This is an article written for and published on Les Artilleurs by @andysternAFC that we are helping to publicise for him.Personally I dont agree 100% but near enough.It makes some great points.
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Loyalty is a funny thing in football. Is there any loyalty left in football, or indeed, did it ever exist? Whereas an abundance of loyalty can only lead one to become a fan favourite, disloyalty is one of the cardinal sins of football, and the player (or indeed manager) to commit such a sin will undoubtedly become a villain for the rest of their life. Of course, every cloud has a silver lining, and more often than not, the traitor will be welcomed with open arms at their new club.
I’m writing this article to coincide with not only the transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich of Mario Gotze, but also with the one player who is probably most revered at the moment amongst the Arsenal fans (see this poll for more evidence; at the time of writing, he [RVP] is top, with 32.26% of the votes) set to walk out on Sunday with a guard of honour, against his former club, that showed all the loyalty that they could during his career there. But this isn’t a backlash article, it’s one I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I hope that comes across.
As a starting point, the Mario Gotze transfer is as good as they come, fortunately for me! For all the talk about how fantastically well run Bayern Munich are, they most certainly are not a homegrown side. Far from it, and whilst most of their players are German, they’re not all Bayern through and through (the obvious two Bayern blooded players are Schweinsteiger and Lahm). They’ve got a knack of snapping up the best talent from around Germany, and thus not only improving themselves, but also diminishing their rivals’ chances for the next season. Plus, it eliminates any fears over whether or not they’ll be able to adapt to a new league. Clever, eh? Mario Gomez, Neuer and Mandukic were all plucked from Bundesliga clubs, but this isn’t a recent trend. Our very own Podolski was taken from F.C. Koln, and going even further back, Van Buyten, Ballack and Lucio were all plying their trade in the Bundesliga before their moves to Bayern. Now Gotze can be added to the list, and perhaps Lewandowski too.
Okay, so maybe Bayern are an anomaly? After all, they are by far the most prestigious club in Germany, and one of the greatest in the world. What about their probable opponents in the 2013 Champions League final, Borussia Dortmund? Yes, so their squad has been assembled for less than £29m. But that assumes that either they’ve promoted players, or they’ve bought cheaply. Hummels, Subotic, Gundogen, Kuba, Bender, Reus and Lewandowski (Kagawa too, although they made a tidy profit of around £13m on him) were all bought, or signed on a free transfer. The only big players missing there are Gotze and Kehl, and whilst the former is off to Bavaria, the latter is coming towards the end of his playing days with Dortmund. Whilst these players will have very fond memories of playing for Dortmund, they don’t have the same emotional attachment to the club as you’d expect Gotze to have, given that he’s been there since he’s been 9.
Emotional attachment plays a large role in loyalty, particularly in the world of football. Just look at Fabregas – no-one’s voted for him in the aforementioned poll, despite the claims of striking, as well as the acrimonious transfer. Cesc was always going to go back to the club he was raised at (we didn’t make him, unfortunately – we developed him into the world class player he is now, but the foundations were clearly there). This inevitability went some way to softening the blow for us, and there was definitely a sense that he’d given his all for Arsenal; it was only ever us or Barcelona. Unfortunately, Barcelona were also the best club in the world – who wouldn’t want to go back there, especially when you’d be reunited with your childhood amigos. But suppose it doesn’t work out at Barca – he’d come back to Arsenal, because of the emotional attachments. They’re just not as strong as the ones pulling him to the Catalan club.
But to be honest, it’s rare that one gets to play for the club that one has supported all ones life. If that was the case, Arsenal would have millions of players on their books, and Wigan would have 17. Especially when that club is Barcelona, given the unique skill set required, and the standard to which that skill set must be honed to. If they really wanted him, I’ve got no doubt that Arteta would jump ship to rejoin Barcelona, having been a La Masia graduate. No matter how professional you are, playing for a club as a fan is only going to happen once, so you’d probably take it.
