Arsenal America

The BBC are currently running a feature called ?Cult Heroes? and it got me thinking after seeing Andez?s all time top XI who would get into an Arsenal XI of cult heroes.

The question is what makes a cult hero; well my definition is a player who was idolized by the fans for one reason or another. He may or may not have been the best player in the team; in fact he could be just a squad. He may be a rebel who did not toe the line with authority or the management or a player who gives 100% of his ability but it may only be 30% of a good player.

So here goes

Keeper - Pat Jennings
A player who was loved by both ends of the Seven Sisters Road, I have never seen Sp*rs fans give one of our players such a good reception whenever we played there. I will never understand why they sold him, especially to us because he was only in his early 30?s when he came and still world class, but they thought he was over the hill and they had a young up and coming keeper who was going to be the next best thing, step forward Barry Danies (where are you now?)

Right Back ? Pat Rice
Our current No: 2, Pat is honest to say that he was never a great player but he trained and gave 100% for Arsenal. As an apprentice he would came back for extra training and although their were better players than him around at the time he won a contract. Played in our first double side and went on to captain the side in 4 cup finals. Not bad for a player with limited resources.

Left Back ? Sammy Nelson
A team mate of Pat Rice for both club and country. At one time he had the distinction of having won more Northern Ireland caps than making first team appearances. Sammy was a happy chappy Irishman who was understudy to Bob McNab for years, but he never asked to leave because he loved Arsenal so much. Will always be remembered for ?Mooning? the North Bank after scoring just for a laugh.

Centre Back? Willie Young
Was pushed out of The Lane and we picked him up on the cheap. Willie was crap when he first arrived to us; in fact he was so bad in his first game against Ipswich that he was booed off the pitch. But Willie was full of heart and he slowly won our affections. Their was nothing better than seeing Big Willie charging up the field for a corner with the North Bank singing ?6 foot 2, eyes of blue Willie Young is after you la, la, la, la, la?

Centre Back ? Tony Adams
Mr. Arsenal

Right Midfield ? David (Rocky) Rocastle
You could tell he loved playing for Arsenal. He had an abundance of skill mixed with fight. He was the cool guy that looked like he had just stepped off the set of Miami Vice (one for the youngsters there). He was the type of person we all wished was our mate and I will never forget how he cried the day he was sold. The week he died we played Spurs at Highbury and the minuets silence was very emotional. We miss you Rocky.

Centre Midfield ? Liam Brady
One of the greatest players to have ever pulled on an Arsenal shirt. He played in a truly rubbish period and the team relied on him too much, if he played they played, which thankfully he did in most games, a true diamond in the rough. His two crowning moments were the ?Man of The Match? performance in the1979 FA Cup Final and the 5-0 demolition of Sp*rs at The Lane, with a peach of a goal. Oh how we cried when he left for Italy

Centre Midfield ? Patrick Vieira
This summer aside he has been our leader on and off the pitch. Taking over the captains? armband from TA was never going to be an easy job for any man but Patrick has done that with aplomb. He leads by example and he has been the main instigator for the team sprit we currently have. He has united the dressing room making every player feel as if they are loved and part of the club.

Left Midfield ? Perry Groves
George Grahams first signing and we should have seen the signs from then. A workman like player who should never have been anywhere near the pitch let alone on it. You sensed he knew he was out of his depth but he was going to enjoy himself while he was there. To be honest he did score some vital goals for us and it was his run that set up Charlie Nicolas?s winning goal in the League Cup final against Liverpool.

Forward ? Ian Wright
When George Graham bought him we thought he was mad, because Wrighty was in his late 20?s when he arrived and we had an abundance of forwards at the time but history has shown he was right. He scored goals for fun and you could tell he loved every minuet he was on that pitch. The smile on his face whenever he scored was a picture. He still has trouble when he is on TV talking about Arsenal without saying, we.

Forward ? Charlie George
He was the original fan who stepped off the terraces onto the pitch, a local lad who was one of us. He played for the crowd and we loved him for it. He had more skill in his left toe than most players of that era had in their whole body but he never really wanted to use it. Could have been one of the worlds? greatest players if he wanted.

So their you have it, there are so many players I have left out but only 11 can get in. So I apologies to following who did not make it, all deserving of a place in an Arsenal team, good or bad.
Keepers ? Jans Lehmann, Jimmy Rimmer, David Seaman, John Lukic, Geoff Barnet

Defenders ? Kenny Samson, Lee Dixon, Peter Simpson, Nigel Winterburn, Terry Mancini, Ian Ure, David O?Leary, Frank McLintock

Midfielders ? Alan Hudson, Alan Ball, Graham Rix, David Price, Mickey Thomas, Anders Limpar, Manu Pettit, Peter Storey, Brian Talbot, Paul Davis, Steve Williams, Kevin Richardson, Eddie Kelly, Jon Samalls

Forwards ? Charlie Nicholas, Booby Gould, John Radford, Ray Kennedy, Paul Merson, Alan Smith, Malcolm MacDonald, Ian Alinson, Frank Stapleton, Alan Sunderland