Guest Howaythetoon Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Walcott just joined the wrong club. when i watched him at southampton what made me excited to see his talent was that he would try outrageous shots on goal and score from them, that he would go on mazy dribbles past half the team he was playing without knowing where he would end up, or that on the egde of the D with options around him he'd attempt some crazy back-flip. his game back then was exuberant and joyful, which is exactly how it should be for 16 year olds. you let them express themselves and learn through trial and error. Look at Theo now at arsenal and there's no joy to his game. he's morphed into some dry, boring dickhead like michael owen years before even that scrote did. seems there was some fancy to eventually turn walcott into henry's heir at centre-forward. not going to happen. walcott's had all those individualistic rough points, the diamond edges, sparks of brilliance and individual creativity cut away. what's he left with? someone who isn't allowed to take more than 2 touches on the ball before he makes his next pass, someone who has to obsess about holding the line cos his only use is being in the right place when a ball over the top is played to him, etc etc. he's someone's whose individual brilliance has been sacrificied in order to get him playing like one of Wengers's Rosicky style drones. I just hope the same fate doesnt befell chamberlain - who already looks arsenal's best winger. better than walcott, arshavin, gervinho. Spot on and its happening far too much in our game with some of our better younger players. The same has happened to Wayne Rooney to some degree who at Everton and in his early days for England was something else. Now, although a top-class player and on his day a world-class player, he no longer possesses the skill and freedom of expression to grab a game by the scruff of the neck or dominate his opponent. For Everton he terrorised whoever he was up against and was generally exciting to watch. Today he's a mechanical footballer. Boring, repetitive and over coached. Have you ever heard of the term over engineered in motoring terms? Basically that's Wayne Rooney or as you have highlighted, Theo Wallcott, too. I believe Saun Wright Phillips has had his game knocked out of him too in similar ways. When he first broke onto the scene at Man City he was devastating. I remember a game at SJP where he scored twice for them playing in a free role and he terrorised us. We won 4-3 but he was sensational. Everything our own Kieron Dyer wasn't at the time. He moved to Chelsea and a few years layer he now looks, well, pretty poor to average. I believe because our players lack tactical and technical qualities that foreign players have in their game, its much tougher for our players to adapt to different roles mentally, tactically and technically, unlike foreign players. In a sense, until our game as a whole catches up technically and tactically, we should allow our young talent the freedom to play their own game withing reason of course, because at the moment we are simply suffocating their talents or wasting it as is happening to Wallcott who at Southampton was like you said, amazing, and 3 times the player he is now. You are meant to improve as you play more games and get older not regress. Look all over our footballing landscape when it comes to our younger players and you will see many Wallcotts and SWPs. Of course it isn't always down to being overcoached or shunted into this position or that position, some are under coached, some never really had the talent in the first place or some just go off the rails or become victims of consistent injury problems but by and large with young players they are often mismanaged from a coaching perspective and from an international point of view we are being hit hard as a result. The Rooney of Euro 2004 or the Rooney of today? I predict a similar fate for Sturridge who although doing relatively well at Chelsea, is sort of being shoehorned into a wide attacking midfielder who plays more advanced. An English Malouda perhaps. He should be playing up top for a club like *Newcastle banging them in and playing with total freedom to express his game rather than the game that a coach has drawn up for him on a tactics board... Having said all of that, we need to start producing players who can play wide, up front or wherever, players who are comfortabl in many a set-up, different tactics, different techniques and different systems. If we do that we wouldn't have an issue and the likes of Walcott would be much better players. Mind, as a purest and as someone who believes its a simple game, if I were a coach or manager at Arsenal/England I'd say to Wallcoot "go and do your thing" as KK instructed Martins to do away to Spurs a few years ago to great effect. Play to your strengths. *By Newcastle I really mean any team that can afford to play him up top and allow him to express his true game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowen Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I actually said this to someone the other day in the office, I wouldn't propose him as a signing for us at the moment for a wide number of reasons but I bet if we'd signed him instead of Cisse and looked to play him up front, on the last shoulder alongside Ba he'd come on hugely. His technique in terms of passing and shooting isn't great but he can dribble (or at least has shown he can before), has phenomenal pace, decent movement and would terrify defenders if given the licence to use it properly. Plus we've got Cabaye and Hatem who can't half pick a run. I'd be intrigued to see how he got on as the "main man" or at least a more main man than he currently is. I basically keep thinking back to that run against Liverpool (in the CL?), it was one of the most exciting pieces of play I've ever seen. With a bit more freedom I'd love to see if he has it in his locker to do it more often. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howaythetoon Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I'd love us to sign Wallcott like, there is a fantastic player in there somewhere. I reckon he'd be quite cheap and attainable too. He can play wide or up top, although personally i'd play him wide right with the instructions to get at his man and beat him and basically to cause havoc. He is a decent finisher too, not a clincal one or someone who will score all kinds of goals, but he has a cool finish on him when he's on form. The potential is all there for all to see, just look at his hat-trick for England a few years back or some of the performances he's put in for Arsenal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnypd Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Walcott's not going to be an amazing striker - he's not got the touch or strength to play with his back to goal or to hold off big centre-halves, passing to be creative, height to be competitive in the air, skill to drop deep etc. he could become an odemwingie/andy johnson style striker playing off the shoulder and making runs in behind, but that's a quite one-dimensional style that is perhaps not good enough for big clubs. i know people criticise his finishing and think he's stupid - but i think his finishing is quite calm when he's allowed to pick his spot and side foot it, and his movement off the ball is actually pretty good. i just think he's not developed the skill set to add variety to his game, which is why so often when he bursts into the box it seems like he makes the wrong decision - more about not being good enough to find a yard through skill or trickery. basically developed into a super-sub player who can hurt any team in the world on the break (even barca) but not sure what else he offers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowen Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Whether or not he could develop it that far I don't know but he's shown enough glimpses of skill over the years that suggest to me he could play a Bellamy type role. Hard to say though as that player seemingly isn't wanted at Arsenal, it always looks to me like he's been told not to try tricks and they've died out over the years. Of course the alternative is that he's lost his confidence and can't pull them off anymore but we'll never know if he stays where he is imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Rwanda's President has called on Wenger to resign. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Team looks short on ideas today. Crowd having a boo as well at h/t. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Arsenal fans want to be careful what they wish for. I can't think who would be next in after Wenger. Difficult act to follow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chubby Jason Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Remember that bloke shouting "Get Owen Coyle in because this is ridiculous!" after they lost at the start of the season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ObiChrisKenobi Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Arsenal fans want to be careful what they wish for. I can't think who would be next in after Wenger. Difficult act to follow. Aye, can't think of who'd come in and do well. Its funny that so many can see the issue and have their own ideas on what could solve it, yet Wenger doesn't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Arsenal fans want to be careful what they wish for. I can't think who would be next in after Wenger. Difficult act to follow. 3-4 years ago aye. Now they are becoming a joke and a feeder team to the bigger teams above them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Aye, can't think of who'd come in and do well. Its funny that so many can see the issue and have their own ideas on what could solve it, yet Wenger doesn't. Yep. Quite an unreal level of stubborness. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ObiChrisKenobi Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Not sure I've ever seen Walcott score a goal with his laces. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 If Man Utd went 6 years without a trophy then I'm pretty sure Fergie would be told to move upstairs. Why is it different with Wenger & Arsenal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chubby Jason Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Aye, can't think of who'd come in and do well. Its funny that so many can see the issue and have their own ideas on what could solve it, yet Wenger doesn't. Yep. Quite an unreal level of stubborness. Thatcher-esque. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Might have to get that thread of mine oot the gold section Davidos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Arsenal fan - Fuck off arsene wenger your a Shit manager now just fuck off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chubby Jason Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Arsenal fan - f*** off arsene wenger your a s*** manager now just f*** off. classic. They should do a Liverpool and get George Graham back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Arsenal fan - f*** off arsene wenger your a s*** manager now just f*** off. classic. They should do a Liverpool and get George Graham back. There defence would improve for starters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Jol would do a job there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chubby Jason Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 El Tel? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 El Tel? Sure that would go down well with there neighbours with the way he left Spurs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketsbaia Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Just because he got them lots of trophies a while ago doesn't mean he's indispensable. With the facilities Arsenal have, a lot of managers could do great things with them....better than Wenger. Being sentimental is dangerous, they're not even finishing in the top 4 this season. They've reached their plateau and now they're falling away - Wenger is too stubborn to change his ways so someone needs to come in and stop the rot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Just because he got them lots of trophies a while ago doesn't mean he's indispensable. With the facilities Arsenal have, a lot of managers could do great things with them....better than Wenger. Being sentimental is dangerous, they're not even finishing in the top 4 this season. They've reached their plateau and now they're falling away - Wenger is too stubborn to change his ways so someone needs to come in and stop the rot. This. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Arsenal fan - Fuck off arsene wenger your a Shit manager now just fuck off. What's that fan saying now ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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