Today we have the first in a series of blogs on the rise and rise of Aaron Ramsey, which with a bit of luck will see some new bloggers popping their cherries.
I’m not ashamed to say that I wasn’t always Ramsey’s biggest fan. For a long time I quite simply though he was bad. In fact I was positive that he wasn’t good enough. When we discussed the deadwood that needed unloading, I lumped Ramsey in with Park, Djourou, and dare I say it, the great Lord Bendtner. He was a waste of space in my eyes; someone who would hold onto the ball too long in midfield and couldn’t win it back when he lost it. Don’t even get me started on when he played on the wing. There weren’t and still aren’t many footballers that really get my blood boiling. If Arsene bought them they must have something about them. I supported Arshavin for longer than most and was disappointed when both Eduardo and Vela were sold. All of them had shown flashes of brilliance, but dulled for some reason or another; injury, failure to adapt to the Premier League etc. To this day I still believe Arshavin just got too old and lost his fitness. However, something about Aaron just didn’t click with me. I cut him some slack, as I think we all did, after the terrible challenge from the Orc King that could have cleaved Castle Grayskull itself in two. However, by the 2011/2012 season I was frustrated with his lack of progression and felt he would never achieve the heights we had projected for him.
The paragraph you’ve just read was my opinion for about a year. My friends will never let me forget it.
One very important factor in the rise of Rambo is Arsene Wenger. He had potential when signing from Cardiff sure, but potential doesn’t always make a great player. Jay Emmanuel Thomas had potential too. I always saw Jack Wilshere as more talented, and more likely to make it. But Arsene always knew. Before paying 5 million pounds (for a 17 year old from Cardiff that’s nothing to sneeze at) Wenger reportedly flew him out to Switzerland to discuss his future. The boss was commentating at Euro 2008 at the time. Wenger spent over a month watching the best players in Europe and flew Aaron Ramsey out to convince him to join Arsenal. That shows you the belief Wenger had in him right from the beginning. While Ramsey was recovering from injury in 2010, a career threatening double leg break, Wenger signed him to a new long term contract. When others would have abandoned him, Wenger reassured him that he had a future at the club. The following season Jack would have one of his best performances for the club, in the 2-1 win over Barcelona at the Emirates. Aaron who? But Arsene always knew.
We’ve all heard that quote from Wenger: “Once Aaron Ramsey starts scoring he won’t stop”.
And he didn’t. Right up to the final moment of our last and most important game of the season, Aaron Ramsey didn’t stop scoring. But Ramsey’s rise (I’m enjoying the alliteration here) didn’t start in 2013/2014 season. That was just when he finally reached the top of the mountain. That F.A. Cup final goal sends Aaron Ramsey down in Arsenal history. Aaron Ramsey; Drought-Breaker. But it didn’t start there. In December 2012, Ramsey signed a new contract as part of our so called ‘British core’ along with Jenkinson, the Ox, Wilshere and Gibbs. Another show of faith from the boss. He never looked back. At this point I was still unsure of Ramsey’s future at Arsenal. In my eyes he still held the ball for too long, and tried clever tricks in areas of the pitch where he really shouldn’t have. But I began to see a change. Ramsey became very solid defensively. He didn’t score a mountain of goals in 2012/2013 in fact we only saw 1 premier league goal. What we did see however, was the start of the great Aaron Ramsey Engine. He started 17 of our last 20 matches, having previously started only 12 all season. From January onwards, he was indispensable, next to Arteta in midfield, becoming a true box to box player, running the ball between our defence and attack. This was when Ramsey finally set upon his climb with vigour. More and more I found myself admitting Ramsey had played well, had had a good game, had been man of the match. His rise was gathering pace.
