Arsenal Thread

sauce said:
:LMAO: I'm on another continent don't even know what the hell is match of the day, and I also said that a few weeks ago. am I also a fucking retard?

Its a easy thing to notice, he does lack a some 'brain' when it comes to pick the perfect play specially for his team mates.
And it isn't a hat trick that made him a football genius, this guy still have a long way to go.
I honestly think that with his pace, ability and opportunities he should have done a lot more by now, just look at his team mates, the brains support he has is ridiculously good, most of them I'd consider geniuses in that department already. And Walcott manage to be completely off their level sometimes.

I guess I'm a little more picky then most of you, and saying he is dumb might be too harsh, but I stick with my opinion.
I'm that picky because I see way more potential and I'd love him to prove me wrong since I really respect the Gunners.

What that pundit guy said ain't that absurd.
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To say he has no footballing brain though, is to imply that he will never have one? He is just a footballer because he can run really fast.

He has a football brain, otherwise he wouldn't be at the club, it isn't complete and needs alot more experience etc to get to be a mature footballing brain, but still and I keep repeating, he is 21! he still has alot to learn. That is why alot of Arsenal fans are not on his back and think he should be a world beater at the moment. But most Arsenal fans expect great things from him in the future.

Not all players progress as fast as Fabregas and Rooney did and set the world on fire striaght away. It is usually regarded that 26-27 is when a player reaches his prime, but it sounds like people want him to be there already?!

It is like some people have been offended by him not reaching the heights of that game for England when he got that hatrick? and now feel like they have been hard done by. I really have never seen a young player get so much criticism before.

I think a big reason he has struggled because he is stuck on the right most of the time. When he went into the centre yesterday he just looked more at home imo. Going from yesterday it looks like his crossing has improved aswell.

People need to cut him some slack anyway. Alan Hanson got a bit lazy yesterday and just started blurting out shit. How can you take a couple of wrong things Walcott did in that whole game, when he completely ran the show?!

Hopefully he can prove everybody wrong and get a run of performances behind him this season that gets everybody to notice. The big test will be blackburn away, because big fat sam will target him and Walcott will be bullied all game. I found over the World cup and a few matches this season that alot of pundits talk ALOT of shit, it is like they aren't watching the game and alot of them have their own agendas aswell.

I agree he is not the finished article and has a lot to learn, but to suggest he has no 'Footballing brain' is nonsense' imo.
 
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Yeah, people get lazy and repeat this nonsense whenever he doesn't do well, it's the catch phrase of the moment.

The important thing is that the raw talent is there and it's pretty damn clear. It's up for AW to keep polishing him and Theo himself must keep mentally strong to keep consistency.

Oh, that cross to Arshavin was sweet! Theo could've walked out with a couple of assists as well!
 
Hehe you guys are being harsh on me now, of course that saying he is dumb or has no brain is a metaphor only, to be honest doesn't sound that harsh for me.
I just look at guys like Thomas Müller who can keep it simple and pick the right thing to do almost every time than I look at Walcott and see a huge difference.
The brain thing is referring to take the correct football decisions and thats it. In my previous post which I won't look for now, I said he had serious qualities and was fantastic at some aspects.

Another important thing, País Tropical in my Location is Brazil, in case you didn't know. Seems Arsenal attracts some Brazilians attention ;) you probably know why.
So how can I be on that stereotype that people use in England, I have no idea about that, don't know wtf is match of the day and don't really care. Thats an opinion I have on my own. Only point I was trying to make is that such statement isn't that absurd and the guy who said isn't a fucking retard (for saying that obviously, cause these pundit guys usually are).
 
sauce said:
Hehe you guys are being harsh on me now, of course that saying he is dumb or has no brain is a metaphor only, to be honest doesn't sound that harsh for me.
I just look at guys like Thomas Müller who can keep it simple and pick the right thing to do almost every time than I look at Walcott and see a huge difference.
The brain thing is referring to take the correct football decisions and thats it. In my previous post which I won't look for now, I said he had serious qualities and was fantastic at some aspects.

