It appears that bloggers like nothing better than to express their opinion by voting on an Arsenal related poll. To that end we are introducing a ‘Your Vote Counts’ feature which will give you the opportunity to see if your opinion is in line with the majority. Traditionally polling days are on spursdays, but we may present the option on any quiet football news day.
Today you have the opportunity to cast your vote on:
Who should Arsène choose to lead the line on Sunday?
Oliver Giroud is our top goalscorer this season. He has scored some beautiful goals from difficult chances – remember that super swivel and goal against Liverpool – and missed some absolute sitters. He is good at holding up the ball and bringing others into play which means that we can compete using ‘long ball’ tactics.
Theo Walcott has again had time out with injuries this season and hasn’t quite found his shooting boots. He would like to play as a centre forward but the jury is still out on whether he can. He seems to have lost a bit of acceleration since returning from injury but I still think he would terrify defenders if he gets to run onto the right ball. I don’t think he has the strength or the guile to beat most centre-backs when positioned close to them. But has he had enough chances?
These two were most effective when it seemed they were fighting for their place. When Theo started games and Giroud came off the bench he would add a different dimension to our play. Theo is good running at a tired defense but doesn’t seem to get enough minutes to have an effect.
Who would you choose?
Written by peachesgooner
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Peaches. Fine work and even better idea for Spursdays (what will we call it next season??)
I voted OG but with the proviso that TW gets the last 30 mins.
Walcott should be shipped out during the summer – he would not get into any other top Premiership side!
Arsenal F.C. player focus:
Olivier Giroud, FW
DF:4, MF:25, FW:71
Skill: Strong, Impulsive Attacks
Teamstyle: Offence-type (Unanimity Offensive)
Arsenal F.C. player focus:
Theo Walcott, FW
DF:9, MF:9, FW:82
Skill: Consistently Escapes His Marker
Teamstyle: Offence-type (Line Break)
Am for Giroud, for the sole reason that Theo Walcott is selfish and too eager to get into the score sheet that he forgets providing an assist is just as vital is scoring a goal. I don’t think this is the time to nurse his broken ego.
definitely worth watching again just to remind us we were 1-0 down ,Vardy of course and he hit the post twice, Sanchez got a hattrick and Walcott started got the equaliser and was later on replaced by Giroud.
The score flattered us and I am more concerned who will partner Kos, but thanks peaches all the same 😉
Brilliant stuff, Peaches. 🙂
Apols everyone, I am just not able to come on AA at the moment. Sad.
Anyway, on to the post. Lovely question. I voted for Theo. Why? Because this game does not matter much. What matters is the next game. Against barca.
For that, we need Theo to gain some confidence, and Giro to get some rest. Hence Theo for teh first 70 and Giro for the latter 20/25 does me fine. 🙂
Hlanganani Thodlana (From now on known as HT)…..you have nailed my problem with Theo in one paragraph….although I would add that his runs also cause further problems as he is not prepared to run away from goal to create space for others, the best centre forwards do this, it’s why he and Alexis can score goals from wide, it’s why Messi scores so many for Barca.
Kelsey I agree the question of who starts at the back is concerning, along with who starts in centre midfield, I think if it le Coq and Flamster we can and need to have BFG for passing, if Coq and Ramsey (more likely) we need to play Gabriel and Nacho and Hector have to temper any attacking ambitions.
Thanks Peaches
Great idea.
I voted Theo, and for the simple reason that I have not given up on life yet.
🙂
Great idea peaches …. well done 😆
I really didn’t know which way to vote and there wasn’t an ‘I’ll leave it up to Arsene’ option 🙂
I’d probably start conservatively with Giroud, but if he wasn’t having a good day or the oppo’s game plan was negating him, I’d bring Theo on early – not wait for the 73rd minute!
Oh, and like Erik, I too have a proviso, and it’s that I also agree with
Gunner90 when he said “Walcott should be shipped out during the summer – he would not get into any other top Premiership side”
In other words, I’m not completely happy with the choice 🙂
If we have a season’s hero in the wings, then Danny could well be that hero. So to add to the current topic, I would start him every single time over Ollie or Theo.
Dear God, Rasp, you can’t have a “leave it up to Arsene” button. Otherwise what would be the point in know it all armchair fans like me? 🙂
Went with Giroud in a heartbeat. If I picked Theo it would be based on how he played months ago whereas Giroud has been fairly consistently decent all season. I guess my decision is based on who would be the better choice if they both play terrible. Ever the optimist.
Superb idea, Peaches.
