Arsenal Banter Archive February 22 2015

22 Feb 2015 20:54:36
Not a bad weekend.

Draws for Chelsea and Spuds and losses for Utd and Soton.

We are 3rd highest scorers in league, but defensively we have conceded the most (joint with Lpool) in top 6.

We still need to tighten up at the back to make a bigger impact.

23 Feb 2015 10:07:09
Yeah, probably has a lot to do with our instability. We've had chambers and monreal fill in at centre back for chunks of the season. Hopefully with good cover in paulista, this won't be a re-occurring thing

23 Feb 2015 12:47:33
We aren't getting that killer goal either. Personally, I think our underlying problems are still there but we are in a run of form, for a while and like as been stated, we are on a run of very winnable games. We will find out more at the business end to the season, when the heat is really on.

22 Feb 2015 19:06:40
Strangely enough our injuries have in a way worked in our long term favor at last, if it wasn't for so many injuries Le Coq would still be with Charlton and a free agent in the summer plus if Kos had been fit in December we wouldn't have got Gabriel.
To think the city win would never have happened and ground hog day would still be going on and on and on, plus we'd be going to old Trafford almost knowing how it would end with the horrible dutch bloke scoring the goal that matters most but instead we go there full of confidence and an expectancy usually reserved for home games against porthmadog fc.
Its a funny old game

22 Feb 2015 13:58:57
I did predict that utd and spurs would struggle, but didn't think utd would lose!

So all we need now is Liverpool to win and a good weekend (i'd take a draw there too)

Sorry ed025 :-(

{Ed025's Note - you should be 337.. :)

22 Feb 2015 17:34:18
A draw at Southampton would be ideal, Liverpool next have M City as well.

22 Feb 2015 20:56:26
Happy 337? :-)

22 Feb 2015 21:44:02
Oh yeah! I predicted we would be 3rd today and we are.

{Ed025's Note - cue trumpets blowing..

23 Feb 2015 12:03:52
Leave my trumpet out of it, you blow your own!

23 Feb 2015 12:16:08
I love crumpets, nice and hot with loads of butter mmmm.

Oh wait.

22 Feb 2015 11:26:55
50 goals and counting for Olly but how many assists? Plus vital contributions in other goals we just wouldn't have scored without him.
Just how some people don't rate him is beyond me but I guess its a bit like naming the top ten English players of all time and Bobby Moore not making some peoples lists, if it isn't spectacular it goes unnoticed by some

{Ed025's Note - fair point that G62..

22 Feb 2015 12:38:01
My point wasn't that I didn't rate giroud, he's very good, but mainly that I didn't think we could win the league with him as our main striker. He's pretty much our only striker nailed on to start and as all his advocates will say one of the most missed when injured. So personally I would prefer a more clinical striker as number 1 with giroud as great back up and a different option, but would also be happy with a similar quality striker to giroud who can push him. I feel if we want to compete on all fronts and challenge for the title we need another striker at least as good as giroud to share the burden and cover if he gets injured or drops form

22 Feb 2015 13:37:08
See what your saying eden but I think that's what Akpom Sanogo and Welbeck are about, we only play with one striker so keeping two top strikers happy would be difficult but up and coming or players who can play other positions is the best we can hope for.
It would be brilliant to have Benzema and Giroud but it would only last a season as one would leave through lack of games IMO.

22 Feb 2015 13:42:21
It's not that I don't rate Giroud well actually it is I guess, he's so wasteful I drives me mad, if he scores 2 he should have had 3/4 a top draw striker just wouldn't miss the chances he does as regularly as he does and he's much like Theo in that respect.

22 Feb 2015 14:38:43
Theo? Give him a chance he hasn't played but the few minutes he has he has scored! At least let him get on the pitch first before we slaughter him!

22 Feb 2015 14:56:46
People need to think how poor our midfield are and too inconsistent when it comes to goal scoring, are people really saying if Giroud scores 25 goals its his fault we don't win the league, we have had matches where the midfield can have 4 or 5 chances between them and squander the lot, Giroud misses one and its his fault.....team game and all that

Le Coq 0 Flamini 0 Santi 8 ( best season for us ) Ramsey 6 OX 2 Ozil 4 Jack 1 Arteta 1 Rosicky 2

24 goals between 9 players

It needs to be better

22 Feb 2015 15:07:44
G62, yeh it probs couldn't last, but if we were able to consistently challenge because of it, they might be kept happy. But as we've seen this season when giroud is injured we are pretty screwed, welbeck was given a fairly good run at it and showed he wasn't capable. Liverpool last year for example when Suarez was unavailable sturridge stepped up but welbeck didn't for us. Akpom looks promising, but if giroud wasout for a ccouple months it would be a hell of a lot of responsibity for him to lead the line for an extended period and a major gamble

22 Feb 2015 15:11:20
Just to add

Giroud has scored 11 in 13 starts, OMG how crap is that

22 Feb 2015 15:54:53
Yeah sell him BG, never liked the fella :-)

22 Feb 2015 15:58:34
I think Ronaldo and Messi have really skewed forward goal returns. Was 1 in 2 and 25-30 not the old standard?

