season at Highbury was a massive shock. Rice is the first bonafide quality midfielderswe've had since Pat who can play box to box which says a lot.
Last edited by General on Fri Jan 03, 2025 7:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Gilberto, Vieira and Fabregas played together in the 2004/05 season. Gilberto had a lot injuries that season but all 3 started the FA cup final against United. It was after this season that Wenger lost the plot.
Fair enough G. I didn’t really recall Cesc playing with Paddy. Imagine both at their peak, what a partnership that would have made.
You’re right about the end of that season being the beginning of a long, slow end under Wenger. We never recovered from letting Paddy leave. Dennis B remains my all time favourite player and no one can ignore how vitally important Henry and Pires were, but it was Paddy who was the beating heart of that side and who was truly irreplaceable.
People were trying to justify selling him by saying he’d had a poor season, but it was bollocks imo. From memory he might have missed some games through injury, but his performance levels when playing were still excellent. Anyway, 50% of Paddy was 100% of most other midfielders. A colossus.
Pat was 29 then and still looked formiddable in the middle against Fergie's savage animals. A stong central midfield shapes the entire dynamics of a team and as you say we never recovered from letting him leave. Fabregas had a great football brain but there was no concerted effort by Wenger (and his scouts) to find a solid powerful partner for him. We went from a powerful outfit to a fragile mess and the drop off in the last season at Highbury was a massive shock. Rice is the first bonafide quality midfielderswe've had since Pat who can play box to box which says a lot.
Agreed G. Nice when we agree isn’t it?
People would laugh at me in 2006/07 when I would say that it’s over for Wenger and that we’d never win another title under him. I remember phoning into talk sport in 2007 and having a right rant about him and the presenter and the ex pro (might have been Cundy grim memory) thought I was wrong and overreacting. How the fuck did that turn out.
I did say that he wasn't in the Xhaka category, but no one is.
PV4 could make any partner look far better than they were. For me, Gilbo comes nowhere the likes pf Petit, Edu, or Cesc, who Paddy sadly didn't play with.
I couldn't get the Parlour link to open.
I agree with Mantis re the penalties, my heart was always in my mouth. A 70% success rate is meh. If he'd missed 4 out of 14, or 6 out of 21, it wouldn't look too clever.
You're not on your own, plenty liked him, but you might be surprised how many were far from enamoured. I'm probably more anti than most.
Thanks IW8, I’ll have a listen. No problem with disagreeing with each other, it’s what it’s all about. I’ve noticed that Gilbo aside, our opinions are pretty much aligned.
Like they say, great minds think alike but fools seldom differ
Joking aside I remember watching gilbert play at the Emirates, I was with my son, I was saying watch how many 5 yard passes he fucks up, he would literally win the ball back and give it straight back to the oppo.
A guy sitting next to my boy leaned across and said you're right mate, I hadn't noticed how bad he was at passing till I overhead you so watched his game.
A couple of guys behind scoffed like Fred and Perry being told off by Mrs Patterson, some people couldn't see it and even when they do just ignore it.
Bingo. Got to be honest, I can’t believe how many on here agree about it. I was expecting a battering from all sides.
I agree with retro I never rated him and the time and thought we could do much better. He wasn't bad but was not a patch on others before him imo, petit especially.
I understand others think he was great but personally never saw it and shat myself whenever he took a penno but think TBF he was quite reliable
This is only my opinion, but occasionally a myth inexplicably grows around a player and it tended to do so around Gilberto. Ramsey was another example and it's often fueled by the media. I was sick of the constant line trotted out by commentators and pundits that Ramsey was a goal threat, when his average was barely 4 league goals per season.
Likewise with Gilberto was this notion that he was some top quality midfielder and I always remember that he was pleased when some journo called him the invisible wall. Half right in my opinion...invisible, but not much of a wall. It actually said it all, because who wants a player that no one notices? Interestingly, where I sat at Highbury, there were plenty around me that didn't rate him and a bloke 3 seats from me used to scream at Wenger "Get him off Wenger!!". He also used to say "Why did we sign the only Brazilian that can't pass?".
His passing was indeed poor and he'd often play us into trouble. While I'm not putting him in the Xhaka category, he did have the knack of making bad passes that put the would be receiver bang in trouble and by the time the opposition had turned the ball over, the majority failed to realise that the initial cause was Gilberto's rank pass. As I've already said, look up the CL Final incident and watch his pass to Hlebb. Another Gooner I knew didn't particularly agree with my opinion about Gilbeto, but like me he was in Paris and when I saw him a couple of weeks later he said "I thought of you when Gilberto fucked up that pass.". He's the only other person who I've ever known to spot it, but there must be loads (even if not IW8 ).
He was also weak in the tackle for a big fella. I was always surprised he didn't get a leg broken because he'd dangle a leg out and lean backwards, often ending up on his arse. He was however, good in the air in both boxes.
His time with us overlapped with Edu, who though unlucky with injuries, was a far better footballer than Gilberto and also tough in the challenge.
OBG will now be telling me that my ego is out of control and that I'm a global danger.
agreed never a great despite being in a great team....more of a water carrier...picking up the ball and giving to someone who could play
Just a bit meh. Especially with petit beforehand and as retro points out the very underrated but injured and dodgy passport edu a far better player, and Gilberto made to look good by those he played with. I cried out for a quality replacement for him at the time as it would have been a European cup winning signing imo.
Even the grimster imo was a more effectiveness ce player than Gilberto, and Romford when he played centre mid.
He wasn't even a water carrier. Didier Deschamps was the prime water carrier a quality player though, win it back don't lose it give it to someone better to create. Gilberto didn't win it back much.
I agree with retro I never rated him and the time and thought we could do much better. He wasn't bad but was not a patch on others before him imo, petit especially.
