Morning all.
Aaron Ramsey, the Welshman Arsenal signed from Cardiff City back in 2008 has retired from football. I think it’s fair to say he is one of those players who divided fans. On his day, he could be brilliant, on other days he could drift through games without really making an impact. I don’t think shifting him left or right of midfield helped his game because it was centrally where he was at his best in my opinion.
Hilariously, Old Red Nose had been confident he done a deal to take the midfielder to Man Utd, however, Arsene Wenger had other ideas and nipped to complete a deal. Much to Fergies annoyance at the time apparently.
Two years later, on the 27th February, Arsenal played Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium when a horrid leg breaking “tackle” by Ryan Shawcross on Ramsey almost ruined his career. A broken tibia and fibula meant Ramsey was out of the game for a long time. Eventually his return came and he played a big part in Arsenal winning three FA Cup trophies between 2013-17. Whether you or I rated him or not, he was an Arsenal player so I only wish him well in his retirement.
What I would say about him, other players during his time at the club too, it wasn’t the best time for Arsenal football club. Arsene Wenger certainly wasn’t at his best, the club appeared to be in decline and the squad as a whole was never anywhere near strong enough to compete with the big spenders. The ownership was divided too.
Anyway, here’s some of Ramsey’s best bits, enjoy.
Another midfielder who seems to be dividing fans today, actually, there are two, but I’m referring to the March player of the month Ebe Eze. He too can drift through games without having much of an impact and then bang, he can score an outrageous goal, or three as it was against Totts. Yes, I love him just for that. To then score two more against them in the away fixture, even better. Between him and captain Martin Odegaard, I know who I prefer to see heading our attacking unit.
Whilst on the subject of March awards, voted for by the fans on the official website, Max Dowman’s goal against Everton has been awarded goal of the month. No surprise there. He’ll score better during his career I’m sure but boy was that special for him, his teammates, the coaches and everyone who loves Arsenal.
You missed it?
Catch up in the comments..
New post up.
On a brighter note, Totts are now in the relegation places after the West Ham result.
Bb, I think our views differ in certain areas. But I do agree re the Post Office workers, that was awful.
I detest dishonesty and cheats, no one should benefit from either imo. I know people do though.
Vitor talking sense. But will anybody listen?
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8x7d9g4q52o
Sorry to hear about the war taking your Grandfather, Stuart, but great to keep traditions in place, just like Remembrance Sunday over here in November, here’s to you and your ANZAC Rememberance Day.
We value their selfless sense of duty and we will remember them, because deep down therein lies all humanity.
Rico – Your argument is completely valid and the sentiment is on point, you’ll get no disagreement from me, but it’s inherent in our cultural behaviour, they say there’s no fortune without a crime.
As I said, when you have a culture that allows certain people or companies to get away with dodgy dealings that affects every aspect of human life, it muddies the waters and blurs the lines of morality.
Look how long it took for Liverpool fans to get justice after Hillsborough, or the Post Office workers treated like criminals because of a faulty computer programme.
We can all appreciate that what Chelsea and City have done, and are possibly still doing, has nothing to do with sporting ethics nor is it within the spirit of football, but sadly it is a direct consequence of our culture and those who make the rules.
Greed will eventually bring about the end of human life.
Hi Potter
I respect and agree with a lot of your opinions, you’re obviously well educated and clued up on all things Arsenal.
The PGMOL is where a lot of poison and dishonesty thrives, particularly how their selection system works, and they’ve become even worse now they can hide behind VAR, which impacts both ends of the table.
Cleaning them up would go a long way to giving us a more honest and enjoyable product.
I didn’t see that re Oliver, deep joy!!
As you might think money talks and 115″s case it screams . Anyone notice that Mansoors boys Oliver and Englsnd have got the Bournemouth match before we play City . Red card anyone ?
I’m in agreement re the owners Stuart. Admittedly, when the ownership was joint, the Kroenke family were an easy target, rightly so in certain ways but since Usmanov was bought out, I think the owners have been very supportive of the manager in terms of finances for squad building and patience with the “process” both Arteta and Edu started. Now it’s about delivering a trophy.
I get that Bb, but I’m talking about the modern day, since the beginning of the PL especially and certainly from when Abramovich etc etc. I like to see honesty in the world and football, any sport for that matter, to play by the rules, otherwise, why bother having rules in the first place.
I also believe in fairness which isn’t being applied imo, not in the way clubs who break rules are dealt with.
Morning all.
