Morning alL.
Well that’s week one of this boring two week international break done and dusted. This time next week we’ll be thinking about a local derby at Watford.
In the meantime, have a think about the players who have left Arsenal over the last twenty odd years and which particular departure still leaves a sour taste in your mouth today. We’ve seen a few leave too. Some for free which should never happen, others because more money was on offer elsewhere despite trophies being cited as the reason for a move and we’ve been on the wrong end of a couple of swap deals.
The departures which spring to my mind are Sagna, Clichy, Adebayor and Nasri to the then newly rich club Manchester City. Fabregas, Hleb, Henry, Overmars and Petit to Barcelona. Song too but bigger fools them! RvP and Sánchez to Manchester Utd. Anelka to Real Madrid and Flamini to Milan. Gnabry to Wolfsburg and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool. Walcott and then Iwobi to Everton and Ramsey to Juventus just last summer. I’ve probably missed a few. I’m human.
Back in 2017, Arsene Wenger was quoted as saying, ‘
‘Once someone takes the decision to leave I wish them well and focus on my squad, but just look at the performances of the players who left us and then come back to me about it.’
The way Cesc Fabregas left us still annoys me today. The Barcelona shirt fiasco every time he met up with the Spain international team, missing the last few games of his last season in north London and on top of that, not being with the squad as the season came to an end. He was club captain and couldn’t even be bothered to say goodbye to the fans who gave him so much support through his Arsenal career.
RvP could have gone anywhere but he chose Utd. Arsenal and he wanted different things he said, just after he’d sat down with Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis to discuss a new contract. Then just a few days ago he said he was never offered a new contract. Someone is fibbing Robin.
Nicolas Anelka, such a great young talent but a badly advised one, although I doubt if he thought so at the time. Who wouldn’t want to play for Real Madrid… Still, Arsenal made a lot of money by selling him and we signed Thierry Henry.
Jose Reyes, another great player who didn’t stick around for long. He missed Spain and it’s sunny climate. Either that or he just got sick of being kicked to pieces by the Neville sisters. His premature death was hard to believe. Still is.
Gnabry left us, Ramsey too but neither under a cloud, not really. Nor did Henry, Vieira, Overmars or Petit. The rest such as Adebayor, Clichy, Sagna and Nasri just followed the money. In my opinion anyway.
But Ashley Cole, well I suspect he moved because of the money and as rumour has it, Arsenal going back on a financial agree made with the player but I think his move hurt us the most. Not only did we lose one of the best left backs in the game, we got Gallas as part of the deal. Not quite as bad as getting Mkhitaryan for Sanchez, but not far off.
It’s fair to say that not many players who’ve left us over the last twenty odd years have enjoyed great success. Financially yes, certainly but the likes of Nasri, Toure, Sanchez, Hleb, Sagna, Overmars, Petit, Vieira etc didn’t win much after leaving us. RvP was pretty much a one season wonder at Utd, Sanchez has suffered a terrible time at Utd, Hleb wishes he’d never left and Adebayor ended up signing for the neighbours. Cole and Fabregas though, well they did enjoy success after moving, much of it too and it’s those two which hurt us the most in my opinion. The way I; which both left cheesed me off big time and still does today. If I think about them, which I don’t very often….
Finally, well done to the England under 21’s last night who came from behind to beat Turkey. Why do I mention them? Because it was Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah who scored the goals…
Have a great weekend guys..
Morning Rico and all. As Arsenal supporters we can see which players do and don’t really buy into the club. Even someone like Ashley Cole, who seemed like an Arsenal boy through and through had his head and his moral compass turned by dodgy Russian money, a scumbag manager and some undoubted ‘extras’. Money is such a strong motivator and the club’s history and standing within the game seems a scant substitute when considered alongside the allure of yet another gold plated hypercar. How can we expect any of these people to feel what we do for our club which itself has undergone such massive changes over the past few years? It goes to the very core of our support and players like Auba and Lacazette didn’t come because we won the First division 3 times on the trot in the 30’s.
Seems to me that you buy a player and pay him a fortune and then you have to hope that he ‘gets it’. Same with important figures at the club. If Raul turns out to be as ruthless and progressive as I hope and some tangible success springs from that, will we be vulnerable to a Man Utd coming in and offering him a name-your-price deal? Wouldn’t you if you had a twerp like Woodward running the show?
We are always going to have hits and misses where transfers are concerned and I also think that success on the pitch is a very strong attractor too. Up to a point, as Spurs are finding out.
For me, Raul has become the main man at Arsenal and he should get all the financial and moral support he needs to move us on to the next level regardless of the probable casualties along the way.
I just hope he ‘gets it’ too.
Morning Adam. Good comment.
If Raul doesn’t get the support he deserves from the club then I’d imagine a move away would tempt him but I think the Kroenkes will know how lucky they are to have a bloke like him in place and they’ll support him.
Their money in a fools hand would be far too risky..
As far as players come and go, I really don’t care as long as they give their all whilst they’re with us and leave with dignity. I certainly didn’t begrudge the likes of Henry, Vieira moving or, nor would I Fabregas had he not behaved like a spoilt brat.
