Written by ArseChicago
It’s surely somewhat paradoxical, but I feel the only way us Gooners are going to stop thinking so much about football is to actually watch it. What separates us humans from the other animals (and those unfortunate sub-human Spurs supporters) is the ability to think about such a wide variety of things that may or may not be troubling us. Thinking about mortality. Thinking about Cesc and his DNA. Thinking about buying Koscielny a round of protein shakes.
What do you get when you mix together several weeks of relatively idle time, about a hundred Arsenal blogs, laughable newspaper fiction, a gaping hole at centre back, and a mercurial, fussy manager sitting on a pile of cash? What you get is an Arsenal fan base thinking. And an Arsenal fan base thinking is an Arsenal fan base in pain (or at the very least, mild discomfort).
I’ve been a full-fledged Arsenal supporter now going into my sixth year, never really missing a match (even watching the taped Stoke match and the Ramsey incident late the afternoon the day I got married this year), and I probably can’t tell you all the interesting things I’ve learned about football. The transfer window and how teams are always contemplating a “shock swoop” or “raid” of a certain player. Holy shite, the diving (Rooney, you c&nt). And, damn, Sam Allardyce, are we sure it wasn’t you that had Princess Leia tied up in ‘Jedi’? And then there’s the Arsenal. I’ve learned that Wenger is stubborn and really likes his players to fit in the overhead compartments of airplanes. I’ve learned that the media and the referees do in fact have a bias against the club. And I’ve learned that we are in fact blessed with some of the most beautiful football on the planet on a weekly basis.
But the other thing I’ve come to learn, and something that’s really manifested itself to me this offseason, is that us Gooners are a hopelessly cerebral, smart, and over-thinking bunch (Highbury Library, anyone?). Are the blogs and the comment posters like myself on the blogs a fair representation of the Arsenal fan population? Because if so, the lot of us have gotten a wicked case of the mental blue balls this offseason, with no big Wenger spending spree to relieve us.
I follow a few of my cursed local teams here in Chicago, none as closely as our beloved club mind you, and I must say that nothing here compares to the passion and knowledge of this fan base and how impacted on a deeply emotional and intellectual level we are about our depth at centre back. Is that why it seems sort of quiet at the Emirates at times? Everyone’s thinking about stuff?
I’ve been reading the Arsenal blogs for some years now, some I like, some not so much. Some extreme, some benign. But this offseason in particular, I think we’ve started to go a bit overboard. Blame it on Barcelona, or Wenger’s frugality, or Capello’s squad not being cuddly and lovable on any level, but we’re spending too much time thinking about the squad this offseason. We all seem a bit disoriented (probably ever since Wigan), a little powerless, very frustrated from the near misses over the last few years. And we all seem to be thinking harder than ever as to how we can alleviate these feelings. Mostly, we can’t stop thinking and talking about what we don’t have.
I’m here to kindly suggest we start embracing what we do have here, and it’s not something I’ve been consistent in doing. It’s not a feeling resignation, but more of a happy abandon. We’ll need some luck, sure, but anyone winning the title will have enjoyed a material amount of luck along the way. There’s still a tremendous amount of hope and the bookies don’t vehemently disagree at 7-1 odds for our boys. And what should give us hope? Actually watching the game we spend so much time thinking about. Did any of you feel the excitement, the pride, a touch of optimism last weekend as the fantastic red and white, under the unusually blue sky, glided artfully across the perfect green pitch? Watching Jack almost nail one out of mid-air from outside the box? Watching Frimpong be a human pinball? Seeing Nasri look like a completely new man? Vela doing what we’ve always hoped? Chamakh and his powerful ballet?
If you spent any significant time whilst watching these matches this past weekend thinking about Cesc or Mertesacker or Schwarzer, then you’re not doing a good enough job watching. We’re just about here. No more thinking about it. Just doing. Win or lose against Liverpool, with or without Cesc, having 2, 3 or 7 centre backs on the team. It’ll just feel good to feel drained after a match again. Too tired to think.
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Morning all
Thankyou ArseChicago for a great read – today we have Feelgood Friday.
Its great to be a Gooner and next week we’re gonna stuff the scousers on their patch.
We’ve got Cesc Fabregas We’ve got Cesc Fabregas
Morning,
Thought-provoking post ArseChicago 😆
We may have Cesc Fabregas but thanks to those complete lunatics at FIFA, Cesc and Vela will be flying to Mexico on the 11th and so will miss the start of the season….. bloody brilliant!
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love the pic Rasp 😛
Stupid comment. You’re over-thinking about other people’s thought process. Idiot.
Alan,
Why bother with such an inane comment? AC is just suggesting that we should chill out and enjoy watching the football because all this angst ridden speculation is driving fans mad – come to think of it, you’ve just proved his point!
Morning all..
chary re you entry on the last post, Sky Sports were doning a ‘cesc watch’ they said he wasn’t training.. next thing they were showing footage of him and his standing ovation…. good old SS’s eh…
doning = doing…
Hi Rico, I thought you were desperately hoping there was some way you could avoid making Avenell homeless.
Obviously I didn’t watch ManuSKy Sports as I was actually at Members day.
To be honest, and much as I like teasing you, I won’t have my mind put at rest till I see Cesc turn out for us against Bolton on the 11th of September, i.e the first game after the transfer window closes.
Great read Chicago and very apt. and as for poor Alan, Rasp. you are to generous, in that you assume he is capable of thought
Excellent post Chicago, love it. More insight in one post from a far flung Gooner than in months of some other blogs.