Sometimes, you have to play for a rival club at a young age – this must be very tough indeed. Whilst this sometimes doesn’t work out, those that do often result in extraordinary cases. I’m thinking primarily of Jamie Carragher and Andres Iniesta – two very different players, but each with similar histories. Carragher was an Everton fan, and Iniesta claimed that his dream was to win the Champions League…with Real Madrid. Look at them now? Carragher’s been the mainstay of Liverpool teams for the past 10 years or so, and Iniesta has been one of the key influences in Barcelona’s meteoric rise over the last few seasons (but once more, Barcelona’s a special case here, given the ratio of La Masia graduates in the first team right now).
Of course, there are other factors in transfers, and one of these is success – Barcelona has that too, but let’s just forget that for a minute. Sol Campbell joined Arsenal because we were a successful club, and because he knew that he would win things at Arsenal. On principle, that’s bad – he’s not only left, but he’s joined a rival, so that he can win the league at their ground. But I guess that’s just why Arsenal fans love him so much. Going back to an earlier point, that’s why so many big players join Bayern – they can almost always be guaranteed silverware at some point or another.
The terms upon which one leaves, and the comments that are made about the club after the move can often determine the future relationship with the fans of the club that player leaves. To use Arsenal examples here, Fabregas and Henry are always both glowing about Arsenal, which sets them apart from RVP, who seems to have blotted out any memory of us from his mind, and Na$ri just tends to be rude about us, unless he’s talking about Wenger. I don’t believe that Na$ri left for the money, I think he left for the trophies. However, he chose City for the extortionate wages. I personally think that he was good enough to have won the title for United last season, had he been there. They didn’t offer enough to him, and thus he went to City, and played a role in winning them the league.
Is success a good enough reason to move clubs, even if it means annoying multiple sets of fans? Ibrahimovic certainly thinks so – “If you move to five different places it is a real test. If you succeed that’s when you become a real champion, that’s when you get more respect”. Whether you like it or not, he talks sense – it can be easy to plod along at one club for you whole career and win very little, but in order to challenge yourself, you may well have to move. As for his move to P$G, well that’s clearly about the money, but at the same time, he could well win Ligue 1, which would add yet another trophy to his (presumably IKEA) cabinet. Another player (who ironically also shone against England in 2012) who likes to wander around a little bit is Andrea Pirlo – AC Milan, Internazionale and Juventus have all had success when he’s been at each club. I guess Zlatan and Pirlo can be justified then.
But then again, I guess that’s what hurts so much about RVP’s loss to Manchester United. He was justified in his move, unfortunately – that’s clear from the fact he’s spearheaded them to the league title in his first season there, and arguably he’s been playing worse than he was last season, where he came fourth. The same goes for Ashley Cole – he’s won almost everything at Chelsea, and he didn’t at Arsenal. They might have left for financial reasons, but unfortunately, their moves were justified by the success they’ve both had.
A lot’s been said about Arsenal’s British core, and how Wenger wants to build a team around Wilshere, Ramsey, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jenkinson and to some extent Walcott (who’s slightly older) and Szczesny (who’s an honorary cockney). Loyalty-wise, Jack and Jenkinson look set, and Chamberlain is a self professed Arsenal fan too. Ramsey though? He strikes me as a model professional (playing out of position but not moaning, no pay rise in new long term contract etc.), but should Cardiff come knocking at the door with lots of money and the promise of lots of trophies, would he say no? I can imagine him going there. As for Walcott, I think he’ll be fine (as will Gibbs), but only as long as we suit his needs, namely playing him up front, either with someone else or alone (preferably the former).
Loyalty in football isn’t a given, by any stretch of the imagination – yes, you get players like Zanetti or Maldini, but they’re so special because they’re so rare. Leaving a club doesn’t have to be acrimonious, and it’s easy to spot when someone genuinely has an affection for a club (i.e. Henry) – whilst some transfers are unpredictable, almost always there are reasons why a player moves. These loyalty issues aren’t new, they can be traced back a long way, but naturally they’ve been augmented by the injections of cash into many teams. One can’t always expect loyalty, but one should expect respect – the way in which players leave clubs often determines the regard in which they are held, and whether they’re booed or cheered when they return in opposing colours.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it – please share if you did enjoy it!