I didn’t vote as there wasn’t a “leave it up to Arsene” button. 🙂
Dont worry, Micky and Rasp. Even if we leave it “up the Arse”, we armchair fans will have plenty to do! 🙂
😀 chas
Beardy
What a pleasure, dare I say an honour
Armchairers know best is the motto 🙂
Chas
My ancestors didn’t cowardly avoid the tricky jobs in wars gone by so your sort couldn’t be bothered to vote 🙂
Giroud. of course
guys – look what your money can buy – 510k acres ranch, nice init?
that’d be 10 world class strikers
Just popping in to see how my boys are doing and it’s very close
99 votes for Olly and 91 for Theo
I toyed with the idea of a ‘leave it up to Arsene’ button but then what would be the point 🙂 🙂 🙂
All this worrying (by some people 🙂 ) of who is going to partner Kos on Sunday smacks, in my view, of a ‘leeetle handbrake’. If we’re going to win the league we have to score goals and so we need to get our front three/five right. No?
True Peaches….but surely we have to worry about the opposition too? That’s what Arsene doesn’t do enough of remember ….. 🙂
Nice one Peaches 🙂
For me it is which two out of Theo, Ollie and Sanchez should start, as that is the Wenger choice to make time and again, and soon we will have Welbeck in the mix as well. Oh die Qual der Wahl! 🙂
Bring on the Foxes and let the canon roar.. we have a title t win.. 😉
to win
Couldn`t vote as the was no option for our new £501M striker…Ivor Maximus Ranchero !
Typical this week on newsnow, it`s all about how can we stop or how can we beat Leicester !…..whereas the last few months were about how will Leicester beat all the top teams !…………….what a load of bollox !. FFS it`s Leicester !……They should be worried about us !, are they not a counter attacking team ?, do we only play shite against high pressers ?, or are we currently shite against everyone…..except Bournemouth !. hahaha
Cockie I love that striker Ranchero, I’m with you 🙂
Listen you lot the leave it up to Arsene button has been proving somewhat of a disaster for much of the season. The one missing is the ‘get Arsene to listen to Micky, Cockie and GoonerB pronto’ button.
Cockie, can I just say that I am slightly miffed with you. I was having a great little dooming spell the other day, and where were you for back up? Buggered orf hadn’t you, and left me at the mercy of others? Call yourself a wing man? Time to pull your socks up Cockie and close in next to me in tight horns of the buffalo formation.
Too true GiE, but he’s not going to start worrying about the opposition now is he 😉 whereas he will be thinking about how we can play the most beautiful football and score some goals.
Although Micky would say that if he was worried about scoring goals he would have bought a striker 🙂
……. and GoonerB would be there to back Micky up …….. 🙂
As kelsey has probably said a dozen times 😉 our problem is that we haven’t been playing well or scoring goals. Only the unmentionable team in the top four has a better defence than us having only conceded 19 to our 22 whereas we’ve only scored 39 goals to to everyone else’e 45 and 47.
In my view we should have scored a hatful against Bournemouth.
The vote is pretty close at the ,moment ….
114 Ollie
97 Theo
I was very conservative when I wrote the post Rasp, I could have dressed it up a few pics 😉
GB……….With your your young Tony Cottee good looks, stylish suits and dulcet tones of writing, you dont need a wingman, you need a Valet !. 😀
Or to stop Arsene`s Gestapo Heavies…..AKA…..Exile, Shard and Transplant…..you need….The Undertaker ! 😀
Trouble is….. me, you and Micky are not going to get what we want !…………..everyone thinks that Arsene is spending hours and hours trying to find a super duper £100M striker when in fact he`s at home with Silent Stan spending hours erotically fondling each other whilst looking at £100M+ properties on Rightmove !. hahaha
… or given it a more snappy title? 😆
Hahaha 🙂
What amazes me is that there are almost 50% of Gooners voting that Theo should start ahead of OG.
On what basis? Speed? What is the point of speed without end product and that has always beenTW’s problem.
3 goals from 14 starts & 5 sub appearances does not suggest to me that TW is the man to lead our attack on Sunday.
Koscielny has scored as many, maybe he should play upfront then we could play Gabriel & BFG at CB with Kos as insurance 🙂
I was amazed by that as well.
Every week I will hypnotise Theo into thinking his contract is coming up for renewal and he will start scoring for fun !……………him and his missus will also think that I am their Love Guru and be allowed to have a threesome !…………….what !….you think I would make Theo win us the title just out of the goodness of my heart !.
Does anyone have a rant for tomorrow or something for Saturday?
good idea Raddy – Koz up front 🙂
I can do tomorrow …
Thanks Raddy
One of the main reasons we aren’t playing well is that overall the players are paid far too much instead of a basic plus bonus depending at the end of the season what they achieve as a unit and that would be an incentive.