Oh and Alan, shut up.
Good pre-season feel-good post AC. Sometimes the tendency to over-analyse leads down many negative paths, and self-defeating before a ball has been kicked. We go into the Liverpool game quietly confident, they’ve not signed anyone that should concern us too much. All I would say is that sometimes over the past few seasons on occasions, watching Arsenal has definitely hurt, which of course leads us to analyse what is wrong & what needs fixing etc. But right now, we’re top of the pile, Fabregas is staying, & we go into a new season with fresh hope. I can feel the red of Arsenal running through my veins already!
How rude of me – interesting alternative insight into the status quo A.Chicago(why do I start singing “Chicago, Chicago, you’re my kind of town..” when I see your log on?) as I sometimes feel we forget footballers are sportsmen and their words and actions are over analysed and given a bit too much significance.
It’s not a slight on footballers to say that – merely pointing out we expect them to be orators and diplomats when all they need to be are sportsmen.
What a chump – what time in the draw for the next stage of the champs league
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/837307-jermain-defoe-spurs-will-go-further-than-arsenal-in-champions-league
Chicago,
What a brilliant article! Wow, that sets the bar at a high level for other writers. 🙂
Fortunately I found the typo in the heading before it’s too late! You wrote “We are all thinking too much” when you clearly meant “drinking too much”. 😉
I have been known to imbibe the odd glass of v. nice wine myself to assuage my frustrations with not knowing what is going on; with some of the “extremists” who vilify the manager, the team, and the club; the lack of a quality “large” CB and so on.
Your article has made me feel good without any alcoholic stimulation being necessary. Thank you. 🙂
“Sub-Human Spurs supporters”
Classic!! LOL!
Hi Peaches, Rico, Rasp, Charyb, and everyone really, and of course … night John Boy.
Morning All
Great post AC !
As I mentioned before, Charybdis,I love your classical nom de plume so much, I almost changed mine to Scylla.
I stopped just in time, because I couldn’t bear the thought some one would write and say “Are y’alright chuck”. 😦
Morning all,
Chicago, you are way out with your assumption that there are a 100 Arsenal bolgs, treble that figure and sometimes when i happen to catch a headline,and then subsequently read what can losely be determined as an article, I have to pinch myself to make sure that these are actual people who proport to supporting our club .
just headline makers, following the trash they read in the red tops and regurgling it as if it was their own.The shame is that people generally are very gullable and believe what they read.
have an opinion by all means, have a debate, disagree amongst oneselves but at the end of the day there is one abiding bond,the love for our great club.
Good one Red Arse – although to be strictly correct it was taken from a minor character from my favourite TV series, the one which my gravatar pic is taken from.
Charyb,
Damn! In my mind I thought you might be the monster we are looking for in defence. 🙂
I will shut up now in case one or two others don’t know what we are chatting about! 🙂
No, I am not related to Winston Churchill 😉
Hey Red A – I don’t mind being thought of as a mythological monster, it’d scare off the manks who I’ve annoyed with my anti-Fergie rants so much in the past.
Charyb, 🙂
Kelsey, Que?
Sorry Kelsey,
I’ve just re-read your comment with a Churchillian eye and realised it was a v. stirling cry to arms and a defiance of the hunnish rabble. 🙂
Well guess what, the Spuds got the whipping boys of the CL draw – “Young boys”.
See Twitchy must have got his brown paper bag of used notes out again.
Those jammy spud c**ts.
Yids been drawn against Young Boys of Berne in CL.
fabulous post chicago, as charey said i too have an image whenever you post – that of robert deniro swinging his baseball bat when playing capone!
Yes a great post, that sense of pride i don’t think other supporters can possibly experience, our club stands for a lot of good things – we’re privilaged to be supporters of this great club.
I look forward to reading more headline posts from you sir!
Hi goonies. First we win at the emirates against benfica (odd that such a ‘great’ club has a ground that is a 100% replica of two other teams) and then we draw wengers boys in the CL.
What do you hope for the coming season? Win the league no doubt!? Hleb will do well at spurs I think and huntelaar should outscore chamick imho.
When are you buying a keeper ffs btw?
Read your blog for the first time yesterday and was wholly unimpressed. Today is a different matter. I have long argued that, in this period of consolidation in light of the new stadium and crazy spending by the careless few, we must be much more appreciative of what we have – a forward-thinking, passionate manager who is protective of our future, a wonderful arena, quality football, a business model (for now) that does not see us jeapordise tomorrow for success today and, above all else, hope of success. Let’s be fair… we could do it. And that’s enough for me.
Hi Dog,
Your interest in our great club is entirely understandable!
It ill becomes someone who supports a club with a dickensian stadium to make naff remarks about the Emirates which is widely acknowledged as one of the best in the world. Bit silly!
All gooners hope/expect to win either the PL or the CL or both, of course. Whereas, you Spuds will no doubt be forlornly sweating on staying in fourth, again.
Never mind, you can always watch our boys play the best football in the league when we beat you home and away. 🙂
Well Dog breath, it took me a while to respond as my sides needed repair after they split due to your paedo joke about our manager.
What class eh?
Am I surprised a spud would say this – hell no.
The fact that you spuds delight in paedo jokes shows how much you belittle children who have suffered at the hands of paedos.
Well done, you must be so proud of yourself.
