THEO

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

I think he will be a useful impact sub.

Better work will be as a more central forward, rather than a winger type player.

His first touch is irregular, his control erratic, but he puts the opposition onto the back foot and sometimes they put two defenders on him, freeing up space for our other players to use.

He had a poor game for us when he was pushed too far forward and too wide simultaneously, which was Old Trafford in the Champions League 2009. Evra had him covered.

For me, Theo's better work has come when he is a few yards more central, running at defenders and shooting early, such as this goal versus Birmingham. He can be a useful resource as a sub against teams who attack us, in a way I think he will be more use in away games and big games at home, rather than against the Boltons and Spurs' of this world who come to our ground and play defensively for a draw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Ld3ncdklA

Which he scored by cutting in from the right wing.

[Only One Tony Adams]

he cant cross a ball

But he can run really really fast..............

[nino_rojo]

I think he will be a useful impact sub.

Better work will be as a more central forward, rather than a winger type player.

His first touch is irregular, his control erratic, but he puts the opposition onto the back foot and sometimes they put two defenders on him, freeing up space for our other players to use.

He had a poor game for us when he was pushed too far forward and too wide simultaneously, which was Old Trafford in the Champions League 2009. Evra had him covered.

For me, Theo's better work has come when he is a few yards more central, running at defenders and shooting early, such as this goal versus Birmingham. He can be a useful resource as a sub against teams who attack us, in a way I think he will be more use in away games and big games at home, rather than against the Boltons and Spurs' of this world who come to our ground and play defensively for a draw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Ld3ncdklA

Which he scored by cutting in from the right wing.

The ball was in the middle though when he collected it. The point is that he met the defenders in the middle of the pitch which is perhaps a better position for him to be running at them than on the wing.

[rigsby]

[quote]No offence but I just don’t get this logic that cos he’s not a “natural wingerâ€

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

[quote="rigsby"][quote]No offence but I just don’t get this logic that cos he’s not a “natural wingerâ€

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

The ball was in the middle though when he collected it. The point is that he met the defenders in the middle of the pitch which is perhaps a better position for him to be running at them than on the wing.

The ball was, he wasn’t. He came inside to get it. I take your point, yeah it’s an example of what he can & should do more often. But he did it playing on the wing. Point being that all this talk that he’s only been shit cos Bastard Wenger made him play out wide instead of up front where scored lots & lots & lots of goals in the school playground doesn’t hold much water. He may end up being a better striker than winger but it’s no excuse for the level of shite he’s served up out on the right. He still has the opportunity to do exactly what he did against Birmingham, probably even more so as a wide man in a front 3 than in the 4-4-2 we played there.

[nino_rojo]

The ball was in the middle though when he collected it. The point is that he met the defenders in the middle of the pitch which is perhaps a better position for him to be running at them than on the wing.

The ball was, he wasn’t. He came inside to get it. I take your point, yeah it’s an example of what he can & should do more often. But he did it playing on the wing. Point being that all this talk that he’s only been shit cos Bastard Wenger made him play out wide instead of up front where scored lots & lots & lots of goals in the school playground doesn’t hold much water. He may end up being a better striker than winger but it’s no excuse for the level of shite he’s served up out on the right. He still has the opportunity to do exactly what he did against Birmingham, probably even more so as a wide man in a front 3 than in the 4-4-2 we played there.

Yes, but again the point isnt that he should play as center forward necessarily, but that he is more of a threat moving centrally, even if its up the wing and cutting in, rather than belting a ball over to the opposite flag

I agree, Wenger shouldnt be used as an excuse for Theo's inadequacies. Theo needs better judgement and crossing, both of which i actually think could be affected by his speed. His body is too quick for his brain perhaps? Before he knows what to do he's already in a position where he should be doing it. When he has confidence he plays much better. I seriously hope, and am fairly confident, that he will sort himself out.

[donaldo]

His final season.Then he will retire.

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

Yes, but again the point isnt that he should play as center forward necessarily, but that he is more of a threat moving centrally, even if its up the wing and cutting in, rather than belting a ball over to the opposite flag

Well then I guess we're in total agreement there.

I agree, Wenger shouldnt be used as an excuse for Theo's inadequacies. Theo needs better judgement and crossing, both of which i actually think could be affected by his speed. His body is too quick for his brain perhaps? Before he knows what to do he's already in a position where he should be doing it. When he has confidence he plays much better. I seriously hope, and am fairly confident, that he will sort himself out.

