Three Arsenal enigmas – Ramsey, Walcott and The Ox

Five years ago the Gunners trio of Walcott, Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain were hailed as the future of British football, (along with Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs who hardly kicked a ball between them last season) but last season the three were extremely disappointing for Arsenal.

Theo Walcott was given his wish to play as centre-forward but his performances were hardly awe-inspiring. And by the end of the season he became practically anonymous, so much so that we may as well only have had ten players on the pitch. Five League goals proved he was not our solution to our striking problems.

Aaron Ramsey started the season on the right wing, and again he told Wenger that he wanted to play down the centre. He got his wish when Cazorla and Coquelin went to the treatment room, but it was obvious to fans that he could not hold a patch to the silky skills of our little Santi.

The Ox started the season well, scoring the winner in the Community Shield against Chelsea, but ended up making just 9 starts and 13 as sub in the League, scoring just one more goal in the whole season.

How could all three players have become rubbish in such a short space of time? Ramsey’s performances at the Euro’s has shown us that he still has the heart and the ability to lead his country to glory, whereas both the Ox and Walcott didn’t even earn a place in the England squad. But why has their form and confidence dropped so low for Arsenal? Maybe they could have impressed like Ramsey if they had been given a chance for their country-

This is why this is such an enigma to me. Three such promising players, turning to sludge in a season where Arsenal could easily have won the League. What could be the reason for their downfall? And why do we still live in hope that they will improve next season?

Darren

13 Comments

  1. If you ask me it’s about time we cash in on Ramsey and Walcot then probably send Ox on loan

    1. Wenger is the destroyer of talents and youth!!!! How many young potential wind up in Arsenal? Out of X11 of last season or beyond how many of them came from Academy !!!? Peter Cech, Monreal, Kos, Mert, Bellerin, Santi , Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud, all imported, only Iwobi made the cut How many were sold for cash? But just the number of young talents played last year by other team, to be instant super stars.
      Wenger for England is our best option, under him no EPL or ECL
      12 years of empty promises. This. man is disaster for Arsenal.

  2. They are lazy. They think they have already made it and last year they realized their is a gulf between them and their foreign equivalence.

    THEY were the reason we lost the PL to Leicester. Ox was a joke in the 1st game against West Ham. Way to casual. He gives the ball away and just stands there, instead of moving and trying to get the ball back.

    Walcott thinks he is a CF but yet doesn’t work on the little things Giroud does. If Defoe can do the holding up stuff, Walcott can as well. Doesn’t work hard enough.

    Ramsey and Wilshere had the confidence, I say had because Wilshere certainly isn’t very confidence anymore, but with Ramsey he doesn’t keep it simple and isn’t great in that Carzola role.

    Keeping faith with Ramsey was a mistake.

  3. Ramsey for me is the only one there who has shown recently that if used correctly he could be a big player. That season when he scored for fun, that probably done him harm in the end. He kept pushing it too much trying to recreate it. Playing for Wales he play’s in a three man centre, him at the tip. This would make us more difficult to beat, we should be willing to play this system next season. In matches which we dare not lose,.

    We lacked a little fight last season, for a while now actually. Xhaka will help in this area. And on Vardy, I was most delighted about this surprise signing …because for me it shows that Wenger now possibly realises that this team needs more fight. Xhaka and Vardy are not like the players he’d been signing. So I’m anxiously waiting to see who he does bring in. Of all the strikers we are linked with, it might be the one who has a fighting quality which is the real target.

    1. Ramsey actually has very good chemistry with Ozil but his major flaw is the need to show off every chance he gets the ball. I think the manager should tell him to calm down and play simple, when he’s disciplined he’s one of the best midfielders in the country. Si I agree we should keep him, but on the other hand Walcott has done nothing significant since the time he arrived here, he only plays well when he wants a new contract after that he regresses back to his mentally fragile self.

  4. Ramsey has become
    reasonably dependable
    and he is versatile.
    Walcott like Wilshere is
    vastly over rated, overpaid
    injury prone and underwhelming.
    But with very generous long term contracts at a club
    where titles are not essential can you see either leaving?
    Ox hardly plays so he should be loaned back to Southampton.
    Wellbeck is useless but being injured a lot keeps him permanently
    in the “been unlucky but will come good one day” category.
    Like Wilshere injury is their greatest quality because rarely
    do we have a chance to see how useless they really are.

    1. Basically agree with all of that except welbeck. For the short period he played in PL last season his strike rate was good and he scored two match winning goals so that was four points. One of the winners was against leicester and that should have allowed us to go on to win the PL, instead we bottled it.

  5. Wit h us getting Xhaka and us already having Wilshere, Coquelin and Cazorla. I have been thinking about Wengers plan for Ramsey. Wenger has been very loyal to Aaron. When Cazorla has been playing B2 B Wenger often started Ramsey on right wing even when Theo and Ox were healthy. I have a feeling this Is why Wenger wont get a top RW.

    We could have tried to get Mkhitaryan or Mahrez they would have been improvement over Ramsey,OX and Walcott And wouldn’t break The bank.

  6. off topic
    i hate man utd
    but i belive they will win the league next this season and the old dominent red devils will b back .this season is going to be way way tough for us. nt like last yr which we got through at 2nd bcoz of other sides being more worse

  7. To me, the most annoying person among the three is Theo Walcott. It pains me deeply each time I remembered that Walcott is earning £140,000 every week without being fruitful in the club. Since signing his new contract in July 2015, Theo Walcott has earned £6,717,561. It will take Theo Walcott just 12days and 12hours to earn what Barack Obama earns in one year! This is the most powerful man on the planet don’t forget! What gain has Arsenal made through Walcott since signing this contract with him last year if not disappointment upon disappointment? This is 1st July and the fact that Theo Walcott still remain in the club till now without being sold is the reason am sad and mad with Arsene and co…

  8. Though, am not jealous nor envious of Theo earning £140,000 a week, but Arsenal is my darling club and I want the best for it. Hence, any player signed by the club is expected to be productive and not only consuming high income from the club like Theo for e.g

  9. ramsey just like a freedom on the pitch, just like sanchez. Wales give him a license to going everywhere he like. the problem for ramsey at arsenal, ozil is there. if we play 2 CDM, ramsey should start at right. give more freedom.

  10. Theo MUST go, this Euro shows Ramsey has been used incorrectly. I feel like he doesn’t have enough freedom like he does for Wales. The way he has linked defense and attack this tournament has been amazing. Ox, give him one more season and if he doesn’t produce needs to be moved on. The potential is there but we cannot wait around forever.

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