Some of us gooners just love a scapegoat, don’t we? by Dan
I blame the era of social media we live in but growing up I remember Arsenal fans being a lot more supportive of their players.
Now I’m not saying you should say someone is perfect just because they wear the crest you love; everyone should be able to express an opinion.
Yet this isn’t you sitting with your mate in the pub debating if a certain talent is good enough. I’m taking about those who are reactionary and who take it to the extreme. Within seconds your views can be shared with the world.
There are podcasts to listen to, YouTube channels to watch, a 24-hour news channel. So, if you are a player not loved at your club, daily it’s hard to escape the circus. And as much as it pains me to say it, us Gunners have become some of the worse in overreacting, being dramatic, and not being loyal to our own.
Of course, that coincides with things not going well on the pitch, yet it’s noticeable within our fan base that there are those it’s okay to ridicule – yet there are other aspects we can’t question.
This week I think I fairly pointed out that our owners only signing two loans when we are 6 points off bottom proved a lack of ambition. The response was met with talk about Martinelli and our great youngsters, how Arteta has changed the culture.
I saw one fan shot down on AFTV for only giving our new manager a 6 so far. He’s won one Prem game in 7 ……say that again ……1 in 7.
Yet we have so many good youngsters? That doesn’t add up…
If your winning one in 7 and are 7 points off relegation in February, everyone should be looking in the mirror, not just the same names like Ozil taking all the heat.
To my surprise Lacazette is the new name being wheeled out. He’s making lists of a signing who’s flopped, all because he’s on a goal drought! Complaining he’s in the team won’t make his confidence return quicker, it’s quite self-defeating.
We already have had Mustafi and Xhaka talk about how their mental health has been affected by how constant the abuse has become. It’s embarrassing that a coach has had to convince two players to stay based on their relationship with fans. I saw picture of staff signing autographs after the Bournemouth tie. Xhaka was one of the few not to stop. When he has before he’s been sworn at.
Arsenal Wenger did warn some of our fans were in danger of forgetting the values we as a club have set. So Laca is being written off due to not scoring since December 5th? That’s all it can be. Surely no one could question his work rate which is unrivalled.
Isn’t that all we as fans can ask for? That we see those in the red and white give 100 percent effort? When things are not going well, he chased back more than an Auba or Pepe.
I still believe Laca can be a 20 plus a season scorer if he could just stay fit.
He’s someone else who’s contract will expire soon, so let’s hope he’s not listening to those who think we can do better because we can’t.
It’s funny I can think of another French striker who was happy at the Emirates yet got forced out. He got the final laugh in the Europa League Final. The same morons who call him disloyal for joining Chelsea and being open to a move to Spurs are the same ones who treated him badly.
Yet he’s always been honest that his family are settled in London so if Arsenal didn’t want him, what was he meant to do?
Turn to his daughter and say:’I know you love your school in London, but we have to move to Italy out of duty to Arsenal.’
Daughter: ‘ Well maybe Arsenal will take you back.’
Giroud: ‘No my dear, loyalty only works one way.’
So, when Laca becomes the latest to not sign a new deal, just remember how he was treated…
Dan Smityh
Arsenal News 24/7
I still rate him highly,he still works hard for the team,the problem is he isn’t scoring and all forwards go through these periods, I think the negative attitude around him is because we have to have somebody to knock, Mustafi got terrible stick even from me but now we tend to leave him alone and the attention has turned to Lacca who is still a top striker, he just needs a goal from somewhere to get him going again, but yes it looks like he is the new scapegoat,.. for now anyway.
Lacazette is not a scape goat. He is a great player, He is just not in form now so should rest a bit in the bench.
Class is permanent, form is temporal
Many Arsenal fans are very fickle
and turn on a player too quickly
Lacazette is just having a bit of q slump. Also he’s not getting much service from midfield. Neither is Aubameyang
I supported Ozil for years and was over the moon in 2015-2016 when he had 19 assists but 4 seasons of average to below average play with an absolutely crazy salary. He’s actually harming us because his salary could pay for 2-3 players
Rubbish! Maybe he should’ve left so you can replace him with a £50m+ signing which you would pay around £150 – £200k per week. Now, tell me – would that £50m transfer fee not pay for your fable 2-3 players? Ozil new contract has not (necessarily) cost the club more than getting a new player + wages. Is the club complaining? Do you think Ramsey deserves the kind of wages he earns in Juventus even when he’s mostly starting from the bench? There are legends in that club who receive no where near to his wages. That’s the leverage you get from being a FREE Agent. Ozil had leverage when the club allowed him run down his contract.
BTW, I agree with most that Ozil has performed much below his high standards and expectations. My comment above is regarding his contract (which you lot like to refer to) and not about his performance.
