Edu pips DB10 for our Unsung Hero of the Year Award. I have my suspicions about ballot stuffing by the Edu Army (Coach!) but that’s ok. Now, on to the big prize - Arsenal America’s Player of the Year Award. And the nominees are…
Down to three men really in my book. While Pires, Sol, Paddy and Ash all had solid years, well, that was expected of them, wasn’t it? So let’s look at three players who really stood out:
Jens Lehmann - It seemed he was about 53rd on Arsene’s list and when he was signed everybody said, “Who?” But, despite some gaffes and a bit of a temper he was terrific. He was a solidifying force in the back and provided stability by remaining healthy all season, something Arsenal keepers have had trouble doing (Seaman, Taylor, Shabaan).
Kolo Toure - Revelatory. Brilliant. Remarkable. At the end of last season people pointed to our defense and asked who could Arsenal buy to partner Sol Campbell? Wenger, the genius, drafted in Kolo Toure. Result? Arsenal had the stingiest defense in the League. Beyond his skills, Toure brings athleticism and enthusiasm.
Thierry Henry - To be honest, I’m not even sure I should put him on this list. It’s like if Michael Jordan was playing in a Sunday church league and they had an MVP trophy. Henry should almost excuse himself from this out of courtesy to the others. Simply put, without Henry Arsenal are looking up at Newcastle. He means more to his team than just about any other player. Think about that, the best player, by far, on the best team, by far. Where does that put him in relation to the rest of the players in the League?
So, go ahead and vote.
2 Responses to “Edu - ArseAm’s Unsung Hero of the Year”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
May 23rd, 2004 at 5:11 pm
You’ve made it very difficult by including TH in the list of nominees for player of the year (although there’d have been an uproar had you not done so). Clearly, TH is on another planet.
But, if you say player of the year should include a healthy dose of someone exceeding all EXPECTATIONS by miles, then Kolo has to be a serious candidate, as indeed to a lesser extent does Jens.
I’m taking that line and voting for Kolo, since everyone was really concerned about how we would ever replace Tony Adams. All of the TH brilliance might have been in vain had it not been for the great improvement in defence (as was the case in 02/03).
May 24th, 2004 at 11:54 am
I’d like to point out that I voted for Lauren in the “Unsung Hero” category. What the rest of the Army did they did of their own volition!.
Is there even a question on POTY? How could anyone vote for anybody but TH14 and be able to live with themselves?
That said, I’m voting for Jens just so he doesn’t get shut out, plus I love insane keepers.