Was the Arsenal fanbase too hard on Giroud - France's all time leading goalscorer?

[Rex Stone]

If you look at the sparkling career that he’s gone on to have since leaving us do any of you regret your almost bizarre obsession with him?

Seems like out of all the players we’ve moved on the problem might have been the club rather than him…

 

[El Duderino]

If you look at the sparkling career that he’s gone on to have since leaving us do any of you regret your almost bizarre obsession with him?

Seems like out of all the players we’ve moved on the problem might have been the club rather than him…

You trying to get @say sorry to quit the forum again, I see.

 

[El Duderino]

And yes, the fan base was hard on Giroud. If he had a better striker than him at the club and wasn't our "main source" of goals as a 9, so to speak, people would've remember him much more fondly.

HAVING SAID THAT, he didn't help himself, specially with his "thank you arsenal!" comments.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Olivier Giroud was never treated with the reverence he deserved. Top top player, and a beautiful human being.

His trophy cabinet speaks for itself. A stallion of a man.

edit: and yes, the fanbase has never appreciated him the way he deserved.

 

[TornadoTed]

I always thought Giroud was a good player for us. He came at a time when Henry and Bergkamp were still fresh in the memory so was always going to struggle to match up to those guys in a lot of peoples eyes.

That infamous barren spell he had in 2015-16 when we had a real shot at winning the league was what finished him here though, he was never recovering from that with the fanbase.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Yes and No, I think.

Really it wasn't his fault. Giroud maximized the most out of the talent he had.

He was a 15-20 goal a season striker when we really needed a 25 goal a year striker. That's where the fan frustration grew from I think. Particularly when Özil was putting assists on plates.

Club finances and to a lesser extent Arsène's stubbornness were probably more to blame than Giroud himself in hindsight.

 

[A_G]

 

[Flying Okapis]

Giroud was an 'ok' at best striker, he done his best but he had chances served up to him on a plate and was very frustrating.

Personally, I dont think he was treated too harshly and people are now looking back with nostalgia and not remembering the reality of how one poor he could be on the regular.

 

[Rex Stone]

You trying to get @say sorry to quit the forum again, I see.

Wasn’t coming for any individual poster. I was using the plural you as in “you were all incredibly wrong about Giroud.”

Giroud was an 'ok' at best striker, he done his best but he had chances served up to him on a plate and was very frustrating.

Personally, I dont think he was treated too harshly and people are now looking back with nostalgia and not remembering the reality of how one poor he could be on the regular.

He might not have been as good as Auba or RVP but we’d have won more if he was playing with them.

Big game player whose game is arguably as strong as it ever was. He has an undervalued skill set where not many people can do what he does.

People on here saw him as the problem when if you put better players around him we’d have been elite.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Yes they were because he frustrate the hell out of us but that wasn't his fault that his ability he was 12M CF. Also the pressure was all in him to deliver because Welbeck was injured all the time.

But until today we don't have a CF link up with his teammate like Giroud.

 

[AbouCuéllar]

Yes they were because he frustrate the hell out of us but that wasn't his fault that his ability he was 12M CF. Also the pressure was all in him to deliver because Welbeck was injured all the time.

But until today we don't have a CF link up with his teammate like Giroud.

Jesus link up is far better than Giroud's.

Giroud's link up play was hugely overrated, he lost possession a lot. Also such a static player has a negative effect on associative football.

Big game player

Monaco champions league

 

[Flying Okapis]

He might not have been as good as Auba or RVP but we’d have won more if he was playing with them.

Big game player whose game is arguably as strong as it ever was. He has an undervalued skill set where not many people can do what he does.

People on here saw him as the problem when if you put better players around him we’d have been elite.

He wouldnt be playing with Auba or RVP, he would have been riding the bench.

You put better players around anyone and they go up levels, Giroud was getting fed constantly and still costing.

I just dont remember it the way you do, like I said for me he was ok but nothing more, other 'ok' strikers would have bagged his numbers at Arsenal during his spell in my opinion.

But its all talk now, he walked his walk and done what he done, we can only offer 'what ifs', it is what it is.

 

[Flying Okapis]

Jesus link up is far better than Giroud's.

Giroud's link up play was hugely overrated, he lost possession a lot. Also such a static player has a negative effect on associative football.

Monaco champions league

Nostalgia memories going round, Girouds hold up play was extremely frustrating and he was criticised a hell of a lot for losing the ball.

Man spent a lot of time on the ground when he should have been holding it up too.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Jesus link up is far better than Giroud's.

Giroud's link up play was hugely overrated, he lost possession a lot. Also such a static player has a negative effect on associative football.

Monaco champions league

If G.Jesus continue that for 3-4 years he not only won't go above Giroud he'd be with best in the world

 

[Rex Stone]

Jesus link up is far better than Giroud's.

Giroud's link up play was hugely overrated, he lost possession a lot. Also such a static player has a negative effect on associative football.

Apart from the fact he’s won trophies everywhere he’s gone and even though there’s “better” technical footballers he’s still getting started for a top international side.

Monaco champions league

Europa League final, two unreal FA Cup winning assists, Allianz away, huge goals for Chelsea to get them out the CL group then beat Atletico which btw was a worldie overhead kick, goals in the semi finals of FA Cup, goals and assists in successful Euro and World Cup campaigns.

Not to mention all the last minute equalisers or game winners he scored for us over the years in the league. Found this on his time at Milan as a 35 year old.



But sure that one game stinker he had against Monaco is his legacy. Top stuff.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Yes, Giroud has squeezed ever ounce of ability he has into making a wonderful career for himself, far better than he had any right to have. We couldn't have asked for any more for him.

 

[Taneruit]

Olivier Giroud was never treated with the reverence he deserved. Top top player, and a beautiful human being.

His trophy cabinet speaks for itself. A stallion of a man.

edit: and yes, the fanbase has never appreciated him the way he deserved.

Underappreciated as a player, yes. He absolutely was. Good player with lots of qualities.

Beautiful human being. **** no.

 

[ArsenesCoatMaker]

He is and was a donkey, now more at his level in Seria A. A world cup winning striker without a world cup goal, somewhat somes up how he was lucky to have as many winners medals as he does.

He would be okay if he wasn't the main striker but a rotational/bench option. Maybe have Ibrah or Auba or Higuain as alternatives signed years before when we could of got them, ie Ibrah leaving Barce, Auba leaving France, Higuain leaving Real. The season we moved Alexis to false 9 was such a relief.

 

[OnlyOne]

No, awful striker.

 

[MATHEO]

His link up play has always been world class, very hard worker and made the most of his abilities. The Arsenal fanbase was harsh on him because he had atrocious finishing in his first couple of seasons, but he improved magnificently in that department and at what one point he had the best shot conversion rate in the PL ahead of Aguero.

Its a shame that his improvement in finishing came towards the end of his Arsenal career, when he reached his 30's and lost a bit of physicality, signing Aubameyang meant goodbye for him and I cant particularly blame either side for his departure really.

Always enjoyed his lay-offs and one-touch football that he produced, loved his attitude, had he improved his finishing before he declined physically we would have been ranking him among the best target men in the last decade. Some already do given what he achieved in his career.