It was a great decade, BBD, sadly curtailed by the catastrophe that was WW2. The conflict devastated the Arsenal squad, took my grandfather, in fact my own nation lost more lives per capita of all the nations involved. The same occurred in WW1. We have our ANZAC memorial day next weekend. After Easter and Christmas it is the most sacred date in our Kiwi calendar.
You are right, in the short time I’ve been visiting HH I’ve noticed that Rico runs a house that makes room for catharsis. I like our hosts header, “Where it’s ok to disagree”. In that vein, I’d use the term pragmatic rather than cowardly to describe our football. I think our lads and the wider club, the owners too, have displayed a brave, patient determination to bring Arsenal back to the top table.
Just to lay my cards on the table, HH, I’m ok with Arsenal failing, we’ve all been coping with this for many years, but these places provide a valuable space to understand the nature of Arsenal’s failures and the root causes.
But if Mikel wins the PL we’ll all be overjoyed and none of us will complain about the cowardly fine-margins football for months 😇
Easing the pain and exorcising demons after defeat with a little rant can be very theraputic.
Wow, what a great connection to have, Stuart.
Yes, Sir Henry Norris was a Tory MP, who originally wanted to merge Arsenal with Fulham as a short-cut to first Division football.
As you say, he certainly did right by the club, taking us to the very top, and appointing Herbert Chapman turned out to be a masterstroke.
And personally, I think Henry Norris brought that X-factor to the club that we have never recaptured since. A hunger and a desire to be the best whatever the cost, something that has been missing in every subsequent custodian.
Henry Norris laid the foundations for the dominance during the 1930’s (still our greatest decade), and set the standard for which Arsenal should be measured.
It’s quite sad that those that followed took this responsibility far too casually, and I have to include the Kroenke’s as part of that too.
You’re right, BBD, it’s a murky world. One of my forebears, my maternal great grandfather was a cousin to Sir Henry Norris who owned and chaired Arsenal from 1910 up until 1929. The name went out of our family when my grandmother, Gwendoline Norris married. Sir Henry was instrumental in those “shenanigans” and had a reputation of being a mover and shaker with a somewhat cut throat approach to his dealings. He did, however rescue The Arsenal from voluntary liquidation, moved the club to Highbury and gazumped Tottenham by getting us voted into the First Division.
While I have followed Arsenal since 1970, I only realised this connection when researching the family tree a few years back. While visiting the Arsenal museum at The Em’s in 2024 I discussed this with the museum curator. His opinion of Sir Henry was that he was at the start never an Arsenal fan, only in it for the money, but he served the interests of the club royally, and as well as the three things mentioned in his favour above he also brought the great Sir Herbert Chapman in as manager from Huddersfield.
I think Arsenal have benefited from shenanigans in the past, Rico.
In the final season before WWI, Arsenal finished fifth in Division Two. Immediately after the wàr, Arsenal had been ‘voted’ into Division One, where we’ve been ever since (now the PL of course).
There doesn’t seem to be much outrage either from other clubs or the media.
I assume at the crux is financial doping, or taking advantage of their wealth, which has been going on forever, even from Arsenal during the 1930’s.
Manchester United have always been big spenders, no-one has ever questioned their operation, even with the Glazer’s lumping their personal debt onto the club.
We’re not a puritan culture, capitalism allows and often turns a blind-eye to dodgy dealers, you only need to look at our politicians to see this.
Let he/she without sin cast the first stone.
Frank Warren owes it all to Billy McCullough…
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cwyj5w47zlwo
Thanks Stuart. I always had mixed feelings over Ramsey.
Nice, Rico. Rambo deserves honouring. For me he was a part of of that fine ensemble of number 10’s which Arsene collected over the course of his 22 seasons. Cesc, Rambo, Rosicky, Hleb, Santi, Arshavin, Jack. Playing in that company was why he was pushed to the left or right. He truly made me gasp with that volley against Galatasaray, and I abso loved his goal v Spuds when he wheeled away pointing to the turf saying, “this is my f###### place”. I also loved the way Arsene pinched him from Fergie. Bit of revenge for losing CR10 in similar fashion.
Eb’s is indeed back in contention: https://www.skysports.com/football/video/30998/13529609/eberechi-eze-huge-boost-for-arsenal-as-england-international-returns-to-training
Don’t know the north, so well, Dev. Lived in what was the Czech Rep. for some years in the 90’s and used to travel down through the foothills of the Dolomites to get to Venice and beyond. They are, indeed spectacular and I envy your recent visit.
I have friends with the surname Carmel living just north of Znojmo in Southern Moravia. There are a few of Italian descent settled up there.
