Alexander Hleb. On his day, a wonderful player and at Arsenal, he had many of those days which is why Barcelona came calling. Back then, a chance to move to Catalan club was not something many footballers turned down. We of all fans are aware of that, but not always did such a move turn out to be a smart one. Petit, Overmars, Song and Hleb himself found that out. Fàbregas won a few pieces of silverware but eventually came crawling back to the Premier League after a change of manager saw him cast aside.
Alex Hleb has often admitted he made a mistake and wishes he’d stay at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, a man he kept in touch with long after his Arsenal days were over.
Yes, we even met in Minsk a few months ago when Arsenal played against BATE in the Champions League. Wenger is like a father to me. It was really easy to work with him, you always felt his support. I think there are very few guys who might say that they haven’t enjoyed working with him. Everyone felt like they would get a chance. And I think most players who left ultimately regretted it.
It’s still difficult for me to explain why I left Arsenal. I was absolutely happy there. Arsene completely trusted me, it was idyllic. And then I decided to leave. I was on vacation and agents and managers convinced me that I had to go to Barcelona. To be honest, I didn’t really understand what I was doing. At some point, I realised, ‘Oh god! I’m leaving Arsenal!’ When Arsene said that it was a matter of hours, I felt devastated. It was really hard for me to accept that. Wenger did everything to make me stay at Arsenal. He even texted me as I was fishing. ‘Alex, I won’t let you go, we need you here.’ I cried when I read it.”
But that happens in football just as it does in real life. The grass so often looks greener on the other side. I always believe in, ‘if it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it.’
Funny enough, the incident with Reading’s Graham Murty sticks in my mind which ended with him being banned and missing the last few fixtures of the 2007/08 season, of his final one at Arsenal. A bit like Fàbregas really albeit it was an injury which kept him from playing before his summer departure for Barcelona in the summer of 2011.
Why do I mention Alexander Hleb you may wonder. Well, there’s very little to write about for a start, but in his home country of Belarus, football is still being played. Ridiculous really but having had ‘just’ 94 cases of Coronavirus reported, life goes on as normal, despite countries around them reporting deaths due to the virus and who are under some form of lockdown.
Here in the UK and around the rest of the footballing world, there is no sign of a decision being made about this season and how or when it’s going to end. The restrictions imposed by the UK government could go on for another six months was the message given out yesterday, or certainly a form of restriction latterly which made sense to me. A six month lockdown would take us into September, a month into what should be the 2020/21 season.
And yet the powers that be still think this campaign can be finished? No, I don’t think so either. I reckon they just can’t make up their minds on how to break the bad news to Liverpool…..
Stay safe guys, stay healthy.
Nice read, Rico 👍
Well Grealish has been a naughty boy, so soon after urging everyone to stay in, save lives etc etc… fancy going to a party then crashing your car into parked cars… Unbelievable!
I wonder if that’ll happen, Rico… all season long it seems that it’s been anything to help Liverpool along the way, why stop now?! I’ll be sickened if they are favoured over everyone else though!!
Thanks Sue.
I read that Grealish story and there seems to be a bit of assumption in there so I steered clear of writing about it. If it’s true, the bloke is an absolute dick imo.
Re this season, I can’t see how they can crown any league champions because in doing so, it would open up a big fat can of worms and litigation lawyers would have a field day imo. To crown a champion now would surely mean those in current relegation places would have to be relegated etc etc and just because Liverpool have run away with the PL, it’s a closer battle in some of the other leagues.
Rico, you’re not qualified to speak on the health of Belarus citizens.
Neither are their doctors and adunteists, apparently.
Their President said Vodka will kill Corona Virus and he should know hahahahahahaha
Unbelievable stuff but i’m serious lol
Hleb-what a footballer.
There is little better in football to watch than a player taking on opponents at speed, and he did it beautifully.
Morning all.
Scientists, that should read 🙂
Rico, I think they simply need to forget this season ever happened to be honest.
The same starting 20 clubs should be in the League in 20/21 imo.
No matter what happens, it’ll be unfair on some clubs but surely clubs can’t be relegated with so many games to be played?
It’s a tough one
There ya go.
He knows hahahaha
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-belarus-president-refuses-to-cancel-anything-and-says-vodka-and-saunas-will-ward-off-coronavirus-11965396
I didn’t say I was did I Scott?
Hi all I have an idea when we restart what about finishing this season to be fare to all club and just cancel next season then what should be next season only play FA cup, League cup and maybe a world cup problem solved.
Rico, it was a joke.
Read the next few lines.
I did wonder afterwards Scott but I’m used to seeing your ‘lol’.
Anyway, the bloke who says Vodka keeps CV at bay is another dick…
Rico, and he’s their bloody president hahahahaha
Unbelievable!!!
Then, there are a few “eccentric” nations leaders about atm 🙂
The government are saying that there will probably no significant relaxation of the social distancing rules for up to six months, that means that the Premiership won’t be able to restart until after that date, so the end of September. By that time a large number of players will be out of contract and teams will be decimated.
The new season couldn’t start until the end of October and would possibly not finish until the end of August. The knock on effect would be felt for years and the whole season would need to change as football is not a summer sport.
