Good Old Arsenal
We’re proud to sing that name
While we sing this song
We’ll win the game.
Proud.
When Arshavin put on the red and white Arsenal shirt for the first time, was he proud? Was Nasri? Do you imagine William Gallas was proud? Proud to be a Gunner or thinking , well if Real will not sign me, this place will do?
This is important because if , as I suspect, it was just putting on a uniform to go to work in, they are unlikely to give as much as a player who is proud both on and off the pitch. I am not knocking our little Russian, just pointing out that he hasn’t come through the Arsenal ranks and doesn’t appreciate how many hundreds of thousands of people WOULD be proud to wear the red and white. I am sure Arshavin (could be Sagna or TV or Eduardo etc) was proud when they finally got a first team shirt at the clubs they grew up in; a target realised after many years of learning and dreams.
What brought this to mind was watching the Charlie George and Sammy Nelson Talkshow on Arsenal TV. These late middle aged men clearly considered their times as Gunners as the highlight of their lives. They were enormously proud to have represented The Arsenal, regaling the audience with reminiscences that were based upon love for THEIR club. Can you imagine Gallas doing the same in 30 years? No? Well, neither can I.
This is not a condemnation of foreign players or of players who are signed from other clubs, after all who could be more of a Gooner that Thierry?
How can anyone not raised as a Gooner have any idea of the enormity of losing at White Hart Lane? Even today I get snide little digs form those unfortunate and deluded enough to be Spuds. If the players that night were forced to put up with this on a daily basis, perhaps they would have run that extra yard, put in that extra tackle, bust a blood vessel to stop a humiliating defeat. If they had, we could well have gone on to the title. Instead they lost their win bonus which means Sweet FA to these multi-millionaires. They went home , played Championship Manager, and went into training the next morning to hear AW say “Let us concentrate on the next game. It was just 3 points”, whereas we will carry the pain for many a year.
So how can Arsenal imbue Goonerdoom onto new players? Well, Project Youth for all it’s problems is a good start. Cesc may well love his Barca, but he is a Gooner as well. Here is a man who is definitely proud to be Captain of Arsenal and knows the value of a Captain’s armband that has been worn by PV and TA and Frank Mac etc. He has watched the video of the Doubles, met the players, grown up in the Highbury environment, knows the tea lady and the carpark attendant. It makes a difference.
I know that footballers are journeymen and it is just a job for many. That the shirt is a uniform, that Gooners are just fans who make life difficult for them by asking for autographs etc, that the club use their talents and sell them when surplus to requirement, and perhaps it is naivety on my part to expect them to show pride in the shirt. But I do. It is a minimum expectation.
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Fantastic post Raddy and all so true.
I used to worry that for all their talent the foreign players just wouldn’t get the rivalry between us and spuds.
Our old north london Gunners are the real deal IMO.
This will get Rasputin choking on his porridge
http://www.tribalfootball.com/barcelona-willing-send-hleb-back-arsenal-cesc-deal-854651
Great post Raddy,
Do you, does anyone? think that the most successful teams in the Premiership have a higher proportion of players who ‘play for the shirt’?
How many of the manure and chav side are ‘journeymen’?
How many Hull players played for the shirt?
I’m not disagreeing with the article, just wearing my usual devil’s advocate hat.
One thing is for sure, when a player underperforms, it is much easier to stomach when you know he is Arsenal through and through rather than suspectiing he is just a lazy mercenary.
If Clichy has a bad game he is out of form, if AA has a bad game it’s because he doesn’t really care – get my drift?
Peaches.
That is very funny.
These so called journo’s are becoming more unbelievable each day!
That article is complete b’sh*t peaches “Barcelona will send Hleb back” – as if we’d have no choice but to take him because the great Barcelona deem so …. utter nonsense.
PHW has been the first member of the Arsenal management to speak out regarding Cesc. Anyone else and I may have taken a modicum of solace from it, but he’s such a buffoon – he’s the one that said Cesc wasn’t good enough to get in the Barca side, but even so we are apparently desparate to keep hold of him … nice one Pete 🙄
Who is more of a Gooner than Thierry? DB10. Took his contract year on year and finished his career with us.
I think it is a little misguided to think that there cannot be a lack of pride with homegrown players…think Cashley Hole.
Good point Pete.
Good, stirring post there Radders, but I felt you were just getting into the swing of things and you just stopped.
Bloggus interruptus ?
Phew I thought I’d mucked it up for us 😉
Rasp – I’m not disagreeing with you but surely the bonus of being a top side is that players want to play for you. In addition we know that players want to play for Arsène.