Won’t pretend to understand your comment on WHL but when it’s rebuilt it will be better than your benfica replica. Also it’s about the atmosphere in that stadium and yours is widely acknowledged to be diabolical – singing one song which is written under the name of this site, which incidentally has been sung by all league clubs for the last 30 years – but can’t blame your club for that, the blame for that lys squarely at the feet of all you goonie bloggers for being awful fans vocally. Sadly arsenal has alot going for it but you can’t change the fact that your stadium is a copy, you need a gk and have vocally dreadful dreadful fans.
Of course are expectations atm are lower than yours but don’t forget when you had henry, vieira, bergkamp etc we had johnie Jackson and chris perry!!! So we had some catching up to do.
Anyway even if we go down and you win 1000 leagues in a row it won’t change that your a morally corrupt club but keep dusting it under the carpet goonies.
COYS 😉
Afternoon all,
There is such a good vibe around the blogs today, even the normal doomers and gloomers are showing some confidence.
As for the Spuds – come on Chary, them getting knocked out by a Swiss team is going to be even more fun 😉
I apologise Charybdis.
Will you apologise for the anti Jewish jokes? Bearing in mind you have more Jewish fans than spurs.
doglegz why are you here? arnt there any good spurs blogs. i know there arnt. Shouldn’t you celebrate you just reached the cl play off with other spuds.
You won the league, you won the league in
Black and White
Hey all, thanks very much for the kind words. Feel good Friday indeed. Just took the dog for a run by the lake. Going to see Thierry Henry this Sunday playing against our local side. I think the local Arsenal club is presenting Thierry with some gift before the game; should be fun. Up the Gunners!
I’m here to point out the irony that we won at stadium that you 100% copied in the same week we drew wengers boys. I was then asked some qu which I have answered and am awaiting answers to my qu. Most notably about how you are a morally corrupt club with pathetic vocal fans – ironically the worst thing about arsenal fc (along with it’s morally corupt history) is you the fans.
Anyway irishgunner do you really think spurs will lose to young boys esp as we have the 2nd leg at home? Here’s some recent European results from my great morally correct club;
Slavia Prague 1–0 (A) Beşiktaş 2–0 (A) Club Brugge 3–1 (H) Bayer Leverkusen 1–0 (A) Dinamo Bucurest 3–1 (H) Braga 3–2 (A) Sevilla 2–2 (H) Anorthosis Famagusta 6–1 (H) Hapoel Tel Aviv 2–0 (A) Slavia Prague 2–1 (A) PSV Eindhoven 0–1 (A) Dinamo Zagreb 4–0 (H)
Btw realsocidal in response to your black and White comment let me repeat why such remarks Inc 50yrs since we won the lg etc mean nothing.
‘Anyway even if we go down and you win 1000 leagues in a row it won’t change that your a morally corrupt club but keep dusting it under the carpet goonies.’
So by all means be excited about how your shaping up but don’t forget to push to the back of your mind that what your supporting is morally very wrong.
I implore my fellow gooner not to respond to this poor fellow Dog.
He is clearly v. disturbed and it would be a shame to respond in kind, even though this arseh*le (oops) is the aggressor and we the victims of this oh so morally correct individual.
Just leave him/her to play with himself.
Ok REd A – but one final thing I will say to Dog breath – where did I make any semitic references ?
Answer : I didn’t
I have no reason to apologise, least of all to an excrescence such as yourself.
Yet you crack your oh so chucklesome Paedo gag again.
As tihs is not my blog I can’t make the rules but I think paedo jokes should cause automatic binning. Why should arsenal fans come to one of their blogs to be abused by a spud ?
I saw a couple of your type at the members day yesterday – see, you have to infest our blogs as well as stink out our open days.
If your type never come here again it’ll be too soon.
Why do you let Spuds onto the site – I thought we had more class than that?
How about using the three strikes and out rule – but only give Spuds two as I’m sure how well they can count.
I apologised for the wengers boys comment but how do you know I wasn’t referencing to your young squad!?!?!?
You just generalised spurs fans so I did the same with you lot with regards anti Jew comments – I never said you remarked to that effect.
Anyway do hide behind that and not answer my other qu that you cannot bring yourselves to even attempt to answer.
FOREVER FORGETTING YOUR PAST
I apologise to all – I was away from the screen, very unusual for them to come back and keep commentating – he must be a closet gooner 😉
Afternoon GunnerN5
Welcome Jack,
Re your comment @ 12:24,
Thanks for coming on. If you read back through the posts and ‘About AA’ at the top of the page, you will see that we have had over 20 authors so far. We welcome all opinions as long as the piece is well written. We do not encourage abuse or ‘bad behaviour’ as exhibited by Doglegz who has paradoxically made himself and his club look very poor.
It is true that the underlying stance by virtue of those who migrate here is pro Arsène, but nobody gets shot for saying differently.
Dog – you only have to watch our football to know that its spellbindingly wonderful – we don’t have time to sing we’re too wrapped up in the magic thats in front of us.
Actually I remember singing quite loudly when Cesc waltzed through your defence last season that was after splitting my sides laughing at the way you’d collasped.
Lol at gunnerN5 (shouldn’t that be SW5???!)
