Year of the Ox

[FunGun]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Ox is a grafter, humble (at the moment) and has great ability, these combined should make him World class one day.
He was quoted:
'Overall I was happy with my performance and happy to contribute to Robin's goal. It was positive for me and mentally it puts you in a good position.

'That can always change in football though - you can have one good game and the next game is a bad one. You've got to deal with the highs and the lows.'

Love his attitude. I just hope he doesn't do what a lot of players seem to do which is that they play great when they first arrive (Chamakh, Arshavin) then seem to lose their way totally. I don't know why, bad attitude creeps in, bad training habits, poor coaching? Who knows?

 

[scytheavatar]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

If he's good enough he's old enough, same as Cesc and Jack. He's definitely in that bracket in terms of his attitude and mentality. We've had plenty of talented kids at the club in the past but none bar the two I've just mentioned look as confident and assured as this kid.

Quite simply we lack top quality going forward, and he's the best we have bar Robin. I wish we didn't have to start him regularly to make fourth spot, but I think we're going to have to.

Have people forgotten the poor performances Chamberlain had early in the season? I don't think anyone here doubt that he's a good talent even back when he's still at Southampton, but I would really hesitate to suggest starting him regularly anytime soon. My feeling is that he's still at least half a season away from reaching the level where he will be performing consistently.

 

[outlaw_member]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

I love his strength more than anything. You don't usually associate power with someone who is speedy, skilful and technically complete.

It's so sad that Wilshere is out injured and Ramsey is lacking technically, because along with Oxlade, we've got a great axis for the future.

 

[FunGun]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

If he's good enough he's old enough, same as Cesc and Jack. He's definitely in that bracket in terms of his attitude and mentality. We've had plenty of talented kids at the club in the past but none bar the two I've just mentioned look as confident and assured as this kid.

Quite simply we lack top quality going forward, and he's the best we have bar Robin. I wish we didn't have to start him regularly to make fourth spot, but I think we're going to have to.

Have people forgotten the poor performances Chamberlain had early in the season? I don't think anyone here doubt that he's a good talent even back when he's still at Southampton, but I would really hesitate to suggest starting him regularly anytime soon. My feeling is that he's still at least half a season away from reaching the level where he will be performing consistently.

I don't think we have a choice.

 

[eye4goal]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

He reminds me a bit of Hulk from Porto, but with the ability to use both legs.

Brilliant player in the making, no doubt. His pass to RVP yesterday made me think that he'd be a great SS.

I think so too. Ramsey's shooting has been a huge let-down, he's not even hitting the target. The OX looks deadly from in and around the box and I'd like to see him there in the last 20-30 mins of games. Playing at SS would allow him to interchange with RVP too. United CBs were pushing upto the halfway line at times because we didnt didnt have pace at CF or SS to worry them

 

[goonerwarsh]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

If he's good enough he's old enough, same as Cesc and Jack. He's definitely in that bracket in terms of his attitude and mentality. We've had plenty of talented kids at the club in the past but none bar the two I've just mentioned look as confident and assured as this kid.

Quite simply we lack top quality going forward, and he's the best we have bar Robin. I wish we didn't have to start him regularly to make fourth spot, but I think we're going to have to.

Have people forgotten the poor performances Chamberlain had early in the season? I don't think anyone here doubt that he's a good talent even back when he's still at Southampton, but I would really hesitate to suggest starting him regularly anytime soon. My feeling is that he's still at least half a season away from reaching the level where he will be performing consistently.

I haven't forgotten tham because I haven't seen them. Sure he hasn't performed to the level that he did yesterday but i've yet to see him play 'poorly' in the relatively short amount of game time he has had. I've seen him bang in a couple of nice goals though.

I can spend all day telling you about the poor performances of Walcott, Gervinho, Arshavin and Ramsey. Poor performances aren't always related to age. This boy has shown enough in the chances he's been given to warrant a place in the team because the other players in his place are simply not performing or motivated to perform whether they're experienced internationals or not.

 

[error_prone]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

I dont think oxlade will replace walcott this season. wenger wants walcott to sign a new contract, and droping him on the bench for teenager will not help that.
and what are you talking about walcott lost his skills? he never had skills, he's playing same football with no progress for years, the only diference is he had better players around him for last 5 years. walcott should be only used as an impact sub in some games for 40-50 k /week

 

[ebouenolike]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

I absolutely love him, and I was over the moon when we signed him. Chuffed to see him stepping up.

 

[Floating]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Phenomenal talent. He still has a way to go though - he's still a bit naive off the ball, but he's 18. If he kicks on after his performance yesterday, he deserves to start over Theo when Gervinho gets back. Now that's a dangerous front 3.