Maybe sometimes its the shirt and sometimes its the manager?
lol. And you are right. Time and work, Chary!!
Great read BR
It takes a lot for me to get annoyed with an Arsenal player but Arshavin is doing his utmost to get himself in that category. It now angers me that he does not celebrate when scoring; he is taking away some of our enjoyment. There is a reason why players go over the top in Italy when they score a goal and that is because it enhances the thrill of the goal. Wenger should realise this and put him straight.
I suppose that was a rant, I don’t usually do rants but hey ho it is Friday.
I totally agree peaches,
I only want players wearing our shirt who want to play for us and if AA and Cesc don’t want to play for the Arsenal, sell them for the highest possible price.
Morning Rasp
I think there is still one team in the EPL in which a large number of players play for the shirt. As much as I hate saying anything positive about manu there is a nucleus of Northern lads who believed that the pinnacle of success would be to play for united and because of that they seem to give their all for that shirt. We haven’t had this since Adams et al, although, Sol is still flying the flag….bless him.
Morning London,
I think you’re right although that nucleus of ‘loyal’ players are all ageing and being replaced by the likes of Evra – a fantatsic player, but he’d probably leave tomorrow to play for Barca
As per your norm, a good article Raddy. One word is missing that changed footballers’ way of thinking. AGENTS.
I know the feeling Radders, its why, on the rare times I write a post, I put aside 3-4 hours of an evening as my ramblings take that long to sort out! Mind you I remember my Fergie rant had to be split in two as it went on too long for a single post.
Wow London that was a rant and a good point about being involved in celebrating a goal for us. I love the knee slide myself but I don’t really enjoy the dancing celebrations.
Morning kelsey,
The other word missing is MONEY!
Maybe a definiton of a player in terms of their ‘humanity’ would be the order in which they prioritise the following:
MONEY
AMBITION
LOVE FOR THE GAME
LOVE FOR THE CLUB WHO PAYS THEM
LOVE OF THEMSELVES
Morning Rasp 😛
Morning peaches,
We would definitely have included Cesc in the players that play for the shirt category up to now – will we include him next year if he stays?
I agree with you about Cesc playing for the shirt – he loves Arsenal but knows in his heart that at some point in the future he’ll play for Barcelona. Too much pressure on him – IMO – to decide now when he’s going to go.
Robin and Clichy love us and probably Song too.
Theo? Wouldn’t like to guess that one…….
We could be confusing the ‘battling mentality’ as exemplified by Tevez with loyalty to the shirt – maybe we just need more grit in the side – and players with the physique to dominate.
Hmmmmm good point Rasp.
There is nothing like winning to pull a group of people togather. ‘A team that wins together stays together’ – I forget who said that but it sounds good.
Maybe that is the real value of the Carling Cup etc.
Good read BR. The key point is that what we want people who are totally committed when they are with us. It’s probably unreasonable (or at least impractical) in the modern age to expect players to be one-club men. But we can expect that when they play for us they respect the club and its institutions and they give everything on the pitch. For me this is less about nationality (or even about having been brought up through the club ranks). It’s more about character, moral fibre, backbone – call it what you will.
Vermaelen plays like he’s got Arsenal stencilled on his spine. DB10, RP7, TH14 etc all played for us during periods of their career but were fully committed when they did so. Contrast that with Adebarndoor.
To my mind, AW has overseen a new crop of players who, while technically gifted, are (with some exceptions) sadly lacking in the character department. Arseblogger claimed a couple of days ago that ‘contacts’ at the club had told him Wenger had really woken up to this fact (partly through observing the way Big Sol trains and plays, compared with the dopey larking about of certain midfielders we could all mention).
That’s why I think his signings this summer – and I believe there WILL be signings – will not be Galacticos, but will mainly be experienced, mature battlers who have won things.
Sorry – long ramble.
There is some element of truth in the article but it is a bit rich to condemn our foreign element, for the 1st PL defeat against the Tinys in 10 seasons, especially as our top 6+ players were out injured & the team was reeling from the Barca debacle. I think the team do feel a defeat every bit as much as the rest of us. Football isn’t always how we want it as we all well know.
I don’t actually think the modern player, whether he comes through our system or not, can understand the full depth of the rivalry unless he is truly a local. Perhaps someone can put me right but I can’t actually think of too many North London lads, other than Charlie G & Pat Rice, having significant careers with us. They are hardly modern players.