Just before the start of last season we got a glimpse of what Ramsey would do. After a great pre-season, Ramsey topped it off with a lovely run from deep to score against Man City, as well as assisting a great goal from Theo (Oh what could have been). He also scored 3 times against Fenerbahce across two legs. It was something we would get used to. He scored against Fulham, Sunderland, Stoke (delightfully), Swansea and Norwich; 5 goals in the first 7 premier league games. By this point in the season we had already run out of superlatives for him. He didn’t have a part in Arsenal’s goal-of-the-season wonder goal against Norwich, so instead took it upon himself to dribble past the entire Norwich defence and score (leaving half of them on the floor behind him). It was Messi-esque. And yes I just made up that word because there are no words to describe how good Ramsey had become. Clearly my opinion has now completely changed. That’s not me back tracking or denying what I had previously believed. Quite simply I couldn’t be stubborn and ignore what was right in front of me. Despite the signing of Mesut Ozil, Ramsey had become Arsenal’s best player, our talisman, our driving force. I’ve not seen a player play like this in midfield for Arsenal for a long time. Fabregas was great he really was, but Ramsey had resurrected the spirit of Patrick Vieira to play at Arsenal’s heart.
What was Ramsey’s best moment of the 2013/2014 season? The goals against Norwich, Liverpool and Dortmund all stand out in my memory, but surely the F.A. Cup final goal takes the crown. His goals had dried up a little in the final moments of the season but when we were desperate, when we really needed someone to pull us out of a hole, Ramsey was there. I remember sitting right at the top of Wembley stadium and feeling despair when we were 2 nil down. I had been at Birmingham too. Surely this couldn’t happen again. Slowly but surely we clawed our way back. Ramsey didn’t have his best game, far from it, but in typical Ramsey fashion he never gave up. I remember a number of shots from outside the box, going high, going wide but inching closer every time, and I vividly remember turning to my dad saying, “I don’t care if he misses, they should keep giving him the ball. Let him shoot”. It was a massive change from my attitude towards Ramsey 18 months previously, where I would groan whenever he touched the ball.
Shoot he did. And score he did. Aaron Ramsey, after his best ever season, after being the best midfielder in England for 12 months, scored the winning goal to win the F.A. Cup for Arsenal. Drought-Breaker. Ramsey has climbed an Everest of injury, abuse and negativity, lots from his own fans. But he never gave up, and now he’s standing at the highest peak with an F.A. Cup winner’s medal and fistful of names he’s proved wrong, including a certain Dutch ex-captain who wanted him sold. He proved me wrong too. But he wouldn’t gloat because he’s not like that.
Aaron Ramsey has made a humble football fan of me. After his last 18 months I never feel I can write any player off no matter how bad they are. People have consistently written off Jenkinson, but I did the same with Ramsey. People wrote off Giroud, but I did the same with Ramsey. Hell I even don’t feel I can write off Tom Cleverly. Don’t get me wrong, I really think he’s shit. But once upon a time I said this guy wasn’t good enough for Arsenal Football Club and I had to eat my words. His name is Aaron Ramsey; Drought-Breaker.
By Tom Papaloizou @TomPapaloizou
Positively Arsenal 
Yes I’m suggesting that I know more than the people at clubs who think David Luiz is a good player
where do you work again? what do you do?
lol…shhhhhhh
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Keep makng excuses.
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not my fault you dont read it northbank……
read it first and then comment.
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what excuses gains?
what have you provided in support of your personal claim?
…their career paths and achievements and values are open for all to see….
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gains and hunter
i really dont want to come in between you since yesterday.
djourou and luis are similar in many ways. they are both good football players and make rash decisions at times. they can be very good when they have experienced and cool heads around them. djourou will blow many away if he comes back to this current arsenal team with so many experienced players. having mart around him, you will see a different man. just cast your mind back to the players that made up our teams back then. with us adopting a high line defence and having young denilson or song in front of djourou and senderos. the only experienced head then was sagna. but walcott, bendtner, cesc, denilson, clichy, song, jack, diaby, ramsey all these young talented players, playing against the drogbas of this world every week? there must be a reason why wenger hasnt disposed of him up till now.
same for luis. i like him when he plays beside an experienced head. he will always outshine his partners as far as the fans will see, but the coaches know his weaknesses. that is why its equally wrong to judge him by last night performance. at psg he will be fine because he will play with silva watching over him. just as djourou will be better in this new arsenal team.