I have come on here and been nice but as soon as you mention there morally corrupt past (that all gooners stood in horror when they discovered this in there early teens) they suggest banning the spurs – LMAO
why don’t you debate instead why you don’t do what you know you should and turn on your club and rip it down. Someone pls tell me how you justify sweeping it under the carpet until like all goonies you reach 60 odd and stop going knowing in your heart you should have done decades ago. There is only one true club in North London….TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Peaches,
you have to feel for poor Dog. He is well named, because he is sniffing around here wagging his tail like a stray trying to be accepted as a gooner.
Sad really! 🙂
Why would a fan who team have a morally corrupt manager tery to take the high ground? These spuds are comical they are sooo bothered by us , yet we have moved on to much bigger rivalries, when will the penny drop they they dont matter in the big scheme of things, Defoe says they will go further than us in europe and thats the limit of their ambition, he probably means that they have further to travel as they have qualifiers to get through before they even reach the actual competition, whilst this hasnt even happened Bagpuss is already complaining about too many fixtures, didnt they through the competition last time they were in europe because they couldnt handle it?
In fairness, guys, Dog is not being abusive he is just deranged.
For God’s sake don’t ask him what he is drivelling on about, or I’ll have to go and wash my keyboard and screen in case it’s catching.
Any thoughts on Cesc’s statement?
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=812173&sec=england&cc=5901
Very forthcoming and honest, pitch perfect. All we ask as supporters is honesty and that’s what he has given us. Let’s enjoy our captain #4 while he’s here. Should Arsene grant him his wish to return to Barca next season, he surely will certainly have earned it.
Hi Red Arse – its a very unsual occurance I have to say
Are you in the UK RA – do you go to games?
OK Dog breath, as you want to bang on about an event that happened 90 or so years ago, the fact it still rankles with you so much adds so much more pleasure to it for Arsenal fans, but I fail to see your point.
If/when the tax man catches up with Twitchy for his tax evasion(now they are finished with another club Twitchy left in the crapper, Pompey) will you stop being a Spud on the grounds of being a “morally corrupt” club?
I suppose 90 years ago is almost as fresh in your mind as 50 years ago as you are conning yourself into believing you are a big club as you were champions “only” 50 years ago.
Finally, unless you think I am 8 years old how could I possibly believe that your lame paedo joke was in anyway “referencing” our young squad, it’s common knowledge that the paedo song is only sung at your hovel(BTW get used to it – you’ll be there for a long time) and the prawn sandwich palace as it was a Spud journalist who put out the paedo rumour in 1996 when our manager joined.
I’m all for opinion from other teams supporters, of which we have had many here but the day forums allow paedophilia to be downgraded/acceptable enough to be the basis of “jokes” is the day civilisation to deteriorate one bit more and the suffering of the victims of paedophillia to be trivialised.
I say bin this person, he/she’s soiled the blog too much already.
FOREVER IN OUR SHADOW
I was never worried – he was always going to stay even if its only for one more year.
Lets hope he can lead us to some trophies and then maybe he’ll want to stay for longer.
We’ve got Cesc Fabregas We’ve got Cesc Fabregas
Peaches,
I had a season ticket at Highbury with my dad for many years. My work took me abroad a great deal of the time and I gave it up.
Now I am trying to get one again at the Emirates, but I have friends who occasionally have “spares”.
I am like the Scarlet Pimple, I am here, I’m there they seek me every where. 🙂
chary the spuds are wrapped upin the past because its all they have, the only time they have seen the league won at the lane was by us , its 50 years since they won the league , they will always be a small London team nothing more
CharyB,
Well said!
That’s probably it TrueG, and it was won twice by us at Shite Hart Lane.
Still the “chip on the shoulder” attitude Dog breath exudes is quite gratifying to see, anything that upsets a spud, be it from 2004, 1971 or 1919 is all good stuff.
Dog my father was a spud and took me in my youth to see your lot beat Gornick by 8. I also shared them winning the double in 61 with him, we respected each others clubs. But he would turn in his grave at the disservice you have done your club or the fact that I would even talk to such a low life.
Please remove your sad despoiled carcase from our blog
“Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment.
“I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me. This was the club where I learnt my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing. There are not many players in this world who would not want to play for Barcelona.
“I have had many conversations with Arsène Wenger both in person and over the phone over the last few months and although the content of those conversations will remain private, the conclusion is that Barcelona have had two formal offers rejected by Arsenal.
“I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal’s prerogative not to sell me.
“I owe a lot to the Club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal.
“I can assure all the fans that now the negotiations have ended I will be 100 percent focused on playing for Arsenal.
“I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about.
“I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me.”
Thanks for the link to Cesc’s statement AC, my interpretation is ….. “I will give my all for Arsenal this season, but next summer I expect to move to Barça”. Whether there has been some kind of contractual agreement to enforce this I couldn’t conjecture, but I think it is pretty plain he’s going next year.
I agree Rasp but I do believe he will continue to be nothing less than the player we already know.
It is probable that Cesc had some help couching that statement, but it is mature and sensible and he deserves full credit for it.
None of us can foretell the future, but I am happy with what he has said. 🙂
irish – there’s definitely something wrong with Rosexy’s haircut – have a look at the photo on Arse.com 😆
At least he was honest in it.
Peaches – I know I saw the picture 😦 Why Tom? Why?
Its dreadful – even worse than some of Nasri’s mums haircuts 😆
I think there was no point in Cesc saying he would be with us for beyond this season about to start, we would have heard a raft of commentators saying that it meant nothing anyway.