Bb, I disagree. Stripping away titles is the way to punish them imo, and docking points/relegation. It cheeses me off enormously that the playing field has never been level because of underhandedness. It matters not to me whether it’s Arsenal or a.n. other club denied success because of breaching the rules, those who do breach the rules should be dealt with properly. Fines don’t work with richly owned clubs.
Agree re Dowman Cicero. I’m glad Arteta holds him back as he does. Look at how many times Sporting targeted him in the short time he was on the pitch, it’ll be even worse in the PL imo. Let the kid grown.
I think corruption in football has always existed underneath the surface, and there always seems to have been a northern bias that stretches back decades.
Who knows how many refereeing decisions have decided titles down the years.
Roman Abramovic was allowed to literally buy Chelsea titles.
PSR protects the bigger clubs, Newcastle and City have similar ownership, but Newcastle can’t spend freely, and how ironic that City are favourites to sign Elliot Anderson, who Newcastle were forced to sell to Forest for £30m because of PSR.
PSG (who were only formed in 1970) have done what City have done with their state ownership, and clearly the much heralded German model is flawed because apart from a Dortmund or Leverkusen once in a blue-moon, it’s a one-team league where Bayern Munich hold all the power.
We all know about the match-fixing in Italy, in Spain everything revolves around the duopoly and rivalry between Barca and Real Madrid.
Even in our PL, we all acknowledge that realistically there’s only a few clubs that can win the title.
We’ve had it at the very top of the game with Blatter and Platini.
What punishment can they hand out to City that will fundamentally change football?
We’ve never had a level playing field, and looking in from the outside, it appears they’ve done exactly what Chelsea have done.
Taking away titles and cups would seem farcical, and relegating them would be an even bigger circus than it is already.
And the historic facts will show, they’re still nowhere near the level of success that United have.
Unless it benefits football, or more specifically Arsenal, do any of us care?
The third name in the headline is Dowman, an awesome talent but it is too easy to forget how young he is. He is still growing, his skeleton is still forming we need to nurture him. The attention he got from a very experienced Sporting fullback may have come as a bit of a shock to him.
The last thing he needs is a serious injury. Remember Walcott and his dodgy shoulders.
Spooky eh…
Injured again?? Oh dear. I recall that TH14 and CF04 were injured a lot in their final season.
I didn’t see he’d trained before the Sporting game Devil, handy, especially if Odegaard is injured as is being rumoured.
yes Rico he trained before the Sporting game.
We need to win on Saturday. City face Chelsea so if we win it will put a lot of pressure on City.
Unless they get the consequences of 115 charges before then. I am not holding my breath though
I have heard that the sentence will be delivered on 30th February 2027
Apparently, Eze is back in training.
We need Eze back first Devil. 😜
BB, agree re his FA Cup goals. He might have been a better player without his horrendous injury and dare I say, had he been surrounded by different players. All history now of course.
Morning Cicero, as were many back then imo.
bdw…..PSG have beaten more English teams at home (6) than spuds have at home (5) since January 2025
Good afternoon lovelyu folks
Stuart….before using the name of Carmelsson (son of my late dad Carmel) I used to be devilgunner. Hence why everyone goes by that name. Tuscany is beautiful mate. I have been there for a short visit….enough to go and visit the immortal scene where Maximus (Gladiator) walked the corn fields. Very peaceful it was. But for me its always North Italy, Val d’Aosta and the dolomites. Awesome. My grandfather was from there before he came to my country and married my nanna and stayed here. Then my dad was born and our family stayed here.
Good post Rico. Enjoyable read.
Ramsey!!! I loved the player when he was on song. But as Cicero pointed out he blew hot and cold. Nevertheless he was player for the big occasions. He did step up then.
Eze is similar. Fingers crossed he rises for the big occasions till the end of the sseason whcih we have plenty. 11 big games infact.
Great content from HH admin, thank you.
Aaron Ramsey was a decent signing, as you say above probably part of an Arsenal decline during Wenger’s Emirates years, but Ramsey did score two winning FA cup final goals, so a big thumbs up and the best of wishes in his retirement.
Max Dowman looks a special talent but needs handling carefully.
If he develops as we all hope and goes on to have a career similar to Wayne Rooney, exciting times should lay ahead.
Good morning Rico, to me Ramsey was a considerable disappointment. In and out of games,one day influential, in another ineffective. No consistency.
I’m afraid Eze is the same, can we afford to carry a part time passenger?
Well back to the mower, only half the job done.