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layksite with all due respect but even you when talking about djourou you talk about a hypothetical scenario…him returning and playing alongside mert…when that happens and he excells then we can start comparing him with others who have done things in their careers already.
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Sorry, I was watching Ruud Gullit sit by while Arrigo Sacchi analyzes the Brazil v Germany game.
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and blaming luiz for organising is as ridiculous as blaming mertesaker for not being a fast dribbler…
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Arrigo Sacchi think David Luiz is shit. Hahahahahaha!
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Do you think Arrigo Sacchi may know more than the idiots buying players at Real Madrid?
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River Plate is doing their pre-season at a university ten minutes away from my house. I’m going to watch them in a few hours.
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hunter
i said that because he has always done well playing for switzerland. that is a fact. their team is very difficult to score against. not trying to compare who is better but what makes them better players
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he might well be shit gains……but did you ask arrigo how he compares to DJOUROU though ? or have you forgotten what your initial claim was……
lol …..how many times will you move the goalposts i wonder ?….
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or hummels?
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layksite lets not complicate matters yes? gains mocked/ridiculed players like hummels and luiz based on his personal opinion about them ( not career, not achievements) and when i presented him with facts of reality that make his claim a childish one he has been moving the goalposts and trying various angles for cheap shots. thats the issue.
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Stop crapping on Djourou. We all saw how he played against Argentina the other day and it’s not the first time we’ve seen him keep Messi quiet. Thank you.
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and why dont you stop crapping on players who have done things in their careers instead of bullshitting about your personal preferences….. thank you.
or you can stop taking cheap shots after throwing the ball off court….. maybe ill start taking you seriously then.
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Tony Adams called David Luiz a chicken with its head cut off.
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vryzas also kept ronaldinho quiet all night in pao- barca 0-0 ……call your mate arrigo and lets ask him if he knows him…..
no…i thank you….
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David Luiz and Hummels are donkeys. Donkeys have been winning trophies thanks to their teammates since man created sport.
Arrigo Sacchi: To think that David Luiz cost PSG £50m and players like Mertesacker and Boateng will never cost that much.
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ah so now you listen to tony huh? …because he was the terror and nightmare of european strikers ……
do you also agree with him when he talks arsenal and wenger ? or is it only for luiz ahhaa …hypocrite… take as many cheap shots as you like, you can involve arsenal legends too in your search for a reaction from me….;) ….
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And to think Felipe Solari is considered one of the top, top managers in the game.
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David Luiz and Hummels are donkeys.
says who? you? if they are donkeys then what does that make 99% of english defenders ?
arrigo can say what he wants. he has earned that right…..you? im not so sure about…
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I’m just showing it is not just me who thinks David Luiz is rubbish. These people aren’t saying he had a bad game, these people are looking back on his career and saying that he has never been a consistent defender. In other words, they’re calling him a donkey n the most diplomatic way. Arrigo Sacchi, was most incisive in his criticism. He said that at his age, he’ll probably never improve.
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Yes, me. Who are you to say they’re not?
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i am nobody …i saw your claim and then took a look at their stats and their careers and the places they have been and made a comment on your bullshit claim
who are you to call them donkeys? after soliciting with your mate arrigo obviously……lol…and tony…
perhaps if youre waiting for luiz to organise and tackle like maldini and play with grace and flair beyond his skills youre as hopeless as those who want to see ozil grabbing a game by the scuff /neck whatever the expression is
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He said that at his age, he’ll probably never improve.
lol djourou and luiz are same age (27) …hummels is still only 25
does djourou have much room of improvement then…?..cause so far i dont see him eclipsing luiz nor getting anywhere near to the achievements of luiz so far……
maybe when he comes back (if and when that happens) to arsenal and prove himself at the highest level like luiz and hummels have done for benfica chelsea dortmund and brasil and germany respectively …maybe then your claim can stand soem ground. until then …sorry no dice…
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Tom there’s no reason to be humble.