The one leaving that irks me the most is Szczesny who has now become world class and the best keeper in Italy. To let him go and so cheaply was one of Wenger’s biggest mistakes.
Good shout Martin, he slipped my mind.
G’day all. Like you, Rico, I have little concern with players who leave Arsenal. Most do it for the twin ambitions of a better chance of winning things and maximising the amount of dosh they can screw out of the clubs and their fans. Footballer’s careers are relatively short and can come to a juddering halt at anytime due to injury, so who can blame them.
What slightly sickens me is the badge kissing and protestations of undying love for the club they dreamed about during their childhood. Loyalty come a long way down the list of their priorities when a “bigger” club with deeper pockets come calling.
We also need to remember that many of our best, and present, players left behind a club and fans for just the same reasons. Did Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe et al not do precisely what it is fashionable to decry as disloyalty to the shirt?
I no longer develop an attachment to players, I just enjoy what they do for as long as they are at the club.
Morning all.
Szczesny hardly had the backing of most supporters leading to the time we let him go, and hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Wenger got it wrong, but so did the massive majority of fans.
Gabriel, while not in the class of some others mentioned, really annoyed me as we fans wanted someone who’d stand up against physical and aggressive opponents, yet when he did exactly that and was ridiculously sent off v Chelski, fans tore him apart and I reckon destroyed his confidence so he ranks right up there for me.
Afternoon Rico, what an interesting post…
For me two players stand out, Liam Brady and Frank Stapleton, two players entering their peak years at Highbury, but we lost Brady in 1980 and Stapleton in 1981.
They both left because the club that had done so much in developing them as apprentices, was stuck in limbo, it lacked ambition, it was run by men who pennypinched and lived in the past and they quite rightly didn’t want to waste the best years of their lives playing under such a moribund Chairman and Board
We never replaced Brady who went onto great things in Series A but tried a couple of cheap options trying to replace Frank with the appalling John Hawley and the even worse Ray Hankin, it was typical of Arsenal under Peter Hill Wood at that time…
Arsenal were a stagnant mess run by a Board of Directors living it up as if Arsenal was an extension of their Pal Mall/ St James’ gentleman’s club and not a progressive football club, aiming to compete for trophies.
It took the arrival of a young, ambitious David Dein to shake off the inertia and the success we enjoyed with him in the Boardroom is his legacy, he brought us George Graham and Arsene Wenger, under those two managers I saw my club win 5 League Championships.
Since he left, Arsenal haven’t challenged for the title…
Raul could be the best thing to happen to Arsenal since Dein…
Anyone that stood behind him and watched his movement knew that Szczesny was going to be the better of our two Polish keepers . However he had an attitude that clashed with the temperate attitude that the manager wanted.
I think the same went for Gabriel he was a tough cookie but that was not really what the Wengerball stylists wanted and he was told to change his ways and when he tried to moderate things it did not work for him and was hounded out. I reckon were Wenger still here and the same support groups were still as prominent in their social media campaigns we would have seen the back of Sokratis by now as well.
One day hopefully Dein will spill the beans on the Cole saga . I heard that he was offered money by Mourinho and spoke to Dein who said that he would get him an increase to close the gap. At that time he was happy to stay at his boyhood club but the powers decided that they were being blackmailed and reneged on Deins offer. That’s why we lost Englands best left back who really wanted to stay but was betrayed.
Szczesny , Cole and Fabregas all regrets of mine and I reckon that there is more to the cesc story than we know.
Half agree with Kev…………………………………….Brady was the first player to leave where I was physically sick and he ended going from my favourite player to one I fantasized about being taken out by a hitman !………………………….so basically dont piss me off ! hahaha
Without Champions League no are enought money. That’s the reality!
You’ve lost me…
Thought you had the “knowledge” Kev😊
I’ve been Arsenal fan for a very long time but for some reason Van Persie’s manner of leaving irked me maybe the most. The club nursed him for a number of years and in the hard times when they needed him……….well the rest is history.
Wavy, I do indeed have the Knowledge of London but it’s not as useful as it used to be due to the crass stupidity of Transport for London and their insane transport policies – and I use the term policies in its most loose of terms…
Why anybody would want to venture by road into Central London without a real need to do so is bewildering to me?!
Venturing into London by bus must be mind numbingly frustrating.
Venturing into London on the London Underground must be like sticking pins under your fingernails.
Using the Overground or DLR likewise.
Working in London when I became a taxi driver 30 years ago was taxing (sorry) at times, but in main was a pleasurable experience.
Now it is pure torture, brought about by the fascist cycling lobby and the many corrupt politicians (yeah, hard to believe eh?) with their snouts stuck deep into the trough of West Coast disrupter corporations financed by Qatar, Saudi and a litany of dodgy money lenders.
London is now a stinking, polluted shit hole sinking in its own effluence.