He’s been honest and upfront so he deserves respect for that – some in the blog world will be calling for him to go still. (That’ll be Rico so she can win her bet though ! 🙂 )
CharyB,
I think she was a steadfast believer in Cesc, together with a couple of other female fans on AR, until she got fed up and only referred to him as YKW. (You know who) 🙂
I’m probably talking tosh, but you know we males have difficulty understanding womens’ psyche! 🙂
Sorry Rico. 😉
Dog – this is a football blog not an Arsenal v spuds hate forum. I’ve given you a chance to talk football but thats not what you want to do so off you go. Bye
Leave him alone Peaches 😥 maybe it was for a bet?
doglegz its amazing how losers like you and your team try to hide behind taking the moral high ground, dont think theres a team in the league who havent got something in the closet during their history but you have to use it as a reason for lack of success. You have had a bit of success for one season and it wont last , you will be back in the pack this season where you belong, your choice of username shows your own self esteem is low try theropy to rid of the AFC obsession and maybe you can lift your head in the street
Peaches,
I am off now. Sorry but I really can’t take any more from that cretin Dog.
Look, he is making me as uncivilised as he is. I don’t like using terms such as “cretin” but it could be worse, so I’m off until he is gone.
Dog,
OK have read enough of what you have tried to say, though I admit it being quite difficult to comprehend.I respectfully suggest you try your hand at another site which is more prone to slagging matches as quite frankly your comments add up to zilch on here.Goodbye.
Peaches I have edited that article a bit have a look and see if it is any good to you
Maire, life is too short to waste on abominations such as that spud, ok maybe it’s not quite as short for you as it is for me, but still !
Red A – I wouldn’t try and decipher the female psyche either ! I feel grateful to have 2 sons and no daughters – I wouldn’t be able to cope.
Don’t be so sensitive everyone – I gave him a chance to talk footie but all he wanted was to be vile so he’s gone.
The statement from Cesc is embarrassing. Clearly crafted by th eclub and not him, and clearly he would rather leave than stay. So let him leave. He’s showed a lot of disrespect throughout the process and should be ashamed. Put him in the reserves and play Jack Wilshere in midfield.
Red Arse,
No need to scarper, the blog matriarch has consigned ‘Dog’ to spam, he will not be bothering us any more.
Thats wholly unfair to the female psyche – we may have our moments but surely our best bits are worth the grief, we’re just taken for granted 🙄
Chary – I was talking about Rosicky, Peaches was mocking him and his new hairdo, I’ve ignored the Spud 😉
sensitive !!!! peaches 😉
Hi heffer,
That’s an opinion I expect quite a few to express. I don’t agree, Cesc will bring class and quality to our side this season and I hope that the likes of Jack and Aaron learn as much as they can from him in that time.
Peachy, it was not him being a spud that was the issue, but his persistence in talking about Paedo Wenger and generally trivialising child abuse in that way. That’s what was unacceptable in my book.
Oppo fans have been on before and they’ve stuck to the rules of conduct and there’s no problem; Dog breaths conduct reduced the blog to the level of a youtube comment thread.
heffer – he can’t leave because we don’t want to sell him and Barcelona don’t have the money to buy him anyway.
He’ll be fine, he’s got a lovely new shirt and a ballet dancer to play with.
We’re gonna score more goals than you. Simples
See how ArseChicago’s post has filled my glass almost to the brim – that and binning a spud 😆
But Fabregas has not acted any better than Adebayor did. People are being very forgiving just because of his quality.
chary,
I agree about the vile content of his remarks, but we’ve been criticised on here for censorship. We’ve had abusive bloggers on before and turned them around in terms of their demeanour, and some have even gone on to write posts. Everyone deserves a chance, but unfortunately Dog was a lost cause so he’s binned.
Nice – I haven’t cracked the whip in a while 😀
Oh no Peachy, I know the female psyche has loads of great bits, it’s just as a whole it’s beyond my meagre powers of comprehension.
I didn’t mean to be unfair there, honest injun.
See, I even got confused as to what Maire was talking about when she referred to “doing it for a bet.”
Not quite true heffer – Ade whored himself about to the highest bidder – he was wearing a ‘Come and get me sign’ its a bit different with Cesc
heffer,
Again that is your opinion. I saw Cesc playing his heart out for us all last season, I saw Adebayor being lazy and arrogant.
So you don’t think Ces was trying to engineer a move to Barca Peachesgooner? It’s the same ion principle – sign a big fat lucrative contract (five years in Cesc’s case) then engineer a move away when something better comes up. George Graham wouldn’t have stood for it. Nor would Bertie mee.
Nevermind chary – don’t fight it just know when you’re beaten 😀
I don’t think Cesc was trying to engineer a move to Barca – I don’t think he needed to nor will he need to next summer. Barcelona want him and they know he wants to return there some day – it’ll happen, but not until they’ve got the money. Arsene won’t let it – I don’t trust Arsene in many things any more but I trust he’ll keep Cesc until he’s ready to sell him.
I can see why heffer likens him to Adebayor but I don’t agree – well not now, we’ll see how Cesc plays and I think he’ll have a thundering season.
I think what Cesc has said is about right, after all if Barca had offered enough money the club would most likely have sold him, so he does have his price!
PEACHES!!!!!!! dont trust Arsene, go to the naughty step woman.
heffer,
Cesc is pure class. He came on and laid off the pass to win Spain the World Cup Final. He wants to return home and play for his boyhood club. It has nothing to do with money (Gareth Barry and Ade’s moves had everything to do with money). He has served us magnificently and will continue to do so.