The truth is that players probably do love their club whilst it going well for them, but it is their work so the huge majority will always be transient. I do agree that a player is more likely to have a deeper feeling for the club than most others, although the comparison between the attitudes of Paul Merson v PV4, Le Bob & TH14 provide a counter argument to that.
Like the blog, don’t know how I have missed it before now.
correction
player coming through the system
there’s not one player that actually loves arsenal that we have got now,they all left.
This write up is bull shit.Gallas has more pride playing for us than all those clowns you mentioned in fact his pride to win trophy for us made him loose his arm band(by critsicing the players who are not playing with their heart for us).
If your Fabregars is so proud he will not be talking of barcelona for the past 3years,if he is proud of us he will not even mention going home when he has the armband to him self.
Do you think it is coincidence that we always loose 75-80% of the games gallas did not play (because he is one of those players that always give us 100% commitment of the field) most of those you mentioned are just clowns that play without a meaning of wining.
So stop your hypocritic bull shit and make sure you write objectively.
Hi Flint
Glad you’ve found this site – I came across it while browsing and loved the intelligent and (mostly) respectful level of debate. I have even been persuaded to write a few posts myself.
I agree with your general point, although I think I’m right in saying that some of the GG team were relatively local lads (Paul Davis, for example). And Pat Rice is from Dublin originally, but feels as if he’s been around North London as long as the Hen and Chickens.
An excellently reasoned comment FM, welcome to the site.
Most ‘ardent’ fans view football in emotional terms, whereas, a player’s career is relatively short so ambition will override loyalty in the persuance of success and earnings.
RockyLives
I think the backbone comes with experience .
So often the current crop are compared unfavourably with the finished article of previous generations. Most of these lads are 2/3+ years from a peak they should be able to maintain for a further 5 years.
Every team that has won anything for Arsenal has gone through worse, generally much worse, than our finish to this season.
Very interesting post. I feel you can see the pride and passion in the way players talk about the club.
Fabregas in the past, Clichy, Van Persie have always been proud and given their all and have spoken like Gooners. Sol even when he talks now gives you that feeling.
Can’t say the same for Gallas or Arshavin.
Bedy, thanks for your articulate and restrained comments. May I take issue with one point: you ask the author to write objectively. Actually the point of a blog is to write subjectively – ie, to express an opinion.
Your view of Gallas is interesting. He does seem to polarise fans, but I have always thought he is a quality player and I’m sad he’s going (as seems likely).
Paul Davis was South London, a different country, but Pat Rice was certainly brought up around Highbury & the story goes that he became an Arsenal player, when he was having a kick about outside Highbury & was called in to make up the numbers in a practice game they were playing.
Fair point Flint – Ricey was actually born in Belfast but moved to North London when fairly young.
Flint,
Nice to see you on here. I believe you contribute once in a while on Untold Arsenal, and we would always welcome you as a guest writer if you wished.Regards to Tony.
Morning all !
a little something to think about. Benik Afobe is currently playing in the England U17’s tournament and great things are thought of him. Now, he is an avid Arsenal fan and was brought up as one. Barca tried to take him from us last summer but he stayed.
Say he went and 6 years later wanted to come back “home” to Arsenal.
That’s how I see Cesc’s situation.
On players playing for the shirt I do believe Cesc does and a few of the others, Clichy, Bendtner and RVP too. Players bought young by Arsenal have Arsenal in their blood, older buys not so much. I remember when we bought Kanu years back. Did he feel like an Arsenal man ? He used to leave training in an Arsenal shirt whilst with Ajax !
There is only a handful of players you can call “club” players. The Giggsy’s of this world for sure and Spurs fans relate King as the same. However, I don’t believe King would have stayed if he was fully fit and any big clubs came knocking..
Livers – are you saying Kanu had an Arsenal shirt on after training BEFORE he joined us from Ajax? By inference you mean he was an Arsenal fan before he joined us.
I see Wenger has passed comment on Arse.com today about the CL final tomorrow; couldn’t he have said something about Fab4? Mind you it’s possible it’s an old quote from him before the Cesc furore picked up.
Charybdis, yes indeed. Kanu was indeed an Arsenal fan when at Ajax
Yes, Chary, I had also heard that – he was an Arsenal fan before he joined us.
I wonder if Sol ever wore an Arsenal shirt when training with the Spuds 😆
Interesting post Raddy.
You know I bloody love Sol Campbell – since he came back and while he was with us last time round, he played every game like it was his last. I still love watching Bendtner’s goal against Wolves because Sol went nuts celebrating it.
