Good morning.
Just a few days ago, AMN gave an interview about his life growing up in London and how not always having things easy made him the person he is today. It’s kind of like many other footballers story really and not always English or British players either. All over the world there are multi millionaire sports men and women who when growing up, their parents barely had two pennies to rub together. Yet those kids had a dream, a dream to be the best they could be at something they loved doing. They didn’t have the latest sports kit, trainers or boots that their idol was wearing. No, they had to make do with second hand, or bare feet in many overseas countries. But I doubt they cared. They had their football, tennis racquet or cricket bat and some old bits of wood for stumps and they were happy. Martina Navratilova and the Williams sisters spring to mind in tennis, Pele, Drogba and Sanchez in football along with many other South American players and in cricket, just watching the Sky Sports cameras filming some of the local areas when England are on tour show young children playing the game without much other than a bat, ball and stumps. No helmets, no pads, no flashy kit.
Reiss Nelson, like AMN, didn’t always have it easy either.
“Street football is very important. Where I come from, the estates are not so nice. It is a bit gritty. I have an elder brother who adores me and pushed me towards my goal. He just said ‘go out and play’. On my estate, there are older guys and there are dangerous things happening. But I had my ball with me and that made me feel safe. That’s where I developed my strength, mentality and ruthlessness.”
Young Reiss, and he is still young let’s not forget, nearly signed for that lot down the road. At just 8 years old, his brother-in-law dragged him off to the Toots for a trial. Kicking and screaming no doubt! He played one game and word on this youngster must have soon spread.
“I had a game for them, played very well and then I got home that night and I had a lot of teams calling me. It was so late, and I had school the next morning, but at 12 o’clock (midnight) Arsenal called and I went directly in the morning to the training ground. Ever since then I have been there.”
During his interview, which is in the Telegraph, Nelson credits Arsene Wenger developing him to a good young man, but it was Thierry Henry who offered his wise words, words which have stuck ever since. ‘Stay grounded.’
Nelson:
“A lot of kids, when they get to 18 or 19, they start getting flashy and forgetting about the real basics of being a professional footballer. He (Henry) has always said ‘be on that and you’ll go to the top.’”
Isn’t that true of so many young gifted sports people. They think they’ve made it when in reality, they’ve only just begun. They get their first wage, the kind of money their parents wouldn’t perhaps have earned in a year let alone a month or in some cases a week and they think they’ve cracked it.
We’ve seen it at Arsenal as young players look to have everything in the talent locker but then within a couple of years they’re playing in a non league team.
Reiss Nelson hasn’t ‘made it’ yet, far from it but for an 18 year old, playing in a foreign country with a group of players he’d probably never met before, he clearly isn’t afraid to try. All he wants though, is to wear the red and white shirt of The Arsenal, for the first team of course.
Whether he he does or not remains to be seen because he, along with one or two others might be considered to be the clubs prize assets. The money makers so that cheaper experienced alternatives can be signed. It’s not a policy I agree with personally because I’d much rather see an Arsenal boy become an Arsenal man than to see him thrive elsewhere.
So often on here we talk about a lack of passion and pride for the club, usually after a defeat so most away games, well I’d imagine the Nelson and a few other Academy players have more of that in their little finger than the likes of Ozil, Aubameyang, Mustafi, Mkhitaryan and other £200k a week players have..
Hypothetically though, if another club offered £40m in the summer for Nelson, would you want the club to accept it? I wouldn’t, not until he’s had a chance. Plus, he might be worth double or triple that amount in a couple of years time. Sancho is by all accounts, and he’s the same age.
Napoli tonight, a big game. We need to win and win big. Over the two legs we lost 10-2 against a side managed by Carlo Ancelotti. This is a different Arsenal the Italian says, Emery is a different manager he added.
Too many players of the same players though, and that’s half the problem I reckon..
See you in the comments guys…
Good morning Rico, sad to say that my regular Thursday night down the Legion is off, both mates have developed colds. Still the consolation is that I can stay home and watch the match in peace and quiet. 😉
…hit the post comment button by mistake there.
I read that article on Nelson and he comes over as a fairly level headed kid with a strong ambition to make it at Arsenal. He’s on a good learning curve at Hoffenheim, being dropped for late attendance at a training session acted as a timely wake up call. I do hope he gets a chance for us next season.
Another MWG tonight. No question!
Morning, Rico,
It is fascinating to hear certain players giving some details of their background, and there are so many others like Wrighty, Merse etc who had similar starts in life and succeeded.
Of course football was officially formed in 1863, and until recently when the Oligarchs stuck their noses in, the sport has always belonged to the working classes, stemming from geographical works teams before the mid-19th century, and many now famous clubs, like Arsenal, began life from their own works teams.
Most teams started life as amateurs and originally were mixed in with Rugby and the two were very violent. When the two codes separated and ‘proper rules’ were introduced by the FA of England in 1863, eventually some players were paid (peanuts) to allow them to go full time and still feed their families.
It is no surprise that the vast majority of players are still from working class families — the real difference is that many become millionaires once they show promise at 18 or 19 years of age. But, as you said, many get carried away with the fast cars and all the rest and never really make it.