I cannot comprehend any Arsenal supporter not giving him their full support when he’s wearing the shirt. If he moves on next year, I will wish him well and be grateful for his time at Arsenal. I fully expect him to continue to say great things about Arsenal when he’s a Barca player in the same way as all our other past great players like TH14 and Bobby have praised us.
†
😳 dandan
Peaches – why do you not trust Arsene Wenger on most things? He has guided this club impeccably through within his financial constraints. I didn’t hear Cesc come out and pladge his future until it was clear he had no choice but to stay. He wanted to go to Barca and he tried to make it happen. If he didn’t want to go, all he had to say was he didn’t want to.
Its likely we would have sold Cesc if they’d come up with an offer of £45m, but that is not a reflection on Cesc .. its business.
irish – is that a sign to protect me
heffer,
I’m pretty sure Cesc did want to go. He didn’t, for 2 reasons; 1. Barca wouldn’t pay what he was worth and 2. Arsene knew we could keep him for another season without his value reducing and that he would be an asset to us during that period.
No it means she is cross Peaches LOL
Yes – away with the vampires † 😀
(Its actually the “t” from Lady Gaga’s Mons†er 😉 ) I’m sad 😦 LOL
But he did want to go – they wanted him and he did want to go but they didn’t have the money to buy him.
Wanting to go and being able to go are two different things. He didn’t ask to leave Arsenal because he doesn’t want to play for us anymore he asked to be able to take up the opportunity to play for Barcelona now rather than in the future. That request has been denied because Barca don’t have the money to buy him.
Rasp 3.08: Why do you want to keep a player who doesn’t want to be there? If he wants to go let him go. I fully agree he has served us well. He has been great and only occasionally goes missing. But i don’t really care what he says about us after he has gone. Talk is cheap. I’m tired of hearing TH14 run on about how in love with arsenal he is. He walked away.
Why whats happened irish – don’t tell me she’s cancelled the gig – shock horror (is there a smiley for that)
Rasp the point is that people have accused cesc of being disloyal but I feel that for the right money the club would sell him anyway, so the loyalty thing cuts both ways,it will be interesting to see what happens if cesc has a blinder this season making his value go up , will Barca be able to afford him?
Peaches – Oh no, no, no she’d never do that LOL I meant I’m sad (as in pathetic) that I know how to do the monster sign ha ha not sad as emotionally sad 😀
Did I tell you I’m getting a telephone hat?? My sister can make it from origami – woop, woop I’ll be a walking, talking, telephone video.
I don’t balme him for wanting to go to barca. I would go if it was me. For certain. What he’s guilty of is not ending the speculation in the beginning. He engineered th e move by not coming out and stopping it. That’s because he wanted to go. That’s why his statement is tosh and so clearly the club have made him do – probably as part of an agreement that he can go next summer for £30m (because the club feel £30m next season and cesc for a year is better than £40m now, no chance to buy and everyone holding out for money cos they know we’re seperate). I just wish you wouldn’t all be bought into thinking this statement is some sort of ‘from the heart’ pledge. It’s boll0cks.
I think the circumstances of Cescs departure are different to any other player that we’ve ever had – possibly different to any player of any club.
A player can dream of playing for the club they supported as a child – this is accepted and happens for lots of top players.
We knew that Cesc would return to Barcelona – its possible he’s been thinking about it dreamily all the time he’s been with us but he’s still given his heart to Arsenal and will continue to do so until he swaps shirts 😦
Peaches 3.23: Utter rubbish. Why is he different just because he’s from there or because he supported them as a child. He wasn’t on loan at arsenal. we invested in him. took a chance and paid him handsomely. Why is he different? Wake up everyone… you’re being too forgiving.
truegooner,
Is it disloyal to be honest? If Cesc were your son, wouldn’t you want him to fulfill his ambitions. If you read what he actually said leading up to today (and that was very little) he wasn’t at all disrespectful to Arsenal. He’d said his ambition was to play back at Barca one day well before this summer’s nonsense.
heffer,
I’m sure Cesc will be happy to be at Arsenal next season. He’s no fool, he will know that Barca haven’t offered enough and they will be more willing to pay the right price next year when Iniesta and Xavi and a year older.
If we wanted to criticise Cesc, you could say that he has reduced his resale value by only entertaining one club and therefore discounting his value being hiked up in a bidding war. I’m pretty sure that if citeh offered him £250k a week and Barca £100k, he’d choose Barca.
heffer – I don’t deny that his statement has been written by the club but I do feel that he loves Arsenal and won’t let us down.
Are you worried that he’ll be a different player now that he’s not been able to move?
Heffer – Cesc didn’t stop the speculation originally because he obviously thought of moving to Barca, but Arsenal blocked it twice so he stayed. He’ll probably go next season but will give everything for us in 2010/2011.
Heffer I bet you thank your lucky stars that Cesc. has stayed another year before the next summer arrives.
Well they’re such a fickle bunch, Peaches, that it wouldn’t suprise me if his heart wasn’t in it – although I concede that cesc has been very professional onthe pitch and I expect him to give his all. I think my main gripe is that the power now sits with players – holding our clubs to ransom and calling the shots. He signed a five year contract not very long ago. Why did he do that if he was always goin gback to barca?
dandan – I’ll be surprised.
heffer – I believe it is different for Cesc because his roots are there. Other players want the glamour of playing for Barcelona but Cesc just wants to go home IMO
Because he gets a signing on bonus and it guarantees the club a better price when he leaves
But he’s a professional, not a kid Peaches. Why sign a five-year contract if you want to go home? I’ll tell you: because longer contracts are more lucrative.
dandan – you think cesc signed a long contract so the club can get more money for him the following year? You’re delusional.
