Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 5

July 3, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we continue our quest for the greatest midfielders to include in our team.  Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite midfielder by voting in the poll at the end of the week.

14. Paul Davis: 1978-1995.

Paul appeared in 447 matches over a 17 year period.

-Images-d-Davis_Paul_910810Born in Dulwich, London, Paul signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1977 and turned professional the following year, he made his debut in 1980 in a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, and within a year he was a regular in the Arsenal side, as well as a member of the England U21 team.

He was a key member of the successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s, winning the League Cup in 1987 and the First Division in 1989 and 1991. Paul will arguably be best remembered for an incident in 1988 when, during a match, he punched Southampton player Glenn Cockerill in the jaw. Cockerill’s jaw was broken and following the FA’s analysis of TV footage he was given a then unprecedented 9-match ban and £3,000 fine.

In spite of a disagreement with Manager George Graham he still appeared 447 times for Arsenal, scoring 37 goals. Paul played in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals wins in 1993 as Arsenal chalked up their Cup Double. He also featured in Arsenal’s Cup Winners’ Cup win against Parma F.C the following year.

Paul was released by Arsenal on a free transfer in the summer of 1995. After leaving Arsenal, he briefly joined Norwegian side Stabæk Fotball in 1995 and flopped. He returned to London to join Brentford signing on a free transfer in September 1995, but he retired within a year after just five appearances for the Griffin Park side. He returned to Arsenal to become a youth coach in 1996, before leaving the club in 2003.

In September 2003 he joined The Professional Footballers’ Association coaching department. On 27 October 2005, he was invited to become assistant manager of Kettering Town F.C. by new manager Paul Gascoigne, he left Kettering at the same time as Gascoigne’s departure from the club on 5 December 2005, but continues to work for the Professional Footballer’s Association coaching department. He has studied and gained the FA and Pro UEFA Coaching awards, the highest coaching award in the U.K. along with his UEFA ‘A’ Licence and the FA Diploma in Football Management from Warwick University, as well as his coach educators awards. Paul is now a senior coach/coach educator for the organisation and he is also an ambassador for the ‘Kick It Out’ and ‘Show Racism the Red Card organisations’.

15. Ray Parlour: 1988-2004.

Ray appeared in 466 matches over a 16 year period.

cristiano-ronaldo-469-ray-parlour-celebrating-arsenal-goal-wearing-a-dreamcast-jersey-1992-2004Born in Barking, London, Ray is most famous for his time at Arsenal, where he played for 14 years. He joined Arsenal as a trainee in 1989, and made his debut for the Gunners against Liverpool in 1992. He was only used sporadically in his initial few years, and was more noted for his disciplinary problems; however he made 12 appearances for the England U21 team during this time.

His breakthrough came in 1994–95, when he played in Arsenal’s European Cup Winners’ Cup final loss to Real Zaragoza. However, his real development, as a player, only came to fruition after the arrival of Arsène Wenger as manager in 1996; he became a regular fixture playing on the right wing or in central midfield for Arsenal. In 1997–98 Arsenal won the Double and Ray proved to be instrumental; he was man-of-the-match in the Gunners’ FA Cup Final win over Newcastle United, that season, where he set up Nicolas Anelka for Arsenal’s second goal in a 2–0 win. He continued to enjoy success with Arsenal for another four years but generally received little acclaim in the media compared with many of his more illustrious Arsenal team-mates, especially as he was almost constantly living in the shadow of Patrick Vieira.

In March 2000, he hit a hat trick in a 4–2 away win at Werder Bremen in a UEFA Cup quarter final tie. Seven months later, he followed it up with another hat trick in a 5–0 demolition of Newcastle United at Highbury. In April 2001, he struck a spectacular 30-yard winner as Arsenal beat Valencia 2–1 in the UEFA Champions’ League Quarter Final 1st leg tie at Highbury. One of the crowning moments of his career was his goal from 30 yards in the 2002 FA Cup Final against Chelsea, which Arsenal won 2-0.  Another one of Ray’s finest moments in Arsenal colours came in November 2003, when as stand-in captain, he led Arsenal to a famous 5–1 win against Internazionale at San Siro. Performances like these have led many Arsenal fans to believe that he was one of the most underrated players at the club, and of his generation

In total, with Arsenal, Ray won three FA Premier League titles, four FA Cups, (which included two Doubles) one League Cup and one European Cup Winner’s Cup.

