I want to response to Stag’s comment “whatever we get from the sale of Henry, will go into the clubs coffers. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest we’d buy a proven striker if TH14 were sold. NONE” with a new post here.
First, if all Arsenal board cares about is to make a profit out of the players they sold, or to make money out of this football business… then WHY would you think the board decided to go for a new stadium and put the club from a debt-free situation to become a 300 million pounds debt-carrying club? The club were making plently of money during the Highbury era under Wenger afterall.
Naturally, those board members are businessmen as well, they do want to make profit from the money they invested, but I believe most of them are football fans at heart. ‘Cos sure hell there are better way, easier way to make money than this football business. Over the years, I have seen many richer men ended up poor after trying their hands into this football BUSINESS.
Sir Jack Haywood of Wolverhampton Wanderers, threw away half of his fortune in Wolves, basically got nothing in return, and eventually sold the club for 1 pound. He was there because one simple reason - his LOVE towards the club, not trying to make a profit out of it.
Like Wolves to Haywood, Arsenal is almost David Dein’s life. And the Hill-Wood family has been running the club for generations.
The decsion to undertake such a enormous risk to go for the new stadium just showed how AMBITIOUS the club really is.
Just because we have not been spending big in recent time does not mean the club is not competitive. HAD the new stadium never built, and the club still refuse to spend, then you would have a right to argue. It’s just like you have just bought a new house, and mortgage for it, even though it does not affect your cash-flow, it’d be only natural that you would be watching your daily spending more carefully wouldn’t you?
There are plently teams in the world who can’t wait to spend big in order to get instant success. There are also clubs who tend to plan their strategy more carefully, to invest in the youth, and to invest in new training facilities, to invest in the new stadium, in order to make sure the club WILL ALWAYS BE COMPEITITVE, NOW and in the FUTURE.
With clubs like Chelsea, West Ham, Portsmouth, you know they are going to spend big in the near future. But what happens 5 years or 10 years later? Nobody knows.
At Arsenal, under Wenger, one of the first things he did was to upgrade our training facilities with a brand new state of art training center.
Then he has turned our youth team as one of the best in England (under George Graham, we had not seen any youngsters came through the rank since Ray Parlour).
Now we have got our new stadium. If you are talking about a club moving towards the RIGHT direction, I can’t think of any other club in England which had done a better job than Arsenal.
Take over or not, Thierry Henry will leave or not, or even Arsene Wenger will be here or not after 2008, the club WILL never stop progressing. As ALL the foundamental elements are already in place. And this is the most important thing to me. Surely it is more important to me than how many medals Thierry Henry will win for the rest of his career. This is ALL ABOUT ARSENAL. Otherwise this site would have be called ThierryHenryAmerica.com.
Finally, apart from the 30s when none of us even exist in this planet, Arsenal had NEVER been a big spending club. It’s not something just started under Arsene Wenger. We still won our shares of trophies under this tight-budget policy. And most Gunner’ fans when they started to support the club, they were awared of this. If they wanted to see a superstar signing for the club each year, they would not have chosen Arsenal as their club at the first place. Real Madrid, Man U, Chelsea, Juventus the likes surely seem like a better fit.
We don’t buy stars. THE STARS BECAME STARS AT ARSENAL.
So get on with it.
80 Responses to “You picked a club, you live with it.”
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June 20th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Andez, I agree with the major jist of your post. Of course, you know you are putting out the fire with gasoline… which is why I love reading this site.
Specifically, you are right when you say we are competivite - for God sake we beat Man U twice - we’re just not consistent enough — youth’s lack of mental toughness for 90 minutes x 38 league fixtures.
Also, too many examples over the years of teams spending their way into the black hole of financial distress. We have to spend smart and still win - it can be done; the summer’s not over.
June 20th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Yeah, I pretty much agree with what you’ve said, although I am of the belief that they will be looking to spend money to buy some players and retain their greatest marketing tool and talisman. The problem is, where is the money to come from?
It’s hardly rocket science. The main reason that Hill-Wood had a change of heart and is now speaking to the Kroenke group is exactly because they (the board) realize that in order to make a profit they need remain competitive on the European stage as much as they need to in the EPL. In order to do that, they need to spend money, which, since they are in debt, means that they need to find a source for that money.
The partnership with Colorado was a spring board for promoting Arsenal in the States. ManU are nearly a household name for anyone who remotely knows anything about football in the US. Arsenal is not. Nike and Kroenke are looking to change that, as well as making MLS a more attractive league abroad (enter Beckham).
The next step for Kroenke is as a shareholder. It will happen, just a matter of time. But don’t be down on it — from the business side of it, the flag you salute doesn’t matter — money does. And I still think Dein will be back as part of that group, so Wenger won’t need to look for a new club.
Yeah, I’m feeling optimistic.
June 20th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
ryecatcher773, u got some interesting points there.
I think to give the green light for a new stadium must be one of the toughest decisions made by the Arsenal board - They knew what they were getting themselves into.
The irony thing is - BECAUSE of Wenger’s success with Arsenal, therefore a new stadium started to become INEVITABLE, if we want to compete with the big clubs.
Yet on the other hand, the board must have understood (when they decided to go for a new stadium) that it might disrupt Arsenal (under AW)’s MOMENTUM.
Without the new stadium plan, we probably could have more money to spend (in a SHORT TERM), thus allowed Wenger to build on that amazing 2004 side.
When the decision (new stadium) being made, I remember Arsenal had yet to win their second “double”. We had only ONE double under Wenger’s management, so I suspect even the board did not expect the following success Wenger would bring to Arsenal.
I think for Wenger, the decision to go for YOUTH was rather his PLAN B. I remember during the early years under his management, LoveG and I were still talking about Wenger’s unwillingness to give the youngsters a chance. When there were 5 bench spots, it was usually filled by veterans like Parlour, Kanu, rather than young hopefuls like Sidwell, Aliadiere at that time.
Operating under an even tighter budget due to the construction of a new stadium, I think Wenger and Dein had no choice but to come up with this “5 Years Project”, to build a new team all over again.
We could have spent all our 20 mil per season budget and try to compete with Chelsea, Man U in the transfer market. But let’s face it, playing the transfer game this way, we don’t really have a prayer.
June 21st, 2007 at 2:20 am
Exactly Andez. Wenger and Dein had no choice.
Money isn’t everything though. To anyone who wants to complain about unloading old faces for youth, look to Old Trafford in the early 90’s. Sir Alex caught a lot of flak for bringing in the youth… and as United have shown, continuity (and one hell of a manager) means a lot. Look at Chelsea this season — tons of money invested, but after a two season run, they are having troubles.
The core of Man U is made up of guys who came up together and who’ve been there a long time (Scholes, Giggs, Neville, and until a few years ago Beckham) and a couple of kids who’ve come into their own as superstars (Rooney & Ronaldo). Yeah, they have a lot of money to throw around, and some have left, but it’s the leadership from the guys that’ve been with the club so long that sustains them. Ferguson knows what he’s doing,and he’s got 21 seasons at the helm. In the 15 seasons the EPL has been around, 9 of its titles belong to the Red Devils.