Another important thing, País Tropical in my Location is Brazil, in case you didn't know. Seems Arsenal attracts some Brazilians attention ;) you probably know why.
So how can I be on that stereotype that people use in England, I have no idea about that, don't know wtf is match of the day and don't really care. Thats an opinion I have on my own. Only point I was trying to make is that such statement isn't that absurd and the guy who said isn't a fucking retard (for saying that obviously, cause these pundit guys usually are).
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I don't have a problem with your opinion. Alan Hanson (the pundit) is a knob anyway :)) I think the way you are using the term football brain and the way Hanson used it are different imo.

I think we are all talking about the same thing. We all know he doesn't make the right decisions sometimes. I think his decision making is faulty some times. But I see the term 'Footballing brain' as much more than that and encompass much more than just the decision making (especially in the final third, where theo lacks or did lack :)) ).

Muller and Walcott are different players in different leagues. The Premiership is played usually at such a high pace and you get very little time to make decisions. I haven't watched much German football, is it much the same?

Also as I said players mature at different times, just because Theo is not at the same level as Muller yet, he has plenty of time to get to that level and even surpass him.
 
@ sauce "Match of the Day" is a Review highlight shows every country has one. Most ppl watch the matches and some has to rely on review shows and watch and listen to the commentators opinions. Some need to make a living and work :LOL: review shows are popular for the working man.

Here in the states they started showing highlight of a match for a full hours to fill the channel slots. I`ll be watching theo score his hatrick for the next 3 days. here `s a link to MOTD so now you can follow http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=84803&part=sports

if you can get ip-hide get http://www.tvcatchup.com/ it`s great
 
When ever anyone goes on about Theo not having a football brain

Tell them to watch this goal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IghPkGt77Q0

The reason Walcott doesnt complete a lot more crosses, is bcos his team mates are stupid.

Look at yesterday's match, Walcott intercepts a pass, getting the ball under control....wipes the ball across the 6 yard box and What does Chamakh and Arshavin do?

NOTHING!

This happen time and time again, in his last two matches for England he has delivered similar balls but Lampard and Johnson both managed to miss sitters.

Its impossible for him to deliver a perfect ball all the time, that why Hansen thinks he makes the wrong decision when he has time on the ball

Look at Bale and Lennon, when they cross the ball a lot of the time they are not trying to pick anyone they just expect someone to run on to the ball.

At Arsenal that isnt the case, you have to send a letter of invitation to players before they run into the box.

When ever we cross its so predictable and the players want the ball to be dropped on their heads/feet.

So a lot of the time he is waiting for players to get in a decent position. Then he panic when they are just staring right back at him.
 
beboq said:
for Sauce MOTD Hansen vs Theo...hatrick bound w/ no Football brain
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Thanks for the vid :) although I'm having some serious trouble to understand what they're saying, I only speak US movies/tv english.
Also love how they don't even try to say French names with French accent, something quite popular in Brazil.

Anyway I totally get why you're mad now, the guy is picking 2-3 mistakes to base his argument, and those mistakes were quite tolerable, some he has no better options simply because he was way faster than the whole team, others were simply bad luck.
And when he gets it right the guy say he doesn't think.

That brain he's talking about you can definitely get it over the years contrary to what he is saying.

@Bobby when I mention Müller I'm taking the creme de la creme of young guys with intelligence. And yea he ain't nothing like Walcott, but he also needs to decide things in a very short time, Bundi has amazing pace and no one makes it easier for Bayern.
But when I'm that harsh on Walcott is mostly because of his team mates, he's playing in the creme de la creme of football intelligence for a few years now and you still see moments he's like way faster than the team :P
I'm sure if he was in the invincibles team that used pace way more than this now he would develop quicker.
 
one commentator kept saying that the result was altered badly by a easy-given penalty and red card. so talk about brains.
 
RVP will really love Chamakh, the guy must be allergic to turning and shooting or at least face the goal.

If he is backing the goal he will just pass, doesnt matter if a defender is close or not.
 
n4p4st4 said:
one commentator kept saying that the result was altered badly by a easy-given penalty and red card. so talk about brains.
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There are pundits who just talk plain shit and others who love to hate Arsenal. But there are even some who fall into both categories. This is the case for the commentator who said that.
 
Blaccat said:
The reason Walcott doesnt complete a lot more crosses, is bcos his team mates are stupid.

