Year of the Ox

[celestis]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

We should change the title of the thread to 'Year of the Ox'.

 

[cuban]

For me OX is not yet ready to be a starter but I would seriously shink about giving him that starting spot even ahead of Theo or Gervinho in some games...

plenty work to do but that raw pace and ability can just scare teams...especially cannon fodder..we tend to struggle in some of these games and he could prove to be really valuable in this aspect

not sure how would he actually look if he was more involved for the start but it seems Wenger is handling him very well so far

 

[Dokaka]

Even though he might not be a starter yet, it's good to see you having options out wide instead of Wenger having to rely on Rosicky/Bendtner and others who have been played out of position there.

 

[outlaw_member]

Are talented players improving BECAUSE of Wenger, or are they simply fulfilling the potential that exists within them? A dedicated talented youngster is going to improve in any environment, provided the right training and facilities are in place. Players improve everywhere and anywhere, so I don't believe that Wenger holds any special skill in this regard. In fact, I believe that his midas touch lies in his ability to spot untapped potential in players, and people have misconstrued that strength as an ability to improve players with his own hands.

 

[redanddread]

Are talented players improving BECAUSE of Wenger, or are they simply fulfilling the potential that exists within them? A dedicated talented youngster is going to improve in any environment, provided the right training and facilities are in place. Players improve everywhere and anywhere, so I don't believe that Wenger holds any special skill in this regard. In fact, I believe that his midas touch lies in his ability to spot untapped potential in players, and people have misconstrued that strength as an ability to improve players with his own hands.

Spot on!

 

[Glovegun]

I don't think you can say that Wenger has made anyone 'worse', but there is definitely a case for saying that he is not quite as good a judge of a player as he's made out to be. Primarily because I think what he looks for in a player's head nowadays isn't conducive to the Premiership.

Senderos, Vela, Diaby, Eboue and Clichy were all very good examples of players with ability who had no mental strength whatsoever. Or in Vela and Eboue's case, no real fight or passion. You could say the same for Reyes, Djourou, Squillaci, Hleb, Fabianski, Bendtner, Denilson, Almunia, Chamakh. All the players I've just listed, bar a couple of them, have the technical talent to succeed, but have no real hunger, desire or mental strength. When Wenger analyses a player, I suspect he looks at them very clinically, assessing their fitness, first touch and whatnot, but probably fails to imagine how they'd perform in a pressure game at White Hart Lane with 35,000 scumbags screaming for blood.

So in a nutshell I think he's signed technically good but mentally weak players, and as soon as they have to make the step up from Celta Vigo or Nancy to a huge club with a lot of expectations, they can't hack it. Quite why we went from characters like Vieira, Campbell and Lauren to Chamakh, Vela and Eboue I don't know.

 

[yuvken]

Re: How Strong Can The Ox Be?

We should change the title of the thread to 'Year of the Ox'.

Perhaps we should add something in such cases - an *, or something (coz people go back looking for that fred they were posting on yesterday, etc.). Guess how I came to thing of that .

 

[yuvken]

Are talented players improving BECAUSE of Wenger, or are they simply fulfilling the potential that exists within them? A dedicated talented youngster is going to improve in any environment, provided the right training and facilities are in place. Players improve everywhere and anywhere, so I don't believe that Wenger holds any special skill in this regard. In fact, I believe that his midas touch lies in his ability to spot untapped potential in players, and people have misconstrued that strength as an ability to improve players with his own hands.

Well, it would be a part of his talent. Probably another would be to what extent he himself can contribute to a specific player - what are his real coaching strengths. In short - not a bad possibility, but way too simplistic.
(Another simplistic aspect of that same thing would be people's attributing general results to specific traits/strengths. That may also be true, but doesn't mean the specific strength cannot be expressed in it's right, specific way). (Somehow I predict an abstract complaint coming ).

 

[WengerFaithful]

Cant wait for him to be a regular scorer - and we can role out the old Man City Tune ...


Feed the Ox and He Will Score.

 

[eye4goal]

Players improve everywhere and anywhere, so I don't believe that Wenger holds any special skill in this regard. In fact, I believe that his midas touch lies in his ability to spot untapped potential in players, and people have misconstrued that strength as an ability to improve players with his own hands.

There has to be potential somewhere you know. I can't really see players like Pires, Henry and RVP becoming world-beaters somewhere else. Pires was already 27 when he joined. I do think the likes of Cesc, Vieira and Cole would have made it a big career had they not played for Arsenal but even that's debatable

 

[kalleTheMan]

This is what we lacked last season. Villas defensive shape gets completely ****ed up because they don't trust Hutton to stop Oxlade 1 on 1.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Yup, that is pretty much what we've lacked with either makeshift or poor wingers over the last few years.

With a bit more Oxperience (yeah, I just made that pun. And what?) he'll learn to squeeze that ball through to RvP in that situation.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

Oxzellent choice of words, Mark.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Thanks RWA, I was oxtremely happy with myself tbh.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

Let us stop with the oxcessive use of ox-words, eh?

 

[DJ_Markstar]

By continuing with your puns, you are only oxacerbating the problem.

 

[Mastadon]

Let me oxpedite the end of this discussion.

 

[KY]

 

[DJ_Markstar]

That picture is a little oxtreme, KY.

 

[KY]

That's me at the end of the ox-puns. It's oxcruciating...