Post by Varun Shukla (@wengerarmy)
While browsing through the new Arsenal website (which is an absolute corker by the way) I stumbled upon Lee Dixon’s interview. He talked about how he was scouted, approached and signed by Arsenal and his feelings during the entire process. An extract here:
“I walked through the marble halls and I just went to myself, ‘whatever happens today, I am not leaving here until I sign’, because the place smelled of football.”
The more Sherlock Holmesian of people will stop me right now with an “Elementary, my dear author” comment here and deduce where I’m going with this, but for the more mortal of us, read on.
Every Gooner remembers the summer transfer window and one Dutch Skunk in particular. There’s no need to go into the details, I’m sure- he is where he wanted to be and no one this side cares. He however can’t stop talking about us. When he’s not busy getting impregnated by little boys or spending time in sweet shops, he talks about how he’s ‘‘seeing things he’s seen before only with Henry and Bergkamp’’ and about how his current employers ‘breathe football’.
What’s the difference between Lee Dixon and United’s number 20? Aside from the fact that one is an Arsenal legend and the other would give Brutus a run for his money in the Best Betrayal of All Time Award, it’s in what they said about their respective clubs. On the face of it both statements seem to be similar (though Lee has better grammar). There’s a huge difference though – Lee was bowled over by the sheer history of the Club, the way one might feel while visiting Buckingham Palace. The other guy’s statement was just a PR exercise to enhance his image.
And that is the difference between a legend and a good footballer. Players of the past – Dixon, Adams, Bergkamp, Seaman, Rocastle etc respected the Club as a historical institution. They felt a sense of responsibility and belonging – it was almost as if they were supporters themselves. Henry is a legend not because he scored the most goals or because he won with us. It is this statement which says it all “You need big shoulders to play for Arsenal – the cannon is heavy.” The same can be said about Gerrard, Pirlo and Antonio di Natale for their respective clubs. They believed.
Most modern players however, are more individualistic. These days, it is Club A for development, Club B for winning stuff and Club C for a comfortable retirement and so on. They plan every stage like a corporate career and that somehow just doesn’t go with the spirit of football. A football player is a role model to many and for me; he is complete if he is a good person as well. This is one of the things which make me proud to say that I am a Gooner – by and large; we’ve always had players who are great humans as well as footballers.
Much has been said about the ‘family spirit’ at Arsenal. We have top class facilities, one of the best footballing arenas in the world and a visionary manager who has always cared about his players. On more than one occasion, we’ve heard from ex and current players about how great it feels in the dressing room, how Arsene is like a ‘second father’ and how life is generally top class. Even the new signings admit that their national compatriots were a big factor in convincing them to sign (Mertesacker for Podolski and Cazorla for Nacho to name just two). Which makes it all the more baffling when players leave for no apparent reason.
A big part of the reason for our trophyless run (aside from financial restrictions, oil money and even some refereeing ‘errors’) is the outflow of players. Every season since 05-06, the manager has had to contend with key players leaving which results in an overhaul of strategy leading to rebuilding of the team and a loss of ‘chemistry’ and stability.
A chronological list here would be helpful:
Ashley Cole
Hleb
Flamini
Adebayor
Nasri
Fabregas
Clichy
Song
van Persie
You’ll notice that I omitted players such as Henry, Ljungberg, Gallas, Toure, Lehmann etc. Here I’ve considered only the players who could have contributed significantly to the team by staying. The list also has some of the biggest ‘traitors’ in AFC history (except Clichy maybe). This, however, is exactly my point.
Why, when everything is so brilliant at our club, do players leave? Out of all of these players, Cole was perhaps the only one who admitted outright that he wanted more money than we could offer. The rest had varying degrees of ‘trophy sickness’. And more money of course. The thing that hurts is the way in which the Club is made a scapegoat and the way in which it becomes widely accepted opinion.
Particularly in Persie’s case, he released a statement which effectively disrespected the Club and said ‘they lack ambition’. What does ambition mean? How does signing 5 players (some of whom are targeted by teams fighting to avoid the drop) show that we’re serious about winning the title? Is the board, Dick Law, Wenger or Gazidis out there playing on the pitch? No. The best the Club can do is provide the best possible environment for the players to excel. It is the players who need to show that they want to win, not the Club.