Look at yesterday's match, Walcott intercepts a pass, getting the ball under control....wipes the ball across the 6 yard box and What does Chamakh and Arshavin do?

NOTHING!

This happen time and time again, in his last two matches for England he has delivered similar balls but Lampard and Johnson both managed to miss sitters.

Its impossible for him to deliver a perfect ball all the time, that why Hansen thinks he makes the wrong decision when he has time on the ball

Look at Bale and Lennon, when they cross the ball a lot of the time they are not trying to pick anyone they just expect someone to run on to the ball.

At Arsenal that isnt the case, you have to send a letter of invitation to players before they run into the box.

When ever we cross its so predictable and the players want the ball to be dropped on their heads/feet.

So a lot of the time he is waiting for players to get in a decent position. Then he panic when they are just staring right back at him.
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You're joking, right? His team-mates are stupid? You're overstating Walcott's ability here. Yes, sometimes his accurate crosses don't reach his team-mates. But how many inaccurate crosses do we see from Walcott? Lots! And that's because when he gets to the by-line he simply hits the ball into the general direction of the box, and that isn't useful. You have to look up and see whether your team-mates are in advantageous positions, you can't just cross and hope for the best because for the vast majority of the time that won't work and when it does, it's pure luck. Heck, even Sagna doesn't do that any more! He looks up and produces a placed ball that proves to be dangerous. Walcott's rushed decisions are the very reasons why pundits claim that he lacks a footballing brain.
And it's not just his crossing, it's also the decisions he makes when running at defenders. He lacks the accumen of how to beat his man if it appears that more than one is trying to win the ball off of him, and this scenario occurred regularly last season. He doesn't know what to do so he slows down, looking for a player that he can play a pass to in an attempt to try and draw the opposing team's defensive line out of whack. But by slowing down for so much and for so long, he enables the opposing team to track back and retain their tactical structure (because, let's face it, most of Walcott's runs come from counter-attacking moves where his pace and agility can destroy a relatively slow back-line). And then, to top it all off, he'll usually play a square ball which, if you know your Cruijff philosophy, is a big mistake and it proves to be when it gets intercepted (I remember this against Barcelona this season). And that's why I totally agree with sauce, he does make poor footballing decisions compared to other youngsters who have had less time to shine than him.

And I really don't understand why you're criticising a player "wanting the ball to be dropped on their heads/feet". Of course you want the ball to be dropped to your head and feet! You can't do anything with it otherwise! Are you seriously trying to suggest that the player's should learn to adapt to Walcott, or any player, providing a cross to their knees or behind their head? It's those kind of poorly placed crosses that lead to goal-line scrambles or injuries from trying to act upon them - and the last thing we need are more injuries in a season! The reason why our strategy of crossing often doesn't work is because we use it against the wrong opposition; look at last season, did our players really expect to win the aerial battles against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Stoke and Barcelona? All of whom deploy central defenders who are imperious in the air? Moreover with players as technically adroit as our's, players who are brilliant with their feet, why would need to play a crossing game? The only logical reason to do so is to mix up our play, so that the opposing defence have no idea where the next attacking move is going to come from. But for so much of our play to come through crossing? It seems unnecessary.

Don't get me wrong, I rate Walcott highly. I think he can develop into a storming player. And when you actually look at that Blackpool match, you saw good traits that highlighted a burgeoning footballing brain. He made some great off-the-ball runs and got himself into excellent positions, as evidenced by his first goal and countless other chances in that match. Moreover, he seemed to be prepared to take risks when running with the ball. He wasn't as conservative and he continually tried to beat his man with pace, and it worked! Plus, he didn't suffer from his usual problem where he gets angled down the line too easily (All a defender usually has to do is put pressure on his left side and Walcott is left with no alternative but to follow down the line that his marker has left and so he has to put in a cross of questionable quality or he runs it off the pitch). He noticed that the Blackpool players weren't trying to angle him down the line, so he exploited that by cutting inside and using his agility to great advantage. And that's a mark of a good footballing brain, to be able to exploit the weaknesses of your opponent and make your exploitations advantageous.