Chelsea, meanwhile, throws money around and while it produced results quickly, look at what happened when they didn’t make it three in a row (and before Mourinho it was sweet fa for Chelsea in top flight football the previous 50 seasons). Look at how quickly the Mourinho has become a question mark That club is a house built on sand. Lots of talent and money– Abramovich has deep pockets — but the club is poor in its leadership department. And player wise it would seem. Terry is the only guy on the field who leads, and it comes as no surprise being that I can’t think of anyone else the Blues have who not only has leadership abilities but has also been there long enough to say he’s Chelsea through and through.
Okay so then we have Arsenal. 3 titles under Wenger, the longest run in English football at the top flight, and all of a sudden its a team in turmoil. Why? Mainly it’s about money. The Dein departure was ultimately about power which is equatable to being about money. Transfers come down to money. New stadiums are about money. So Arsenal is facing something that wasn’t really an issue before… but now their captain is whining because he wants to win and he thinks in order to do it, they need to spend money –even though he knows they don’t have it. Cole mentioned that as he left that the club wasn’t talented enough with all the youngsters around.
A few years back, Henry was part of a core made up of experienced guys like Bergkamp, Pires, Ljungberg, Campbell, but minus Freddie, all they’re gone now. Why? Money? I don’t think it was about that so much as it was about age. Mainly because the players were getting old and no amount of money can reverse that process.
Rather than bring in more expensive, established names via transfers, Wenger did what made more sense for the long term betterment of the club and decided it was time to follow Feguson’s model from the early 90’s and build a youth movement.
Anyone in doubt as to AW’s intentions should consider the players he brought on: Van Persie, Clichy, Diaby, Fabregas, Reyes and Walcott weren’t just random acquisitions. Even the Rosicky acquisition made sense. He wasn’t a mid-market substitute for a big name. Be patient. Wenger has had a plan and before all the drama this season, it seemed like we all could see what was going on. There are some who will depart, but this is mainly a talent-rich young team. It just hasn’t finished yet.
But Henry is putting pressure on the club to spend rather than seeing it through with the contract that HE signed, and sticking to Wenger’s plan. We don’t know exactly why Dein left, but we can reasonably assume that it had something to do with the Kroenke move.
Remember what I said about Arsenal needing to spend money to remain competitive on the continent — here’s what I meant: Henry was assumed to be the on field leader of the young club. Without him, they need to get someone to fill the veteran big name/goalscorer/play-maker role…and to keep him, they also need to bring someone in.
Peter Hill-Wood, part of Arsenal’s royal family lineage, wanted to preserve/protect an English club from foreign interference. Nothing wrong with that in my book. He stood down the threat of overseas investment (or perhaps it was a takeover).
After seeing the club’s most famous face at risk of really leaving this time, as well as perhaps losing the longest serving manager in team history, Hill-Wood is forced to backpedal (not good posture for anyone, particularly a chairman and an Eton man to boot) in order to find money to appease Henry’s demands, and perhaps mend ways with Dein for the sake of Wenger.
Any way you look at it, there is a connection to money here. But Arsenal’s board needs to understand what Man U has for years and Chelsea (and perhaps Thierry Henry) may never get: experience doesn’t necessarily come from money and big names. You don’t get an experienced, cohesive unit by veering away from the plan.
That’s why Henry isn’t the right man to wear the armband. He’s a star, but he doesn’t get it. He’s not a Roy Keane or a Steve Gerrard.
Does AFC need to spend? Yes. Every club who wants to progress needs to constantly look to improve. But being prudent in your investments is the difference between following the plan for a dynasty, and setting the stage for a full blown meltdown on the horizon. Look to our rivals to the far north for the former, and just to the south-west for the latter.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:52 am
There is one part u mentioned I agree 100%, ryecatcher - there is no sure win formula in terms of how to run a club, but many successful clubs have a core of players who’s their home growth or products from their youth rank.
‘Cos those when u bought them to the team when they are 25,6 or above, they don’t have the same CLUB IDENTITY as the younger players who joined the team when they are kids or as a 18,19 teenager.
The Ferguson’s success story also very spot on.
Ferguson took charge of Man U at 86, I remember vividly HOW he ran the clubs the first few years - by BUY BUY and BUY.
He spent A LOT of money on many big name English players (before EU, when there were still restriction on buying foreign players), yet the result never improved much. Man U were still an underachieving side during his first SIX seasons in charge.
Yet apart from spending big, Ferguson did make a significant decision at that time - to improve and upgrade Man U’s youth system.
The first few years, nobody saw any benefit from this new Man U youth system under Fergie. Yet it did make a significant difference towards Ferguson’s Man U career in later years.
In fact, the one player who saved Ferguson’s job at Man U was a guy name Lee Martin - one of the first generation of Ferie’s kids. His goal that won Ferguson his first trophy with Man U (FA Cup) started a golden chapter of Man U’s history under Sir Alex.
Later on we saw the more high-profile Lee Sharpe, Giggs, and Beckham generation came through the rank.
The case of Ferguson is one classic example - ‘cos the man who actually done both - by SPENDING BIG, and INVESTING IN YOUTH at the SAME TIME.
Eventually it’s the latter policy which helped to lay the foundation of his later success.
June 21st, 2007 at 7:39 am
The more I look at pictures of old Highbury the more I see a poxy, small-time stadium for a team punching well above its weight.
This move had to happen, it’s brilliant for the club. Yes, we’ll have to wait for the flats to go up - coming along nicely last time I was there, and for them to be sold for a massive £100m profit to curb the debt. When it’s down to £200m it will be more manageable and the club can chip away at it through sponsorship deals etc. and TV money which has increased substantially this season.
If the debt can be reduced to £150m then that’s manageable over a long period considering the vast sums that the Emirates stadium draws in. I’m happy for the club to be owned by those who care about the club primarily, however, if any takeover included Dein then I’m happy because he cares and has worked harder for Arsenal more than any other board member. I trust him 100%.
Arsenal can be competitive next season, if Wenger would spend £20-£30m on 3 players - there is no requirement for a massive cash injection. And going forward the future is very bright as the young players will get better and better and the requirement for new players will lessen.
So far this summer, nothing has happened, only speculation and conjecture. If Henry wanted to leave then and Barcelona were confident of buying they would have moved for him by now and the deal would probably be done and dusted. Henry is committed to the club but wants Wenger to buy - like every Arsenal fan does. Wenger will buy, I’m quite sure - if he doesn’t then he might well lose Henry, but I very much doubt he’s that stupid.
In the meantime, stop getting worked up about nothing - deals will likely be done in before pre-season starts, I’m sure Wenger would prefer to get the players in then. Or he might prefer his more risky last-minute strategy, which I don’t agree with to be honest but as long as we get the players in I don’t care.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:08 am
A great post…a very probing one. Danny put it perfectly I think…”punching above their weight” … In reality without AW we are a mid table club .. seriously. We could probably have continued at Highbury but with the modern game changing so much and with an ever expanding fan base and viewership for footballl I doubt we would ever compete seriously for the title apart from the odd 2nd 3rd place maybe.