Personally, it is my belief we have some top notch youngsters coming through and that could change Arsenal’s recent disappointments. Can’t wait! 😊
Hi VCC,
Sorry to have missed you last night, but hopefully we can catch up later, and thank you for your good wishes. 😎
Morning Cicero. What concerns me about Nelson is the rumours about discipline issues. If they’re true of course..
JET was one RA, a £20,000 odd car he wrote off I think, just after he turned old enough to drive..
Morning Rico and the House.
Very good post Rico one I would have liked to have written.
I think you know how I feel about Reiss Nelson , there is no way we should sell the lad.
In a recent interview he explained what happened. He is living and looking after himself for the first time l
He said he was 20mins late for training just once and got a real rocket and said everything is now fine
and you can be sure it will not happen again.
He also said he had talked to theBFG (merts) about it who is keeping a close eye on him.
Hi Rick. Thanks re the post and clearing up the disciplinary issue. A lot of fuss over nothing then really…
He along with a few others, I’d be really disappointed to see sold, certainly anytime soon. There are first team players I’d gladly see the back of long before them. I know we’ll all have a differing view I’m sure but homegrown over money in the bank every day of the week.
Afternoon Gooners
Afternoon Rico, good post.
Ben Knapper is the loans manager at Arsenal (Chelsea have 2 managers) whose role is to check up on our loanees and have an input on where and who we loan players to, no more Serge Gnabry or Cohen Bramall cock ups where they just sit on their arse.
Both Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock missed out on loans this season, so the club seem to be giving these deals more thought – and not before time…
Emi Martinez put in a good display for Reading yesterday, at on form Norwich in a 2-2 draw.
I’d like to see him given the opportunity to be the understudy to Berdt Leno next season, especially if we make the CL, because Leno will play in those so we’d only need a goalkeeper for the domestic cups.
Afternoon Kev, thanks.
Martinez has been good right though his loan apparently, certainly in all the home matches which my family have been at. Surely he won’t be overlooked to replace Cech…
Hi Redders, glad to hear that you are on the mend. Dare I ask, how is The Fiend?
Afternoon all from which seems like the heat from the jouney to the centre of the earth !…………………been doing weights out side the gym and flexing my abs and impressing the wild life ! hahaha 😎
Top notch post Rico. I did read somewhere a while back that Nelson and Sancho were at the same (pre Arsenal) youth team and the manager said that Nelson was regarded as the better player, so well worth preservering with imo. Although I guess it all depends on where coaches etc` at Arsenal think Saka and Amaechi are compared to Nelson !
If we can keep the run of home form going then we have a chance tonight to go to Naples in the driving seat.
Hi Cicero, my friend, 😀
The Fiend, he has gone the way of all good things — fell in love with some runty little German dude whose family had a pad in the Windies. “We are only platonic friends” she reassured me, “and I will be back in no time”. Well she was right there — there’s been no time she has been back. I got a card at Xmas asking if I had got thru the operation — so I wrote back with ‘Celestial Mail’ written on the envelope, saying, ‘no, I had not, and she was interrupting my chess game with Old Nick’.
Actually I had been trying to surreptitiously find out if you were OK — you disappeared from the scene very abruptly and I know you had a dicky, tricky ticker some time before that. No one I was friends with knew.
How’s the ‘orse? 🤪
I deny that The Fiend is a ‘he’ — she is definitely a she — this computer is getting far too personal, and I am going to take it to task!!
JET was around the youth team at the same time as Jack, and Frimpong, Rico, as you know.
I was certain he would be better than Jack, but the ‘big time Charlie’ attitude must have gotten to him because he simply did not make the most of his talent, and he seemed to float down the leagues like a leaf in the Fall. Great pity.
AK,
In the final season of AW, Martinez was interchangeable with Ospina, who was on his way out anyway.
For me he was a nailed on cert to take the Numero Uno shirt, and with Macey a damned good #2.
Unai clearly did not rate either of them, or Ospina, and brought in Ospina (sorry, I know you know all that) and decided to go for Leno. Leno looks OK, but he is not particularly special, but maybe that will come.
If we had a vote: I would still plump for Martinez.
Cocker doodle doo,
When you said you were doing weights outside the gym, is that a polite way of referring to the Love Shack?
Is that where you have hidden Terry? He’s love it mind. 😜
Just below the Love Shack, Redders.
I now live in the Love Shack and my son lives in the annexe whilst one of my daughters lives in the barn conversion since my mother in law passed away ……………………..happy families, I get to teach my 6 year old grandson all the football moves !……………….the Crufts turn etc !…………………..he`s like a little blonde Messi ! hahaha
Howdy Redders, all well, I keep taking the tablets and enjoying life. Sorry to hear of The Fiends departure, no doubt she’ll be back when the German economy implodes after Brexit, mind you that could be a while yet. They old ‘orse went to the knakkers yard a while ago.
Do you ever hear anything of old North Bank 69? His website still exists but is abandoned and I lost his e mail address when my old pc followed the old ‘orse to the knakkers yard.