So at the end of the day, Walcott does have a footballing brain. What he lacks is the experience or know-how of what to do in certain situations, but he's working on it. The Blackpool match proved that, it showed a huge development on last season. So in all honesty, I think Alan Hansen couldn't have picked a worse match to stake such a claim.
 
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GoonerLover66 said:
You're joking, right? His team-mates are stupid? You're overstating Walcott's ability here. Yes, sometimes his accurate crosses don't reach his team-mates. But how many inaccurate crosses do we see from Walcott? Lots! And that's because when he gets to the by-line he simply hits the ball into the general direction of the box, and that isn't useful. You have to look up and see whether your team-mates are in advantageous positions, you can't just cross and hope for the best because for the vast majority of the time that won't work and when it does, it's pure luck. Heck, even Sagna doesn't do that any more! He looks up and produces a placed ball that proves to be dangerous. Walcott's rushed decisions are the very reasons why pundits claim that he lacks a footballing brain.
And it's not just his crossing, it's also the decisions he makes when running at defenders. He lacks the accumen of how to beat his man if it appears that more than one is trying to win the ball off of him, and this scenario occurred regularly last season. He doesn't know what to do so he slows down, looking for a player that he can play a pass to in an attempt to try and draw the opposing team's defensive line out of whack. But by slowing down for so much and for so long, he enables the opposing team to track back and retain their tactical structure (because, let's face it, most of Walcott's runs come from counter-attacking moves where his pace and agility can destroy a relatively slow back-line). And then, to top it all off, he'll usually play a square ball which, if you know your Cruijff philosophy, is a big mistake and it proves to be when it gets intercepted (I remember this against Barcelona this season). And that's why I totally agree with sauce, he does make poor footballing decisions compared to other youngsters who have had less time to shine than him.

And I really don't understand why you're criticising a player "wanting the ball to be dropped on their heads/feet". Of course you want the ball to be dropped to your head and feet! You can't do anything with it otherwise! Are you seriously trying to suggest that the player's should learn to adapt to Walcott, or any player, providing a cross to their knees or behind their head? It's those kind of poorly placed crosses that lead to goal-line scrambles or injuries from trying to act upon them - and the last thing we need are more injuries in a season! The reason why our strategy of crossing often doesn't work is because we use it against the wrong opposition; look at last season, did our players really expect to win the aerial battles against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Stoke and Barcelona? All of whom deploy central defenders who are imperious in the air? Moreover with players as technically adroit as our's, players who are brilliant with their feet, why would need to play a crossing game? The only logical reason to do so is to mix up our play, so that the opposing defence have no idea where the next attacking move is going to come from. But for so much of our play to come through crossing? It seems unnecessary.

Don't get me wrong, I rate Walcott highly. I think he can develop into a storming player. And when you actually look at that Blackpool match, you saw good traits that highlighted a burgeoning footballing brain. He made some great off-the-ball runs and got himself into excellent positions, as evidenced by his first goal and countless other chances in that match. Moreover, he seemed to be prepared to take risks when running with the ball. He wasn't as conservative and he continually tried to beat his man with pace, and it worked! Plus, he didn't suffer from his usual problem where he gets angled down the line too easily (All a defender usually has to do is put pressure on his left side and Walcott is left with no alternative but to follow down the line that his marker has left and so he has to put in a cross of questionable quality or he runs it off the pitch). He would cut inside, he would weave about and pivot nicely - playing off a nice pass to another on-rushing Arsenal player behind him. He took advantage of the fact that the Stoke defenders were slow on the turn by being incredibly nimble! It's been so long since we've been able to enjoy him weaving between defenders, pivoting well in a spot and looking genuinely agile.
So at the end of the day, Walcott does have a footballing brain. What he lacks is the experience or know-how of what to do in certain situations, but he's working on it. The Blackpool match proved that, it showed a huge development on last season. So in all honesty, I think Alan Hansen couldn't have picked a worse match to stake such a claim.
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I agree with a mixture of you and Blacatt.

If players are clear and screaming for the ball because they are in lots of space, then a great direct cross to them is obviously the best cross. But in so many cases (if the other team are defending well) they are being tracked by a defender or marked so (especially in Arsenals case) there really is no point playing it straight to the player, as 9 times out of ten it will be intercepted (maybe now with Chamakh and Bendtner we will have more option of more direct crosses).