Hello All. Glad I missed the saddo from Planet Spud.
Cesc’s statement, even if written with the help of the club, is pure class. It doesn’t treat the supporters as idiots (there’s no fake sincerity about how there was never any question of going to Barcelona). It lays out the facts clearly and re-states his commitment to Arsenal for the coming season.
I have to disagree with Heffer – there is no comparison with Adebarndoor. Barndoor had one good season, started believing he was the new TH14 and sat back on his laurels the following year. When his lazy, can’t-be-bothered, haven’t-learnt-the-offside-rule performances started to frustrate us he started whoring himself around to earn a bigger payday.
Cesc was outstanding last season and will be this season. He is not touting himself around and if he does eventually leavue us for Barca it will not be for money.
heffer,
You write like a committed supporter ….. come on, you’ll be cheering Cesc next season just like the rest of us wont you? 😉
Rasp – yes I’ll cheer him because I will do what’s required for the good of my team. But I am not impressed by him.
Thats true heffer – do you think he shouldn’t have signed his new contract and told Arsene he would rather wait and see if Barcelona came for him. He didn’t engineer a new contract – he was offered it by the club.
No Heffer he got a signing on bonus, but the bye product is the club can ask more for him from any potential buyer, because they cannot do what we did with chamy, sit there and wait for a bosman free transfer.
Still none of you can tell me why he signed a five-year contract and now wants to leave…
By the way, good article ArseChicago. And great pic Rasp – I’m sure Rodin would approve. I believe his other major work – The Gates of Hell – is subtitled “White Hart Lane”.
Hi Rocky – its just so boring since Ade left – no-one to really complain about 🙂
Oh Peaches, you’re missing my point. I’m saying if he was so desperate to “go home” as you put it, why did he sign up for five more years? For money…? If he was happy to sign it he should honour it.
He signed a five year contract because that’s what the club demanded of him. We have to sign all our top players to long contracts so that if they do ever decide to leave we get proper value for them, rather than having them run down their contract and leaving on a free, or on a reduced fee because there’s only a year left.
Peaches – you’re right – and let’s hope we don’t find someone this year to fill his role as the man we love to hate.
😆 Rocky
heffer,
In signing a 5 year contract he was ensuring that Arsenal would get the best possible price for him (although I’m sure that was not his only motivation)
Heffer have you considered the possibility that Arsene has only a year to run on his contract and may have told Cesc he isn’t going to resign.
I don’t believe that but it is possible
heffer – I do get your point but the club wanted to tie him down for longer too so that they could get more money for him. Its a quid pro quo isn’t it, its a way of warning other clubs off but as you say no-one respects the contracts now – the clubs or the players.
Whats to be done?
Rockylives – no-one held him down and made him sign it. I thinhk Cesc has done a very good charm offensive on you all. He’s managed to secure himself a dream move for next year, is enjoying a lucrative five-year deal funded by you and will lauded a hero when he walks away.
Hi Rocky… Denilson, Diaby or Theo could all easily fall into that category. The way some of our supporters are
heffer,
You omitted to list “and will earn the club £45m (ish) in transfer fees”
Heffer – Eddie signed a new contract lately but moved to Donestk when the opportunity arose.
Its football now sadly, I just hope Jacky Wilshere turns into the player we expect.
Thats if Barca have any money next year Rasp
irish,
I like LJ, but for me, Ramsay was the one looking most likely to fill Cesc’s boots before his injury. From what I hear, he has the mental strength to fully recover and the word is he may be playing again in October/November
I have to depart but thanks for the healthy debate. Dandan your Wenger point is a whole other big can of worms. Maybe tomorrow eh?
heffer – we didn’t want to tell you before but we are the ‘Cesc Fabregas Fan Club’ and we get a % of the sell on 😆
dandan,
I’m no expert, but from what I’ve read, Barca’s debt doesn’t stop them from spending if they choose to – they coughed up 40m euros for David Villa
Only joking 😛
Cheers heffer,
Hope you come on again.
Thanks heffer for keeping your temper – one against six can’t have been easy 🙂
Rasp – agreed, I’m thinking of our Rambo/Wilshere combo
Sorry irish I got caught up with heffer – is your Gaga costume the one you showed me before, with the tape?
For what it’s worth I think that Cesc’s statement was honest and heartfelt; although it does reek of being a “professional” statement written by someone whose first language is English not Spanish.
IMHO one can only detect true sentiment when you can see the whites of the eyes. However it would not have been possible to make a live statement as the press would have torn into him.
That said I’m happy to have him around for another season and I don’t think he will let us down.
In a sentence “Cesc has postponed his divorce”
Peaches – yep but with an added telephone hat 🙂
Lets not get all the Cesc talk out in one day – perhaps we should sleep on it and have a think *ahem ahem* 😆
Damn! You got rid of the sad lad from the Spuds, then I read the comments to catch up, get ready to “debate” with Heffer and he buggers off.
It would have been 7 against 1 which seems about right! 🙂
It is disappointing that even Arsenal fans expect decent, gentlemanly people like Cesc to behave like Mother Theresa.
