I love Big Tony and everything he represented as an Arsenal man, Player and Captain. He was immense, the perfect central defender for his time. He was and always will be, Mr Arsenal. But when he speaks about the Arsenal of today, perhaps he should think about how the game has changed. How Arsenal has changed, how ownerships of football clubs have changed and how money has changed footballers ideas. Sky Sports has been around donkeys years, no pun intended Tony, but the money invested into the game, hasn’t. Certainly not to the level it is now.
If this cruel and indiscriminate virus had been around back in 2001/02 at a very similar stage of the season, Arsene Wenger and the group of players he’d assembled would have been chomping at the bit to get the season restarted because Man Utd were in their sights. They were there for the taking. A final thirteen match winning run crowned us Champions after Wiltord scored the only goal at Old Trafford. One match to spare.
Pride still existed back then. Beating Utd mattered, winning mattered. The Arsenal mattered. There is no doubt money mattered to players too but I never got the impression it was top of the agenda. Playing for a club rich in history, based in the English capital city, and with a manager who had his teams playing exciting, attacking football probably was. Footballers didn’t need to be convinced to stay because I think they wanted to stay.
That all changed and probably for a number of reasons. The new stadium, money was tight, David Dein departed, the type of players Arsene Wenger signed were different and as Arsenal became less competitive after the unbeaten season, the arrival of Roman Abramovich began what has since become a financial merry-go-round. Which club can buy the best manager, the best players and of course, offer the biggest and best salaries. ‘I’m having some of that’ seemed to shoot to the top of a player and his agents agenda.
So when Big Tony talks about Aubameyang potentially being sold this summer or walking for free because his The Arsenal, which has faded to simply Arsenal over the years, has become a selling club, perhaps he needs to think differently. To a degree, every club is a selling club because that’s how they survive and some more than others, improve. Aubameyang doesn’t have an allegiance to Arsenal. Arsenal have no allegiance to him. Arsenal are just an employer, he the employee and if he thinks he could earn more somewhere else or even win a trophy or two, then he’ll go and why shouldn’t he? Why shouldn’t Arsenal sell him if they want or need to? Same goes for any player in the squad really. Dennis Bergkamp played on a rolling year to year contract during his twilight years because he loved the club and wanted to stay until he retired. Mesut Ozil is reported to say he’s happy to see out his £350k a week contract. No s**t Sherlock!
I think we all know by now that Arsenal need to reduce their wage bill considerably and that means selling or swapping some of our big earners. Aubameyang, Lacazette, Kolasinac, Mkhitaryan and perhaps even Ozil too. But there’s also a number of ‘lesser’ paid players who could be sold/swapped too like Elneny, Guendouzi, Sokratis etc.
It’s easy, but perhaps wrong to say this present Arsenal are a selling club, especially under this current regime. I can’t recall a player being sold/swapped who I’d wished had stayed. In fact the last time that happened was when Alexis joined Utd and that was before Raul arrived I’m sure. Although my memory isn’t as good as it once was….
I suppose the crux of this little ramble is about players who lived for Arsenal during their day, can’t expect today’s players to do the same because there is little comparison. Where there was once loyalty and love for a club, there is money.
Why else would clubs be pushing for this season to restart. Apart from those at risk of being relegated according to The Mail this morning. Who can blame them either, after all, survival is what matters and the money the Premier League dishes out each season.
Unlike back in Big Tony’s day, when football mattered most. And The Arsenal of course. Don’t forget The Arsenal.
Stay healthy guys…
https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/arsenal-youth-player-profiles-find-out-more-about-arsenals-youngsters/
Good morning Rico.
Gone are the “good old days” when Arsenal players lived in the local area and trained at the stadium, used local pubs and clubs and really were part of the local community.
Now they train at London Colney and live in Hertfordshire “palaces” or as Fabregas did, in a £5 million house in Belgravia. They no longer have any connection with the fans and their links with the community are largely virtue signalling public relations stunts.
Player £oyalty went out the back door as the wheelbarrow loads of cash entered at the front.
Hi Rico and All Years ago players played for the love of the game and most were happy to stay at one club know most players put money first then trophies not many loyal players know but having said that not many loyal clubs around now its all about money.
Morning Cicero.
I think so too. It’s survival of the richest nowadays. I do wonder of what’s happened over the last few months will change things.
Wonder why the FA/PL or indeed individual clubs have no big insurance policy to cover things like this. I believe Wimbledon has, possibly Glastonbury etc too.
From this morning’s Telegraph,
Premier League clubs face an increase on their multi-million pound insurance policies to ensure squads are covered for coronavirus. Some insurers are looking to exclude the virus to prevent pay-outs should players test positive.
Medical cover has been an issue at top-flight clubs coming back to training as doctors are not supposed to be on site under Government guidelines. And guaranteeing assets are fully insured going forward is an issue when sport restarts.
“If you are playing and diagnosed with COVID-19, some insurers might look to exclude that going forward,” said Duncan Fraser, head of sport at Howden insurance brokers.
Insurers have been reacting to the uncertainty over COVID-19 and who it can affect. They are looking closely at the case of Junior Sambia, who was in coma after suffering complications from the virus.
“Generally it seems to be affecting older people but you have a 23-year-old Montpellier just come out of a coma, it shows it clearly can affect footballers. This is being followed very closely and insurers will be looking at the risk going forward. It is changing on a daily basis,”
Duncan added Premier League clubs buy insurance to protect their wage roll for injury. There is also career-ending insurance and regular accidental death, known as life cover. Covering a top squad can cost around £3million, depending on the salaries and the age of players as it determines the likelihood of injury.
But insurers are now set to increase the cost of covering players following the coronavirus pandemic, or exclude the illness from coverage.
For anything currently in place clubs should have cover for COVID-19,” Duncan said. “Bearing in mind most club administration is carried out over the summer, in my view clubs will have insurance cover now but should be wary and seek best advice when they look to renew their policies in the summertime. The options are to exclude it which shouldn’t be accepted or you price it accordingly and pay more to include it. At the moment the market is untested as we are right in the middle of the pandemic. You may have a situation, as we have seen for sporting events, where people will say ‘I’m not going to cover it’.”
I loved Tony, what a player.He must be one of the few to have won the league in three different decades.There could be others,I can’t think of any.Maybe a Liverpool player.
Definitely no Spurs player 😀
Decades Limey!!!…………………….no Spud player has won a Title this century!
😆
Hi Geoff.
I doubt a Liverpool player has either Limey, they haven’t won the league for 30 years.. lol
Hello Rico,
No I can’t think of anyone else, for Liverpool I was thinking maybe 60s 70s 80s or 70s 80s 90s Possibly Man Utd 90s 2000s 2010s but none I can think of.
After I posted earlier I then thought I better check on Wikipedia – it says Tony is unique as the only player to have done it as captain, which implies other non captains have done it.
An incredible achievement for Tony Adams though.
Ha ha LCM.
Hi Limey, I might have to google it to put you out of your misery. 😂
Probably way back, 1800s!
Hi Limey great question Try Ryan Giggs Man united sounds like 13 titles including 1992/1993 – 2000/2001 – 2012/2013 well of to church know to asked the Arsenal gods for forgiveness in finding this information
Thanks Geoff,
Of course Giggsy, probably also Scholes (can’t stand the fella)
For Arsenal probably Lee Dixon,maybe Nigel Winterburn.There will be others,in the future even more.I like the fact Tony Adams is unique as a captain,that record could stand for a long time.
Morning Limey, Geoff.
New post up now