Positively Arsenal 
Nicely written, you make a lot of good points. I often wondered if I had been fortunate enough to play professional football, would I change my alliegence to the side I played for? Difficult to answer, but I like to think not. Whilst RVP is getting all the headlines for turning his back on us, I am still trying to come to terms with Frank Stapletons move
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Yup some interesting points there Andy, for sure.
My flabber was a tad gasted with your description of Nasri as being good enough to have won the big Mancs the title. He didn’t contribute all that much to other lot winning it.
Where they “justified”? possibly. I just can’t look at it that way. I place loyalty above everything. I realise that is not the case with the majority of professional footballers these days. I thought the Dutch fella owed a debt to Arsenal/Arsene/supporters for all the lean years. To me it’s like swapping sides in a battle (crap analogy I know), you don’t jump ship ‘cos the other side is more likely to be victorious. That makes you a, umm, mercenary. For want of a better word. Makes it all meaningless, it all comes down to who pays the most money in that case. Hey welcome to the modern world Harry. You stick by the people who have stuck by you, helped you become the player you are. It’s an old fashioned concept in this brave new world, is loyalty.
Then again I’m a supporter. It’s an emotional engagement with Arsenal for me. And not in any way rational.
Won’t get fooled again though.
F*cking wafflling for a moment there. Apologies. Arse
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Nice one Andy,if Cesc,Nasri,Adebayor and the Dutch Skunk would have been loyal and stayed at our club in my opinion we’d have won the title again by now (especially with the additions of Per,Arteta and Santi), trophys? loyalty? no,follow the money,it’s always about the money.
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Good points Andy. No doubt we as fans have a cock-eyed view of loyalty particularly us gooners. We demand loyalty and commitment but show very little in return. Take the case of Bacary Sagna for example. For six years he has been our best defender, two-time all-PFA and no doubt on the strength of these performance he must have been tempted by offers from other clubs. Yet the moment he had a cock-up on Sunday, we had calls for him to be immediately benched in favor of Jenkinson and by season-end, packed off and sent back to France. It took a few vigorous voices especially Wenger’s to say back-off, this is a committed player who made one mistake and tried too hard to correct it. And, he is not the only example.
I don’t begrudge a player being very professional and looking out for their career. All I demand is total commitment as long as they are wearing the shirt. Afterall we bought most of them from other clubs, not because they made pledges of loyalty but because of their ability. What I found most distasteful in the Van Judas case is he made pledges of loyalty to us fans, i.e. that he saw no other club that he could win trophies, pledges made when he was disabled and on the treatment table, designed no doubt to elicit the support of fans and the club stood by him. 12-18 months of being healthy and he totally disrespected us especially with that awful statement on his web site. Fooled me once.
As for Na$ri, my only disagreement with you is quite minor; that he didn’t go for the money and that he would have won trophies for ManUtd. Ha, Ha, Ha.
Somebody in show business once said, it is always about the money.
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great post andy. welcome!!! ….we cant expect loyalty from dutch spanish and french when the english and arsenal homegrown, ashley cole, fucks off to chelsea……..
what bayern does in germany united does here ever since breaking the signing record for andy cole. ferguson did not hesitate in paying whatever it took to land ferdinand rooney carrick. but do they play for him because of loyalty to united? hmmmmm …i wouldnt think so..more like a balance between intimidation and professionalism. if united was like newcastle would the same players stay due to loyalty? dont think so. giggs? thats another matter..but how many giggs are there in the world..him, maldini..who else? gerrard…and even giggs wasnt united homgrown ..signed at 16 ..we got cesc when he was 14-15 and we get offended when we claim we made him…we are told that barca made him…bollocks…barca is his home alright but arsenal is where he became a player and a man.
