Olivier Giroud - Another Alan Smith or "Le Chapman"?

[highburyJD]

since Xmas starting him has been reasonable.
In these bitty little, get your arse over the line, type performances that have secured us 4th you need high energy runners.
Rambo has done a good job for the team - I think title winners need those players too

[StuartL]

LegoHead = Denilson I believe.

Fair enough about Ramsey - I wouldn't necessarily be averse to retaining him as a back-up option because I think he's really proved that he can do a job of sorts. I just wouldn't want him to get anywhere near as much playing time as he has last two years when he's not playing well.

Agree, Ramsey has been played when he shouldn't have been, regardless of his form, purely because of the lack of options available - I don't think he lacked committment / effort it just wasn't happening for him.

A decent rest over summer and good preseason he may be able to get some form back.

[donaldo]

Centre forwards in their first season in the premiership:

Benteke 19 league goals
Michu 18
Lukaku 17
Lambert 15
Le Fondre 12


Le Chapman level with Kone on 11 goals

All players playing for mid or lower table premiership teams

[DB10GOONER]

Centre forwards in their first season in the premiership:

Benteke 19 league goals
Michu 18
Lukaku 17
Lambert 15
Le Fondre 12


Le Chapman level with Kone on 11 goals

All players playing for mid or lower table premiership teams

But in fairness don, stats like that mean nothing, especially when they are so selective. No qualifier of how many games played, who they scored against, what system they were played in, did they come on as a sub and score when their team had already destroyed the oppo 5-0? Too many varients to compare like for like.

Here's a list of strikers that were either at big clubs, finished top half or are big names and their PL goals scored;

Demba Ba 15
Dimitar Berbatov 15
Edin Dzeko 14
Sergio Agüero 12
Wayne Rooney 12
Carlos Tévez 11
Jermain Defoe 11
Daniel Sturridge 11
Javier Hernández 10
Fernando Torres 8

Does that mean they are all shite?

[goonersid]

Said it before and I'll say it again, he's shite, the touch of a fucking elephant and a poor finisher. The two attributes most needed for a quality striker, both absent in this usless big fucker.

[donaldo]

Centre forwards in their first season in the premiership:

Benteke 19 league goals
Michu 18
Lukaku 17
Lambert 15
Le Fondre 12


Le Chapman level with Kone on 11 goals

All players playing for mid or lower table premiership teams

But in fairness don, stats like that mean nothing, especially when they are so selective. No qualifier of how many games played, who they scored against, what system they were played in, did they come on as a sub and score when their team had already destroyed the oppo 5-0? Too many varients to compare like for like.

Here's a list of strikers that were either at big clubs, finished top half or are big names and their PL goals scored;

Demba Ba 15
Dimitar Berbatov 15
Edin Dzeko 14
Sergio Agüero 12
Wayne Rooney 12
Carlos Tévez 11
Jermain Defoe 11
Daniel Sturridge 11
Javier Hernández 10
Fernando Torres 8

Does that mean they are all shite?

The excuse used from the defenders of Giroud is the old "its his first season in the prem" bollocks.I was just showing that other first timers did better than him.I remember fans saying give Gervinho a 2nd season before you judge him.He was worse

We won 7 league games 1-0 this season and Giroud didnt score in any of them.And of course he scored 1 away from home

He's shite

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

giroud. dont like him. i hate his attitude and his fucking face everytime he messes up a shot (which is a lot). to me, he inspires ZERO confidence in his team mates.

ramsey...well...he runs around a lot and puts in great effort. okay...is that what this club has become? we are settling for people who run around and put in effort? i know that some of the players these last few years havent put in as much effort as ramsey has, but that doesnt mean he's good enough. his passing is the absolute worst passing for a supposed central midfielder. just awful. even alex fucking song put in better passes. and let's not talk about his shooting or composure in front of goal.

[highburyJD]

ramsey...well...he runs around a lot and puts in great effort. okay...is that what this club has become? we are settling for people who run around and put in effort?

winning teams need these players: what do you think Storey, KevinRichardson and Parlour did? FFS what do you think Vieira or RoyKeane's main attributes where? Nobby fecking Stiles.

If 'running around a lot' was just a decision every marathon would be a dead heat...

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

ramsey...well...he runs around a lot and puts in great effort. okay...is that what this club has become? we are settling for people who run around and put in effort?

winning teams need these players: what do you think Storey, KevinRichardson and Parlour did? FFS what do you think Vieira or RoyKeane's main attributes where? Nobby fecking Stiles.

If 'running around a lot' was just a decision every marathon would be a dead heat...

ramsey and vieira don't belong in the same sentence. you can do more than run around. like...tackle? or pass? or shoot? hell i can run around for 90 minutes doesnt mean i should be starting for the Arsenal.

[DB10GOONER]

ramsey...well...he runs around a lot and puts in great effort. okay...is that what this club has become? we are settling for people who run around and put in effort?

winning teams need these players: what do you think Storey, KevinRichardson and Parlour did? FFS what do you think Vieira or RoyKeane's main attributes where? Nobby fecking Stiles.

If 'running around a lot' was just a decision every marathon would be a dead heat...

Ridiculous comparison! Vieira was a footballer. Only a small part of his game was getting box to box. He led and started attacks, he could finish, he could dribble and he could pick out a pass and he could tackle. Even comparing Parlour to Ramsey is silly. Parlour was a far better player too.

[Swifty]

He's a goodish player but does not suit the style of the team. In the same way Chamahk and Bendtner did not. He'd do well at Stoke. We need an Aguero/Tevez/Rooney/someone like them.

[topcat]

I believe Giroud can get a lot better, sounds like he does too - which is a good thing

Well it wouldn't be difficult would it ,perhaps if he tries really really hard he can improve to being mediocre which will put him in line with majority of the current squad.

