The Big F**king German

[QuartzGooner]

Hard to single him out because the entire defence is questionable.

Just how much time does Bould get to work with them, and was Bould the one who decided on zonal marking?

[STLgooner89]

We should play Giroud at center back. You know he would be better suited there rather than playing as a "striker."

[skizz_b]

reads the game well...best i've seen. that's the best i can say really.

he's been our best CB this year IMO and that says a lot.

wish we had kept bartley and sold those muppets djourou and squillaci on.

[spendsum4uckingmoney]

Its a fucking joke. All we wanted was Samba or Cahill and we go for a slug who has never played in the prem. You couldn't make this up. Awful. Everything about the club is aweful.

[N1Goon]

Champions League and F.A Cup Winner Gary Cahill, who was one of their best players during their European campaign.

But no, Wonga thinks outside the box and tries to out-smart all of us with the Slug

[rodders999]

Ah old concrete boots, 6"6 and afraid of heights. The Germans made the prototype for center halfs, trust Turnip to find the one dud in their ranks. Turns like the QE2, runs in treacle, can't pass, zero skill, zero threat from set pieces (spuds aside).

Naff.

[LDB]

Still our best defender by a country mile.

At half time yesterday shiny trousers was waffling about Mertesacker "defending for himself". What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Is that just a shit way of saying our back 4 don't work as a unit and trying to put the blame for that on our best defender rather then the bloke paid 7 million a year to coach them into a unit?

Sure, I accept he can't jump for shit and in that sense his height is an illusory domination ( ) but take him out and replace with kos and vermaelen running around like headless chickens and I give it a couple of weeks tops before you're all grovelling back to the mert.

[LDB]

If Cahill does turn out to be a great defender one day, I will look back at the £6.5m Wenger refused to pay in favour of Mertesacker.

All academic really because if he had come to us Wenger would never have turned him into a great defender. The defending here is no more organised or professional then when he was getting roasted at Bolton every week.

[N1Goon]

If Cahill does turn out to be a great defender one day, I will look back at the £6.5m Wenger refused to pay in favour of Mertesacker.

All academic really because if he had come to us Wenger would never have turned him into a great defender. The defending here is no more organised or professional then when he was getting roasted at Bolton every week.

I guess Cahill has had arguably the best Premiership centre-back for years (Terry) to learn from at Chelsea. Who would Cahill have learnt from here? Squillaci is the veteran defender in our squad.

[Skooner]

Very strange how often he loses out in the air but the big problem is he doesn't suit the way we play. If you are going to have a team push up the pitch a lot, don't buy and play a slow centre back that is easily turned. As others have said, he is pretty good at reading the game. If we were a team that sat back a lot he'd look a whole lot better in my opinion. Mainly Wengers fault as with most things at the club.

[LDB]

Very strange how often he loses out in the air but the big problem is he doesn't suit the way we play. If you are going to have a team push up the pitch a lot, don't buy and play a slow centre back that is easily turned. As others have said, he is pretty good at reading the game. If we were a team that sat back a lot he'd look a whole lot better in my opinion. Mainly Wengers fault as with most things at the club.

You may have a point here but the very least he could do in that case is get us playing a more effective offside trap. So often our fullbacks are playing people onside or one of the centre halves is staying and one is going. Just comical for a club our size really. Poor, poor standards.

But essentially I make you right, why play a high line with a midfield pushed so far ahead of its defence and then sign a player like Mertesacker? Likewise, why for 15 years or so favour pace, movement and killer instinct upfront and then suddenly start signing big slow lumps like Giroud and Chamakh and yet still have very little genuine width? The only possible answer to these questions is financial doping by chelsea and city

[northbank123]

Very strange how often he loses out in the air but the big problem is he doesn't suit the way we play. If you are going to have a team push up the pitch a lot, don't buy and play a slow centre back that is easily turned. As others have said, he is pretty good at reading the game. If we were a team that sat back a lot he'd look a whole lot better in my opinion. Mainly Wengers fault as with most things at the club.

You may have a point here but the very least he could do in that case is get us playing a more effective offside trap. So often our fullbacks are playing people onside or one of the centre halves is staying and one is going. Just comical for a club our size really. Poor, poor standards.

But essentially I make you right, why play a high line with a midfield pushed so far ahead of its defence and then sign a player like Mertesacker? Likewise, why for 15 years or so favour pace, movement and killer instinct upfront and then suddenly start signing big slow lumps like Giroud and Chamakh and yet still have very little genuine width? The only possible answer to these questions is financial doping by chelsea and city

I think it's a valid point, but one that could be applied to most players in our squad. Each one of our players to a man looked far more impressive in the first couple of games where we were organised and pressed hard high up the pitch. Each of our defenders looked capable and well-drilled, Podolski was industrious, direct and effective, Cazorla looked phenomenal playing on the break, even Giroud looked quite capable of contributing something to the team performance.

[brazilianGOONER]

All we wanted was Samba

speak for yourself mate.



unless you meant THIS samba:

[brazilianGOONER]

Very strange how often he loses out in the air but the big problem is he doesn't suit the way we play. If you are going to have a team push up the pitch a lot, don't buy and play a slow centre back that is easily turned. As others have said, he is pretty good at reading the game. If we were a team that sat back a lot he'd look a whole lot better in my opinion. Mainly Wengers fault as with most things at the club.

You may have a point here but the very least he could do in that case is get us playing a more effective offside trap. So often our fullbacks are playing people onside or one of the centre halves is staying and one is going. Just comical for a club our size really. Poor, poor standards.

But essentially I make you right, why play a high line with a midfield pushed so far ahead of its defence and then sign a player like Mertesacker? Likewise, why for 15 years or so favour pace, movement and killer instinct upfront and then suddenly start signing big slow lumps like Giroud and Chamakh and yet still have very little genuine width? The only possible answer to these questions is financial doping by chelsea and city

very good post.

[oboe123]

When i found out we were signing a German centre half with 80 odd caps i thought he would be a great signing.To be honest i thought he would have done better but don't put all the blame on him for our piss poor defending.That is a team effort.(or lack of)