To be paid say 60 to 100000 pounds a week to regularly sit on the bench is madness and that applies to all clubs,though I appreciate it will only get worse and loyalty might finish up as one or two seasons.
With regards as to who should play as CF on Sunday I haven’t got a clue as both are out of form and one hardly gets a kick at the moment but 140K in his pocket every week.
When you look at the most talented world class forwards that score regularly a high proportion are quite small and slightly built which is the exact opposite of what was deemed a CF a while back.
I have gone with Giroud. There’s a reason why Wenger prefers him to TW. There’s absolutely no reason aside sentiment to go for TW. Is he getting votes because of his goal tally, teamwork, work rate, decision making or drive? No, somebody of us are voting for him based in sentiments and frustration with the perception that Giroud isn’t the best for us. But Giroud is the best we have at the moment and if the whole team play with an air of confidence, then he would bang in the goals. Am not trying to write off TW but we won’t be seeing his best this season. Until recent years we’ve had to struggle against the lesser sides but that has heel consigned to trash can in the last two seasons where we don’t only play with some panache against but made them suffer heavy defeats. It was what was eased us to a 5-2 victory at the King Power Stadium. If the team can rediscover that confidence again then Leicester are in for a hiding on Sunday. Let me make it clear that am not talking about being waywardly overconfident but having the team as a unit and individuals playing the game of their lives by being a class ahead of their opponents.
Akin. Exactly what I think
I have something Peaches. Struggling to get time to finish it but could have it off to you tonight. Not time specific so could be used as and when.
Haven’t even commented properly on your post yet. Will try and get back on later.
Raddy, your 5.10.
Not to start a fight with a viking, but I would once again question whether you are comparing stats of a player who has only played as a striker vs a player who has mainly been played as a winger and an occasional striker. I just don’t see how they can be compared that way.
Rather than not getting why Theo has got almost 50 % of the votes I would look at why a player who has only ever played striker and has been the main man for almost 4 years is not getting more of the votes. Taking it from that angle might be a bit more informative.
If you asked Spuds, Citeh or Leicester fans who they would play this weekend, Kane, Aguero or Vardy or one of their wingers, do you think those 3 strikers would only get just over 50% of the votes?
Sorry to be provocative Raddish 🙂
Peaches I had put one in drafts….not a rant though…so may be better for Saturday
Cheers GIE, I can relax now and get mine done in my own time 🙂
If you are still about GIE, lets talk some tactical bolleux 🙂
In answer to Peaches post, and it may be a surprise to some, but I am not too sure between Theo or Ollie for this game. I make no bones over strongly feeling that Theo should have had more opportunity at striker since his return from injury, and that I generally prefer us with a quicker more mobile striker.
However, I do feel that Arsene has somewhat lapsed in an area he is normally renowned in. That being showing confidence and belief in a player and giving them a good run in a position in the team. I feel he has somewhat diverted from this trait where Theo is concerned, at least as far as showing confidence in him as a striker.
It could be a dangerous game to start Theo up top in having more or less indicated (in not playing him more there since injury) that his faith in him is limited. If given a rare chance in this situation there is a danger of a player (especially a striker) forcing their game, trying too hard to make an impression, feeling it is a now or never situation, and then tightening up and snatching at chances, or trying too hard for a goal when a better pass option was available.
Theo should have played striker more before now if we wanted to use him in this particular game, so I would likely go for Giroud. I do however feel we then need him to be able to play nearer their goal which means the rest of our set up needs to keep their defence deeper. As such 2 quick wing forwards need to play closer to Giroud to pin them back. Theo could still be an option on the right, or the Ox. If however he wants to play Ramsey right then it has to be Theo up top for me.
I do agree with those that feel other areas are equally if not more important. Watching the Leicester highlights against City they kept it tight and compact deeper and hit hard and quick on the counter. Forget all the 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 as players are shifting position anyway. If the game with us pans out the same what is important to know is that Okazaki sits deeper than Vardy, so is a striker that drops into the attacking CM, almost like Ozil would but who is more an attacking CM who sometimes goes into the strikers position. On the quick counter-attack though they often try and hit Vardy wide, who becomes provider, with Okazaki sprinting into the box.
A quick back 4 should be able to deal with this. It would be helped by a DM 2 that are more disciplined and will go with runners when needed, and provide an obstacle to quick attacks down the centre. Either a more disciplined Rambo or Elneny can do this. If Rambo goes too gung-ho we will leave ourselves exposed. Other than that we just need to defend set pieces well and Monreal will need to be smart in how he defends Mahrez, standing him up and shepherding him.