An athlete’s performance can be affected by the amount of water they drink before a game. As fans we don’t need to know that much detail but it’s different for Expert bloggers and professional sports journalists working for twenty four seven football news broadcasters.
Ramsey was recovering from a horrible injury and set back. As AorB wrote above you could see him regain the confidence, the stamina and the strength that had been lost in the run in the season before. The goal he scored in the last game, giving the ‘keeper they eyes must have helped too, whilst we all saw a midfielder returning to form at that time none of us expected him to be so devestating in front of goal. There have been players at that level in this WC but we can happily admit that he is one of the best CMs on the planet!
It’s the same with all players who are decent. Whether he stays or not I don’t know but I think Tommy V has returned to decent form after being bereft of confidence etc. upon his return the previous season from his own injury trials. Unfortunately for Vermaelan just as he regained a spot for Belgium he twanged a hammy.
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* actually until then….put a sock in it….
im not being rude at all…
am i fins? 😉
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tell you what gains…when djourou wins the title in whichever of the countries he has ever played in and is voted player of the season and then goes on to win europa and champions league you can come and say “hunter i told you so”…
unitl then …..sock…mouth…you know the drill….
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Luiz ? Zzzzzzzzz…….zzzt!
https://mobile.twitter.com/HarlowGooner/status/486635527635214336/photo/1
Vermaelan once made two errors in a big game, exploited by the legendary Xavi. Fair enough that can happen.
Luiz last night was a disaster, people have described his efforts as “one of the most selfish performances” ever and I have to agree. It’s not just a poor temperament, he was playing by and for himself.
Dignity is only being lost by those attempting to argue otherwise.
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Luiz last night was a disaster,
as was the whole of the team…and dante and maicon and marcelo and every brasilian on the field basically
but how come you chose that game to take cheap shots on the luiz+hummels / djourou topic?
i dont disagree they were all a disaster but since you lot are acting as you now soooooooooo much better why dont you list down the mistakes he made that contributed to goals in comparison with his rest of teammates and see …
dignity is supporting what you say and not just saying it out of personal bias fins……
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Hunter your description of Germany’s goals edited out things like Luiz charging up to the halfway line in a manner that was infinitely worse then Vermaelan (for he third or fourth goal, I think. There were so many moments like that involving the player it’s hard to remember).
The only evidence of any personal bias above was in such editing.
Carry On.
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I really can’t understand how this ‘conversation’ has degenerated to this level. Tom posted a very reasonable analysis of his own thought about Ramsey. Someone who could probbly become an Arsenal great if he isn’t poached by a club that could offer him higher wages and more chance of silverware. I think the conversation is doing Aaron a disservice. You are being disrectful to one of the best who plays in an Arsenal shirt.
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*disrespectful*……….. I’ve had a few drinks, apologies for the typos … smiley banned and not needed!
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Hunter: “tell you what gains…when djourou wins the title in whichever of the countries he has ever played in and is voted player of the season and then goes on to win europa and champions league you can come and say “hunter i told you so”…
unitl then …..sock…mouth…you know the drill….”
Djourou’s only crime is not being a crap player which has been overhyped to the moon and back by every hack on the planet. And I’ll put a sock in it when you find just one positve attribute you can name about David Luiz which doesn’t include trophies his teammates helped him win.
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NB: “Tom posted a very reasonable analysis of his own thought about Ramsey.”
Tom did no such thing. He is eating his humble pie and telling us how well it tastes.
Most of us here were raving about Ramsey two or three games into his career. And we definitely didn’t call any players in our squad fucking dead wood.