Don’t get me wrong here; I’m not saying the players don’t make any effort. Just that blaming the Club for what are essentially their mistakes is wrong. An open net, just the finish required. A goal takes us through to the next stage, and it is shot wide. Instead of working harder and improving that, player takes the easiest option to move in transfer window and accuse us of lack of ‘ambition’. It’s a similar thing with defenders. Let in a goal, and yet they say that Wenger didn’t handle the ball better.
Coming back to Persie. After nearly 6 seasons at the treatment table, he showed the form of his life. We finished 3rd, and were raring to go in the next season. He knows that he could have helped us do better by staying – repaying the faith shown, but he chose to leave. And before that, he even took the pains to undermine the club that made him. Wasn’t it his attempted chip against AC Milan which was saved and cost us progression in the CL? No, that was somehow Wenger’s fault.
Fabregas, beloved captain. Got homesick apparently and went on strike to force a move. He knew that the team was built around him – the boss must have talked to him about it, about the difficulties we’d face in rebuilding – but no, he went home to Barcelona who willingly let go of him at the age of 16.
Maybe the agents are to blame. They make the players believe that they are the best thing to happen to the human race since the wheel, talk to their ego and tell them the Arsenal isn’t good enough. Of course, the agents want their commission too. What it all results in is instability in the team, and still the great man finds the resources to qualify for CL each year (for well over a decade running now). And finish above Spurs for good measure.
It’s not as if all players have had successful careers afterwards. Barring Cole, no one has achieved much. Nasri was on the bench for City’s triumph, he doesn’t count. Hleb and Flamini, Adebayor have all come out to admit that they should never have left Arsenal, Fabregas only played in the final of Spanish equivalent of Community Shield in his first season, Song is miserable at Barcelona.
What they fail to realize is as a bunch, staying together, they could have achieved something much much greater than they will ever do with other clubs. And that is what is good about the current team. No exit in sight (only Sagna’s contract situation left), everyone has ages left on their contracts, they all want to win something NOW. And God damn, we will.
Positively Arsenal 
Brilliant article!
They’re a bunch of Hubris bastards!
…am I using that word correctly?
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Good one lad. Points out to the fact that the club is in no way responsible for either of the departures, but yet, we got people questioning, what was the necessity to sell.
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They did not possess the self-belief required to make it at Arsenal, they did not understand the future they were being invited into. The current vintage already exhibits more maturity, despite their age, in this respect, none more so than Chewie, our keeper who will turn out to be an Arsenal legend.
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Smashing article. Thanks. Exposes the myth of “lack of ambition” as the hollow cry of mercenaries who never had the stomach for the fight. About bloody time.
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Wow what a piece! Got me so emotional,hope this current group stays longer together. I foresee a trophy laden future for Arsenal with them!
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What a good player Hleb was ,and what a waste.
Lovely article.
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Indeed, I thought it was a crying shame about Hleb. Wasted potential in many ways.. to think he even ended up, albeit briefly, at Birmingham. The horror. He did have a sly dig at Mcleish’s “long ball tactics” after he left though. Good man.
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Ask the average Stoke fan about Dixon or Bould – mercenary bastards they’ll say and they would not be too far wrong – I remember watching both play for Stoke at Millwall years back
As for the rest of them traitors only Ashley came through the academy so every one of them joined Arsenal from their original club because they were ambitious in their careers and we offered them better money than they were on
Sign em live with em don’t expect loyalty and you won’t be disappointed
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I agree with anicoll5. Don’t look for loyalty in this game, you won’t be disappointed.
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anicoll5 @ 10:07 am – A little cynicism goes a long way, I agree. But as fans, being cynical, in my opinion, robs us of the pleasure of really enjoying the club we support. We would like to believe the players share our belief that the club is worth fighting for on the field of play and not simply go through the motions for a pay check. No wonder we feel so proud of the boys when they roar back from 1st half setbacks, vs Chelsea and Liverpool recently. As I ramble on, it occurred to me that the point I am making is money cannot buy commitment which is the difference between a mercenary and the legends of the club such as Henry and Adams.
As you know, we have had this debate several times elsewhere and I respect your views. They are refreshingly honest and consistent.
