It's absolutely amazing that that idiot Arsene Wenger doesn't see what all the rest of you geniuses see! What a moron! How in the world we've won three major trophies in the last two years with Wiltord as our appearances leader is beyond me! And how can that idiot Jacques Santini continue to start Wiltord for the French national team? He must be an idiot, too!
Dan and I are the Wiltord defense team, apparently. Now how about helping me out with my "Edu Starts, Gilberto Sits and Figures Out What the Hell is Wrong With Himself" campaign, Dan?
Perhaps I am an idiot, but I think I'd rather have Parlour pairing with Viera after his performance on Friday (that is if attacking wingers can be provided, and Ljunberg and Pires look to fill this role, as will Pennant when he returns). I think Gilberto sucks, but I'm not so sure Edu is a savior himself. Parlour seems to be selling out and giving everything he has, which can be invaluable in the midfield. I think the crowd was right to be a bit curious about the sub of Pires for Parlour instead of Gilberto. Even the commentators on Capital Gold made the comment "Wegner has gotten it wrong here". I think Wiltord is a good squad player for you guys, but lets be honest, his goals have a tendency to come in bunches, which is nice when the bunch is at hand, but when he is in a drought it really hurts. That said I'm not too sure DB10 offers much more then Wiltord anymore....
Have you ever heard the saying that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit? I have been thinking for a long time, but I have been loathe to bring it up until now that there seems a big division between those of us in England and those of us elsewhere (generally speaking) . I know I'm generalising, but the people on these boards who live in England for the most part think that Wiltord is pants and those overseas think that Wiltord is worth his place. I have to wonder whether it's because we in England see much more football either in person or on TV than those overseas. People who don't live in England see less live games than we do and get their fix of football through those live games that are shown overseas or on the higlight reels. Obviously when Wiltord scores it will be seen on whatever highlights or goal round-ups are shown outside of England, but we get to see most of the games that Arsenal play live. I don't want people to think that an Arsenal fan's opinion in the US, for example, is less valid than mine. But I think that those outside of England don't see the detail of how he contributes (or doesn't contribute depending on your point of view) to the Arsenal's play. I think that a striker with a skill level and a better football brain more in keeping with the rest of the side would benefit us in excess of his individual abilities. Like I say, I don't want to drive divisions between Arsenal supporters around the world, but I think it's about time this was brought out into the open.
I think I have heard that, but I don't agree with it. I'm done discussing this with you. I try using logic, pointing out his goals scored and goals created. Your reply is that you don't look at stats (although you do waive that belief in Bergkamp's case). I point out that Wiltord's good enough to consistently start for Wenger and Santini. You just ignore that argument because, quite honestly, there really is nothing you can say about it. I point out the trophies we've won over the past two seasons, during which Wiltord was our appearances leader. Again, silence. Your argument about watching more games than people outside England is lame, and it shows just how little you know about what's available here in the U.S. For the record, on a typical weekend, I can watch every single minute of 4-5 EPL, 2 Bundesliga, 2 French league, 1 game from Holland, 2 games from Spain, and 2 games from Italy - and that's just the major leagues. The "name" English teams I watched this weekend were Arsenal, Newcastle, ManUre, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City. I also saw Sp*rs. This week I'll be able to see AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, PSV, Deportivo la Coruna, Nantes, Marseille, and Dynamo Kyiv - and that's just counting European teams. How many games do you get? Four or five a week? That's if you have Sky, and that includes the First Division, right? Not sure how many Arsenal matches you've seen in Wiltord's 3+ seasons here, but I know I've seen at least 75% of them. I'll stack that up against most Arsenal fans. I've also seen nearly all his international games with France in that time. Like I said, I'm done. You will not read another word from me personally directed at you about Wiltord. I know how you feel, you know how I (and Wenger and Santini) feel. Any further discussion with you about this is pointless.
I agree with Dan on the issue of how much quality football is available to us here in the States. With Fox Sports World and GolTV, plus matches available on Setanta in pubs, we have quite a bit of quality matches to choose from. Now, we were not exposed to as much quality football as our friends from across the pond were at a young age, no argument there, but with the amount of programming available now in the States, people my son's age will grow up with an exposure to the game at the highest level and hopefully develop an affinity for it as well. Granted, football will not ever be as popular here in the States, I'm afraid, because Americans are very provincial about their sports. A statement of "The average American knows much less about football than the average resident of Great Britain", while not really objective, is much more right than wrong, but for those of us who follow the game and have been for some time, then I doubt a discernible difference is evident at all. Just my 2 cents on that subject, but.... As far as Wiltord, I have to go with Dan's statement that I will defer to a coach who has twice won the Double in England and a coach of one of the top international squads in the world. I beleive that they would be accutely aware if Wiltord was, in fact, "pants". Wiltord has become somewhat of a whipping boy because of his status as having cost Arsenal more than any other transfer, but we shouldn't hold that against him. I think, more than anything, he is much better playing out wide than as a striker and if Arsenal didn't have a wealth of players who fit that bill already he would be playing in that spot. Again, my 2 cents, for what they're worth, but I always enjoy getting the views of our fellow Gooners who do have the good fortune to be in a place where they can follow the team more closely than I, and I certainly respect all of their opinions and views.