So you’re enjoying it Kev? 😃
300 beaches in Cornwall, the longest coastline in England and at no point inland are you further than 20 miles from the coast…………………………I really miss London !…………………………yet for the price of a parking space in Mayfair I could buy Cornwall ! hahaha
Yesterday Iat one point I had to deliver between Padstow and Newquay having to pass Trevone Bay, Harlyn Bay(still no rain), Constantine Bay, Treyarnon Bay( my father in law was evacuated there in the war) Porthcothan Bay, Bedruthan Steps, Mawgan Porth, Watergate Bay, Porth Beach and a few more I couldn`t see……………………….it`s hard work, but someone has to do it !
A guide to my torturous day…………………………aparrently 400 beaches, my hell got worse……………
http://www.cornwallbeaches.org.uk/
Le Coq you went west I went east but now even the east is getting Kev’s pollution.
People are drifting consistently from the cities and to accomodate them we are building swathes of housing estates decimating farmland and countryside alike .
Currently plans are in to build over 10.000 homes in a 20 mile radius of Norwich and as many again in Broadland as farmers find it more profitable to sell to developers than fight their way through the rules and regulations on crop growing.
Of course local councils are complicit more homes especially 4 or 5 bedroom ones means loads more council tax . They forget that homes equals people and people means children and children means more cars to get them to school as there are no buses because most of these estates are being built 4 or 5 miles away from existing schools and those things along with doctor’s surgeries come way down the list of things to be built.
Today on breakfast news I heard people that had recently moved to the area complaining about foxes and deer entering their gardens . What do you expect they have just dropped 1000 tons of concrete over their homes.
Kev had a rant , now I have too.
BTW :- I used to have a bonfire to get rid of the weeds that have grown here for millions of years , but now I have to take it to a dump 14 miles away , That’s green isn’t it.
Reg, I absolutely detest RVP more than any player who left us, so I’m with you there!
Others leaving me irked me, him leaving me pissed me off 🙂 🙂
Morning all.
I love it Adam 😄
I want to go to Cornwall again.
Mytharyan scored twice + one half a goal today
I’m concern about our group stage in European League
Arsenal Ladies won2-1 and are top of the league! But the defence looked a bit brittle. It’s a club thing😂
They also play out from the back, it’s becoming a pandemic.
An early yellow card for one of our central defenders caused us a problem, another tackle and she risked being sent off.
A dodgy backpass gave the Hammers a free kick inside the penalty area which the keeper tipped onto the crossbar…just! To prevent a stoppage time equaliser.
Some lovely play by Arsenal, we’ve really got some talented players.
Go the Aussie boys!!!!!!
Cicero, I still can’t work out why so many clubs now play out from the back other than everyone else does it lol
Hi everyone.
Looks like Mikki came good for Armenia. Two good goals and two assists. Maybe he’s played himself into Roma full time.
Perhaps he’s finally woken up to the fact that his career was going down the toilet. He needs to put some effort into his time at Roma in the hope of getting a contract or at least attracting some other club.
Scott I’ve got to hand it to the Aussies, Smith made all the difference. Some serious thinking needed at HQ. A new coach and a new captain are minimum requirements for England.
All the one day, twenty 20 and now the Hundreds crash, bang, wallop circus has ruined test cricket. Compton, May, Barrington, Cowdray and the immortal Bradman must be spinning in their graves while dear old Geofrey Boycott is ready to blow his top.
Fancy losing to a team of dustbins and one half decent batsman…
Hahahaha Kev,
Fair call 🙂
Cicero, Smith really is a freak.
He will forever have the ball tampering hovering over him and rightly so, but his batting is just at another level.
Best I’ve ever seen, and probably only second best to Bradman.
One day games and especially 20/20 will definitely play it’s part in lowering the overall standard of test batsmen, but with the money available, it’s hard to criticise players for cashing in.
I do hope we win or even draw the final test, as to tie a series yet retain the Ashes would be a little hollow, I reckon.
Morning all,
Brady and Stapleton for me.I cannot overestimate how much Liam Brady was hero-worshipped,adored by the fans, think Santi Cazorla in recent years,then multiply by 100.His departure left a gaping hole, funny enough most fans didn’t begrudge him leaving,he had the grace to go abroad.Worse was Frank Stapleton who made it very clear he wanted to go to Manchester United,we fans expect players to have the same love for the club we do,even though we know it’s unrealistic.
A bizarre one in recent years was Sol Campbell.He walked out at halftime in a game,hinting it was all too much for him and he needed to go abroad, only to turn up in … Portsmouth soon after.
George Eastham and Joe Baker for me. Arsenal were we’re becoming a better than good team at the time but the leg end that was Billy Wright saw to it that we disappeared up our own arses by selling them and not providing any adequate replacements. The sack followed for him, thank goodness and Bertie Meearrived. The rest is all history.
More recently, RvP. Sadly though I understood why he went and his reasons for going. Largely because the club lacked ambition and had accepted that they could not compete in the inflated values of player transfers. Left to Wenger and no Devin we were going nowhere. And didn’t! And still aren’t, although at least there has been an attempt to ‘catch up’ this season. Too little, too late? Well we’ll see.
Proper autumnal here today. Cold and wet.
Is the international break over yet?
Cold, wet, dark and horrid on the south coast today. Summer yesterday, autumn today. Only in England eh….
New post up now