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While I know, in my head, we cannot expect loyalty, certainly not from every player all the time, my heart says differently, that we can and should as fans. And it will make a difference. Something tells me the coming squad will exhibit this.
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anicoll5 Thats a bit like saying you should not expect loyalty from your wife,because you did not raise her.
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Commitment and loyalty are two different things tho. Neither can be bought, but only one has a place in the modern footballer’s psyche.
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Markus ,it should not have to be bought.It should be given in return for what you have been given.
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Markuus @ 11:09 am – “…only one has a place in the modern footballer’s psyche.”
Only commitment?
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Arteta is one of the most committed players I’ve seen. Loyal? Not so much.
George, your wife isn’t an employee. Despite what you may have heard in the 50’s 😉
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If I had signed her from Feyenoord as a 21 year old and retained her services on a 3 year contract George perhaps I would not
If she was as unfit for purpose as the little Dutch boy had been I would have flogged her to Shaktar Donetsk years ago. 🙂
Regarding departed players I am disappointed obviously when a player decides that they want to play elsewhere as I believe playing for AFC is the greatest honor that any footballer could enjoy – I am a fan after all.
When they do decide to go I don’t feel inclined to go into the ins and out of their decision, impugn their characters, their motives, and especially not decry the seasons of good service and good performances that they have put in for me and the club.
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Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated!
anicoll5, with the exception of nasri whose team finished 3rd in ligue 1 in his last season, not one of the others can really be branded traitors to their previous teams.
Bastia were in relegation danger- song
Cannes was in the 3rd division in France- clichy
Hleb’ s team in Europa spots
Flamini finished 7th
Adebayor 10th with Monaco
Persie fell out with his coach
Fabregas was 16
For all of them at that time, arsenal calling was a HUGE opportunity
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The thing that has changed is, for Arsenal, it’s no longer a level playing field (no pun intended). Given same/similar payment between Arse and like-for-like clubs, the majority would have stayed put, or thought thrice etc. because overall prospects for “winning stuff” and football development would be comparable, and obviously there is some element of loyalty, especially for the youth. The exodus, aside from odds and sods, picked up pace simultaneously with City’s massive spending where many Arsenal players ended up. This hugely undermined the propsects of trophies, fuelling a run on top Arsenal players by other clubs, notably the big two, Barca/ManU. In this sense, City is and has been a direct threat to a club such as Arsenal.
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The thing that has not changed is the Arsenal curse. Feel the pain Alex Song. Don’t get too complacent Cesc or Robin. It’s coming for you too. Those players who left “on a decent note after years of service” are (partially) exempt, Clichy, perhaps Kole. those who were pushed are fully exempt and may the best win lots and lots.
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As it was for Lee Dixon and Steve Bould Varun many years ago – and as Song no doubt would argue that the opportunity to join Barcelona was more recently.
Nacho Monreal – traitor or man taking big opportunity ?
Treason may be one of those things in the eye of the beholder
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That eye, atleast here, sees things from an Arsenal perspective
and from that viewpoint, Song’s antics aren’t defendable. Neither are those of the others!
Malaga are doing well in the league and also CL..undoubtedly they would have thought about this move and wouldn’t have sold if there hadn’t been a backup
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I’m not sure looking at players from different leagues is relevant when discussing loyalty. They simply wanted to experience the greatest league on earth, surely?
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very nice article… on the spot! however i wish to include the impatience of the fans and the media pressure and the refs pisstaking as factors that would make our players want out.
henry once said ” we are not a big club,yet” in reference to referees who had screwed arsenal in a champions league game. it is my opinion that hleb and flamini wanted out because they could see arsenal wasnt allowed to go for it on the ptich combined with our young players mental fragility at that age to deal with such things. it is why i am very angry with sections of our fans, because that was the momment they were needed.
if the supporters made the players feel as home and not as if they have something to prove playign with their backs on the wall, things would have been different. had the arsenal fan shown faith support and strength, none of the taunts from rivals and media would matter. we let all the negative shit affect us and in turn we affected our players psyche, determination and willingness to stay and fight against all odds.