The Crufts turn —- 😁 😁 🥺
Get your grandson enrolled at Arsenal training — altho the travel would be a problem.
Cicero,
Glad you are OK, health wise.
Do you know Le Coq, VCC, Terry et al?
As for North Bank, I am like you, I have lost touch with him. He used to have another website for his art work — he is a very talented artist, but the laptop I used to borrow to keep work separate from blogging has been reclaimed, and I have been lent another one – little on it – so I have to go from memory — which is a bit difficult at the moment.
He was very friendly with GN5 over on AA, who you probably know, and he might know something, as he was also a regular on North Bank’s footie blog. Do you want me to ask him for you? [of course, I seem to remember NB was barred from AA too]
Sorry I haven’t been able to help. 😩
Guys, this might sound harsh but if you all want to discuss AA, please can you do so by email. If you haven’t already got them, I’m happy to pass them around. Same with other stuff too, don’t want to scare anyone off….
Tonights Team
Cech,Niles, Sokratis, Kossy, Monreal,
Torreira, Ramsey, Ozil Lacazette, Auba.
Subs,
Leno, Mustafi, Elneny, Guendozi, Suarez, Iwobi Mikky
NO Xhaka
OOPS Missed Kolasinic from team
Looks like that team means ATTACK ! ATTACK ! ATTACK! 😆
Big responsibility on our midfield tonight, Ozil, Ramsey and Torrieira, interesting to see Mustafi out of the team again, to me, that tells me that Emery doesn’t see him as a starter when everyone is available, but as a squad player and ultimately someone who he could dispense with in the summer. Imagine if Mavropanos had not got injured in the summer nor Holding in the Autumn, maybe Mustafi would have been shipped out last January?
Big boost with no Mustafi..
It’s my fault, Rico, the guys and I have known each other for years, and we were just catching up, but the fact they are on HH is a credit to you.
None of the lads talking to me have any connection with AA.
Just say the word and I am prepared to fall on my sword, and leave you to it.
Don’t be daft RA, just wanted to get back to sport/football etc.
Fair enough, Rico.
Comparing the opening 10 minutes – I know that sounds like wishful thinking – but we can produce some really good football, while against Everton we never did that in the 90 minutes.
Let’s hope the next 80 mins are as good.
We tried to get Koulibally a while back – but he said ‘no’. Oity
Yessss 1: 0
2 : 0
Koulibally? Rubbish! 😳
I hate the way the TV presenters look to find fault with imaginary fouls when we score — and sod the referee being within yards of the so-called foul.
When the shoe is on the other foot, they claim the ref was wrong, and it should be a foul against Arsenal. Idiots!
Maitland Niles has been having one of his best games for a while. Must have read your Post, Rico, 😜
We could have been 4 : 0 up if the ball had bounced a little more kindly.
Seems like I have chatted with myself the whole first half!! 😛
Excellent first half. Should be 4-0 up though.. At least 😂
Just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing.
We’ve slacked off, where’s the intensity gone?
How many more chances is bloody Ramsey going to waste?
Job done, important clean sheet. Very nervous last twenty minutes.
We should have scored 4 or 5 but in fairness they missed two sitters as well…
if I’m honest it feels like an opportunity missed.
we’ll need to score in italy.
If I’d been offered a two goal lead and a clean sheet against Napoli in the 1st leg, I would have said, “cheers, I’ll take that”…
Napoli will have to decide whether to go for it or play cautious, because if we score in Naples they’ll need four goals and whatever we might think about our defence, they’re not that bad.
So Ancelotti will have a big decision to make, where as we can sit and hit them on the break.
I’d take extra time if it came to it, penalties even, but we’re in this and it’s looking very positive…
Our defending is still a concern, our finishing even more so. We should be heading to Italy with a four or five goal cushion. Just hope we don’t regret missing those golden opportunities…
Clean sheet is a big plus..
Good performance in an interesting game. I am with Kel though. An opportunity missed.
Well we mucked up a year ago against Atletico, so that has to be progress Rico.
In fact, the last time Ancelotti visited the Emirates, his team won 1-5 so again, progress!
Now let’s get a result at Watford next Monday…
Night Gooners.
Morning Rico and All,
After that terrible game/result against an average Everton team last Sunday I was fully expecting to struggle last night against Napoli who are 2nd in the Italian league – albeit 20 points behind Juve.
The style, entertainment, enthusiasm and wonderful moves last night were a fantastic surprise. We could have finished 4 : 0 but Napoli could have scored 2, so for me, 2 : 0 is better than 4 ; 2 as the away goals rule can be a nightmare, unless it is us scoring them!! 😳
Morning all.
Ramsey scores AGAIN.
Yes, he wastes some chances but then, a player can hit the target 100% of the time and score once a season, so stats don’t always tell the tale.
He gets into scoring positions as well as any midfielder in the League, works his arse off but isn’t worth a cracker to us?
Juve paid squillions for a dud apparently lol
What a disaster.
Morning RA, Scott, all.
New post up now