Morning all.
I trust you’re all fit and well? Good, keep it that way. I don’t know about you guys but here in England the weather is fab, especially for so early in the year. Beautiful blue skies with temperatures up to 20c in direct sunshine, on my patio and out of the breeze. I’ve never seen so many joggers, cyclists and walkers out and about. Not altogether I hasten to add. My garden’s never been so well prepared this time of year either so that’s a positive for me during these strange times.
. There’s plenty of transfer bollox news along with interviews from players past and present floating around too. The Mirror have an extract from an interview which Cesc Fabregas held with Arsecast where he talks about the club and some of the reasons which were probably behind his decision to leave for Barcelona.
I was the captain, I always felt so much pressure on myself. I had to lead this team to win something. I gave everything. Sometimes, I used to go home after we lost and I used to cry, I used to suffer, I used to spend sleepless nights suffering. And then you lose a game, you’re in the bus like this destroyed and then you hear some players laughing, thinking about where they will be going out later. This was going on for a few years.
Yeah, we were playing beautiful football and I enjoyed that side of things but I was putting pressure on myself to lead, to do everything and at one point I felt kind of lonely. Especially in the last two or three years, I felt Robin and Samir were the only players – it’s not an arrogant thing to say, it’s how I felt at that time – I felt they were the players who were at my level mentally and technically.
Robin, I couldn’t count on him unfortunately for many points of the (2010/11) season because he was injured. He was a world class player, a leader but he couldn’t help me on the pitch for many seasons unfortunately, many parts of the year. When I first left and I saw the season he made after when he was not injured at all and at the peak of his level, I was like ‘are you serious, man?’
I’ll never forgive him for the way he left, after all a captain should never behave like a spoilt brat trying to get his own way but you know what, I’d want out of a club which was run in such a way that it allowed players to behave in such a way after a defeat. I wouldn’t want to be on a pitch with blokes who didn’t think winning was all what mattered for 95 minutes once or twice a week. What surprises me is he’s thrown some of his teammates under the bus so to speak yet I don’t think he’s ever had a bad word to say about the man who signed these players, the same guys who must have known a defeat was so easily forgotten.
What’s also surprising, interesting even is that despite being critical of his teammates who he believes weren’t at his, Nasri and the injured RvP’s level, were as he is quoted to have said ‘were playing beautiful football.’ Something doesn’t really add up in my opinion. But then footballers will say anything to justify their footballing transfer actions whereas if they just told the truth at the time, fans in general would probably respect them more.
The best, or perhaps worst is a better description involved Emmanuel Adebayor when he told Sky Sports he was definitely staying at Arsenal only to then say he might leave just seconds later in a different interview. Something like that anyway. On his day he too could be great player.
I bet Cesc was thinking, ‘it’s only Derby’ – 30 goals that season though for Adebayor which wasn’t bad was it? Shame the bloke was a bit of a d**k.
Stay well guys and stay at home if you can.
Hi Rico and all I don’t know why but for some reason I never did like Nasri but what I hate the most is when a young player leaves any club they start rubbishing the club that gave them a start
Hi Geoff. Adebayor is one of my most disliked. That celebration and then moving to Toots. Money driven buffoon imo
I hope the whole Arsenal family is doing well.
Difficult and complicated times.
not sure who is worse Adebayor going to toots or RVP going to man united?
RvP to Utd hurt us more I think. As a team and for gifting Utd the title.
You too Jm.
The story of Cesc and his departure from our club is a complicated one and in many ways I have some sympathy for him
We have to remember that he joined us as a kid leaving his family behind in Catalunya. At the time the President of Barcelona was a man called Juan Laporta who was always in a power struggle with Sandro Rossell who succeeded him as President who saw his departure as a slight on the club and part of his pledge to get the presidency was to return Cesc to his rightful home.
Cesc had a complicated childhood his parents divorced at the same time as he joined Barcelona’s academy and he came under the spell of Guardiola .
Rossell was doing all he could to pressure Cesc’s father who was running his own business and a word here and there was seen to be helpful and invitations to the boardroom where he met the team of Guardiola and Vilanova who were in place as the manager team whilst at the same time Cesc was having personal problems with his girlfriend as his now partner / wife ? was going through a messy divorce in London with many court hearings.