Giroux missed a few but other than Aguero, I do not think he is that much more wasteful than what the other teams have.

Giroud adds a lot to the team, so I am with Banbury, we need more from the attacking mids and wide men. Alexis is doing fine but Ox, Theo, Welbeck, Ozil, Cazorla, and Ramsey should all score more and with giroud dragging a cb to the near post a late arriving mdfielder got score by the bucketful for us.

Realistically, we are not off pace because of Giroud, but because of Scz our back five and Ramsey being injured and dramatically tailing off in scoring.

If a pacey, more clinical striker, with a better passing range but equal heart and hold up play becomes available sin him, but Giroud is a good striker especially in our system.

22 Feb 2015 16:47:55
I think that all the posters who are so quick to criticise Giroud and want him to be used as a reserve or no 2 striker - should all realise that if that happens Giroud would be off to any one oz twenty or so clubs around Europe and EPL who would be delighted to make him the no 1.

As far as the post about crap midfield only getting 24 goals between 9 players or whatever.... we only have a few of them on the park at any one time and because of injuries they have been coming and going like a fiddlers elbow all season.
Are there that many many clubs whose MIDFIELD between them have 24 goals or more.

22 Feb 2015 18:21:32
We always talk about giroud. I just can't see him winning us the title. I'd loved to be proved wrong. Rvp was a class above. Made something out of nothing.

22 Feb 2015 19:41:42
Lets look at Spuds and Southampton away 2 defeats, there isn't anything Giroud can do about those defeats but 6 points thrown away, winning the league isn't down to having a 30 goal a season man its about being better elsewhere.

ECE Where did I say our midfield was crap? I said we are poor with regards scoring goals .............very different.
Q If Giroud hits 30 goals this season as many are gagging for, we will top the league??

Upfront is the least of Arsenals worries, we need to be better elsewhere.

EXC ...again your point about the injuries is valid but at least 4 of them are playing so the stats still stand i'm afraid.

The midfielders I mentioned have started a total of 155 games between them, makes the stat even worse IMO

22 Feb 2015 20:45:32
it might be hard to keep 2 quality strikers happy, but then if they are winning things does that become less of an issue? i would say giroud is pretty similar in most aspects to dzeko, similar style and quality imo. dzeko makes noises every now and then about not enough chances. but at the end of the season celebrating winning the league would he swap it for a few more minutes on the pitch in a different side? i also think giroud could work quite well with a partner feeding off his hold up and knock downs like dzeko and aguero

{Ed025's Note - good post that eden..

23 Feb 2015 09:44:51
Banbury.... where do you get 4 playing? maybe at the end of the game but not at the start - unless you count Sanchez as a midfielder in which case it's a lot more than 24 goals - like 36 say?.

22 Feb 2015 10:29:39
We must make certain of 3rd in the league, if either the spuds, Liverpool or Everton make the Europa final than its a one off game to clinch a CL place off the 4th place team. If Fulham or Borough can make a final I'm sure one or even two of them sides could make it. Imaging if it's Everton v Pool in the final!! We are more than capable of holding it together but let's not get complacent and nail 3rd spot. ATID

22 Feb 2015 11:35:41
Europa League winners will gain entry to Champions League
If Tottenham or Everton win the Europa League, the Premier League will have five representatives in Europe's elite competition
It was suggested that the top three and Europa League winner would qualify - making four - but UEFA have confirmed this will not be

{Ed025's Note - cheers BG mate..

22 Feb 2015 12:48:11
Where does the extra place come from?

22 Feb 2015 17:05:54
There is a place already designated to the winner of the EL. The EPL still gets to get its 4 even if Liverpool or Everton win it.

21 Feb 2015 23:06:22
Interesting stat from MOTD Rooney has his first shot on target in the PL in 2015

Hmmmmm interesting

22 Feb 2015 01:07:11
with his misses? or at goal?