it is important to remember that the bond between the french and the rest during wenger’s first 7 years was a once in a lifetime chemical reaction. we had a ducth guru accompanied by three or four of france best ever generation who had all formed their ithaca at arsenal and wanted to do something together , for their manager, themselves and then for arsenal. basically in my eyes they all wanted to raise the middle finger to all those who offended them, insulted them, kicked them, cheated them..and they did it brilliantly. in fact they were so good the establishment had to seek ways to lower the enthusiasm, something which peaked when we didnt have the players to cope with such “treatments”.
and thats when fans loaylty comes in…which in our case was practically non-existant. it is rich to expect players who have no attachment to arsenal to be loyal when english homegrown players and fans ( who have that attachment ) are anything but loyal.
loyalty is not about questioning the manager every monday for his decissions, nor is it about booing players when they are having a bad game. if the fan thinks he is being loyal by demanding change like a lunatic in an asylum and wanting to critisise the working methods of his club then im sorry but the fan has lost the plot. when our rivals and media critisise the team manager board and players i dont see them fans of ours (who complain to players about loyalty) being loyal. do you ? they swallow what others say about us and then use it against us.
what has happpend to arsenal is very easy to explain. this club was going nowhere and out of the blue dein brought wenger in, and the french manager changed EVERYTHING .from alpha to omega in the club, won titles, gave the club its best ever era and the club itself decided to cach in on that and launch the club for a new era. they happened to have the most qualified professional for the plan and went on with it. the younsgters were spectacular but the possibility of a scrooge winning the title with 17 yearolds + gallas and hleb was to much to bare for the heavy investors of this league. The establishment started screwing us with “surgical” operations on the pitch and the time we needed the fans to show spine we failled….like pansies…we turned against our players..half of them decided to eff off and when wenger lost cesc it meant back to the drawing board. everyting is else is stories for the animals……….
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Show me the money! *insert banned smiley face*
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Well written article mate. I agree that players leaving are justified for their own personal interests, especially players like old Zlatan, who aim to earn as much money as possible for use of their football skills.
However, the thing about Van Persie leaving that rankles people, in my opinion, is that he wrote that weird letter to ‘the fans’ and he forced his way to Man Utd. But furthermore, I will not take Man Utd’s ‘achievements’ seriously, because without key players like Webb and Halsey and Co., they would not be anywhere near winning this league.
In regards to the young British players in the ranks, I have a genuine affection for all of them and they seem to want to fight for the team, which can only be good for the club. But Walcott, not so much affection. By his comments over the season and the fact he took so long to sign a new contract, he seems to be the most mercenary of the group.
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I see nothing wrong with footballers being mercenary.
Unless THEY choose to make their relationship with manager and fans look personal .
RVP and Cesc chose that path ,Nasri and Ade were more honest.
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Well written article, and I agree with your conclusion – “One can’t always expect loyalty, but one should expect respect – the way in which players leave clubs often determines the regard in which they are held, and whether they’re booed or cheered when they return in opposing colours.”
But like Harry Flowers, I say RvP’s move was only “justified” if you take any moral sense out of that word. He was right to leave for ManUre in the sense of correct, but not right morally. And how different would our season have been without the disruption and forced reorganisation which resulted from his departure? Giving us even half a season when we needed it would have started to repay what he owed us, but no chance.
PG hit the nail on the head – one of the most nauseating aspects of RvP’s statement was its dishonesty.
Great points from everybody, though.
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This is what RVP said once
“”I don’t have the inclination to go anywhere. This is the best team for me to be in. The bottom line is that I want to win trophies with Arsenal, not with anybody else. I know you can win trophies in many countries and in many ways, but I want to do that in our way and in an Arsenal shirt.
I’m sure I could win things at another team in another country, but would it feel like our trophy, my trophy? I’m not sure it would. Anything we win here will come from the heart and that’s what I want. It’s my dream and I see no point in speaking about other teams when I have these dreams. I think other people know that about me; I’m just hungry to win with Arsenal and that’s it.”
Then he did what he did.
What a cunt of a human being.
