SteveO 35 wrote:I shall look forward to bumping this in a year's time when everyone is ranting about Giroud being the latest big money waster we can't shift out. Gervinho was shit when we first signed him, so was Park, so was Vela, so were a whole host of other fucking signings. If you're good enough like Cazorla you can adapt straight away. Remember this isn't a 19 year old from Southampton we're talking about (although he seems to have adapted better than Le Chapman).....this is a 27 year old supposedly entering the peak years of his career.
I've offered up the reasons why I don't rate him. Rather than make ridiculous comparisons to an infinitely more talented but injury prone midfielder (who by the way has rarely been used as an attacking midfielder), why not offer up some reasons as to why you rate Giroud?
Personally I think he's paceless, not even very good in the air for his size, poor touch, always off balance, doesn't work hard for the team. What's the case for his defence? Is it just that Henry started off quite slowly and became a world beater so this bloke might too?
Jaysus, SteveO do you ever actually fucking READ this forum? You seem to just take any meaning you want out of what people write! We've done the
why Giroud is not complete dogshit thread a hundred times!!
I wouldn't go so far as to say I "rate" Giroud as such. But I wouldn't write him off so early based on so few games. Of course it is very possible that he won't cut it in the PL. No one is denying that. Very very possible. The point some of us are making is that it makes no sense to write the guy off after half a season ESPECIALLY given the mitigating circumstances of;
- playing in a league of higher quality
- adapting to a new country
- trying to learn and fit into a system he is unfamiliar with
- trying to adapt to the pace and physicality of the PL
- working under a manager with no tactical clue and no idea how to get the best from his players anymore
- playing in a team that cannot provide the crosses for one of his obvious strengths (getting up and winning headers)
I totally disagree with your opinion that he doesn't work for the team. He does. Hard. Never shirks a challenge in the air and wins most - especially in the oppo half (problem then is we have 9 midfielders all behind him so the ball he wins inevitably doesn't get picked up). This is down to Wenger - why the fuck take an obvious target man, a bloke that can win headers, and then play him up front mostly on his own?
Why not play him as part of a 4-4-2 to avail of his knockdowns as we did with Smudge and Wrighty for example?
Also disagree with the Cazorla comparison. Cazorla is an attacking midfielder and so his ability is far easier to spot by the very definition of his role - he either can split a defence with a brilliant pass or he can't, his role is to develop the play, pick the passes, it's very much in his own hands. Whereas with a striker like Giroud he is really the end of the process, relying on the supply being decent enough for him to do his best work, in his case (I think) in the air, but we have no decent crossers so there's one of his main talents not being utilised enough through no fault of his own. Would also say if we are comparing their "contribution" rather than outright skill (my original point about Diaby v Giroud BTW) I would say that whereas Cazorla is obviously a classy player he can be lazy and often goes missing for huge parts of games, wheras Giroud always runs and harries, gets up for every high ball and always looks to get involved. Of the two I'd say Giroud puts more effort in, but obviously doesn't have the technical ability Cazorla has.
As I say Giroud might not make it in the PL, and I agree his first touch is not great and he isn't a pacey player, but to write him off so early is mental. It's almost like you are hoping he fails just because Wenger signed him... another stick to beat Wenger with (as if we need anymore!)... please tell me it's not that Steve...
Hope you trade-marked it as it's sure to become famous the world over whenever people are describing our French striker... 