i dont know if cesc going on strike rumours are true, but out of all the players that left, his departure is explainable. the others not so much. sure wenger was building the team around him, but surely he knwe all along and especially after spain won the world cup that the clock was ticking. since arsenal couldnt use money at the time to surround cesc with appropriate players he couldnt just not be part of his hometown club with his freinds in this era. painful for sure but understandable. robin is the worst i think. also cesc, brilliant player, but you cant expect him to devote his career and life for arsenal just cause wenger saw something in him when he was 16…jack wilshere though, different story. english, arsenal through and through and far more likely to stay at this club for the whole of his carreer rather than a talented spaniard who actually came to us because we happened to have the best set up at the time with world class players, managers etc… cesc also believed in wenger’s vision a lot more than others , he just did not have the courage and the inner strength to carry the cannon on his own. …what can i say we were very unfortunate that his best years for us were coming at a time when his homeclub with his freinds were owning the football planet.
imagine youre jack and juventus scouts you and takes you to italy and when you reach 23 yearsd of age arsenal is doing trebles and back to back champions leagues….were would you want to be? would you show loyalty to juventus? hahaha like fuck you would…
but robin?…..what a cunt….disgraceful behaviour…and i cant wait for vermaelen to smash him.. he could have opted for juve if its the titles he was looking for..but no he went to the cunts who were calling wenger a paedophile and to the team were evra was mocking him about being a boy and rio finger pointing to sagna and clichy and other players of ours….what a cunt. he is now playing with vidic when two years ago he wanted to rip his head off for the handball/volleybal inside the area. effing bastard.
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and yes …when we have the example of ashley cole ..i dont think we can be that harsh to cesc..cesc grew up with pep posters inhis room and cruyff maradona rivaldo…
ashley cole was part of arsenal greatest era where everyone was talking about the relationship between players and the dressing room harmony and the cunt came out saying there were no bonds between players, full fo french speaking foreignors, crashing his car for 5,000 less…and all that for the team he has been supporting sicne childhood? that made him?
ah …ah …ah …
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Great piece. The likes of Nasri and RvP might have had all the talent and ability, but they lacked that special something that is required to execute Arsene’s vision, and left at the first opportunity. In my mind, they are better off gone. I am genuinely excited with the current group of players, they seem to have the right attitude and aptitude. They have sometimes needed a shot up the arm to know what they are capable of, but I think they are truly beginning to click.
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hunter: you’re correct. The part about good, unconditional support has already been talked about here in an earlier article, no point in my repeating it.
The Cesc issue is a hot topic for any debate. However, in his last season with us, we were at one point close to winning the league and reached the Carling final. In the interests of stability, I feel he could have given us another season.
Also, Barca wouldn’t have forgotten about him a year later, would they? his move would have been great for him even 2-3 seasons later.
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Hubris = Song.
In his own words he couldn’t resist when Barca came calling. Rumor says he started behaving like a prick. Now rotting on the bench at 23-24 years old. Tragic.
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Shotta, the brevity of his departure I think lends credence to that theory.
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Varun Shukla (@WengerArmy) February 6, 2013 at 12:01 pm
maybe so , but lets be honest..cesc teammates disappointed him too in that cc final…he must have felt like shit watching his teammates not being able to beat effing birmingham without him and made him think ” right what the fuck am i doing here, i love you arsene but xavi iniesta messi and carles are winning everything in front of them and we cant beat mcleish ffs, cant carry them sorry, et go home out wah wah wah” …understandable up to a point. at that young age you cant know what the future beholds and you dont want to miss things now do you…it is very unfortunate for arsenal for sure that spain won the world cup and that when building/repaying our stadium we had three bayern munichs to face in our league….tough ask.
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Like Anicoll, I don’t really want to apportion too much blame as such on 20-something year old children that footballers are, subject to the influences of media, agents, parents, fame, fortune and destructive financial doping clubs like Manchester City. Perhaps that is generous. And yet, loyalty is wondrous to behold in this sordid world of money and “player brands”. Those that fell short, well, bye bye and thanks, that’s all.
Those that shone through are legends, none more so today than Tomas Rosicky, worth a dozen Nasri’s. The curse works on its own. I would rather let other names shine, like Tomas, Jack, Theo, even Almunia, Eboue, Denilson and yes Clichy and many others that have served the club to their very best. I wish them all well.