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good article but like George I don’t agree with it all, like many have said already there are different types of loyalty and different reasons for leaving a club.
remember David O’Leary and his judas mate one left for glory and found nothing the other stayed and in the end got his hands on the title. However success doesn’t justify leaving a club because you never know how things would have turned out if players would have stayed, cashley hole may have won the cl league with ARSENAL sol may have won something with the spuds…….ha ha ok I may be stretching it with the later but both players would have been more appreciated winning with their own clubs rather than their adopted ones and when they look back on their careers a medal where it mattered and you made more of a difference has surely got to be closer to their hearts.
As far as fans goes its the same are the fans who pay the most for their season tickets the most loyal? …. no, many season ticket holders I know are not able to name any youth players and sometimes don’t even know when the first team is playing away.
oh and I agree with everything that h13 said earlier but then I usually do
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manure have won 19 league titles before now. with or without judas they can win the title. judas only join them because they pay more and see them as easy way to win title. he will only be remembered only as long as he is still playing for them. as soon as he quits, he will be regarded as ‘also ran’ in the history of manure.
i’m happy he didnt win the player of the year. just as he will never be a legend of any club.
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Interesting write, the overall premise that one should not expect loyalty is correct.
I actually don’t want players to come to Arsenal in a negative way. If it happens, we support the team but I want transfers to be done with respect. Edu did not resign and no one is tripping on him.
For me, It is not so much that RVP went to United but the way how he did it, what he said about his love for Arsenal and the timing. :Lets take Cesc for example, I am not down with him because he signed a long term contract and acted like a punk the next year, and from what we have heard he refused to play. However, Cesc wanted out prior the end of the contract. So, how comes RVP was not asking to be sold prior to last season? I mean, didn’t he want to win trophies during his injury riddled season’s? So, what he did was use The Arsenal to get noticed and engineered a move to go and “win things”. And, do you know a big reason for Arsenal not winning things? the said injured player. It is a selfish joke.
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Have a look at this
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Cesc is just as bad as Judas.Perhaps worse.
The whole team was built around him .He knew it.
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Yeh, George and the signing of a long term contract was a joke. They could have been a part of building something special and they would have but they all wanted it the easy way. They have a right professionaly, as been said, but show some respect for crying out loud.
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It is clear that at least some of our players and also the manager have no problem with the events of last summer. But for me it was catastrophic, and Sunday’s events just nailed it home.
Arsene thinks that it is all about respect and doesn’t understand our fans’ reaction, and Theo thinks that it is OK to be interviewed in that other blokes Manc shirt…and they all seem to think that it is OK to have a party with him in the home dressing room after the match.
Meanwhile the other blokes new mates are having a field day in the press ripping into our supporters for not treating the bloke who left more kindly.
The divide between club and supporters is huge and is going to be very difficult to bridge. Our supporters are being labelled as boo-boys and are being ridiculed by pundits, press, media and other clubs supporters. I really don’t think that that is fair.
A line has been drawn for me.
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We could have won the EPL this year.
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I thought that was a step to far ,taken by young Theo.
Gibbs gave Judas short shift all the same.
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…and another thing. It would please me greatly if Theo would put in a great performance for the last three games….and then left the club, because I can see the same thing happening again.
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Thanks for all the feedback (and of course a big thanks to George for hosting it!) – I guess that one thing that came out of me writing the post was that people shouldn’t necessarily take loyalty for granted, hence why I used the Gotze example. Professionally, RVP probably made the right move. Morally, no, but that’s why I was quite loose with the term ‘justified’. Just thought I’d clear that up
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I did not know Theo did that, that was not sensible.
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Why do you say that about Theo, Frank?
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Are JJ and the other experts on ACLF still insisting Theo is our best player and should be the top earner?
Or have they forgotten they were spouting such shit,I wonder?
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Frank, I have not heard any player say they don’t agree. Arsene did say that something like “sometimes people do things that suprise you” when the deal went down.
My take on this is that they are friends. They are not going to see the same way the support does, I don’t think. As the article states, loyality, the way how we see it, is fleeting in football.
I would have loved if some of the player’s and Arsene came out and said point blank that they did not agree but they won’t andI cannot see them treating him in any ill manner. I don’t think that happens overall.