If I was a Catalonian, not Spanish but Catalonian, that would be a huge psychological pull for me when family, friends and a nation (?) were all wanting me to go back “home”.
In addition, how can he be faulted, as a player, for wanting to better himself? Barca win trophies for fun and we don’t.
Fans are committed to their club for life, whereas professional footballers move clubs because of their own career aims or the clubs wanting to sell them.
And to pretend, in similar circumstances, anyone of us would behave differently is arrant nonsense.
All the above is wasted because St Heffer has gone. 🙂
Then again, you only become a saint after you die! 😉
I think some asked the question, why did Cesc sign such a long-term deal, right? How about personal insurance? The reason he likely didn’t ask to sign one year deal after one year deal, other than Arsenal probably refusing to operate like that, is the threat of injury. Remember how violent the Premiership seems to be these days? What if Cesc gets hurt this year and his boyhood club is nowhere to be found this next offseason? Well, he’s going to be getting a paycheck while he’d be hypothetically laying in the Emirates infirmary along with, let’s face it, probably Rosicky. The transfer market is a reality and so when you’re a player/agent, signing a 5-year deal doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have to serve the entire thing if you want to. Given that and the insurance in the face of potential injury, that’s great for the player. It’s also great for Arsenal, should we be forced to collect our 40MM+ from Barca, should they have the coins laying around.
You make good points Red A, but I’d like to know what people think of this: If Barca were going through a trophyless, barren spell (like we are now) would Cesc be as keen to join them ?
I’m think he probably would, but I’m sure he wouldn’t be quite so keen if R Madrid were lording it in Spain now and Barca were also-rans, as they hopefully will be next season.
That’s a great thought – Barca out of the CL spots for 2011/12 and no trophies for 2010/11. How tempting will Bankruptolana be, even to one of their own, then?
Yup, that’s right Chicago.
It’s a mutual insurance policy. The player guarantees his livelihood for 5 years, the club get a big payoff if he goes before the end of the contract.
Good business for both. 🙂
CharyB,
None of us know which of the various reasons put forward to explain Cesc’s position is the most important to him, of course.
I’m inclined to agree with you that the trophy thing might have some bearing, but I don’t think it would be a deal breaker if Barca were on a barren run.
i’ll be supporting real madrid this season!
so that statement cesc made tells me we have him for one more season…. and then what? do we let him go to barca on the cheap? or do we go through it all again? they still owe us £14m give or take…. christs sake!
Unless there has been a “behind closed doors” deal allowing Cesc to go next year, and I doubt that is practicable or enforceable, then we will inevitably go thru the same rigmarole next year.
Remember Patrick Viera’s two year saga?
RedA – I tend to agree there, it will be one of the “on the balance of probabilities” considerations he’ll make re. the trophies.
TommyS – for once I will be cheering on the “Specious one” this season in La Liga. Real M all the way.
Where is everyone???
Ye all just disappeared 😆
I’m still here Irish but then again it’s only 1:35pm in London, Ontario.
Irish,
I thought I had scared off all you regulars! I’ve got the hump now. 🙂
Maybe they all nipped out for a drink or two?
Looking forward to the game against Legia Warsaw; I’ll be watching it on Arsenal TV.
Hello guys,
I must be off myself soon, but I’ll be back tomorrow for more Cesc talk.
GunnerN5,
What is the reception like with you?
It is just this side of absolute rubbish here!
I have gone online with Arsenal.com to complain and ask for a “proper” TV channel that can be beamed across the world by ESPN or SKY.
Red Arse: It’s nothing short of incredible, (as good as any TV reception)I have a 29″ flat screen monitor and even with the picture set on full screen it’s still great.
Red Arse: Maybe you need to check your settings I had an issue before changing mine. In case you want to look, go into your personal profile and check the settings. I have both the streaming and download set at 600 kbps and the network settings at option 1.
Barca. Cheeky buggers have issued a statement, regarding Cesc. “We regret Arsenals decision to declare the player not for sale”.
We should make em pay through the nose next year arrogant Bs
Thanks, GunnerN5,
I will double check that. I connect it up to my TV via an HDMI cable, but it is not v. good.
Let you know after the Legia game. 🙂
Of course, Mr Kroenke may have it set up for the PAL system on your side of the pond! 🙂
Dandan,
I’m sure Arsenal will try to do that. I will have to swallow my instinctive dislike of Maureeno and support R. Madrid too, next season! 🙂
Got to go again, the vino is beginning to take effect. 😉
Happy Birthday RVP. we all missed that one.
from arsenal opinion.
Swiss club BSS Young Boys have just been given a lifeline in the UEFA Champions League, after being drawn against minnows Tottenham in the play-off rounds. Young Boys, who play at Wankdorf Stadium, always seem to get lucky in Europe.
Manager Vladimir Petković was over the moon with the draw, and issued the following statement:
“I’m delighted that we missed out on the likes of FC Sherrif and MSK Zilina. We’ve been given an absolute touch, and we’re looking forward to giving Tottenhurs the opportunity to play on the big stage.
A lot of our fans believe that this game is already in the bag, but we won’t be taking anything for granted. We will be giving a few youngsters the chance to see what they can do, and it’s a great opportunity to rest some of our more experienced players, who are still feeling it after playing in a 6-a-side Power League tournament last week.”
You never know, Tottenham could surprise a few, and we could see one of the shock defeats early on in the competition if Young Boys do get complacent.
Brilliant !!!!
New post……