The last "homegrown" striker ?

[QuartzGooner]

Kevin Campbell was dynamite when he broke into the first team

Agree.

But went downhill fast, could never cope with playing second fiddle to Wright, plus rumours of off the pitch discipline problems.

Agree with Augie about Stapleton, disgaree about Wellbeck, who I would have at Arsenal in a flash, and I think it well worth keeping an eye on the currently injured Benik Afobe, though far too soon to say if he will make it at top level.

[arseofacrow]

Kevin Campbell was dynamite when he broke into the first team

Agree.

But went downhill fast, could never cope with playing second fiddle to Wright, plus rumours of off the pitch discipline problems.

Agree with Augie about Stapleton, disgaree about Wellbeck, who I would have at Arsenal in a flash, and I think it well worth keeping an eye on the currently injured Benik Afobe, though far too soon to say if he will make it at top level.

Campbell seemed to be very lean when he broke into the first team. His physique changed markedly, he bulked up and never seemed again to have the same impact as when he first broke into the team.

[Irish Gooner]

Afobe is injured?

[Barriecuda]

England struggles to produce strikers; I don't think Arsenal's academy will blood the next great one. However, if we buy the right kid at 15-18 and develop him, we could be on to something special.

Its down to Wenger though, he would rather dump our local lads and never give them one minute on the pitch, and instead give Chamakh and the other shit gametime week in week out.

Wenger believes in his players, perhaps to a fault. It is good for some players, who play better when they feel the manager's confidence surging through them. It is worse for some players, who need the motivation or the challenge to succeed (Mourinho and Ferguson style).

To be fair, Chamakh has had very little service in the air over the last few games I've seen with him, and that's where he's best. It's no surprise Bendtner was at about the same rate of return. We just don't play a game that is conducive to archetypal number 9's. I don't think these players are particularly bad, but they aren't built in the Wenger-Arsenal mould - a team whose centre forward(s) need dynamism (creativity), speed, and two-footed ability (see: DB10, TH14, RVP).

[1989]

The sad thing about Afobe is that he's a natural poacher type striker but it's being coached out of him in favour of tippy tappy shit. He was incredibly prolific playing as an out and out striker in youth football but since he's closed in on the first team they have done their best to coach that instinct he had in front of goal out of him and he has been stuck out on the wing a few times as we saw against NY Red Bulls in the Emirates Cup.

Joel Campbell looks a hell of a talent though and I've got big hopes him.

[flash gunner]

The sad thing about Afobe is that he's a natural poacher type striker but it's being coached out of him in favour of tippy tappy shit. He was incredibly prolific playing as an out and out striker in youth football but since he's closed in on the first team they have done their best to coach that instinct he had in front of goal out of him and he has been stuck out on the wing a few times as we saw against NY Red Bulls in the Emirates Cup.

Joel Campbell looks a hell of a talent though and I've got big hopes him.

JET mark II

[Bradywasking]

I had massive hopes for Jay Simpson a few years back. Thought he could be the scorer of the many chances we create...Kevin Campbell had an amazing start with Arsenal, his part in the run in to the '91 Championship was piviotal..remember his two goals against Leeds in a game trhat was going nowhere ? As said earlier the arrival of Wright had a long term effect on his confidence. When Arsenal became the first English team back in the European Cup in '91-'92 we really believed that Campbell was going to be unleashed on Europe and they wouldn't be able to cope with him. Oh the innocence of those days.

[Bradywasking]

[quote="1989"]The sad thing about Afobe is that he's a natural poacher type striker but it's being coached out of him in favour of tippy tappy shit. He was incredibly prolific playing as an out and out striker in youth football but since he's closed in on the first team they have done their best to coach that instinct he had in front of goal out of him and he has been stuck out on the wing a few times as we saw against NY Red Bulls in the Emirates Cup.

That is the reason why Jay Simpson would never have made it at Arsenal, he is a finisher and wouldn't have fitted into Arsenal's style of 48 passes when one would do. I'm not saying Simpson would have been world class and his having to drop down the divisions would probably prove that.

[SteveO 35]

Like you say, forget Sturridge, he was not produced there, fair point about Wellbeck and if you are being specific about strikers then yes, we haven't, its a bit odd to single out positions when talking about youth development though.

We are either producing players or not.

Hmmm....the very point of the thread is that it is indeed odd that we can't produce a striker. I specifically mentioned that we produced Wilshere, Cole and Szezcny, so this wasn't set up as a simple rant about the youth system.