I am glad RVP is gone though, title or no title. I would prefer lose with people who want to wear the shirt.
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Shut all the doors. Turn all the lights off. Take a beer bottle in your hand.
Watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pI_XJuAWsM8
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I say it, Paul-N, because I was less than impressed with his behaviour over his new contract. A schism was already forming in the club as a result of the disaster in the summer and he chose that moment to ‘showboat’. I don’t give a fuck whether people call it ‘loyalty’ but I am not prepared to support players who just fuck off because they think it is easier to win elsewhere. BUT, most importantly, I don’t want players in the team who do not respect Arsenal supporters…and I don’t want a manager who doesn’t respect Arsenal supporters either.
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Very good, Arshavin23, I would like to think that he is in the vanguard of a new breed of Arsenal player.
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I have thought for a while now that some Arsenal players have sucked the life out of this club. We are being suffocated. I want players who are going to let us breathe again.
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why talk about van persie..he is long gone. Ramsey is here.
I don’t think Arsene any less respect for Arsenal supporters. He is just a thorough core gentleman.
Arsene is Arsenal and Arsenal is Arsenal.
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I understand, Frank and I agree with you about the contract and players jumping ship. I too was turned off by how Theo handled the contract and he did infact showboat.
I think they do respect the support but their relationship with RVP is different from the support. I think that is sports overall. I feel your pain and it is dissapointing that they don’t call a spade a spade, even if they remain freinds.
You are correct, Arsene saying that we are jilted lovers was not a good move. He seems to be really out of touch with it or he is trying to stay safe.
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Frank ,we all back the wrong horse sometimes.
I think Arsene did right .
He was basically playing down the importance of RVP.Taking away the attention he craves ,if you will.
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Partying with Judas eh?…Wow, thats a tad disrespectful to gooners all over.
Couldn’t they wait till summertime, somewhere far far away?
The last drops of affection I had for vainPerson expired sometime in late 2012.
I’d practically forgot he existed up till a month ago.
Seeing him achieve his dream in manc colours was the ultimate payback for me.
There is NO WAY IN HELL that he did not wish he’d won in red & white…
Regardless of what anyone might say, the pain was there to see.
He might smooth over it with cash, time will tell..
Pocket over heart…weak. I “forgave” him on the day
Frank, the loyalty line’s been jagged for a while now
Who exactly do most country leaders work for?
Do prime ministers & presidents in most countries listen to their citizens?
Things have seemed to follow a new order since 9/11.
Mammon rules over most on Earth..
Perpetually shifting loyalties is the way of market capitalism
Ever-changing pluses & minuses..like on Africa, we get to see ALL EPL games @ a fixed rate in Africa.
AW’s been pretty steadfast @ his job for the most part.
The board (however greedy) deserve some credit too
Theo’s shown his hand….typical, not much to the boy, prototypical modern footballer, not much to invest emotionally in..
We’ll see how Jack, Rambo, Gibbs, Ox & Jenks handle things when their agents begin to whisper c-a-s-h in their ears…
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CORRs:
Who exactly do most leaders work for?
Things seem to be following a new order since 9/11.
e.g, we get to see ALL EPL games @ a fixed rate in Africa.
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Yes I am sure you are all right…..but to sell him to the Mancs? Dearie, dearie me.
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That is another way of looking at it, George.
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I’m fairly detached about Theo. I thought the contract shenanigans were unpalatable, He held all the aces when negotiating though. The timing was perfect for him and his Mr 20%. He’s scored some important goals though, would be churlish to overlook that, but to use one of those favourite cliches beloved of the plundits, next season he has “to kick on”. A lot still to prove methinks. I hope he does.
The shirt thing I didn’t see. Cringeworthy though, and shows a lack of understanding of unease (to put it mildly) with which most of us view that particular bit of business. The whole Dutch boy affair has perhaps been a bit too “cozy” from the start for my liking. Exemplified by Arsene’s pre-match press conference. Which made me wince a little I have to say. I’m always loathe to criticise AW, I bloody love the guy, but perhaps lessons do need to be learnt from this whole sorry affair.