GB “Rather than not getting why Theo has got almost 50 % of the votes I would look at why a player who has only ever played striker and has been the main man for almost 4 years is not getting more of the votes.”
Because it doesn’t fit with my viewpoint 😀
And let us look at the less than lethal Theo. Twice, recently, he has been one on one at the end of a game and ballsed it up, both times with a player in a tap-in scoring position alongside him. This is TW’s problem – No Grace under Pressure.
Right that’s enough football for this morning ….. onto something different
This is what the internet was created for. It is also what puts the Great in Britain and the type of derring-do which creates Empires
Erik
Superb point about lack of empire these days, and seriously good use of internet, research and technology. None of that Stephen Hawkings black hole nonsense.
Get rid of both of them is the easiest solution, and where are the cat videos and surfers and waves 😉
Crystals
“Get rid of both of them is the easiest solution”
I think that’s the most positive thing I’ve heard you say in ages. Well done 🙂
Hahahahaha
We may as well shut the site down right now. There is nothing left. Our work is done 🙂 🙂
You see I can part the Red Sea on a surfboard My agent thinks of everything 😉
Neither of these are of much interest to you armchair experts. 🙂
http://arseblog.com/2016/02/enough-is-enough/
Arsenal v Leicester is a Category ‘C’ fixture.
Hmmmmm.
I wonder if it will be next season.
Interesting Chas
Looking at what minnows like Watford and Bournemouth charge, you can see exactly why they are minnows and can’t afford some good footballers
Or am I interpreting the figures irresponsibly? 🙂
chas. 6.57. A work of true genius.
I think the tickets are too cheap making them available to riff-raff.
The Dortmund tennis ball protest is interesting.
There was me thinking the prices in Germany were dirt cheap.
chas – you should do the Liverpool stunt about those £19 increases. But can you really walk out after just 19 minutes?
BR
Just a shame we can’t have the riff-raff shot later.
Eddie
They waived the extra charge because of the social media backlash.
Not that they’d admit to that.
http://news.arseblog.com/2016/02/arsenal-back-down-on-barca-ticket-surcharge/
That’s a fair point Erik, however, I’m for more expensive East and West, and some really cheap caged in areas North and South
When I stood on the North Bank, and things “kicked-off”, I always had the impression people in Upper East and West rather enjoyed looking down at the action. “Oh look, what fun, the oiks are kicking one another”
Ooops, I’ve just realised that in my polyester fake kit, I’d probably be mistaken ( 🙂 ) for riff-raff.
really?? EXCELLENT!! Power to the fans, yeah!
Polyester? You mean high quality man-made material
Cats v Dogs on BBC2 last night result 3:4, of course 🙂
Micky. 7.30. Strangely enough I thought the same standing on the sides of the NB 😀
Early photo of Micky playing back stop at school
Morning all.
Chas that is terrible about the pricing for away fans. They should be charging way more than that so we can get our £100m striker. Leave the poor long suffering armchair fans out of it.
Chas at 8:25
Back Stop????
That pic could never have been me, because I was never allowed anywhere near that close to the crease thing. I was stationed at somewhere called Long Stop, which was beside a line painted around the very outside of the field in which I was made to stand.
Ah, right chaps and chapesses, I want you to notice something, in the picture of the North Bank there is a stanchion at the back in the foreground, with what looks like a triangle at the top; well, I used to climb up that and sit in the triangle to watch the game.
Ha, I remembered it was well away from the action.
“Long stop, who stands behind the wicket-keeper towards the boundary (usually when a wicket-keeper is believed to be inept and almost never seen in professional cricket).”
Inept 🙂
Great story LB.
Chas, I don’t think that was Micky’s school. Doesn’t look anywhere near opulent enough.
That was it, Chas.
They used to shout things at me like “stop it” or sometimes “catch it, Didit” to which I always used to enter into a full on dialogue beginning with “why”
I would elaborate. If that Captain won’t let me stand at the crease and do the throwing at the batsman, I’m not bothering.
Superb LB
chas who is this pleaase.He was born in Australia but was part of a UK band in the sixties
He he he Chas
Can see the Arsenal Arsenal, but can’t zoom in. Is there a little smooth faced fella with a bicycle in the triangle?
Craig Collinge, Manfred Mann?
No 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iW2_Ec3uEU
chas. On fine form this morning.
6th barrier up to the left of the stairway is where I was standing when we beat SW 7-1 with goals from Limpar, Merson, Wrighty, Smudger and Campbell ++
Happy Days
There is a …
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My slot was second of middle stairways up from this end, 2nd barrier on right. Happy Days indeed
Nice response in return of this issue with genuine arguments
and telling all on the topic of that.
A savings voucher isn’t an item, it’s a decrease in the price
of an item.