I understand others think he was great but personally never saw it and shat myself whenever he took a penno but think TBF he was quite reliable
This is only my opinion, but occasionally a myth inexplicably grows around a player and it tended to do so around Gilberto. Ramsey was another example and it's often fueled by the media. I was sick of the constant line trotted out by commentators and pundits that Ramsey was a goal threat, when his average was barely 4 league goals per season.
Likewise with Gilberto was this notion that he was some top quality midfielder and I always remember that he was pleased when some journo called him the invisible wall. Half right in my opinion...invisible, but not much of a wall. It actually said it all, because who wants a player that no one notices? Interestingly, where I sat at Highbury, there were plenty around me that didn't rate him and a bloke 3 seats from me used to scream at Wenger "Get him off Wenger!!". He also used to say "Why did we sign the only Brazilian that can't pass?".
His passing was indeed poor and he'd often play us into trouble. While I'm not putting him in the Xhaka category, he did have the knack of making bad passes that put the would be receiver bang in trouble and by the time the opposition had turned the ball over, the majority failed to realise that the initial cause was Gilberto's rank pass. As I've already said, look up the CL Final incident and watch his pass to Hlebb. Another Gooner I knew didn't particularly agree with my opinion about Gilbeto, but like me he was in Paris and when I saw him a couple of weeks later he said "I thought of you when Gilberto fucked up that pass.". He's the only other person who I've ever known to spot it, but there must be loads (even if not IW8 ).
He was also weak in the tackle for a big fella. I was always surprised he didn't get a leg broken because he'd dangle a leg out and lean backwards, often ending up on his arse. He was however, good in the air in both boxes.
His time with us overlapped with Edu, who though unlucky with injuries, was a far better footballer than Gilberto and also tough in the challenge.
OBG will now be telling me that my ego is out of control and that I'm a global danger.
Dodgy passport for edu impacted him too, were that not a thing think he would have established himself as a club legend.
Re. cesc centre mid partner and AW making no efforts to find him a proper partner, I think flamini developed into a very good player but think he fell out with AW so was lost just as they were forming a very promising partnership
Re. cesc centre mid partner and AW making no efforts to find him a proper partner, I think flamini developed into a very good player but think he fell out with AW so was lost just as they were forming a very promising partnership
Interestingly, the best spell I thought Flamini had was in 2006 when he stood in at left back for a long time while Ashley Cole was injured. Flamini did a top job and we didn’t miss Cole at all, which is a big statement considering how good Cole was.
Flamini was absolutely outstanding in the CL match against Juve at Highbury, where we destroyed the best side in Italy at that moment and he had Camoranesi so far in his pocket that the winger got himself sent off with two furious and petulant yellows. I remember thinking that if Cole went…as we all knew he would…then we had the replacement.
What fucking annoyed me was that Cole was miraculously fit for the CL final and Wenger picked the c.unt. Unbelievably harsh on Flamini and the turncoat Cole left immediately afterwards.
Re. cesc centre mid partner and AW making no efforts to find him a proper partner, I think flamini developed into a very good player but think he fell out with AW so was lost just as they were forming a very promising partnership
Interestingly, the best spell I thought Flamini had was in 2006 when he stood in at left back for a long time while Ashley Cole was injured. Flamini did a top job and we didn’t miss Cole at all, which is a big statement considering how good Cole was.
Flamini was absolutely outstanding in the CL match against Juve at Highbury, where we destroyed the best side in Italy at that moment and he had Camoranesi so far in his pocket that the winger got himself sent off with two furious and petulant yellows. I remember thinking that if Cole went…as we all knew he would…then we had the replacement.
What fucking annoyed me was that Cole was miraculously fit for the CL final and Wenger picked the c.unt. Unbelievably harsh on Flamini and the turncoat Cole left immediately afterwards.
It was an absolute fucking joke that Wenger dropped Flamini for that final.
The prick changed a defence that hadn't conceded in the knock out stages
Re. cesc centre mid partner and AW making no efforts to find him a proper partner, I think flamini developed into a very good player but think he fell out with AW so was lost just as they were forming a very promising partnership
Flamini was a utility player and whilst the partnership with Cesc turned out to be very good, they were too small and this was not sustainable long term. Technically Lassana Diarra was the better player but Wenger completely mismanaged the whole situation and we went back to
square one after losing Diarran and Flamini within 6months. The latter got found out at Juventus and we accepted him back after his lucrative contract run out. At this juncture, Wonga was more obsessed with balancing the books than re-establishing the club as a major force. Cesc and Van Persie saw through his scatter gun approach to squad building and predictably jumped ship.
Re. cesc centre mid partner and AW making no efforts to find him a proper partner, I think flamini developed into a very good player but think he fell out with AW so was lost just as they were forming a very promising partnership
Interestingly, the best spell I thought Flamini had was in 2006 when he stood in at left back for a long time while Ashley Cole was injured. Flamini did a top job and we didn’t miss Cole at all, which is a big statement considering how good Cole was.
Flamini was absolutely outstanding in the CL match against Juve at Highbury, where we destroyed the best side in Italy at that moment and he had Camoranesi so far in his pocket that the winger got himself sent off with two furious and petulant yellows. I remember thinking that if Cole went…as we all knew he would…then we had the replacement.
What fucking annoyed me was that Cole was miraculously fit for the CL final and Wenger picked the c.unt. Unbelievably harsh on Flamini and the turncoat Cole left immediately afterwards.
It was an absolute fucking joke that Wenger dropped Flamini for that final.
The prick changed a defence that hadn't conceded in the knock out stages
It was also known that Cashley Ahole had been on a three day piss up with chav Terry and fat fuck Frank during the week up to the final. The mobile bothering little cùnt should never have replaced Flamini.
).