They’ve done the hard work by making the move and dont need to throw it all away by doing stupid things like blowing 40million on transfers. In 2-3..4 years when the debt is repaid Arsenal will be a big club. I just hope AW stays till then…before going off to Africa to help youth development there or something …cant see him managing another club.. really.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:11 am
As for Titi and even Paddy I can imagine this scene..
Titi: Arsene, I’m not getting any younger….I want to win. Please buy a few big players.
Arsene:Trust me
Titi: we need big players , youth takes too much time. Sure the kids are great and I trust you but .. we need big match players, winners or I’m off
Arsene: You werent a big player when I brought you from Juventus…look at you now.
Often repeated online..but htought I’ll just put it on here.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:29 am
There’s some truth in what you’re saying - some young players can make a very big leap in 1-2 seasons. I think Fabregas will be a massive player next year and will show another big leap forward, perhaps Diaby, even Adebayor, Eboue will as well, it can definitely happen. Before the unbeaten season Arsenal only bought Lehmann and everyone was moaning, including me. Wenger got it right then and maybe he’ll get it right next season in the same way. He sees the players in training, we don’t, he also KNOWS what it takes to win the Premiership, he’s done it 3 times, he knows which ingredients within the squad are required and obviously believes we’re quite close to it. But without new signings I am still pessimistic as I was before the unbeaten season.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:57 am
We also have to remember that in the unbeaten season, we still drew 12 times, ended on 90 pts. & would’ve only won the title by a solitary point last season & would’ve finished 2nd to Chelsea the previous 2 years.
So my point is while we marveled over the unbeaten 03/04 team, they still drew a 3rd of their matches. The other part of us competing for the EPL next season that I think some of us have overlooked (myself included) is we could also use some help from other teams taking more pts. off of Chelsea & Man U more often.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Danny, one major difference between the summer before the unbeaten season and now. Then, we had just lost out on title and had been champions the season before. So, even though Wenger added only Lehmann, the team was full of champions.
That is not the case now. This team has only Lehmann, Toure, Gallas, Gilberto and Henry as champions. A better comparison for now would be when we went three seasons without a title between 99-01. We finally won in 02, but we did sign Campbell, Gio, Jeffers and Wright in the summer of 01. Except for Jeffers, all had an impact on the team.
Another point overlooked is that then, Arsenal had to beat only ManU to win the title. Now we have to beat Chelsea and ManU, maybe even Liverpool (if Rafa gets his signings right).
June 21st, 2007 at 3:10 pm
You guys are some long winded mother truckers. The simple fact is that Arsenal have always been a competive club in the EPL. Now we go from a 35,000 seat stadium to a 65,000 seater that sold out pretty much the entire season. I’m no mathmatician or spelling bee expert. But that looks to me like we are doubling our income soly on tickets sales. And a few more high end sales of players i.e. Henry (who I love and do not want to see leave but you got to do what you got to do) like the Anelka sale which was a huge money maker at the time. We will see Arsenal with plenty of money to keep the team in top flight compatition for another ten years.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:13 pm
nipuna: nope, only campbell was significant in our 02 title win.
the truth of the matter is….Wenger knows what it takes to win the premiership.
in general the key is for us to start strongly … and then to pray we dont get decimated by injuries.
the quality is there for sure. apart from the liverpool away game we dominated all the matches against the top 7 clubs. thats proof of quality.
we just need the consistency and a bit of luck with injuries.
we also need one of our younger ones like RvP to really explode ala ronaldo.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Fred, I beg to differ.
Wright was our GK in all FA Cup games except the final (which is why he left).
Gio filled in the left back and midfield position in many games. Eg. At Anfield, where despite him being wrongly sent off for diving, we won 2-1.
These players were not stars or super-class, but they all contributed in their own way.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:38 pm
We didn’t dominate any of the Chelsea games. I like Chelsea in that way; they do a good job of showing us up and letting us know how much we have to improve. The second half against Chelsea at the Emirates was disturbing in that sense, even though there was more riding on it for them than for us.
June 21st, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Arsenal didn’t have Henry in the match at Stamford Bridge, and at the Emirates, they didn’t have VanPersie, Henry or Walcott.
I’d say they faired okay against the (at the time) reigning champs for a team playing without all its starters.
June 21st, 2007 at 5:22 pm
The only absentee in any of those games who would have a difference was Tomas Rosicky. Our ball retention was lacking in those games as was our ability to control and dictate play. The players you mentioned would not have made a blind bit of difference on that score. Have you seen Henry play at Stamford Bridge the last few years? Complete passenger in every game since the year 2000. Arsena’s star man at Stamford Bridge- Emmanuel Adebayor- may have not even played had Henry been fit and we may not have even gotten a draw.
June 21st, 2007 at 5:36 pm
I agree with Fred. The key is to start strongly and we need one youngster to make a big leap, be it Walcott, Van Persie, Adebayor, Denilson, Diaby, Djourou or even Senderos.
At the moment the club is in the position where we don’t have to sell anyone - witness the interest in Diaby which was rebuffed, as reported today. We may not yet be in the position where we can buy anyone we want but we will get there.
June 21st, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Mazza, I’ve said all along that the midfield was where the club needed work if anyone is brought in. I’ve already said that striker isn’t the problem.
The point I was making was that we still didn’t lose to Chelsea, even with our lack of experience in the middle, and that the striker position (particularly Henry — who is the player at the heart of almost every article’s debate) wasn’t much of a factor in our shortcomings versus the top teams.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Cold, wet, hostile away games outside the top 3 will be our undoing until Wenger gets the right mentality mix. How many points would you think we’ll garner from the following? Bolton, Blackburn, Everton, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland….exactly!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:17 pm
NBG, by ‘right mentality mix’ are you implying Arsenal needs more English players?
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:11 am
Man, ryecatcher, you wrote a damn thesis up there. I’m sure you made some good points but I didn’t read them.
I like the Arsenal team. It’s only going to get better. Wenger won’t sign another player just to keep Henry happy. Thierry knows as well as anyone the quality of the Arsenal youngsters and it’s up to him to decide whether he wants to be a part of it or not. It’s nice for Wenger to know that he doesn’t have to sign anyone and this young team will continue to improve where others need to buy to improve.
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:50 am
NBG, u got a point….but now its up to the kids to learn from their experience and really put in the improvement.
remember: for most of those “cold, wet” away games last season we STILL dominated and had enough chances to win. so there is still hope on that front.
i expect two solid signings this summer plus one 18 year old for good measure.
i think these would give us the right mentality mix you talk about.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:05 am
Well, so far (if your expectations come to fruition) the teenager signing may already be locked up with Havard Nordtveidt — whose signing I keep hearing is imminent any day now.
Not living anywhere near Norway, I have no idea who this kid is… but United (among a list of others) is interested in him too from what I’ve read. Maybe he’s the next Solskjaer… or maybe he’ll end up hunting whales by the age of 22.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Oh my God, Henry is set to sign for Barca.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/6231950.stm
When BBC reports it, it usually turns out to be true.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:17 pm
and for such a small amount!!! i was expecting at least 25m given that sheva cost 30m. but then again RvN cost 10m.
but this seems pretty low.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Who kows what price is right, I saw on Foxsoccer.com that Arsenal is set to received $32 million US. Either way it looks like TH 14 is gone. As the clubs usually say, he was a great servant to the club. I wish him well, but now the club needs to step up & spend whatever $ they received & get some help, especially in defense & scoring punch.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
This is a repeat of Vieira, sold for less one year later.