During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed “The Romford Pelé”; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but unglamorous image.

He moved to Middlesbrough in mid-2004, (but he still has remained a fans’ favourite at Arsenal and was recently named the 19th greatest player in the club’s history), he played 60 games for Boro in two and a half years but he was released from his contract in January 2007.

For a brief period he trained with Arsenal in order to regain fitness with a view to finding a new club. On 9 February 2007, he signed for Hull City until the end of the 2006–07 season. After helping City avoid relegation, it was confirmed on 1 June that he was not offered a new contract and this meant he was released.

He made his England debut as a substitute in a Euro 2000 qualifier against Poland on March 27, 1999. He won ten caps for England but did not score any goals.

Ray emerged as one of the most influential players for The England Legends, a 16-man squad of former internationals who have played Italy, Germany, Scotland, Ireland and The Rest of The World.

16. Patrick Vieira: 1996-2005.

Patrick appeared in 406 matches over a 9 year period.

Born in Dakar, Senegal, his family moved to Dreux, France, when he was eight. He first played for AS Cannes, where he made his debut at the age of 17 and captained the team aged just 19.] In the summer of 1995, he was signed by the Italian team Milan, though he played mainly in the reserves and made only two first-team appearances.

patrick-vIn August 1996, he joined Arsenal, in a £3.5 million move, Patrick later revealed he signed for Arsenal because his compatriot Arsène Wenger was going to be the club’s next manager; Arsene was officially manager of Arsenal by the start of October. His performances for Arsenal in the subsequent months made him a fans’ favourite. He ended his first season with 38 appearances in total and Arsenal finished in third place, missing out on a spot in the UEFA Champions League via goal difference. His partnership with French international team-mate Emmanuel Petit the following season was instrumental in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double. After a successful 1998 World Cup campaign with the national team, Patrick had another productive season at Arsenal in 1998–99. Although Arsenal failed to retain the Premier League, Vieira’s endeavour was rewarded as he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Disciplinary problems beset Patrick during his time with Arsenal and it was feared that he was prepared to turn his back on English football as he felt victimised. Wenge, several Arsenal players and fans supported him publicly, amid speculation that Italian club Juventus were prepared to offer Vieira an escape route. However Patrick stayed and Arsenal finished second in the league for a third consecutive season and runners-up to Liverpool in 2001 FA Cup Final. He was later named the club vice-captain, to ensure he would succeed Tony Adams as captain. In the 2001–02 season; Arsenal regained the league and beat Chelsea in the 2002 FA Cup Final to complete a second double. In 2003, Patrick missed Arsenal’s title run-in, due to a knee injury, and they were overtaken by Manchester United who took first place. He was also ruled out of the 2003 FA Cup Final, which Arsenal won, but jointly lifted the trophy with captain for the day, David Seaman.

In spite of growing interest to sign Vieira, not least from Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea in the summer of 2003, he agreed terms to stay at Arsenal and signed a deal which ran until 2007. The 2003–04 season was a successful one for Arsenal, as they reclaimed the league title and became the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire league season unbeaten. He endured a mixed start to the campaign, as he was sent off against Manchester United in September 2003, banned for one match and later fined £20,000. However he scored the opening goal against Tottenham Hotspur, in what ended a 2–2 draw which was enough for Arsenal to regain the title.  In the 2005 FA Cup Final, he scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United, which proved to be his final goal for Arsenal.

In July 2005, representatives of Juventus met with Arsenal, with a view to signing Patrick, and on 15 August 2005, he signed a five-year contract, in a deal worth £13.75 million, making his debut on 28 August 2005. Despite his performances dipping as the result of a persistent groin injury he helped Juventus retain the Scudetto, however Juventus were stripped of their 2004–05 and 2005–06 titles after it was revealed they were involved in a match-fixing scandal and were relegated to Serie B and had 17 points deducted.