So Walcott plays it into space a space that should be attacked by our players. I think alot of the time he does this correctly, by that I mean there is a player near the space he plays it into. But I do get what you mean that sometimes, even when there is no chance of any player getting to that space he will still play that cross. That is something he is learning.

Both Walcott and the team need to read eachothers games properly. If our players know that Walcott will always try to play it into space, then they need to attack that space more often. It works both ways. Walcott will also have to think who is in the box and play the appropriate cross/pass.

At the end of the day we are all basically saying the same thing. He needs to learn alot more and he has the potential to learn and I think he will and be a great player.

I don't think you should compare him to other players of the same age, as I said players are all different and mature and hit their best at different times. So that's why I don't get as frustrated with him.
 
jonneymendoza said:
his better that lennon!!!
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Who said he wasn't?

Anyway I think Lennons overall game is better than Walcotts. But Lennon is quite a bit older and I don't see him progressing anymore than he already has really.

Although saying that has Lennon ever dictated a game like Walcott did this weekend? Lennon is more consistant and produces good displays on a regular basis, but he is not spectacular in any way.

So I fully expect Walcott to surpass the level Lennon is at.....hopefully ;))
 
Even though it was against Blackpool, Walcott reminded me of Messi, the way he was playing upfront.
 
Meanwhile the transfer talks saga continue. Squilaci was supposed to undergo a medical yesterday... Did he?
AW still looking for a keeper... and today the Brazilian press say he's trying to sign Juan from Roma. Would be fantastic, but I don't see Juan coming for that "Arsenal price tag".

And the problem is that things go too slow with Arsenal, and if anything happens it will be during "injury time" of the transfer window, like it was with Arshavin.
 
I thought Koz was by far the slowest it dragged on for weeks. From the beginning I said it will be announced by Thursday
 
Rentboy said:
Meanwhile the transfer talks saga continue. Squilaci was supposed to undergo a medical yesterday... Did he?
AW still looking for a keeper... and today the Brazilian press say he's trying to sign Juan from Roma. Would be fantastic, but I don't see Juan coming for that "Arsenal price tag".

And the problem is that things go too slow with Arsenal, and if anything happens it will be during "injury time" of the transfer window, like it was with Arshavin.
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he did according to twitter he has the #18 and will be on the roster for Saturday`s Rover match!
 
Good news. I was hoping for a more exciting signing, but as always Mr. Wenger seems to go for less-risky choices.

I think Schwarzer is next honestly.
 
Well, it may seem our new defender wasn`t announced due to him returning to Sevilla and getting his belonging then head back to London. I thought Footballers has ppl to do those things for them.
 
Nick Cave said:
Apparently Wenger said there would be no more transfers at the end of the Squillaci announcement...
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He doesn't want to shake (even more) our goalkeepers' confidence. Thus, he will play down rumours whilst trying to sign Schwarzer or someone else... I don't know what became of Given and what's the extent of his injury. That guy Sorensen isn't a bad option either.

All we know is we need a new goalkeeper BADLY. Even if we signed Messi and still missed out on a keeper I'd be disappointed. It's pointless strengthening the squad and leaving those liabilities to ruin our season.
 
Rentboy said:
He doesn't want to shake (even more) our goalkeepers' confidence. Thus, he will play down rumours whilst trying to sign Schwarzer or someone else... I don't know what became of Given and what's the extent of his injury. That guy Sorensen isn't a bad option either.

All we know is we need a new goalkeeper BADLY. Even if we signed Messi and still missed out on a keeper I'd be disappointed. It's pointless strengthening the squad and leaving those liabilities to ruin our season.
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The thing is though we all know he is aware of it this season and is trying to get a goalkeeper.

If we don't end up with one in this transfer window, then I don't think it would be through lack of trying on Wengers part.

the frustrating part last season is that it didn't seem like he could see the problem or wanted to do anything about it.
 
ooh the draw is at 5.

my prediction;

Arsenal
Werder Bremen
Rangers
Fc Twente

:))

I actually hope we get Hapoel Tel Aviv. That would be nice.
 
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