They say you can’t win on skill alone and its true. Let me use the Rep.Ireland here as an example, we have one World Class player in the entire squad – Shay Given, then we have premiership class players in the shape of Dunne, O’Shea, Duff, Keane and Doyle yet not Italy, not Brazil, no anyone scares up because each and everyone of the players give 110% when playing for the shirt. As they say – nothing is won on paper.
Good piece BR. I kinda dont know on this one. My heart says that we should be 75% homegrown and 25% foreign introductions who may hang around for a year or two and then get moved on. But some of our finest most loyal players are not from these shores. I think it was a good point earlier that success brings with it the loyalty. The problem we have is that there wasn’t enough steady introduction of players into a winning side so the new players could learn from the old. A little bit like the other days column about the laws of playing for the Arsenal. It seems that all of a sudden everyone was gone and we are starting from scratch. Who is at the club preaching about loyalty and the way to behave. At MU there’s probably still 4-5 like that teaching the new ones the way it should be. We now have Sol, even if PV never plays for us he could be another 1 to help mentor the team and re-install some values.
Sorry waffled on a bit there !
Oh right Livers, I didn’t know that – I’m so used to our players regularly saying “It would be my dream to play for Barca/Inter/Madrid/AC” that I didn’t think it ever went the other way round.
I guess it would be the African connection that made him an Arse fan – we’re very well supported there.
Too bad the mankskummers seem to have the far east sewn up.
Alex Witsel – He of Standard Liege I’ll break your leg if you look at me wrong fame – is an ardent Arsenal fan. For the last few transfer windows all he has spoken about is Arsenal.
He’s a good player if a bit mad.
I was there for that goal Maire, the ground erupted into a wall of sound that I’d never heard at the Grove before.
I think the Verminator went quite mental then too.
Must of been mental Chary? If anyone had tuned in at that time, one would believe that goal had just won us the league 😦
P.S. The Madrista is doing a post for us on Barcelona – it should be interesting.
It was orgasmic Maire – you shoulda been there! Watching it on TV does no justice to the crowd reaction.
Shame it was our only win for a while though.
I was in the north end for the Man Shitty game and the baiting of Adebarndoor as Given was getting treated was great fun too – I’m sure I saw the Togo twat shatting himself.
Ha ha 😀
There is nothing like been at a game – doesn’t compare in the slightest watching it on television. I love going to Limerick games when we play Dublin or Northern opposition – great fun.
Cool Maire – I’m sure it’ll bring the Barca fans out in force to pollute this site with loads of infantile abuse, but hey ho, sometimes things have to be said, otherwise posts get so bland that there’s no reaction at all.
Glad you are of that thinking Chary because I told him be as controversial as he likes – no point in doing it otherwise in my opinion.
Never said – I liked the U2esque title 8)
😉 Irish. As you know I like a musical theme……
Pride is different to commitment. It is the puffing up of the chest when putting it on.
Gallas is a pro and a very good one. That he takes pride in his performance is different to pride in being an Arsenal player.
That’s true – think you nailed Gallas in one.
Dead right with Gallas BR. He has said before about not having friends at Arsenal and his friends were at Chelsea. I think he was and is a Chelsea player at heart. But he is a winner and doesn’t accept defeat which is a good thing.
Maire @ your 12.19 – I just hope Peachy, Raspers & Co. can deal with the flaming if it starts! My anti-Fergie rants got the glory hunters pretty worked up. I’ve also wound up Wolves fans with my match report also as I like a feisty write up too.
I’m not bothered if fabregas leaves. 125 years! herbert chapman, ted drake, bertie mee, frank mclintock, charlie george, liam brady, rocky rocastle, tony adams, ian wright, dennis bergkamp, thierry henry. thats arsenal. one spanish boy isn’t going to change that. ignore the doom-mongers. we are the arsenal!
GonnerT. That we are,!
Just told a Spud at the office that planning permission for their new stadium has just been rejected – AGAIN!
It was fun passing on the “good” news.
Chamakh’s a gunner …
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/marouane-chamakh-completes-move-to-arsenal?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arsenal-news+%28News+Feed%29
Well, that is good news.
Is Chamakh pronounced with a hard C – Tchamakh or a soft C as in Shamakh? Or is the second A a long vowel, as in Shamaaak.? Or the first A could be a long vowel as in Shaarmaaak. Is the H pronounced – Shaamaarkeh?
Then there is his first name!!