On 2 August 2006, he officially signed a four-year deal for Internazionale. In his first season at Inter, he added to his trophy cabinet the Italian Super Cup as well as the 2006–07, 2007–08, and 2008–09 Serie A. On 6 January 2010, José Mourinho stated that Vieira had played his last game at Inter.

On 8 January 2010, he signed a six month contract at Manchester City and, subsequently agreed to a one-year extension. He made a late substitute appearance in May 2011, as City won the FA Cup with a 1–0 win over Stoke City at Wembley Stadium.

On 14 July 2011, he announced his retirement from playing and accepted a training and youth development role at Manchester City with the title of Football Development Executive.

Vieira made his debut for France and was part of the France squad in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute in the final against Brazil, and set up Arsenal team mate Emmanuel Petit for France’s third goal in a 3–0 win. He, with the rest of the squad, was declared a Knight of the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest decoration, in 1998.

He subsequently played as a first choice midfield player in France’s successful campaign in Euro 2000, which they won, beating Italy in the final. He helped France to victory in the 2001 Confederations Cup, ending the tournament as joint top scorer with two goals, including the winner, a header, in the final against Japan. He also played in all three games in the 2002 World Cup, in which France were eliminated in the group stage, failing to score a goal. He was injured and missed France’s defeat to Greece at Euro 2004. He won a total of 107 caps for France, scoring six goals.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders – Day 4

July 2, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we continue our quest for the greatest midfielders to include in our team.  Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite defender by voting in the poll at the end of the week.

11. Liam Brady: 1971-1980.

Liam appeared in 307 games over a 9 year period 

Liam-Brady-ArsenalBorn in Dublin, he started his career at Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1971, at the age of 15, turning professional on his 17th birthday in 1973.

He made his debut on 6 October 1973 against Birmingham City as a substitute. Manager Bertie Mee decided to use him sparingly and Liam ended the 1973–74 season with just 13 appearances, four as a substitute.

In 1974–75 he was a first-team regular and shone a bright light in a side that hovered close to relegation. He found his best form under new manager, Terry Neill – his passing provided the ammunition for Arsenal’s front men and Arsenal reached three FA Cup finals in a row between 1978 and 1980. Arsenal won only the middle of the three, against Manchester United in the 1979 final, with Liam starting the move that ended in Alan Sunderland’s famous last-minute winner. He was nicknamed “Chippy”, not for his ability to chip the ball but for his fondness for fish and chips.

Liam was now at the peak of his form and during this time he was voted the club’s player of the year three times, and chosen as the PFA Player of the Year in 1979. Being from the Republic of Ireland, he was the first player from beyond Britain’s borders to win that award. He was the most talented player in what was then a promising young Arsenal side, which was looking to consistently challenge for honours like the Division One title.

But rumours persisted that he was unhappy. And in 1980, Juventus, who were impressed with his performances against them in the semi-finals of the Cup Winners Cup, signed him in for just over £500,000. He spent two seasons with Juventus, picking up two Italian Championship medals, in 1981 and 1982 and he scored the only goal (a penalty) in the 1–0 win against Catanzaro that won the 1982 title. After the arrival of Michel Platini in summer 1982, he moved to Sampdoria, and went on to play for Internazionale (1984–1986) and Ascoli (1986–1987), before returning to London to play for West Ham United.

He won 72 international caps for the Republic of Ireland, 70 in the starting line-up, scoring 9 goals.

After retiring from playing in 1990, he managed Celtic between 1991 and 1993, and then Brighton & Hove Albion between 1993 and 1995.  He rejoined Arsenal in July 1996, as Head of Youth Development and Academy Director. On 30 January 2013, Arsenal announced that he would leave his role as Director of the Arsenal Youth Academy in May 2014.