I don't mind giroud, i dont know how many goals he scored is it 17? and he wasn't always in the starting 11 and obv his suspension didn't help.. there is nothing wrong in sticking a big lump upfront in my opinion, his movement off the ball is quite good, you cant criticise someone that much for missing chances..all the best strikers in the world miss chances! its a skill in itself to get youreself in the position i reckon, and besides we've been missing a plan b for years and i think he's helped us solve that.

Still need another striker though!

[northbank123]

I believe Giroud can get a lot better, sounds like he does too - which is a good thing

Well it wouldn't be difficult would it ,perhaps if he tries really really hard he can improve to being mediocre which will put him in line with majority of the current squad.

I don't mind giroud, i dont know how many goals he scored is it 17? and he wasn't always in the starting 11 and obv his suspension didn't help.. there is nothing wrong in sticking a big lump upfront in my opinion, his movement off the ball is quite good, you cant criticise someone that much for missing chances..all the best strikers in the world miss chances! its a skill in itself to get youreself in the position i reckon, and besides we've been missing a plan b for years and i think he's helped us solve that.

Still need another striker though!

Of course you can. He earns phenomenal amounts of money to score goals, why should he be immune from criticism for missing chances? Are we also prevented from criticising our goalkeepers for costing us goals if their footwork got them into the right position in the first place? Or from criticising our midfielders for giving the ball away all day if they covered a lot of ground?

And where is this Plan B you talk of? We're as one-dimensional as we've ever been. We haven't adapted the system whatsoever and still require the striker to shoulder a phenomenal amount of all-round responsibility - Giroud isn't capable, van Persie was. Besides, despite the relative physiques van Persie was twice the hold-up player Giroud could ever hope to be.

[topcat]

I believe Giroud can get a lot better, sounds like he does too - which is a good thing

Well it wouldn't be difficult would it ,perhaps if he tries really really hard he can improve to being mediocre which will put him in line with majority of the current squad.

I don't mind giroud, i dont know how many goals he scored is it 17? and he wasn't always in the starting 11 and obv his suspension didn't help.. there is nothing wrong in sticking a big lump upfront in my opinion, his movement off the ball is quite good, you cant criticise someone that much for missing chances..all the best strikers in the world miss chances! its a skill in itself to get youreself in the position i reckon, and besides we've been missing a plan b for years and i think he's helped us solve that.

Still need another striker though!

Of course you can. He earns phenomenal amounts of money to score goals, why should he be immune from criticism for missing chances? Are we also prevented from criticising our goalkeepers for costing us goals if their footwork got them into the right position in the first place? Or from criticising our midfielders for giving the ball away all day if they covered a lot of ground?

And where is this Plan B you talk of? We're as one-dimensional as we've ever been. We haven't adapted the system whatsoever and still require the striker to shoulder a phenomenal amount of all-round responsibility - Giroud isn't capable, van Persie was. Besides, despite the relative physiques van Persie was twice the hold-up player Giroud could ever hope to be.

Thats why van persie was bought for twice as much, and is on twice as much money.....i think girouds done quite well, thats all im going to say...WENGER sold VAN PERSIE and brought GIROUD! yes, we all know van persie is a different class to giroud, so why the hell do we expect giroud to be anywhere near as good?

The plan B im talking of is that hes the best header of the ball we've had up front for donkeys years so we're much more of a threat in the air.

17 goals form 33 starts, isn't bad. Also 10 assists...don't care what anyone says, because his STATS dont look to shabby to me.

[northbank123]

I believe Giroud can get a lot better, sounds like he does too - which is a good thing

Well it wouldn't be difficult would it ,perhaps if he tries really really hard he can improve to being mediocre which will put him in line with majority of the current squad.

I don't mind giroud, i dont know how many goals he scored is it 17? and he wasn't always in the starting 11 and obv his suspension didn't help.. there is nothing wrong in sticking a big lump upfront in my opinion, his movement off the ball is quite good, you cant criticise someone that much for missing chances..all the best strikers in the world miss chances! its a skill in itself to get youreself in the position i reckon, and besides we've been missing a plan b for years and i think he's helped us solve that.

Still need another striker though!

Of course you can. He earns phenomenal amounts of money to score goals, why should he be immune from criticism for missing chances? Are we also prevented from criticising our goalkeepers for costing us goals if their footwork got them into the right position in the first place? Or from criticising our midfielders for giving the ball away all day if they covered a lot of ground?

And where is this Plan B you talk of? We're as one-dimensional as we've ever been. We haven't adapted the system whatsoever and still require the striker to shoulder a phenomenal amount of all-round responsibility - Giroud isn't capable, van Persie was. Besides, despite the relative physiques van Persie was twice the hold-up player Giroud could ever hope to be.

Thats why van persie was bought for twice as much, and is on twice as much money.....i think girouds done quite well, thats all im going to say...WENGER sold VAN PERSIE and brought GIROUD! yes, we all know van persie is a different class to giroud, so why the hell do we expect giroud to be anywhere near as good?

The plan B im talking of is that hes the best header of the ball we've had up front for donkeys years so we're much more of a threat in the air.

17 goals form 33 starts, isn't bad. Also 10 assists...don't care what anyone says, because his STATS dont look to shabby to me.

But being able to flick the ball on to nobody doesn't constitute a Plan B. It constitutes a waste of possession from the team. The comparison between him and van Persie was to show that last year we actually had a striker who was far better at holding the ball up so I don't see how Giroud has given us a Plan B in that respect.

Might view it differently if he'd nodded in 12+ headers this year but to my mind he hasn't actually scored that many with his head.