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Gains
So being honest on here is banned. Give the guy some credit for being up front about his thoughts. That’s perhaps why George doesn’t get more people posting on his blog. When arseholes like you make people feel innadequate and fearing some idiot remark from an idiot like you and hunter.
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Even sweeter is watching this religious boy, who kneels on the pitch to pray before and after every game, try to injure Muller with a wild kick.
I’ve been calling David Luiz shit since Chelsea bought him, so I don’t know who you’re accusing of using the 7-1 against Germany as an opportunity to take cheap shots.
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Honesty is not banned, you old prick. Do you see me banning anyone?
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Gains I would always prefer to see someone acknowledge a misjudgment or misunderstanding etc. as opposed to the opposite.
It’s hard for all to appreciate that after a year or longer out the game that it can take just as long or longer for a player to recover, if they are lucky! Personally I don’t ask the average fan to always have such understanding (especially as there is so much that I don’t know myself!) but I do expect it from bloggers or petty plundits.
But with such blatantly aggressive and malicious coverage on Arsenal players such as Ozil (nothing new, Viera etc…) I also understand where you are comin from.
What everyone should acknowledge is that there is an excessive bias against Arsenal Football Club in the national media, and it’s been that way since I was a kid (points deduction etc…).
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like Luiz charging up to the halfway line in a manner
yes mate we covered that and its goal 5 i think and its the first one he should take blame for leaving his position…..however from there till the germans score there is a sequence of comical errors from dante and maicon which you have not noticed because your mind remains with the initial picture of luiz charging forward….
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There were so many moments like that involving the player it’s hard to remember).
no mate actually no…yesterday i went through every goal …
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Nice one Tom.
Rambo has humbled many a gooner and one can only hope he continues to do so unabaited.
The additions of Sanchez & Campbell adds a whole other dimension to our attack.
AW has solidified our wingplay magnificently to allow Santi, Poldi and Ozil do their thing in CM.
I’d be surprised if he adds another attacker.
My questions now partain to our GK and CB/DM options.
Can anyone tell me what happened to Maarten Stekelenburg?
He used to be solid and dependable a few years ago. N
Last season @Fulham, he looked a shadow of the guy that made the WC2010 final.
I rated him highly and just wonder if AW could resurrect his career by bringing him in as WS1’s cover
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Fin, Mourinho didn’t want to play him in his back line even though he uses a packed midfield in front of his centre backs. But let’s just ignore that because David Luiz has won some trophies.
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“And I’ll put a sock in it when you find just one positve attribute you can name about David Luiz which doesn’t include trophies his teammates helped him win.”
he’s got heart and cojones that your gay-boy djourou will never possess…he is a character and definitely a bit mad but when he plays he gives it all… he does not hide…he scores free kicks, is stronger in the air than djourou and can move ball forward and assist in attacks …he can also play midfield at a very competent level and if necessary left back. i.e he is versatile…. he has won titles in portugal with his club and individual honours , titles at chelsea , has won european titles and will probably win titles at psg too …so yes mate take a sock, make it into a ball… stick it in your mouth and go watch river plate doing their preseason……you might learn something other than replying with cheap shots………
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No Hunter. The third, fourth and fifth goals saw David Luiz charging wildly through the middle chasing after Kroos, Khedira or Ozil at any given time. For the second he was standing around waiting for god to tell him to run. Bodo Ilgner is part of the team doing analysis in one of the American stations and he just started cracking up in disbelief at how David Luiz was just prancing around for the second goal.
By the way, Mesut Ozil passes the ball without touching it. Did you see that, Fins?
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Hunter: “he’s got heart and cojones that your gay-boy djourou will never possess”
You know who has heart and cojones too? Lee Cattermole. And why are you calling Djourou gay? He has a girlfriend.
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So you agree with me, then? He does everything alright except play as a centre back, which is the position he was bought by PSG to play.
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