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i was watching Paul-N’s historic contribution on the site about thiery documentary and he talked about how the fans would put pressure on opponents in highbury..granted the emirates is bigger and will take time to achieve the cossy factor, but even the incvincibles needed support to do their feat. if fans were moaning at every stray pass perhaps they wouldn have done it. every team that embarks on soemthing special needs support, the 12th man or the 6th man (in case of basketball)…i will give example of basketball…the euroleague final4 is played in london on april 2013..basketball might not be your thing but panathinaikos under serb coach zelimir obradovic ( if you search this guy up you will note he combines wenger fergie and mour all into one but for basketball, legend, best in europe) . this guy would have the financial support of owners and got good players and won 5 european titles in the space of 13 years, thats roughly one every two years..total domination against ginats fo the game like cska moscow, real madrid, barcelona …any interview you watch of him he never stops thanking the fans for their singing and support, without them none of these achievements would take place…his words. it is true…when you have a stadium full of people and everyone is just sitting there dont expect the team to do much…when the fans push on and create atmosphere like this below they become invincible and nothing stops them. even the role-players (not the strs) become spartans for the cause. the team becomes like a 250k tanker navigating through hollands canals…destroying everything in its path. money is good but it aint everything..good players are good but it aint everything…..fans support and belief can change it all though …MOMENTUM.
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and the most frustrating thing of all is that fans that do want to support are targeted ad blind followers…as if somehow we dont know what we support and why we support it. i find that very insulting. i know perfectly well the club;s financial limitations, i know perfectly well that arsenal aint liked due to its foreign manager and consequent abandoning of traditional english football culture, i know perfectly well that what the younsgters are showing sporadically due to incosistency of age is a glimpse of what they are capable of. consistency comes with age and experience. i know perfeclty well that our manager and players are capable, so why not give them unconditional support for 90 mins ?
the experience of life has taught us that usually the one making noise is someone who doesnt understand things and as such reacts angrily. when you know something and can exlpain you are calm. you dont react in panic and frustration. but when you know half the truth and dont get the whole story, you get angry and violent and kick back because you are embarassed you dont know about it to sort it all out in your head and provide a proper explanation of logic for what is happening.
any line of work you check, its true….semi-knowledge is worse than non-knowledge.
knowledge and understanding brings confidence, the opposite leads to frustration. if you know your work/job/theme/story noone can fool you, noone can “outsmart” you. in fact you can put them at their places and once theyve calmed down they are even likely to agree with you….
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I think for Cesc it was important to get to play under Pep, his great idol. Even back when the transfer was made, it was obvious that Pep wouldn’t stay at Barca for ever and in the end, one year later would have been too late.
Add to that the fact, that Cesc is simply not a leader, but everyone at Arsenal looked at him like one. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pressure got to him at some point, as Hunter alludes to. Being required to carry a team can be a lot, even for a seasoned professional, but Cesc is not a leader. Never was and probably never will be. That’s why he is happy at Barca, where he doesn’t have the responsibility or rather it’s shared across many shoulders.
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arsenal fandom is experiencing a phase where they are WAY TOO involved and because they CAN NOT know or be shown the full details of how the club works they react angrily turning against their players managers owners……
the weak have managed to put their frustration on the top of the menu for all arsenal matters…
i dont wish them harm of course they are bruvs…theyve just lost the plot a bit and dont realise how much damage they are doing.
for me hillwood is correct when he dismisses the fans. his family has owned arsenal for so many years that the idea he doesnt care is just ridiculous and his cracky one-liners ” we thank you for your interest in our affairs” is 100% correct. only a fool would deny it. if old pete hasnt earned the right to speak to arsenal fans as if they are his spoilt children then who does?
pete was carrying the club when it was worth peanuts and views wenger as father christmas, here is the manager who took his venue and transformed it into something hillwood never expected or hoped for. how could he ever agree with the myopic fans who ask for change? change came already and boy what a change it was.
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but Cesc is not a leader. Never was and probably never will be. That’s why he is happy at Barca, where he doesn’t have the responsibility or rather it’s shared across many shoulders.
bingo!
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Was just reading the comments and I agree with everything Hunter said about Van Persie. That man is just awful – wanted to go to Barcelona, they did not want him – decided to spite Arsenal by going to bloody Man Utd – scummy bugger.