Ryecatcher77, the captain position could well be cursed.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:52 pm
It is a bit scary TH leaving but then again I’m not sure the team was doing that well last season when he did play, let’s get some new guys in and start scoring!
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Arsenal without Henry is a tough pill to digest. The only silver lining is that the reports of the Henry sale also state that Wenger is in Spain conducting the transaction. This means to me that Wenger, notwithstanding his reluctance to make a commitment to Arsenal beyond the upcoming season, is very much in charge. Given that circumstance, I’ve got to believe that Wenger has a master plan in mind and that the sale of Henry is only part of a larger process devised by Wenger. Moreover, if Wenger was really going to leave Arsenal after the upcoming year, why would the board allow him to sell the talisman and arguably not complete implementation of the larger plan. In short, I am very eager to see what Wenger has to say about this before I get very distressed. Arsenal without Arsene does not require digesting a tough pill, it is tantamount to biting down on a cyanide capsule.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
This is just fantastic news for all you Wenger rump-swabs.
You’ve got your wish… Henry looks set for Barcelona.
Now we’ll see if Wenger is going to buy anyone worth a feckin’ shite…
Seems to me, if he had planned on buying anyone of a proven quality, Thierry Henry would not be leaving.
16Million?
If this is true, we’re so stupid its unbelievable.
So now Owen Hargreaves is worth more than Thierry Henry?
To Arsenal … I guess he is… If Barca wanted him bad enough, then I think they’d have paid at least a decent sum of money. But hey, what do I know.
I’d say Arsenal wanted the cash so they took it.
What it means… is that once again, we’ve sold our captain and one of our star players… and frankly, he’s not replaceable. We aren’t spending 25 million on Eto’o… or any other star name. Thats what makes 16 Million laughable if we’ve taken it.
We’re a SELLING CLUB.
Selling clubs … sell their best players off… to REAL ELITE TEAMS.
So you can all spin this however you want.
I hope for f*cks sake that its just a bad dream… and more bullshite from the media… but if its true, it tells me we’ve got no interest in contending for trophies this year at all…
Gotta go… going to drink myself into feckin’ oblivion.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Au revoir Thierry
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Stag: I, as a “Wenger rump-swab” who is “so stupid its unbelievable” advise you root for a “REAL ELITE TEAM” and politely suggest you go off into “feckin’ oblivion.”
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Actually you misread the article Stag. The deal is worth 16 million & your loyalty to Arsenal. Good luck supporting Barca a true elite club, you may get that trophy you pine for. Ha!
Oh boo hoo boo hoo. Quit acting like a child. Yes, I’ve got “my wish.” To prove you wrong that we are not a mid table team w/o Henry. Oh wait, wait, it hasn’t happened quit yet. To bad you didn’t take my bet when it was offered Stagola, the oblivion inducing drinks would’ve been on me tonight.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Don’t fear… I’ll be here to taunt you ALL SEASON as we slide towards mid-table.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:34 pm
United sold Becks and Ruud and made out okay. Teams sell, especially ones in a position like ours where we’re coming off a major transition that has assured us we’ll be an elite club in the years to come. And it won’t be long until our current crop ARE the players everyone are after.
I haven’t heard any official confirmation from the club, and I don’t listen to the Spanish press, so until then I don’t feel the need to comment too in-depth on the supposed sale of Thierry Henry for £16m. I will say this: if all the details are correct, Titi’s wheels and heels must be a huge question mark. And for an increasingly injury prone 30 year old at any skill level, that price is not the worse business I’ve ever heard. And if he really didn’t want to stay, it’s good business. Forget the Cheva deal people are going on about, Chelsea just splashed over value to dust the contract quickly.
Some of us will ride the turning of the page, some of us won’t. Stag, hang in there, buddy. ;^)
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:44 pm
You know this a momentous day when ScottyUS posts ;^)
I usually go with my gut feeling on things like this, and my gut tells me this sale is a natural progression for Henry and the club. It just feels right for some reason, partially due to Henry’s degenerating physical condition and his growing aloofness towards Arsenal’s plight. He can’t even be bothered to choose his words anymore and that tells you his relationship with Arsenal has run its course. Best to leave before things turn sour.
I personally think leaving Highbury has had a major effect on Henry. He very much associated Arsenal with that stadium and affiliation with the club diluted significantly when we left. The passion had gone.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Boys, this ain’t good. Actually, this hurts. Hopefully we already had another deal sewn up this time before agreeing a fee. If TH14 didn’t express a desire to leave would Arsenal truly agree a fee? Well, they did with Vieira. I don’t know.
We’ve talked alot about bringing many different players in but to play with Henry not in place of him. No one is actually capable of replacing Thierry Henry but if he’s gone who do we bring in?
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Josh… I think we can get Freddy Adu on the cheap.
He fits the bill, he’s like 17 and he’s never done a damned thing in his career.
Perfect.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:58 pm
I am worried because Henry is leaving but every player has an end. Contract, age, lack of hanger, …
I am pissed off because Arsenal didn’t get much from it.. should we ?
Henry gave Arsenal so much and money can’t replace him.
Can we find a replacement? there is no replacement to players. Each player has his own style, thus the style of the team will change. Either Treziques or Etou or Anelka or Babel, the way Arsenal play will be different.
Is Bettender ready? not yet, is he ready to play some games .. yes he is. Will RVP be better? yes. Will he be the top scorer .. we should not expect this if we want Arsenal to win the title.
At the end of day. Henry was going to leave sometime, this year, next year or in 4 years.
As much I think he is the greatest striker in the world, Arsenal did not use even 50% of his ability. for whatever reason: 10 behind him suck, injured, tired, not motivated, being a captain in the same time, …
can we get 90% or 100% of him ?— if yes, then keep him.
If no, then try something else. Sell him and bring someone who can give us more than the 50% of Henry.
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Correct me if I am wrong Stag. I think the whole thing here is Henry wants to leave, not the other way around - that the fans are telling him to get the hell outta here right?
It’s like when you used to be doing well, with a nice car, a villa in the country side, and your girl told you I love you, I would never leave you, and do I have to wear a T-Shirt with print on the shirt that “I will never leave” and walking down the street to ensure you I am going nowhere?
Then things had not been doing well for you lately, u have bought and mortgaged for a house, your cash flow is tight. Yet your girl kept on asking you to buy her a diamond which u can’t afford. Now she’s telling you I want it, and I want it NOW. Then off she goes. Promptly forgotton all about that T-Shirt with a “I will never leave” sign on it.
So what r u gonna do? Crying? Moaning?
U know u don’t want her to leave, but you know you also have to MOVE ON. So you tell yourselves Ok then, it’s hurt that now she’s gone, but it’s not the end of the world.
I think that’s exactly what guys here been saying - it’s not the end of the world that Henry leaves. Rather than Yahoo, now Titi is gone, let’s have a party!
I don’t think anyone has a “wish list” that Titi better go.