 

[Illusion]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Ox certainly needs a big chance in this team to show his quality, what he doesn't need is to have all our hope lumped on his rather broad shoulders because our team is in such poor shape in so many ways.

We need his desire, passion, determination and emerging quality to help our team right now, the problem is we need it a little too much.

It's not right that a promising young 18 year old is outplaying most of our seasoned internationals so easily.

Playing Ox is important, but he needs to not come into a team where he is the one who's looked upon to save us, because everyone else is failing around him. This is what happened to Cesc, it was an unfair burden to put on him and we certainly shouldn't start putting it on Ox.

This team needs to improve so that when a player with great potential and talent like Ox comes into it, he is given a platform where he can excel, amongst players he can aspire to be like. So that he is yet another future weapon we can employ to give us yet another option in what should be a daunting and powerful attacking line up.

Ox needs games, he needs to be coming on with 20 minutes to go more frequently, but he also needs to know that he's got to work incredibly hard to break into the team, not just because Wenger is holding him back artificially (he obviously is), but because he's having to try and take the place of a superior and more experienced player.

Right now the more Ox comes on and shows little bursts of quality, the more the fans are going to want to see of him, because our current first team players just don't deliver anything like what he does. Wenger needs to rectify that, he doesn't need to focus that much on Ox, more on the first team players who aren't delivering the level of quality and consistency they should be providing for their handsome wages.

 

[ArseGod]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Love the kid...he'll be great but it's unfair to see him out there with no support. He has no fullback behind him and no one in mf to get him the ball

 

[mo50]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

He's going to become one hell of a player for us. He's technically excellent, has great dribbling and change of speed and his delivery/shooting looks class already. There is nothing more that I love than wide forwards who could dribble past their man when 1 v 1. He left Evra looking foolish, and burnt Rafael a couple times too.

Hopefully he'll severely limit the amount of playing time Arshavin gets, and will become a regular until Gervinho comes back. I wouldn't like to burn him out but we don't have much of a choice.

 

[Floating]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Do you see him playing wide in the future, or as a CAM/SS role?

I think he could be so deadly in either role, which is a great problem to have. I wish we had three Ox's to use across the front line, supporting RvP. :wink:

 

[ebouenolike]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Do you see him playing wide in the future, or as a CAM/SS role?

Wide for me, and my reasons are as follows:

a) He has obscenely good delivery, which can be exploited from wide positions.
b) It allows him more space, and more opportunities to get one on one with a defender.
c) Our team has a ton of quality center mids either coming through, just maturing or Arteta/Song. He has far less competition out wide, and we need him much more there due to lifeless displays from Theo/Arsh.

 

[Floating]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

In 2 years:

- - - - Song - - - Wilshere - - - -
Oxlade - - Ramsey - - Gervinho
- - - - - - - van Persie - - - - - - -

 

[ebouenolike]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

In 2 years:

- - - - Song - - - Wilshere - - - -
Oxlade - - Ramsey - - Gervinho
- - - - - - - van Persie - - - - - - -

That would be sweet.

I'd push Wilshere further up and probably play Arteta instead of Rambo, but it's still a top notch team.

 

[Floating]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

In 2 years:

- - - - Song - - - Wilshere - - - -
Oxlade - - Ramsey - - Gervinho
- - - - - - - van Persie - - - - - - -

That would be sweet.

I'd push Wilshere further up and probably play Arteta instead of Rambo, but it's still a top notch team.

Yeah I was questioning the inclusion of Ramsey and the position of Wilshere, but my reasoning was that in 2 years, Arteta will be 31 and Ramsey will be quality.

 

[Flow]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

In 2 years:

- - - - Song - - - Wilshere - - - -
Oxlade - - Ramsey - - Gervinho
- - - - - - - van Persie - - - - - - -

That would be sweet.

I'd push Wilshere further up and probably play Arteta instead of Rambo, but it's still a top notch team.

Yeah I was questioning the inclusion of Ramsey and the position of Wilshere, but my reasoning was that in 2 years, Arteta will be 31 and Ramsey will be quality.

Arteta is exactly the kind of player who is at his best in his 30's. (Xavi)
Ramsey will have to improve A LOT if he wants to be as good as Arteta in 2 years.

Isn't RVP too old, he's 30 at that moment, isn't that a bit old to lead a attack. We definately a good striker (Jovetic) at that moment. Also, someone other than Gervinho on the right flank would be epic. But even without incoming transfers, our XI over 3-4 years looks brilliant, but our bench won't look pretty.

 

[ebouenolike]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Isn't RVP too old, he's 30 at that moment

He's 28.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

Isn't RVP too old, he's 30 at that moment

He's 28.

Beat me to it!

Regardless, RvP is going to be quality for a while yet - he's definitely going to keep going well into his 30s as a top player.