Realistically , the current season must be declared null and void, this will allow time for the planned transfer activity to take place as normal and the new season should be able to start in early September with the teams in the same positions as at the end of last season.
Throughout the leagues there are just too many unresolved outcomes to enable the premature ending of the season to be declared.
Our girl winning again tonight 🙂
7 wins from 9 starts.
We are hoping Rocastle finally has his first start this week.
We’ve had nothing but trouble with him, but the trainer reckons he’s an absolute freak.
He has a lot to live up to with that name 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/1317843519/posts/10222190527054962/?d=n
Cicero, imagine trying to sort this mess out?
Every decision will upset someone.
Can we see clubs falling by the wayside in lower leagues?
Let’s hope not.
His words are rather concerning Scott, especially for the people of Belarus..
Cicero, that’s in the post, tsk tsk. 😂
He’s a complete nutter, Rico.
Afternoon All
Cicero, following on from your Mkhitarayan comment, I reckon there’s more to it than meets the eye, as always seems the case.
Like you and Rico, I’d take £10m as long as it’s as simple as that, but it rarely is when agents are involved and if Arsenal have to spend most of the £10m to pay off an agent and/or paying up the last year of Mkhitarayans contract, then the agent and player can do one…
So I’m with the club when it comes to holding out for £18m and if Mkhitarayan has to come back to Arsenal to see out the last year of his contract, then so be it, he can share the load with Ozil in the League Cup.
Interesting to read Hlebs comment as once again it seems a footballer has allowed an agent to make a decision for him based solely on finance and fails to take into consideration the quality of life he enjoyed from playing at Arsenal for a manager who indulged him.
How many players have we heard that from, how many regretted leaving, how many show how easily manipulated they are by their agents?
Brains in their boots seems to still be very much in vogue.
Sue, I’ve just seen a picture of Jack Grealish apparently after the ‘party’ he went to and I’ve gotta say everyone must have really dressed down at that ‘party’…
I loved his sky blue hoodie and his white shorts, very fashionable, it must have been a very casual affair?
Maybe he was out visiting some friends and the Press, as only the Press can, decided to call it a party, you know, jazz-it up a bit, just as they loved doing to another Jack, our own Jack Wilshere. He was stitched up a few times and I can see Grealish going the same way, it’s what happens when you trust people.
I’d still love to see him at Arsenal.
Scott, I never fail to listen and learn from everything that adunteists tell us, even though I haven’t a clue what they do… 😄
Kev, it’s a specialist on Belarus health 🙂
Yes Scott, a bottle of vodka is a wonderful thing… 😉
Kev, I bet Alexis wishes now he’d not listened to his agent. Although his bank manager will be happy. As you say, so many, including Song. Not that he’d admit it.
I’m not sure on Grealish, hasn’t he had ‘issues’ in the past? A big of a behaviour issue.
Kev, I rather suspect that we are paying part, at least, of Mkhitaryan’s wages. So that has to be taken into account when calculating the options. Take £10 million and get his wages off the books. Hold out for £18 million and probably have to pay him up to the end of his contract or hope that Roma are so enamoured of the player that they will cough the full amount.
Likely? I think not.
Actually a friend of mine is married to a woman from Belarus . He goes there for all his dental treatment he says it’s just as good as ours and over half the price.. He seems to like the anesthetic but says they need to put some lemon in it.
We had a couple of Polish workman doing our flooring Potter and they do the same for dentistry and medical treatment in general. They said it was quicker and cheaper to return to Poland for treatment, and that was including the flight.
Yet we read so often that Eastern European’s drain our NHS. A myth perhaps.
My friend a nurse in Norwich says that the drain are non registered people that go to A&E because they have no doctor to see. She also commented that the A&E visits are down about 30% since Covid arrived . Who knows the truth of the matter certainly not the government.
That makes sense Potter. Although why someone living here wouldn’t think to register with a GP is beyond me.
Fell off the back of a lorry maybe !
Quite possibly.. lol
I would imagine that there has been a sharp decrease in people falling off of the backs of lorries and boats in general during the pandemic.
Maybe not perhaps we are just not reporting it.
According to the fixtures, Arsenal are scheduled to play Liverpool on May 2nd, which is unlikely unless they play it behind closed doors.
That would still leave Arsenal with 7 EPL and 1 FAC games to fit in, so it’s looking like we’ll still be playing well into June with next season kicking off in September, or October, or anywhere.
Just made me think of Bal-Ham, gateway to the South…
‘Coffees off dear’…
It would appear that Dani Ceballos would rather move back to Real Betis than stay at Arsenal, if Real Madrid don’t want him back.
We’re not doing too well with loanees are we? They arrive injured, get the best of medical care, get rehabilitated, get paid handsomely while doing so,eventually play half a dozen matches and then f**k off back where they came from.
Ungrateful t***s!
19 years……….RIP Rocky.
its not only the players we borrow that seem to be injured it’s also the players we buy that are injured 2 maybe it’s time to send back the player we have borrowed and bring back players that we have out on loan and clean up our books and get rid off the players that don’t want to be at Arsenal