The very point you've highlighted is the one I'm trying to discuss here. It just seems weird to me that when it comes to goalscoring talent we just can't seem to find it at home. God knows why. Some of the kids he brought here were allegedly the best of the bunch at the time. Aliadiere for example is someone he stuck with for 7 years, was one of the bright young French kids from the academy but no amount of loan spells or reserve team goals could ever bring this lad on. Jesus, he's scraping around for a living of any kind now.

I remember that Lupoli was also one that we seemed to have very high hopes for and was heavily coveted as a kid. Not sure where he ended up but couldn't cut it at Derby was last I knew.

A lot of the kids haven't even gone on to make the cut elsewhere thats the mystery. People defend Bothroyd's honour on here sometimes but could we really say that a career mostly spent in the Championship with one England apperance (even Michael Ricketts managed that) and the odd PL moment, represents success?

Anelka wasn't really here long enough for us to call our own, but I would say he is the last one who made the step up from promising teenager to a truly international class striker in his time at the club.

Before that the guys are right I think. Its back to the 80s/90s with the likes of Campbell and Merson

[SteveO 35]

Sorry to rake up old threads (heaven forbid, but every other bugger seems to...) but thinking ahead to tomorrow night's game brings me back to this old chestnut. Have we got a promising young striker worthy of the name coming through our well established academy yet?

This is isn't supposed to provoke an anti-Wenger rant, but I'm still genuinely amazed that we don't have a striker worthy of getting excited about. The loanees like Afobe and Aneke don't look any better to me than some that have gone before (Aliadiere, Lupoli, Vela, Quincy etc).

Are we going to resort to using the likes of Chamakh tomorrow night (god, I hope not)

[mcdowell42]

Sorry to rake up old threads (heaven forbid, but every other bugger seems to...) but thinking ahead to tomorrow night's game brings me back to this old chestnut. Have we got a promising young striker worthy of the name coming through our well established academy yet?

This is isn't supposed to provoke an anti-Wenger rant, but I'm still genuinely amazed that we don't have a striker worthy of getting excited about. The loanees like Afobe and Aneke don't look any better to me than some that have gone before (Aliadiere, Lupoli, Vela, Quincy etc).

Are we going to resort to using the likes of Chamakh tomorrow night (god, I hope not)

You realise now that your going to have billy 1 subject posting on here later with the same broken record

[AFCjames]

Aneke will be gone soon, he is nowhere near the standard that players for the Arsenal should be. Afobe on the other hand, looks good providing he stays fit and gets regular first team football.

[SteveO 35]

Sorry to rake up old threads (heaven forbid, but every other bugger seems to...) but thinking ahead to tomorrow night's game brings me back to this old chestnut. Have we got a promising young striker worthy of the name coming through our well established academy yet?

This is isn't supposed to provoke an anti-Wenger rant, but I'm still genuinely amazed that we don't have a striker worthy of getting excited about. The loanees like Afobe and Aneke don't look any better to me than some that have gone before (Aliadiere, Lupoli, Vela, Quincy etc).

Are we going to resort to using the likes of Chamakh tomorrow night (god, I hope not)

You realise now that your going to have billy 1 subject posting on here later with the same broken record

And no doubt you'll be reminding him that we could be having Kalou up front for us tomorrow mate

You stop picking on Baba now........or you'll have Red to answer to

[arsenalmorris]

Chuba Akpom is getting rave reviews, is 16 playing for U21's and been getting assists/goals as far as i am aware, hopefully will get a place on the bench

[mcdowell42]

Sorry to rake up old threads (heaven forbid, but every other bugger seems to...) but thinking ahead to tomorrow night's game brings me back to this old chestnut. Have we got a promising young striker worthy of the name coming through our well established academy yet?

This is isn't supposed to provoke an anti-Wenger rant, but I'm still genuinely amazed that we don't have a striker worthy of getting excited about. The loanees like Afobe and Aneke don't look any better to me than some that have gone before (Aliadiere, Lupoli, Vela, Quincy etc).

Are we going to resort to using the likes of Chamakh tomorrow night (god, I hope not)

You realise now that your going to have billy 1 subject posting on here later with the same broken record

And no doubt you'll be reminding him that we could be having Kalou up front for us tomorrow mate

You stop picking on Baba now........or you'll have Red to answer to

Im just here to keep him on the straight and narrow and i dont think Kalou is going to join us now even though according to mouth almighty he was joining us FACT