All in all the thought of getting out of London was quite an attractive prospect if you weigh up the pros and cons , the Spanish Costa Dorada had much to offer . He would be closer to his family , He would be playing for Guardiola and he had a friend in Hleb already there.
All of this story has originated from people that I know in Catalunya one in particular who is a reporter for a local paper.
The big question is did Guardiola really need him or was it Rossell’s pledge ? They still had Xavi and Iniesta , so was he going to get the sort of playing time he was used to at Arsenal .The answer was not really . Then Guardiola left and Vilanova took over and it is said he did not rate him that highly he wanted a Xavi clone and Cesc was too independent. .
The guys in Spain consider him to have been a great waste and they say that he should have stayed at Arsenal . From a football perspective I agree but I can see the personal strings that were being pulled .
We read that he wanted to return to Arsenal I think this is true but as we all know the man in charge had the same trait as Rossell and once slighted would turn his back.
Did Wenger cut off his nose ? I believe so . But that’s another chapter.
Hi Potter I agree that a lot of players want to finish there career in the country they come from and you can not blame them.
The way I look at it. if A player leaves then want to return under a new coach at least he can say I loved the club but left because I did not get on with the coach.
or the player come out of our academy played 1 year but was not ready and we sell him then 3 years later he becomes a top player and wants to return is one thing.
how ever just wanting to return under the same coach because he does not get match time I can not blame the club for saying thanks but no thanks as it could make the coach and club look like idiots for letting him go in the first place.
I don’t think that ‘s the point , I don’t believe that he went home to finish his career he was only 23 /4 when he left . I think it was a culmination of different pressures that made him want to go. His life outside football was falling apart and I think the thought of joining his father figure Guardiola was probably a comfort to him . This blew up in his face when Guardiola left after one year of his 3 year contract .
When it ended Arsenal had inserted a buy back clause and despite the midfield that we had at the time which certainly could have used his talent 5 players were either over 30 or nearing it and 5 nearer 20 including the perma -crocs Wilshere and Diaby
. Ozil and Ramsey had joined Cazorla and the thought of the those together should have been enough to get Wenger to swallow his pride but no. Personally I will always criticise him for that .
I just posted to show that outside football things were not all roses for him and mentally I believe he was in turmoil . He got into out first team at 16 years old playing with Vieira and Bergkamp and then after their departure carried our club for 5 or 6 years .It was a whirlwind existence.
I just think it could have turned out better for us had the ability he showed as a mature player been in our shirt rather than the Blue of that lot from Fulham.
Nice one, Rico… I didn’t like the way Cesc left us -.the legacy was tarnished for me! If he’d have come back, then so be it, but I wasn’t fussed… as for RVP, I cannot stand him!!! I don’t particularly like Adebayor or Nasri.. but RVP is top of the list for me!
Arsenal.com are showing the 4-2 NLD at 3pm, so in a couple of minutes 😍
It wasn’t about going home to finish his career though he was only 23 when he left . I think the lure of Guardiola was too much for a kid whose life was in turmoil .
Wenger had a choice , we had a buy back clause and Wenger could have got him for a knockdown price and if it hadn’t worked out could have sold him on for a profit later .
At the time we had a midfield with Cazorla 29 , Rosicky 33, Arteta 32 , Flamini 30 and Diaby 28 ( injured ) with them were Ozil just joined 25 , Coquelin 23 , Ramsey 23 , Wilshere 22 ( injured and the OX a kid.
We could have used his talent then probably we could have used it up to now . The thought of Ozil , Cesc ,Cazorla and Ramsey together should have been enough but it went to waste . I think we would have been better off seeing the following 5 years with him rather than in the blue of that lot from Fulham.
Anyway it’s snowing today near Barcelona in the mountains so maybe we will hear from Andorra.
An anagram on Robin van Persie is…………………Penis over brain…………….I rest my case!
Sorry about your comment being stuck in moderation Potter.
No problem I kind of rewrote it Didn’t have much else to do
I guess he had a lot of pressure from his Spanish team mates too. I remember Reina giving it large and Pique too. Also, never underestimate the power of money and Darren Dein acting as agent provocateur.
I remember his Spanish teammates actions only too well. Arsenal should have grown a pair and made an official complaint.
New post up now