Dodging bullets

[Timberwolf]

I'm sure we were linked with him during his time at Villa? Anyway, I'm still not buying the whole Arshavin thing. For his first 2 seasons there he was very good, very very good in fact, I think that his awful form after that has clouded some peoples memories of how good he was. He was always a good player anyway, he just fell out of favour with Wenger, no reason to say he couldn't have been good somewhere else

First 2 seasons? He was fantastic for the first 6 months but after that he faded badly. There's no way he had 2 "very very good" seasons at Arsenal.

 

[Shea]

I'm sure we were linked with him during his time at Villa? Anyway, I'm still not buying the whole Arshavin thing. For his first 2 seasons there he was very good, very very good in fact, I think that his awful form after that has clouded some peoples memories of how good he was. He was always a good player anyway, he just fell out of favour with Wenger, no reason to say he couldn't have been good somewhere else

I really can't understand anyone suggesting Arshavin was anything but an epic flop for Arsenal

Very very good? he had a couple of good games when he showed what he could do (seemingly all against Liverpool) but nothing more and he no where near lived up to expectations

Anyway I look at it it spells flop and dodged bullet

 

[Ironskullll]

Remember that every player that doesn't sign for us or is sold from us is shit according to some on here. We also laugh at RAWK for having these opinions.

Isn't that called "cognitive dissonance"?

 

[Lufti]

I really can't understand anyone suggesting Arshavin was anything but an epic flop for Arsenal

Very very good? he had a couple of good games when he showed what he could do (seemingly all against Liverpool) but nothing more and he no where near lived up to expectations

Anyway I look at it it spells flop and dodged bullet

I'm going to put this in the looking through Spurs blinkers folder..

 

[Shea]

I'm going to put this in the looking through Spurs blinkers folder..

I don't know why you would do that because my dislike for Arsenal has nothing to do with it - in fact every Arsenal fan (I have many Arsenal supporting friends, relations and associates) I have ever heard say anything about Arshavin have only negative things to say about him and agree he was a shit signing - would you put that done to Spurs blinkers too?

 

[Lufti]

I don't know why you would do that because my dislike for Arsenal has nothing to do with it - in fact every Arsenal fan (I have many Arsenal supporting friends, relations and associates) I have ever heard say anything about Arshavin have only negative things to say about him and agree he was a shit signing - would you put that done to Spurs blinkers too?

Okay, admittedly 'very, very good' is an exaggeration. I'd say he was good for the first season and half. I think maybe he's judged more harshly because of the hype that surrounded him, but there's been worse players signed for £15m and even for more than that. For me dodging a bullet is when you nearly sign a player and then when someone else signs them you see how bad they are. I still don't think Arshavin is a bad player, he's been too good at international level for that to be the case, perhaps Arsenal just wasn't the right move for him. Bit like Forlan and United maybe, but I'm not sure he'd have been that bad for us. I'd swap what Arshavin did at Arsenal for what Bentley did at us to be honest, and they were bought around the same time for pretty much the same fee.

 

[Shea]

Okay, admittedly 'very, very good' is an exaggeration. I'd say he was good for the first season and half. I think maybe he's judged more harshly because of the hype that surrounded him, but there's been worse players signed for £15m and even for more than that. For me dodging a bullet is when you nearly sign a player and then when someone else signs them you see how bad they are. I still don't think Arshavin is a bad player, he's been too good at international level for that to be the case, perhaps Arsenal just wasn't the right move for him. Bit like Forlan and United maybe, but I'm not sure he'd have been that bad for us. I'd swap what Arshavin did at Arsenal for what Bentley did at us to be honest, and they were bought around the same time for pretty much the same fee.

The hype around him is what makes him a flop

It's all relative - the money spent on him and what he was bought to be sets the bar for how he would and should be judged

He's very clearly a good and talented player but the fact is he was bought by Arsenal to be a star player not a good player. This is what makes him a flop and a dodged bullet

Bentley being a bigger flop doesn't mean Arshavin was a success - they're separate enities and Bentley was a bullet we willing stepped in front of while Arshavin was a bullet we dodged and hit Arsenal in the spine as it merely grazed us

 

[monkeynick]

Kenwynne Jones & Damian Duff spring to mind

 

[Hoddle&Waddle]

Ricky van Wolfswinkel

 

[jimtheyid]

Michael bridges

 

[Lufti]

The hype around him is what makes him a flop

It's all relative - the money spent on him and what he was bought to be sets the bar for how he would and should be judged

He's very clearly a good and talented player but the fact is he was bought by Arsenal to be a star player not a good player. This is what makes him a flop and a dodged bullet

Bentley being a bigger flop doesn't mean Arshavin was a success - they're separate enities and Bentley was a bullet we willing stepped in front of while Arshavin was a bullet we dodged and hit Arsenal in the spine as it merely grazed us

Yeah but this is my point. Take Torres for example, amazing for Liverpool but useless for Chelsea. Of course he's been a flop at Chelsea because they spent £50m on him and he's done pretty much nothing significant. But say Arshavin was only mediocre for Arsenal, whose to say he couldn't have been amazing for us, like Torres was at Liverpool? Whether you think he flopped for Arsenal or not, I still wouldn't consider him a 'bullet dodged' as I still think had we bought him instead of Arsenal he could have done a job for us because he's clearly a very good player..