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:22 pm
The price tag 16 mil also is understandable.
Cos Henry is going to turn 30 the coming August 17th. When a club pay 16 mil for a 30-year-old, they are paying 16 mil NET.
What i mean is when u pay 10 mil for a 20-year-old, not only he will have 10-15 good years’ career ahead, also that if u r gonna sell him one day, you know u may be able to cash in the money u had paid for him, e.g. We paid 10 mil for Henry, he won us load of trophies, then we sold him for a 6 mil profit. Not too bad a deal huh.
When u buy a 30-year-old for 16 mil, to the most he would have 5 years’ good career ahead, and chance is that when u have to sell him one day, he probably will only get u 1 or 2 mil back in return.
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Andez, man, you have a way of putting things across. Cheers!!
As for the price, let’s wait to hear the official version.
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Agree with everything said by Andez in posts 41 and 42. Stag, if Arsenal does go mid-table this year as you predict, it still does not mean you were right. Henry wants to leave and is obviously not buying into whatever Arsene is selling right now.
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Okay, well such news about Henry causes me to break my silence. This is my first post here, but I have been signed up and reading the site for about a year.
Quick back story, I am a newbie football fan. I casually got into the game a few years ago, but being a silly American I wasn’t more than an occasional viewer of bigger matches on tv. I randomly picked up an Arsenal scarf a few years ago on name recognition in a thrift store, looked the team history up on the internet, and followed them on and off.
Last year’s World Cup was my first to watch as many matches as possible, almost every on on American tv. I was hooked, and decided that I should up my level of interest in Arsenal. A summer of study and youtube clips led to a gut feeling this club was for me. 12 months later, and an elevated DirecTV bill later - here I am. Depressed — because I only saw one not quite a full season of Henry in the Gunner’s kit; depressed because I my planned trip to England next year to see the Gunners will not include seeing Henry. Depressed because as a new fan, my love for Arsenal is mirroring portions of my “other” life.
It’s been a hell of a roller-coaster for 12 months. I am trying to trust AW. I know the youth will mature and be quality. I am sad by DD’s departure. Now Henry is going to Barca? It’s almost July, and we haven’t signed anyone that would sure up our inconsistent defense…seriously. Set piece defense out of corners was the reason we didn’t leapfrog Liverpool by a mile. And we have all talked about the lack of quality in the finishing. TH and RVP were the only decent strikers on the club when it came to CONSISTENCY. And they stayed hurt down the stretch.
Somebody pull this newbie Gunner off the ledge and away from the bar. or just buy me a drink down here in Texas.
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
By the way, if Henry does leave, can we get Anelka back?
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Well folks……..it has happened. Unbelievable; but all good things must come to an end.
Thanks Thierry for all your hard work and what you have done for the Arsenal. I wish you the best of luck (except when we meet in the Semis of CL next year).
I am sad to see such a magnificent player leave……..BUT I am not shedding too many tears. He wanted to go, and that is his right. You can’t keep him against his will. He wants to win the CL (the only trophy he doesn’t have) so he is gone to team who has a better chance of winnng it….
I know I am in the minority, but I actually think that The Arsenal will be OK next year. TH’s best years are behind him and since PV’s departure we have changed our playing style which doesn’t suit his game (pace). He was one of the poorer captains in the EPL and those stares in the direction of RvP and Ade didn’t help team morale.
I don’t think we’ll be a mid table team; I honestly think that we will be competitive; not saying we will win EPL, but we WILL BE competitive.
Is AW going to replace TH? well, TH is irreplacable; but I think he will bring in a striker…..Who, I don’t know, but will bet you it’s not anyone we can guess today…….It won’t be a big name signing…that is not Arsene’s style…..
Chins up folks; The Arsenal WILL BE FINE.
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Very well said, Biggun. If that’s a minority opinion, count me in that minority.
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:25 pm
I am in biggun’s minority.
Times are saying that Wenger is bidding 10m for Anelka. That will stir the Emirates!
If Henry’s departure is confirmed tomorrow, you will get good odds on Arsenal to win any trophy or Arsenal to get more points than the season just gone. I am willing to bet on both those outcomes.
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Bolies, it’s not bad for a new fan of ur ability to observate one of our key weaknesses - SET PIECE DEFENDING!!
Put it this way - we can analysis all day of all our weaknesses, but HAD we be able to address one or two little details, our team would have done much better than it did last season.
Particular when we take into consideration how many silly points we conceded through SET PIECES alone last season.
Hang in there though Bolies, with this football things, one got to have a quality to be a fan - stay POSITIVE. Or football could be HELL!!! Just ask Nick Hornby. But HEAVEN wouldn’t have been sweeter HAD we never been through HELL. Nick Hornby’s “Fever Pitch” would not have been a best sellers HAD him never been through HELL (as a FAN). I don’t think anybody would have interested to read a Real Madrid fan’s story of being a Real fan, as his club virtually being successful all his life. What is there to read about that my club won this and that in this year and that year, and i am happy?
Who knows? Perhaps we will see a new hero being born soon at Arsenal!
nipuna,
of Anelka, I remember i used to feel very annoyed by him when he was leaving Arsenal. But one thing about this guy is - he may have been a cry baby who likes to sulk. But this guy never PRETEND. He never pretended he LOVES Arsenal when he was with us.
I don’t think fans DEMAND players to LOVE the club. Of course fans would HOPE or WISH their players LOVE the club just as much as they do. But if they don’t love the club, it won’t really bother anyone. Afterall, it’s difficult to expect every Arsenal players was an Arsenal supporter when they were kids.
I think what annoyed fans most was players like Alan Smith - he kissed the crest (Leeds United), he cried when they got relegated. A week later, he joined Man Utd.
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:28 pm
I agree 100% with everything Andez said above. I found out about this a few hours ago but I have already gone through the grief cycle (shock, denial, anger, depression) but now I have come to terms with it. I guess this was invetable. Sooner or later he was going to move. At least now we know whats going on (assuming all of this is true) and we can look ahead. I must say I am not as pessimistic about the future (even next season). Why am I not so worried… 1. Wenger is still in charge (at least for now) 2. When I started supporting The Arsenal, I had NO IDEA who Henry was. Arsenal stole my heart then without him and my love affair with the club will continue even when everyone who is at the club now has moved on. 3. I have been in this place before (although not quite this bad) ie there were some players who left the team before whose departures devastated me but the club continued to produce results and I soon forgot about them. I remember when Anelka left and a lot of my friends who support other teams were predicting the end for Arsenal. Arsenal will always produce quality players and I really believe people will be surprized how well we cope with Henry’s departure. I believe that good will come out of this somehow eg greater cohesion in the dressing room now that the BIG MAN is gone. 4. I think Henry has done his bit for the club and it is time for him to pursue other challenges. I think Arsenal got the most out of Henry and Barca will be fortunate to get half of what he did for Arsenal during his time with the club. I wish him well and hope he has a successful tenure in Spain. Not everyone can go out like Dennis.
