At the risk of incurring Dan's wrath (again), I think it's time to ask once again whether Sylvain Wiltord is the right man up front with Henry. He's been utter pants the last month, going invisible during the majority of the matches. Arsene is reportedly (albeit by the Sun) not happy about it and is considering his options. Henry has less room to work with this year and thus can't create as effectively, though he's still dominant. So I'm thinking that either bring Kanu in (as he at least has looked dangerous when he's come in) or bring DB10 in and see if he sparks something. I also wouldn't mind Aliadiere getting a shot, but Wiltord is simply doing nothing at the moment.
i voted for aliadiere, but i would vote for anybody except wiltord. you should have that option up there
So very very true! I want to be constructive in my criticism of Wiltord but it is so very hard to think of anything else than the word....CRAP! when summizing Wiltord's ability as a striker let alone an effective partner for Henry.
I voted for Kanu, but the man I want the most w/Henry is currently playing for Auxerre and leading the French League in goals.
Things are looking pretty grim when a kid who's only started one game is getting the majority of the vote. Yup, I too voted for Ali. An open letter to Wiltord's apologists...you can no longer use the rationale that he doesn't whine to the papers.
I voted for Kanu. I listened to the CL game today on Capital Gold, and after banging my head against the wall for 5 min, I realized somethin needs to change. The last few matches Kanu has seemed to impress when he has come on. Is hit fit enough to play the full 90, why hasnt AW given him a shot? I mean cmon, we mide as well play with 10 if Wiltord is up front.
Play the "Kid" I think you have to play Aliadiere now. He's not so young anymore and AW must decide if he is the real talent that looked so good out of Clairfontaine or just another squad player. If he's a legitimate force then he must learn to play with Titi and better now than later. Hopefully Arsenal will always be at or near the top of the table and in no position to drop points, so opportunities to play him when we do not need him to shine to get positive results will be truely scarce. Give Jeremie a few games as starter, 4 let's say. If he comes good, fantastic. If not, then maybe Wiltord will have taken the insult on the chin like a man and he will be ready for AW to call on him and he can play like he did two seasons ago. If he decides he wants to go, then AW can always go to Kanu. Kanu has shown he can cause problems for the opposition when brought on late. That's something even DB10 hasn't done lately.
I said post season that support for TH14 was just as important as our defensive frailties. We should have fought harder for Kewell; like Henry, he is a player made for the Wenger "Tweak Magic"! And while the home developed Toure has stepped into the breach at the back, I dont believe that Aliadiere is ready to do the same up front? The timing is all wrong for him. I don't think he'll be ready for a regular run till next season, and we might have to buy someone before he gets the chance to make his mark? Has Wenger held off buying in anticipation of Jeremie's elevation? We are top of the table, so maybe a combination of SW11, DB10 and Kanu can hold the fort till Ali's ready? But, his best hope is Kanu rising Phoenix like, in a blaze of glory, out from under SW11's coat tails. [what a pityfully low place that is!] And as much as I like the idea of Kanu doing a bit of work for the bin liners full of cash that he deposits down the Co-op every Saturday morning, it's a bit bloody risky to bank on him giving up watching Grandstand and coming to our rescue! I'd rather buy someone in January and accept that the lad will probably make his mark elsewhere. Come on you Gunners!!!
can we just blow our budget on a high publicity transfer of james beattie. he plays so differently from henry, and i still say we need a striker that can consistently score from his head
There needs to be at least one other choice of partner on the list. As well as; No good Too old Cant' be bothered No experience we also need; "none of the above"! and/or; " Someone else" Come on you Gunners!!!
I've selected Aliadiere for this poll, but it would have been Bergkamp up until the start of this year. Even I have to realise that the Dutch master's powers are on the wane, I just count myself lucky to have watched him in an Arsenal shirt many times over the last few years. I think the time is right for Aliadiere to be given a run. Wiltord (as many here have said) doesn't cut it up front, Bergkamp is in the twilight of his career and Kanu hasn't been at the races for ages. I'd even like to see players such as David Bentley making their mark in the first team squad rather than constantly picking Kanu and Wiltord. I'm surprised that Kanu is topping this poll at the moment, does one header against the post versus Chelsea suddenly turn him into a player that's going to terrorise Premiership defences? Until the transfer window opens again we have a run of games against some of the lesser lights in the Premiership and it is an ideal time to see if our youngsters can handle it. A judgement can then be made as to whether we need to go into the transfer market for a striker in the new year or concentrate on getting a defender, if not two.
Has it been so long since Kanu played regularly that everyone has forgotten that he doesn't play regularly because he's crap? My God, he was offered a million pounds over the summer just to walk away! I just hope that the folks who seem ever-ready to burn Wiltord at the stake aren't voting for Kanu. If you are, you may want to re-evaluate your concept of what it takes to win a game.
What about Viduka? Leeds seem to be keen on retaining Pennant, how about Mark coming the other way? There's talk of him going on loan to PSG, why not us instead? A loan spell could provide the extra time that Aliadiere needs to get up to pace in the premiership. If he makes it send Viduka back to Leeds and if he doesn't, make Viduka permanent, as part of a swap deal for Pennant? Come on you Gunners!!!
The added benefit of this plan would be that there would be one less opposing forward in the league for Keown to get into bust ups with. The training grounds, however, might get a little more interesting.
maybe Ibrahimovic from Ajax? he is ideal partnering someone of TH14's ilk... speedy forward who looks to pass as well as shoot.. anyways.. a suggestion im sure the AFC board is ignoring totally... phishy~
Let the stats do the talking - Silvain Wiltord EPL 02/03 33 shots 10 goals and 4 assists from 34 appearances FA Cup 2 goals from 7 appearances 10 goals out of 85 scored by Arsenal = 12% Mark Viduka EPL 02/03 40 shots 20 goals and 3 assists from 33 appearances FA Cup 2 goals from 4 appearances 20 out of 58 scored by Leeds = 34%
In Wiltord's defence (because someone has to, that's why)... How many of those appearances are starts? I bet Viduka had many more starts whereas Wiltord got in only for the last 20 minutes or so for half of his appearances. In those dying minutes of games, I expect strikers to be more desparately looking for the winner or equalizer. Desparation often leads to poor decisions, like taking shots you wouldn't otherwise... Just a thought. I tossed Owen's name out because he is sorta good and if a move came off it would be sensational. Not a possibility? Who else in the Prem has a realistic chance to win the crown, the trophy he wants most? On the other hand, if he were a Red Devil maybe he'd soon be England captain? And what are his wages, anyway?