 

[pvg]

You can't really judge a player unless they have a decent run in the team and Willian may never get one with Chelsea...

I wonder if anyone told him this before he signed?


He could be a flop 9th choice midfielder for his whole career there and that doesn't mean he wouldn't have been good for us

 

[C0YS]

A lot of the players mentioned could of actually done a pretty good job for us at the time like Arshavin (talnted player which would fit a position which we were in dyer need of filling in. Would of been given more licence to roam at spurs and act more as a N10. Also he wasn't that bad and always had the ability. I feel more that his time at Arsenal was a waste of such a talent rather than a sign he was a bad player in himself), Duff (It was a long time ago but we had no out and out left winger in that team, not even as an option. Would of been decent for us), Young (Same as above, in both occasions would of improved the squad. He is actually still a good player and he was superb for villa), P Neville (At the time I recall we were really struggling at the fullback position, Alan Hutton et al. Would of added toughness and solidity) and you know what even Beckham (as a late sub would of offered a different option and would create tense set piece occasions. Also it would of been for very little money which would be recouped in an increase in club stature. It would of been a move with very little to loose and quite a lot to gain). It's very difficult to know how things will pan out for players particularly as every club is different square pegs don't fit into round holes but if players are utilised in the right set up they can bloom or at the very least be efficient.

 

[dontcallme]

I really can't understand anyone suggesting Arshavin was anything but an epic flop for Arsenal

Very very good? he had a couple of good games when he showed what he could do (seemingly all against Liverpool) but nothing more and he no where near lived up to expectations

Anyway I look at it it spells flop and dodged bullet

He scored 10 in 30 in his first full season for Arsenal after a very impressive start for them when he joined the January before.

After that he was determined to go to Barca and his career went downhill. Doesn't change that his first 18 months were impressive and if Arsenal had sold him then he would have been remembered as a good player for them.

People are way too premature on Willian. We're criticising Chadli too quickly as well. All as premature as our ott praise for Eriksen.

Some bullets dodged include Downing, Carroll, J Cole, Dean Sturridge, Curtis Davies and Michael Ricketts.

I wonder if Leandro will be considered the same in the future.

 

[ohtottenham!]

People are way too premature on Willian. We're criticising Chadli too quickly as well. All as premature as our ott praise for Eriksen.

Some bullets dodged include Downing, Carroll, J Cole, Dean Sturridge, Curtis Davies and Michael Ricketts.

I wonder if Leandro will be considered the same in the future.

Not sure about including Sturridge in that list of dud bullets. I agree re the premature criticisms of Chadli - I think he's a great addition and we haven't seen anything like his best yet, but we will in time.

 

[simyid]

richard dunne, we were very close to signing him before he went to villa

 

[ohtottenham!]

But say Arshavin was only mediocre for Arsenal, whose to say he couldn't have been amazing for us, like Torres was at Liverpool? Whether you think he flopped for Arsenal or not, I still wouldn't consider him a 'bullet dodged' as I still think had we bought him instead of Arsenal he could have done a job for us because he's clearly a very good player..

Arshavin lost Arsenal as many goals, if not more, than he scored or created. In attack, on his day he was unplayable. But, positionally, he was lost any time the oppo had the ball, no tracking back, and he put the frighteners into his own team mates, unbalanced the whole defending midfield and defensive formation...absolutely no awareness where he should be when defending. Plus, he would commit himself to losing challenges and tackles in critical areas to make it worse. IMO, definitely a bullet dodged!

 

[dontcallme]

Not sure about including Sturridge in that list of dud bullets. I agree re the premature criticisms of Chadli - I think he's a great addition and we haven't seen anything like his best yet, but we will in time.

You think Dean Sturridge would have been worth the £7m?

 

[ohtottenham!]

You think Dean Sturridge would have been worth the £7m?

Yep! Without a doubt. Think about what you get for a typical domestic 7M signing these days. Well worth it I think.

 

[dontcallme]

Yep! Without a doubt. Think about what you get for a typical domestic 7M signing these days. Well worth it I think.

But back then £7m was quite a lot.