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Thanks Andez. I still have hope. And I am glad I am in the Arsenal fold. I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I watched the replay of our advance to the Carling Cup final at 6am the day after it occured before work, I sat there in my living room smiling as I watched Arsenal fans bouncing up and down, singing their lungs out…I knew I was in for a wild ride as a fan. We might lose TH, but with a smart signing of a striker who is ready to breakout — like when AW brought TH here and made him a star — and a few tough smart signings in the defense and the midfield - Arsenal can make a run. We surprised a lot of people this year, including ManU. If AW comes back after this year, I could see us winning the Premiership sometime soon.
In regards to Liverpool and our fight with them in the table - don’t worry, as a Texas resident, I have seen first hand how Tom Hicks can screw up franchises. He has ruined the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars. Liverpool could be mid-table in a year or two. =)
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Cheers, Mazza. And what’s with the new format? Less contentious this way? Anyhoo…
I see things this way in regards to Titi (if he’s really gone): he’s an injury prone player with a huge ego whose flame was very hot at the close of our CL final season. All eyes were on him, and he says the right things and gets lots of hugs. Then the 06/07 season comes after he loses a WC final, and not only is he exhausted and unable to fulfill his armband duties, his stems are shot and well as his sciatic [sic]. Wenger decide that, instead of driving him into the ground and risk having the rest of the team suffer his woes along with him, he takes the lesser of two evils and sits him. Titi makes a stab at keeping his local stock aloft by making some inspired sideline appearances and saying some of the right things. We finish 4th. Fans are unhappy. And his press is not good.
Now, the summer is quiet on the AFC front and the La Liga runners-up start making noises again. Eto’o wants him, loves him, wants to have a million of his babies. Barcelona at large are treating him like the second coming, and throwing down the gauntlet. Wenger, on the other hand, is hedging and looking at his prospects. He hasn’t seen the fire from his captain, and frankly, is starting to sense that his captain’s attitude is having an ill effect on his up-and-comers. He gives him more line to see what he will do. Titi decides to cozy up with the flirting camp, and settles in for a long summer of speculation, and might I once again add, lots and lots and lots of fawning attention.
Wenger, having seen his admittedly conservative summer window be drained by a captain in the recent past, decides to pre-empt the same sort of strike that he did with Vieira. He can’t go shopping if he doesn’t know who is staying, and the spirit is dropping fast. Better to grieve early so they have plenty of time to regroup than go through the same early season hangover woes as before. He tells Titi his thoughts. Titi asks him if he’s going to buy anyone huge. Wenger tells him that there is no one huge for sale and he’s not going to pay £17 for Darren Bent, a player they have probably considered and shared a laugh about. Wenger, holding fast to the belief that Cesc still attributes his success to him and will be around for at least another year, likely more if his plans are fruitful and he’s up for captaincy, puts the ball in Henry’s court, knowing his ego is in full strain.
As is to be expected, knowing his year coming up is a huge question mark in the Premiership having already shone his “achilles” and that addictive mad love awaits down south, Henry begins to brush up on his Catalan.
IF, he’s gone.
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Oh, and having Dein’s kid – and the best man at his wedding – whinging in his ear surely didn’t help matters, “Thierry, if you go to Barcelona you can tell anybody why you did it, and at least you’ll have a better chance on paper to be able to hang around San Antonio next year and not feel like a hanger-on.”
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Oh man Scotty!!! Where have u been?! Glad to c u back!
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I usually react to gut instinct on news such as this - if Henry is off to be honest I am not all that disappointed. We got the best out of him, that’s for sure. His pace was definitely slower last year, he can’t beat people as easily as before, but technically he’s still good enough to have done a big job for us.
Maybe Wenger believes now is the right time to sell as Henry is on the downward slope, plus he’s not a good captain and the team revolves around him and his mood swings far too much. Remember last season when Henry was dropped, had a bust up with Wenger then came out on the pitch and made himself center of attention by dancing with Adebayor - that’s might well have been when Wenger thought “goodbye Henry”.
The team will have to grow up and becoming more responsible, and two new top class strikers could add up to a better team than with Henry in it - no player is irreplaceable, who would have thought Wright’s goalscoring record could be beaten so quickly.
Let’s wait and see - this story could still be duff, but it’s a lot of smoke.
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Cheers, Andez! I finally figured out how to get back in. ;^)
And right away I find myself agreeing 100% with Danny T. I barely recognize the place. Cheers, DT.
Despite all he’s won, in the current football climate Arsene will define his tenure in the next two months. Exciting stuff. I’m also going to go out on a short limb and suggest that Arsene is letting Henry go in the same way he did Paddy: with something left in the tank to finish off their career befitting of their service. No one wants to watch a legendary Premiership footballer fade out and getting stymied in the final third by chavvy dreck like Anton Ferdinand. Let him go to the fancy and roomy pitches of sunny Spain where the warm sun will numb their well earned battle scares and they can squeeze out another medal among their fellow twilighters.
See you in the CL, Titi.
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Everyone agrees that no player is irreplaceable. But Wenger is as close as it gets to having a person irreplaceable at Arsenal. As long as he stays, many of us will still feel confident. I hope all measures are taken to sign him up for the long term.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:52 pm
I doubt Wenger will continue much longer regardless, maybe 3 or 4 years. The job is taking its toll on his family life etc. One day Arsenal will have to find a new manager, but the club will be in a lot better condition than when Wenger joined that’s for sure. Arsenal has always been the biggest club in Britain behind Manchester United and Liverpool - but not that far behind. The stadium and the class of the place will ensure Arsenal will be fighting for the title for many years to come with or without Wenger. Sure. his achievement of finishing 1st or 2nd 9 years running is almost unsurpassable - that’s the stuff of dreams really - but in 10 years whose to say what will be what? Anything can happen, but you can bet your arse the Gunners will be involved somewhere along the line.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Exactly. Here is a statement made by Vieira when he left for Juventus, and reflected on his mentor’s influence:
“If you compare what the club was like the year when I arrived to the way it was the year when I left, it’s like comparing night and day…. It has changed beyond recognition.”
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Henry must be joking right? He is saying that he made this decision because Dein has left the club and Wenger might be off next summer as well.
Well Thierry, I will ask you, will you work with Dein and Wenger at Barca? The answer is no, so there is other reason why you are leaving but whatever it is I respect your decision and I hope you’ll be happy at Barca. Good luck.
Now, as someone said, the current playing style is a bit different to what we have been used to, and this style is not suiting Henry. Without him we are probably out of the title challenge, but we are not a mid-table team niether.
I expect Arsene to sign a striker now, coz we only have Ade, RvP and Bendtner as our strikers and with Ade going to play in the ANC in January we will have only van Persie and Bendtner. But who knows, Wenger might decide to gamble on the youth again and recall Carlos Vela to compete for a place.
As Eto’o is not available and I don’t think AW will sign Anelka again, here are my thoughts about who Wenger might sign as an Henry replacement. The players are Torres, Tevez, Bent, Trez and Klose. I believe one of these guys will sign for us.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:52 pm
So T.H is gone, what now? Close to 2 months where Wenger can weave his magic and uncover the next king of High….er….Emerates thats what! I like what we have, I’ll like it more when I read about a WOW signing. In years past I have not been surprised that there has been no ‘major’ coup, I will be absolutely amazed if that happens again. Who is the new big gun coming? I’ll have a flutter on…..Torres.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:34 pm
So far we’ve got Dein gone, the only one on the board who knew anything about football, and he was liked by everyone at the club. Best of mates with Wenger and Henry.