And more to the point, where is he going to play?
in goal, BR 😉
Mr Chamakh is being given the No. 29 shirt.
Why not wait to see if WG leaves and if he does give the No. 10 shirt to the new boy, or perhaps they are reserving it for AA
Is MC29 our first Moroccan? Is he the first Moroccan to play in the PL?
It is interesting that Xavi seems to be like your traditional pundits,expecting more from those you talk about than you achieved yourself.
Cesc is 23 has played 250+ games for Arsenal & won an FA Cup + an appearance in a CL Final.
Xavi at 23 had played about 195 games & won La Liga in his first season at age 19 playing 17 games. He was 25 when they next won La Liga or anything else.
Cesc compares more than reasonably well there, I feel. It should also be noted that Barca won sweet fa for 5 seasons from 1999/2000 in a less competitive league than ours.
Presumably his song will be really simple – just his name being chanted to the tune of “Attack, Attack, attackattackattack”
Song? Singing? Do we still do that? Nice one Rocky. Yippee we have a new toy to play with.
Flint. Nice stats – we love that sort of comment.
Cesc is already one of the top 10 players in the world. By 26, he will be top 3. The man is a phenomena -and today Cesc is a Gooner.
RL. That is great. And I am sure will become his chant.
Flint – great point. I hate this campaign emanating from Spain to suggest that somehow Cesc’s career at Arsenal is a failure.
Oooooooh we have ourselves a Moroccan I see – well done Arsenal, see that didn’t drag out too long did it 😆
Chest out, chin up Gooners. This is going to be the first of several signings this summer that will really address the weaknesses in our team/squad.
Yes Rocky, of course Rocky – are you still writing a post for tomorrow? I’m not being negative before you shake your head at me 😳
Any talk of a goalie yet – did I see Buffon say he was committed to Juventus ……..
Peaches, oh ye of little faith.
Should be able to rustle up a humble offering overnight.
i wonder if eduardo will now be sold. any thoughts
RL. Hope you are right. I think it will be another summer of frustration for AW. Gone are the days of identifying a target and signing him. Now their is the agent to contend with and the selling club angling for more money etc etc.
It is said that AW gives a list of the signings he would like to make to Gazidis and then takes a back seat. I hope this is true and AW gets a well deserved rest form the insane pressure of managing a big club.
BR, When cesc first played in our first team I believe his squad number was 54.
Kelsey. If anyone will pay the fee. Would you pay upwards of €10m for a player with his problems?
Hi Kelsey. I think Eddie might stay (and Vela might go out on loan to a Prem club). Eddie could do well feeding off a power player like Chamakh (if we ever want to switch to 4-4-2).
Ooops my typing has taken a turn for the worse. A mixture of G&T and a NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc……
Still oils the neurons
Br your above comment is interesting. my wife, who knows very little about football, and I were discussing the pressures of managing a top Club. I asked her how old Benitez and Grant were She repied 60(Benitez is 49) and about 73 (Grant is 55)
Interesting two completely answers from BR and RL, and good evening to you both.
Will we suddenly see a surge of Arsenal shirts down here, as we are only half an hour as the bird flies from morocco .
I realise I’m a lonely voice on this one, but I still harbour hopes that Eduardo could yet become an important player for us.
I would love him to aswell but he had chances this season and didn’t deliver – his lack of pace was the biggest problem I think because he just didn’t get onto balls that were provided for him.
Actually often he didn’t even go for the ball at all 😦
I remember a stack of chances he did get to and fluffed – so he was definitely getting to some of them.
Central strikers: RvP, Chamakh, Vela, Eduardo, Nik B, Theo.
6 players, two spots. Someone has to go. IMO it will be either Eduardo or Theo
Cant c him giving up on Theo. He’s one of AW project players. I think selling Theo would be admitting defeat and that aint Arsenes style. And i agree with him by the way, the boy will come good in the end.
evening, Just sitting here laughing at the thought of Calamity James managing Portsmouth,
Is that true DD ? I know times are hard but that self-distruct int it ?
Welcome aboard to our new boy Chamakh – I’m off to toast his arrival 😀
I think he has a better chance than TA, not in the PL and therefore less pressure.
He is on the short list, has had one interview, will have another before the world cup
At least if he gets that job then we cant sign him.
Had a long day today, got a busy one tomorrow so off to bed, see you all tomorrow night I hope.
Come on Arsene sign me a GK LOL Gnite All
New post ….
thanks for that piece of mind, well the others i donot know but arshavin he surely shows no love for the shirt at all