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I think we have the sort of players that you want at the club now, Frank. It was advocated by Mr Bob that we needed a clear out (not to the extent of losing RVP and Song) and I think it was true. Look at the team now, they may not give us Wengerball every game but you are not about to get over on us so easy, it is a fight.
I have a feeling that we will be the ones laughing at some point. If they want to go sell them to whomever and replace them with people are really on board,even if they are not as talented. The work rate, heart and Unity will help us overcome that.
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See even Paul is libel to show respect to someone who does not deserve it.A turncoat who fooled a all of the posters ,most of the time.
Bar me that was.
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Who the fuck is Mr Bob, Paul-N?.
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I am on record as having a low opinion of some Arsenal in-stadium support. But I have to say events last summer and over the last few days would test the endurance of the most stout hearted followers of any club. Arsene and the players need to know that this is not OK, in fact it is down right sickening.
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I didn’t mean to stir anything up. Just that we needed a clear out.l
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Oh the patronising cunt who I called a patronising cunt. The one who witters on about ‘blogging quality’. Is ACLF still going strong? I really haven’t been there for a long time. I can only handle one blogsite at a time and this is the one.
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The only person stirring anything up on here is probably taking his kids out for an evening in the Arnedale Centre with this years £15m paycheck burning a hole in his pocket.
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It’s good to hear your thoughts as always Frank.
Not sure I agree with this quote below:
“Cesc is just as bad as Judas.Perhaps worse.
The whole team was built around him .He knew it.”
Whaddaya mean ‘perhaps’. pffffffffft. Heh I’ve just realised I’ve disagreed with George f
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I would like to add players like Kos, Per, Szesz and our own Tomas Rosicky to the list of good guys in Aman’s post
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Walking on thin ice there, Finsbury. He knows you are a star though so you probably have some immunity.
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Oh crap. Phat phinger syndrome. I didn’t mean to post that comment above.I was reading it back and realised I was just a little bored by that topic, so feel free to ignore me! Nice to know that I can still disagree with PG *INBSF*
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I do think that sometimes we forget that what we see happening at out club are usually a part of wider trends, most of the time at AFC events ahead of the curve.
I saw the clip of little jacks car being mobbed on the weekend, I’ve seen his car mobbed. Grown men (& gals) saying ‘I love you’ through the open window. It’s a phenomenon. And life goes on, I hope.
What scares me is the thought of further maiming: If it’s not jacks legs that are being hacked out from under him, right next to the ref, then someone will be waving wads of wonga under his nose. There were some interesting comments from Marcus over at Untold yesterday: that’s my fear. But fuck it, knowing, as everyone did, that cricket was bending a little too close to the Dubai breeze never curbed my enthusiasm for that sport* (likewise with the IPL) although football with the traditions and identities that many clubs have is different. I dunno.
*I wont ask why crickets ‘big’ spot fixer was sniffing around Crawley Town FC – because it’s obvious why. – Again thats something that was looked at previously on Untold)
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George
I am fairly unforgiving about Cescy Boy, but I think Wenger gave him the long contract to extract as much cash out of the Catalan cunts as possible.
It was sooo ovbious Cesc was being tapped up at the euros and World Cup. they promised him the sun moon and stars to go back home, tough shit for you Cesc.
I am really worried the same shenanigans will happen to Jack, the Manure scum in the England team will tell him how life is so much easier if he joins the Dark Side, no tackles, play half as hard for twice the money..
I just hope he is a real gooner.
Off topic – sort of, have you heard this unsubstantiated story from PSG that they have Wenger in the bag?!? Must be the same journos who said an unnamed Arab was going to buy stan out just before the tiny totts match. Fucknuts to that.
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Surprised to see the claim Ashley Cole didn’t win anything at Arsenal
He collected two PL winners medals and two FA Cup winners medals
We even wasted a right back spot on him in the CL final rather than leaving Flamini in
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