Wenger REFUSES to commit to being here after this season.
So with Dein gone, and Wenger telling Henry he might not be here after next season, there was little choice to make. The time was right for him to leave, especially with Wenger saying it is OK for him to go.
I’d imagine other departures will be following. Gallas was whining about experience before Henry left.. I highly doubt he’s going to be happy or motivated.
If I were Gilberto, I’d be fetching my hat as well, as there were some big teams after him in the press. Hell, he’s over 30… you KNOW the facts about players over 30 at the club.
Why not sell Cesc NOW, while we can get probably 20 Million for him. He loves Barcelona, and now Henry is there, and he said if Wenger goes, he goes… well Arsene only has one year left… so sell him while we can, and we can reduce the debt on the stadium. We have Denilson to replace him.
Hell, if Wenger won’t sign a contract extension for after this year, lets tell him to feck off as well. He either wants to be here, or NOT… and if he won’t sign on for more than next season, get on your bike.
If we can continue in this vein, we can be the best selling club in the EPL, known for doing “good business”. Thats all that matters… good business, and making money… the hell with the trophies.
June 23rd, 2007 at 12:55 am
Stags, forget about The Arsenal and go buy a Chelsea scarf. On second thought, perhaps you shouldn’t.. perhaps you ought to just give up sport entirely and watch birds instead.
Look mate, it happens. You think you know suffering in sports? I’m from Cleveland originally. Believe me, I’ve watched my sports teams sell all their big name players If you follow baseball at all, go take a look at the Cleveland Indians from the mid 1990’s through to 2001. One of the greatest offensive teams in the second half of the 20th century, yeah? Well, they sold off or lost outright almost every big name on the roster and replaced ‘em with kids. Disappointed am I? Yeah, a bit. But life goes on and years later the Tribe is back in the upper echelons at nearly mid-season, with a new crop of sluggers.
Bloody hell, my beloved Cleveland Browns (an American football club with legendary support) up and moved out of the city that supported them because the moronic owner couldn’t figure out to make more money in a sold out 78,000 seat stadium.
Arsenal are about the only team I’ve watched that have ever won anything in my lifetime, and I’m 35. But I’m loyal and proud even if my favorite teams players and/or owners are not. Crying is for opera goers and infants.
If Henry really is gone, fine. To hell with him. I won’t even give him a “merci infiniment pour les mémoires”. He can take his happy ass to Spain like the spineless, selfish, money grubbing c*nt that he is, and I will find another hero to root for who WANTS to play for my team, not for HIMSELF.
It’s not the clubs fault. They gave him a lucrative contract. And it’s hardly as if Henry has played 10+ seasons for the same team, gave everything he had, and never won anything (like Dan Marino did with the Dolphins, Jim Kelly with the Bills). He’s won a couple, yet he acts like he’s wasting away without any fruit to show for his labors.
He thinks Barca is going to be a bed of roses? We’ll see about that. They’re far more critical when things don’t go well in La Liga than they are in England.
But this isn’t new or a surprise at Arsenal. There is a pattern here and it needs to end.
If I’m Peter Hill-Wood, and I’m looking for a new manager at seasons end, I’m looking for an English coach like Harry Redknapp or Steve Coppell. And what I tell him is this: “Son, don’t bring me mercenaries from far away lands. Bring me real men, with the resilience of proper Englishmen, who want to play for the honor of club and country. Don’t bring me another Thierry Henry. Bring me another Tony Adams.
And then the dismal winter of our discontent will be made right again by a son of York (well, anywhere in Blighty would do, actually) and the glorious dawn will illuminate the pitch at the Emirates, resplendent with community shields, and cups and red and white streamers.
But, Stags, you’ll be a bitter, broken, blinded shell of a drunken man from your misery by then… unless of course you’ve taken my advice, in which case you’ll be happily wnadering about the meadows and hedgerows, stealing glimpses of purple-crested wood finches through binoculars.
Cheer-ee-o!
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:09 am
Who will be the replacement? Tevez, Eto’o, Torres, Anelka, Unknown?
Henry was not only a scorer but also a creator. But our style of play has changed. Our midfield creates so much, but hardly scores. So an all out scorer would not be so bad. That would make the choice easier as it’s not easy to find another scorer and creator like Henry.
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:41 am
Tell me it ain’t true? I have had a long rough day and have been away from the computer for the first time in months. And then I log on to see this…
Is this another Spanish trick? If this ends up being true, then they should come up with a soccer term for the “Spanish Prisoner” trick. Madrid did it for years…
no smoke without a fire?
Argh…
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ok, I will go hide under some rock now..
June 23rd, 2007 at 3:54 am
We are screwed.
Or are we? I say buy Obafemi Martins from Newcastle and another, Klose could be a goodun, but not “Le sulk” Anelka, don’t need that drama queen!
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:06 am
this is utter crap
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:15 am
Stag
“If Wenger won’t sign a contract extension for after this year, lets tell him to feck off as well.”
Priceless. Here is a man a doesn’t give a shit about Arsenal football club, he only cares about himself. To him, Arsenal is a part of his life that he associates with success, something to boast about - but as soon as he fears that might be taken away from him it’s fuck Thierry Henry, fuck Arsene Wenger, fuck Fabregas because I’m losing my pleasure, I’m losing my status as a football fan, I’m losing my security.
Stag, fuck off and support Chelsea or whoever is top and has the most money to win trophies. You are a joke, always have been. It’s all about you and what YOU want, you don’t give a rats arse about Arsenal - a typical fairweather fan, all he’s ever known is success and when he’s not getting it has no association or affiliation to the club whatsoever.
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:33 am
Stag, long time no speak
But Stag stop drinking. No one is bigger than my Arsenal.
Wenger can also leave and I don’t gave a monkeys about that including all the puss*y players. I will still support and love the Arsenal I was born to love with passion whether in Div 2 or Conference league.
Now let me see all the Spurs and United fans going back to where they came from once Wenger F* off and leave.
Arsenal is a club not about Wenger, Henry or DD
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:54 am
If we sign Martins we’ll still need another striker as he’ll be at the AFCON next January along with Adebayor.
Dennis Bergkamp is my favorite player ever. The one fantastic thing about him is not only did he score great goals but he created so many chances for his team mates, particularly his strike partners. Bergkamp convinced Real Madrid that Anelka was worth that god-awful amount of money they paid for him. Bergkamp also allowed a struggling Henry chance after chance to develop the confidence to become who he is.
My point is the Bergkamp influence taught Arsenal to create as many chances as it does. There is no doubt in my mind that Henry wouldn’t be the player that he is without the influence of Bergkamp and Kanu. Has he passed that competence along to keep it an Arsenal standard for strikers?
My post may seem a bit trivial considering what’s happened but if you look at the Henry that won titles with Monaco and France U-21’s in ‘97 and the Henry we have today, you’d see the growth is phenomenal. I just hate to see that talent leave Arsenal and perform for anyone else.