But we will win the league next season. And alot more besides in the coming years. And Olivier is really a wonderful guy. I read on the comments on this blog – Adi I belive – that he turned down double money from Chelsea, to sign for Arsenal!
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I don’t waste to much energy on players that leave our club, it usually always about money, as for fabregas-his behaviour towards the end wasn’t that of someone who said wenger was like a second father,empty words I’m afraid,I suppose it makes it even more ridiculous to abuse wenger,he’s had plenty of offers but stayed loyal,he truly is one of us.
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Excellent article, well done, Varun.
@Anicoll It bothers me when people say that footballers are just employees. When did you last sacrifice your disposable income to go and watch a bank employee or a bin man at work?
Players grew up to love the game, unlike the vast majority off ’employees’.
For me that point is moot and redundant and I very much do expect loyalty from anyone wearing the cannon.
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of all the players that left, i think i miss hleb and reyes the most… i somehow feel sorry for them, they were really targeted and fouled continually without ref protection and i think that more than anything else may have contributed to their move rather than mere pursuing money. i remember the last game and hleb’s red card and i somehow had an impression that for him to react to strongly and end up with a red card, something was up, next i heard he had moved on. them most of all i would take back, bit i guess they are past it now?
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The point I am getting at B7 is that if footballers were as characters ‘loyal’ that few of them would ever have worn the red and white of our club – if they wee not mercenaries then they would not play for us in the first place.
Do I expect them to be loyal ?
To an extent – what I expect them to do is speak respectfully and enthusiastically about our club, their team mates, the fans and the honor it is to play for AFC – do that, do your best on the pitch and I am 100% happy.
What I do not want to hear is disrespect and the sort of utter shite we have had from Team Walcott and the other players who have decided to quit.
And don’t fucking bother to kiss the badge any of you
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the one that disappointed me the most mainly because of my own exceptions of them in terms of character and loyalty are van Persie and song… i really expected them to stay because they definitely owed the club for standing by them at time when the going was not so good.
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I know of one person at Arsenal who is extremely loyal. He’s not a player though.
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@ dupsffokcuf February 6, 2013 at 2:17 pm
But there’s only one Arsene Wenger!
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We’ve had one player in the last 80 years who has remained at Arsenal for his entire career. That is how rare that kind of loyalty is in the game.
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Great article, thanks.
I suppose in one sense it doesn’t really matter why they left, they are gone. The sado-masochist tendencies of some fans trying to convince themselves that Cesc F Word is earning less wonga playing for Barcelona etc is not a pretty sight. But not surprising, unfortunately.
It was the manner of their leaving that is worth remembering. On this i still disagree with George (sorry PG!). The little boy made an idiot of himself. But it was Cesc F Word who really took the piss with the manner and duration of his effing off. He seriously damaged the club, other players left under disillusionment, others made their decision to leave at that time whilst he shirked the responsibilities he had agreed to. Van Judas made a go of actually doing is job whilst the season was still on. Marginally better.
The two standout talents in the PL since the time of Ronaldo the Lesser are not easily replaced, especially after they damaged the club and took away some it’s Momentum.
So here we are. The club is on the upward curve again now a new team is growing.
Some would say they would grow quicker with a turbo Falco injection. Possibly, but, uh, AFC haven’t competed for silly wages since, oh, since the Anelka family made a donation to the AFC academy.
If it happens i’ll let you all know.
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Very strong column by Edgar Davids that will obviously be ignored by those that are supposed to read it and learn their lessons: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2272027/Edgar-Davids–The-Footballers-Football-Column-If-Michel-Platini-stop-racism-step-aside–Sepp-Blatter-Johan-Cruyff-leading-example.html#axzz2JvincCFm2027
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The only player out of that bunch whose departure I legitimately cared about is Hleb. He was a favorite of mine while he was at Stuttgart and I was over the moon when Wenger signed him. To watch him waste away at Barcelona and then come back to England and play with Birmingham was sad.
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Hello team spirit. Good t see you.
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I must say I was disappointed in Adebayor, the silly prima donna behavior and the waste. As a player at Arsenal, he was good and with a little maturity might have been a great. Hleb was special, a rare gem and in the Arsenal set up, spectacular.
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