Impenia: You are right on the money. People harp on about Ozil’s wage. If a club of Arsenal’s stature cannot afford to pay one player 300K a week, then we should not be included among the big clubs. Ramsey is making more than this at Juve, but is seeing little action. Ozil has been poor by his won standard, but he is not the only reason we are a mid table team this season. Returning to Lacazette he is paid to score goals. He cost Arsenal 50M or thereabout, and is not on a pittance as some seem to believe. His poor form has cost us points. So why shouldn’t he shoulder some of the blame? Just because he runs around should not absolve him for his failings. We derided Giroud not long ago for going 15 or games without scoring. Just saying.
Laca and Auba I think should not be blamed for anything…Yes they are paid to score but how many services do they receive from the midfield that is not creative enough such that strikers would now have to drop deep back for ball and make some hard tackles as well…I don’t think Laca has cost the team in any way bcos he really worked for the team and provided services that led to goals…We will always miss him should we lose him
You hit the nail on the head. Social media has made it, so that every fan feels their opinion is fact…
Of course he’s not a bad player, he’s a good player in a poor team. He hasn’t scored a goal away from home for over a year though, just saying.
I support LACAZETTE and await its return in goals. The season is not over. He is often in goal building and does useful work.
Ozil and pepe are the major problems in our attack if you really understand the attacking dynamics. Pepe unlike other wingers is not always direct and he allows our opponents to regain their balance at their defence, but I could afford to spare him in our attack only to play him in the no.10 role or behind the striker as it may seem. Ozil on the other hand, can’t improve more than this, it’s like we are playing short 1. You need midfielders who can break lines and mark where and when necessary and I am afraid ozil can’t do any of those effectively for us. Laca work rate is good and he hasn’t really gotten a cut clear chance to score. Zeyech has been crying for us to sign him and I think we should be looking to such directions now. If I am given the opportunity to recruit, I will look at adama traore and chukwueze.
Laca is indeed a great player and he just needs one goal to get going. But is he the only problem? Arteta has certainly improved the defence but the midfield also is to blame if Laca isn’t scoring. How many chances has he got of late to score? Also Laca does the hard work of defending deep sometimes when the need be. The best thing for MA would be to start Nketiah instead of Laca or bring Auba in the CF position and give Laca sometime to recover and reclaim his finishing. Than Laca can either start as CF or come in place of Ozil, who in my opinion, isn’t doing that great.
Lacazette has always been rubbish. He’s been here for 3 seasons and has averaged about 13-14 league goals. Can somebody remind me why we got rid of Giroud? We said Giroud is not a “20 league goals” a season striker! Well, is Lacazette that? Overrated, overhyped! Can’t make it to the France squad and the club was trying to ship him off to Russia before the season started. I suppose though we should keep him because of his workrate, in which case, better play Guendouzi as a centre foward..get even more workrate and maybe he will actually score a goal!
Unlike most on here, a few of us go back many decades as Gooner-long before that word was accepted as meaning a GUNNERS FAN. I was going to away games onthe mid sixties on wards andcan assure younger fans that we had our own scapegoats too. Jon Sammels, a midfielder was regularly booed, unfairly maybe, but it happened and he was the boo boy, despite being leagues better than some of the dross we have today who are so bad we don’t even bother booing.
The chief difference back then was having no outlet such as social media for our frustration,. But do not kid yourself that fans have always criticised. My lat Father oncde told me that even our stars from the 1930s wer not immune from criticism. No banners, no planes , no social media but all that has changed is technology, not and never human nature. Plus ca change, etc!
Strikers should know how to manage their confidence.
At his age and experience, Lacazette should know how to do so. He seems so down right now. You can see it in his body language. He is nervous at some times and completely lost his calm in front of the net.
The result: he is no longer the striker Arsenal needs. Arteta have to bench him for some games. Give him that half hour at the end of the game and let him show us how he can get back his place.
I will never support abusing any player. But if I understand correctly, Lacazette is not being abused. Perhaps the coach should be blamed for repeatedly starting him when he has been on a goal barren run, especially when other people who should play instead of him are being sacrificed.
All I want now is that he henceforth sits out games, or perhaps come in as substitute when he must have seen the direction of the game. In that way maybe he will regain his shooting boots, otherwise we get rid of him. It is easier to bear with strikers who shoot directly to goalkeepers than ones who shoot to the orbit or some phantom goalmouth.
I am not being harsh I believe.
Lacazette is a top player no question about that! What most of us are concerned about is his form right now even his first touch and hold up play have been abssard to say the list.
Lacazete must be criticized and even booed. He is the reason our new manager has managed only 1 out of 7 matches. Bournemouth, Chelsea at Home, Cristal palace, Norwich the list is endless. My only problem with the manager is for keeping him in the team even when he doesn’t deserve it.
It wasn’t Lacazette that missed two one on one opportunities in the last match, was it?
Didn’t he miss any chances in that match. And then again why didn’t he miss the one on ones? Isnt he the number 9?
1 win out of 7 Matches
Arsenal should retire the no.9 is a curse to the team,lol
Martinelli Aubameyang Pepe
Lacazette Ceballos
Torriera
Kolasinac Mari Luiz Bellerin
Leno
I am tired of reading frustrated comments. Lol