To all the assclowns who say he’s past it and he’s only scored ten goals, he still managed to score ten goals desptie not being fully fit all season. Who else could do that? While I did believe his leadership was poor only a fool would claim his skills and ability to influence a game were lacking. He’s still the scariest striker in the world to have to deal with and that threat has just been removed from our Arsenal. But as captain, if he didn’t want to be here he needed to leave. Good luck Thierry.
June 23rd, 2007 at 5:40 am
I also say good luck to Henry and thanks. I still don’t believe his excuse regarding Wenger and Dein, I think he should have just said I want to play for Barcelona - it’s my last move. To be honest, it’s the right move for him at the right time. Whether Arsenal suffer remains to be seen, but I like to think Wenger could have talked him round if he wanted to irrespective of his non-committal to extend his own contract. If Wenger wanted Henry to stay he would be staying - but Wenger has sold him slightly early whilst he could get the money, like he has with other players - Vieira, Overmars etc.
Wenger’s next step will be crucial to ascertain what he personally does regarding his own contract. If his pre-season signings are not strong and competitive then I fell he could well leave at the end of his contract. I always thought he would like to finish the job with these kids - but maybe I’m wrong.
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:12 am
I think u r right. I don’t think Wenger PLANNED to leave by the end of his current contract. Otherwise he would not have bought in so many kids. If, say, a few years back, AW already decided to leave by the end of 2008, he would have bought in more established players. At least logically speaking.
But circumstance changes. I believe at the heart of Arsenal’s problem at the moment is the take over issue.
As long as it keeps dragging on, there will not be any stability at the club in the near future.
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:58 am
Damn it’s official now.
The process started last year but it was pushed away until that damn injury. What if he had not gotten injured? What if that horrible week had not taken place? What if..what if…then the worst kept secret just got worse…
this one will take a while to heal…a long while.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:01 am
For those who haven’t seen it, I recommend Alan Smith’s piece on Henry’s departure in this morning’s Telegraph. He joins those of us in Biggun’s minority (which may not be such a minority, after all). It’s entirely possible to be appreciative of what TH14 has meant to us, and also realize it was time for him to move on.
I won’t add to the speculation as to who is coming in, as I have not the slightest idea. All I do know for sure is that while it may be a bumpy ride, I am buckled in with Arsenal for life, so I remain excited by whatever is next. (Of course, that’s easy to type in June, but allow me my reverie.)
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 am
A lot of good points made above by DannyT, JoshuaD, Scotty, NBG…..
Let’s be clear though, TH didn’t leave because of DD or a rift with AW. He left because he wants to win the CL trophy, the only one not on his mantle. And he sees Barca as the team to help him accomplish that. Tell me who is going to stop this line up:
Valdez
Puyol Thuram Zambrotta VanBronc
Xavi Deco Ronaldinho
Messi Eto’o Henry
Tell me if you had a chance to further your career and achieve your professional dream by moving to another city that you wouldn’t do it…..Most of us can’t say that. I know there are always mitigating circumstances but most would take the new job…….So this is why TH left.
We all know how magnificent TH is but what’s a bit disappointing to me is how TH has conducted himself in the last couple of months as our captain. In April, he undeniably said he would be at Arsenal, then last month he started the “I am an Arsenal player, for now” stuff. and now he is gone….you could see that coming……and that’s disappointing.
As for AW: I think that building a team is much different than building a club. Arsene has built two magnificent teams in the last decade, but in the meantime he is also buiding a CLUB; one that is long lasting beyond any mere team. Teams come and go, but CLUBS last a lifetime. So I guess what I am trying to say is that AW is building this club to last beyond his tenure as coach, no matter who takes over for him. There lies the emphasis on youth, new stadium, etc, etc. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, David Dein is gone. That has got to be a shock to the system, a shock to the CLUB, which Arsene didn’t see coming. But all the wheels for building this CLUB are already in motion and can’t really be stopped now. He has got to move forward with the master plan, and that is why this is a good time for TH to go……because in the midst of all this Arsene is building his 3rd magnificent team…..And think that Kroenke will take over in the next year and DD will be back at Arsenal where he belongs. DD can’t see himself at any other club….
And that brings me to what striker will AW bring in? Becuase certainly we need cover……I am betting that it won’t be any of the names above (Torres, Klose, Martins, etc, etc,)….although Tevez might be a tasty outside bet….I am thinking it will be someone we have not really heard of but that AW has been watching for 3 years…….
So to answer my question above about who is going to stop that Barca line up in the CL semifinal………I am hoping it will be THE ARSENAL.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:48 am
vibe4Arsenal,
Good post, thanks…….just read Alan Smith’s blurb; very interesting….
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:50 am
Stag, don’t worry about Wenger leaving. He always waits for the proper time to sit down and talk contracts. Its the way he’s always done things, not clamor on about how he’s going to stay and he loves the club and that London is the place for him. Not like Thierry Henry. He does what he does because he thinks its the best for the club, which is his job. Not like a captain who doesn’t care and didn’t even say goodbye to the players. Not like Thierry Henry.
Very dissappointed in our legend, for sure.
Titi’s “letter” was pretty sad, really. And the truth is, he can no longer cut it in The Premiership. He’s really tender after playing so much with injuries for the last three years of his career, and for that I will always love him. But his ego and the fear of being aged off the pitch – made more obvious by our young buys – has gotten the best of him in his last days. The best thing for him to do about that is to go to La Liga where the pace and style will be more kind. And I believe Wenger pulled the strings in much the same way he did with Paddy – by not making it look all that much like he was pulling them. I have a feeling Thierry will wind out his days never really being honest about his final months at Arsenal, as he will always want people to think that he left for the reasons he stated and that the club screwed him over in a sense by firing Dein. Yeah, whatever Thierry.
With Ali gone and now Titi, we’ve got room for a healthy, hungry striker. Let’s see what Wenger does. Martins or Tevez would really help ease the pain right now, I’ll tell you that.
Oh, and “Hey, L_G!”
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:07 am
I guess I’ll be watching more Gol TV next season…….as if I have time for any more football………..wait who am I kidding; I can always make time for more football….
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:56 am
Scotty, you are of the ilk that the club and Wenger can do no wrong. Thats all good and well, but I’ve watched owners and management ruin teams for decades at a time. (see the Boston Bruins & Boston Celtics)… I am not interested in the club making millions of dollars for their board, while the team goes south.
You can say those hollow lines, nobody is bigger than the team… but if Wenger leaves, then you’ll have Dein, Wenger & Henry leaving within a year.
Maybe no one person is bigger, but those three were very much THE CLUB in many respects.
If Wenger goes at years end, Cesc will follow him out the door… he has stated as much. So he isn’t loyal to the team, but to Wenger.
Frankly without Henry & Cesc & Wenger, there isn’t much special about the players on the team.
If we bring in a Carlos Tevez, then we’ll have taken a step in the direction of “stopping the rot”… but right now, with the nobody taking Dein’s place on the board, Henry gone… and Wenger not signed past this season, nobody but a 17 yr. old Norwegian coming in so far… the club is in chaos.
I just see if for what it is. I don’t drink the red Kool-Aid or wear the red tinted sunglasses like most… the manager and club are not beyond reproach.