Internecine strife in the Gooner camp! I guess I'd point out that as a Yank Gooner I should be a Wiltord booster, but I can't say that I am. I guess I'm "neutral" about the guy. He does score goals (and we'll always remember where we were when he scored at Old Trafford in May '02, won't we?) and runs his rox off every match. But he scores goals in spurts, which is a maddening tendency in athletes. In my opinion the hallmark of great players is consistency, and the only thing you can say about Sylv in this regard is he is consistently offside. His turns are like a B-52, his first touch is appalling, his passing shows no real vision. I agree with Rick's opinion that he is a good wing player but as a strike partner for Henry he is wanting in many departments. Now, as to Michaec's point about UK/US supporters having a different opinion, I think its a interesting subject. Although Yanks can see tons of games, we can't regularly see them in-person which can definitely change your perspective about a match, a team, or a player. Lets face it, if you hear everyone around you moaning about a player (Luhzny was the whipping post in the upper west when I was last there) you'll probably start to think everyone has a point after a while, especially when the player lives up to everyones low expectations.
michaec... really a moronic comment about "knowledge" of football comparing England to the rest of the world.. as i live in England and America throughout the years i think you would be amazed how much quality football there is in the states... i think wiltord is pants but i spoze that doesnt matter since im proper american~
Well, as per usual, most of the good stuff is already taken, but a few comments nonetheless... 1. It was an exciting game to watch. Talk about your highs and lows. Not the best played--of course, the rain surely had something to do with that, but exciting nevertheless. 2. I've never been a great Wiltord fan and after the Friday match am even less so. I'm sorry, the pitch argument doesn't hold water (so to speak). As Micheac noted, on the second ball, he only has to redirect it. Second, the logic of "we should play him because he starts for France" is incomplete. Who cares what he does for country? What matters is what he does for club. Yes, when he's hot he can score in bunches, but ask yourself this: how many of those are goals he creates? Few, if any. Not to be a total bash: I will give him the volley off the corner kick. 3. Cygan. What can you say? He's an accident waiting to happen. How many times did he kick the ball across the touch line with no or minimal pressure? I can't believe a younger player would do any worse. 4. Ljundberg injury. Does anyone know how long the Pennant loan is? Leeds are crap this year, but the couple of times I've watched them play, Pennant has looked solid. Finally, if with the injuries and suspensions, the younger players don't get playing some playing time now, it will never happen. jw
Well, seeing as how this was my first trip to Highbury all I have to say is....fantastic. The atmosphere was amazing and more importantly, the Gunners won. I will report more when I am not paying for internet time. Cheers.
We played like we needed the win and we got it. Wonder if there's any correlation there? Hmmm... Take note of that football that was played last week, Boss, and let's see if we can't have more matches that go that way.
Yikes. But I do agree with him. And I also think that people on both sides of the pond agree that Cygan is pants. Am I right?
Sorry if my post came across as "people from outside England don't know as much about football as us here", it was not intended that way. I genuinely believe there is a bit of a difference in the way players are percieved inside and outside of this country. It's not just Wiltord, another example is Parlour who seems to be less liked by those abroad. Just to answer a few points: When we argue about this I'm using logic too. I say "how can you rate a player who can't control the ball?" That's logic. I said about Friday's performance that he missed two absolute sitters. That's fact. And I didn't even mention that on either occasion he didn't even work the goalkeeper. What I would say about that is that one manager's old duffer is another's star player. How many good managers havbe let players go only for them to star somewhere else? I mean, it was either Lippi or Ancelotti at Juventus who let Henry go. Which one of those Champions League winning managers couldn;t tell he had hold of one of the best players in the world? This just proves my point about statistics. It looks impresive doesn't it? Our appearance leader when we won two FA Cups and a championship. It ignores the fact that he wouldn't have played many of those games but for long-term injuries to Pires and Ljungberg. Go on, tell me that isn't true. I stand corrected. We do get about the same number of live games. Plus the choice of any Champions League game live, plus lower league stuff. I think I've seen enough games to merit a point of view. Fine. Like you say we're never going to agree, which is fine by me. And it will stop us having this argument yet again when I come home from a game frustrated and blow off a bit of steam about his ineptitude on these boards. Absolutely!
This Yank happens to like Romford Ray. Gives us much needed grit. But don't get Rick going on this one!
I also like Parlour, despite the fact that his passing leaves a lot to be desired. When he's in midfield with Vieira, it's extremely tough for the opposing team to get the ball through the middle and through whichever wing he's on. The problem, as we were discussing at the pub before the Man U game, is that he scores one phenomenal goal a year (think FA Cup against Chelsea) and suddenly believes he's a playmaker, thus trying to do more than he's actually able to.
Wiltord DEFO has zero control right... but same goes with parlour.. he loses the ball quite a bit and his passing is well.. um.. not top flight stuff... that said, he does dig in and hustles his arse off whenever he is out there and certainly doesnt hurt the team.. i wish we could combine ol' gallic bobby and ray into the same player.... would be ideal~~