Most definitely. But then so is Bendtner's at times & he moves at the speed of the Lesser-Spotted (More Potted) Hlebby.

[augie]

I am not a big fan of theo tbh but leaving that aside I really cannot see how he will make it with us In my opinion he basically shits himself when he is facing evra or the judas *word censored* which, imo at least, that he basically shits himself anytime he plays against good defenders
He doesnt track back enough in a 4-4-2 so he hangs his full back out to dry. He hasnt the brains, discipline or crossing ability to play in a 4-3-3. As regards playing him through the middle I really cannot think what type of partner he would need alongside him - cos he is so small you would think that he would need a physical presence alongside him a la chamach/bendter and neither of those are prolific enough imo and if you like for a partner to play alongside him that can thread those passes through for him to run onto you would be looking at arshavin and there would be bigger partnerships in an under 12 team than that

Have to say though that unless a team makes a real concerted effort to buy him then I cannot see him leaving us for the next few years. If wenger is still in charge next season then he will want to stay loyal (as he does ) and wont want to accept that he made a mistake buying him and if a new manager comes in he would have to give him a chance plus he wouldnt want to be seen as the manager who got shot of one of englands best young talents

[rigsby]

You dont remember Henry coming out to the left & picking out Pires countless times in the 6 yard box? A cross doesn't have to be swung in from the touchline, I'm just talking about picking out a decent ball. Half the time Theo fucks up a cross he's in the same inside channels that Henry used to thrive in

Theo has shown he can do that, yes he's slightly inconsistant at it but thats not to say he can't develop it this season. It took Henry a while at Arsenal to be the player he was, I'm willing to give Theo a chance

[BournemouthRED]

You dont remember Henry coming out to the left & picking out Pires countless times in the 6 yard box? A cross doesn't have to be swung in from the touchline, I'm just talking about picking out a decent ball. Half the time Theo fucks up a cross he's in the same inside channels that Henry used to thrive in

Theo has shown he can do that, yes he's slightly inconsistant at it but thats not to say he can't develop it this season. It took Henry a while at Arsenal to be the player he was, I'm willing to give Theo a chance

well said. im not his biggest fan but would love to see him come good

[augie]

You dont remember Henry coming out to the left & picking out Pires countless times in the 6 yard box? A cross doesn't have to be swung in from the touchline, I'm just talking about picking out a decent ball. Half the time Theo fucks up a cross he's in the same inside channels that Henry used to thrive in

Theo has shown he can do that, yes he's slightly inconsistant at it but thats not to say he can't develop it this season. It took Henry a while at Arsenal to be the player he was, I'm willing to give Theo a chance

Why will this season be any different to last season ? Why couldnt he develop that most basic of skills before now and if he hasnt been able to master it before now how can you be confident that he will ever be able to do it ?

[Bring Back Pires]

The only thing that frustrates me more than his abysmal crosses is his apparent lack of passion. He has the same demeanour during every second of the 90 minutes (if he's on for that long). Like on Sunday, he had a decent one-on-one chance, fluffed his lines, and then walked off like nothing had even happened.

Whilst I'm here, I want to moan at those who say "he puts in good crosses but nobody's on the end of them". That simply doesn't wash with me, I'm afraid. A cross is only as good as the person it's played to. You can't just whip the ball in to the penalty-spot area everytime if nobody's making the run. The art of football is linking-up with your team-mates. So no matter how aesthetically pleasing a cross may be (which in itself is a rare occurance), it's completely null and void if there's nobody else there. Most footballers generally use their brain and analyse the situation on its merits, but he seems pre-programmed to make the same play / cross no matter what's developing on the pitch. And when nothing comes of it, he just walks off (with the same non-plussed attitude), shrugs his shoulders, and lets the commentators bail him out by claiming somebody should've been on the end of it.

[Louder]

Walcott's work rate is unquestionable, and he provides good protection and cover for the full-back he plays in front of. Technically he's good. He does create opportunities/ assists in matches. He's a good finisher.
Arsene will decide whether he's consistent enough to be a regular, but that is the only question mark over Theo.
Regarding the view that ''he wasn't good enough last year, why will he be good enough next year'' - if we all thought like this we'd all be in the Sh*t. Improvement is always the aim !!





( Did I mention he was quick )