He is fondly remembered as one of Arsenal’s all-time greats, playing 307 matches for the Gunners, scoring 59 goals and setting up many more.

12. Brian Talbot: 1979-1985

Brian made 327 appearances over a 6 year period.

Born in Ipswich, Brian was a midfielder and began his football career as an apprentice with Ipswich Town in 1968, turning professional in 1972; in the meantime he had spent two seasons on loan with Canadian club Toronto Metros.

BrianTalbotShootPlace.ashxHe made 227 appearances for Ipswich winning the 1978 FA Cup, in the semi-final against West Bromwich Albion, he scored Ipswich’s first goal after just eight minutes. However he was injured on the play when he collided head-to-head with Albion’s skipper, John Wile and he left the field on a stretcher.

In January 1979, he was transferred to Arsenal for a fee of £450,000, immediately becoming first-team player. He played for the Gunners in the FA Cup final of that year, scoring a goal in a 3–2 victory over Manchester United; Brian thus achieved the unique distinction of winning the FA Cup with two different teams in consecutive seasons. The following year he set a club record, as an ever-present in Arsenal’s marathon 1979–80 season, when he played a total of 70 matches in a single season (the club reached the finals of both the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, but lost them both).

His impressive stamina and fitness meant he played nearly every Arsenal first-team game for the next five seasons, missing fewer than half a dozen League games. In all, the strong and sturdy midfielder played 327 first-team matches for the Gunners, scoring 49 goals. He also played for England, five times while at Ipswich and once as an Arsenal player.

He left Arsenal in June 1985 and joined Watford, he spent a season and a half at Vicarage Road before joining Stoke City in October 1986. His presence helped to inspire the side as Stoke climbed the table and fell six points short of a play-off place. In 1987–88 he made 27 appearances before he left in January 1988 after being offered a player-manager role at West Bromwich Albion. He spent two and a half years in that role before leaving for Fulham in March 1991. After a short spell there he ended his playing career at Aldershot.

He then moved abroad and managed Maltese club Hibernians, where his team won the island’s Premier League in 1993 and 1994, returning to English club football as part of the coaching staff of Rushden and Diamonds, then in the Football Conference, in 1997. After a spell as head coach he was appointed club manager, and at the end of the 2000–01 season Rushden secured promotion to the Football League. In March 2004 he left the club to take over at Oldham Athletic, his spell there ended with him resigning at the end of February 2005.

In 2011, he joined English Premier League side Fulham as a scout where he mostly watches matches in the top leagues for the London club, for example in France or Germany.

13. David Rocastle: 1982-1992

David made 277 appearances over a 10 year period.

gun__1301406982_rocastle12David was born in Lewisham, he spent the majority of his football career playing for Arsenal, joining in May 1982 and turning professional in December 1984. In his early career he faced problems with his eyesight, according to his team mate Martin Keown “They couldn’t work out why David was running around dribbling with his head down. So they took him to the halfway line and said: ‘Can you see the goal?’ and he couldn’t. His eyesight was terrible. They sorted him out with contact lenses and his career took off.”

He made his Arsenal debut against Newcastle United in the 1985-86 season and made 26 league appearances, scoring once. He remained a regular player in the first team following the departure of Don Howe and the appointment of George Graham as manager at the end of the 1985–86 season.  In 1987, just before his 20th birthday, he won a League Cup winners medal after Arsenal beat Liverpool in the final at Wembley. He was a member of the Arsenal side which reached the final against Luton Town the following year and he was ever present in the league in 1987–88.

“Rocky” won two league championship medals with Arsenal. The first came in 1989, when he played in every game. Arsenal’s success was sealed when they beat Liverpool 2–0 in the final game of the season at Anfield, snatching the title from the hosts on goals scored. But Arsenal were unable to compete in the 1989–90 European Champions Cup because the ban on English clubs in European competition after the 1985 Heysel tragedy still had one year to run. In 1990–91, a knee injury restricted him to just 18 league appearances but he still played his part in Arsenal winning the league championship – losing only one league game all season. The following season he only missed three out of 42 league games.

On 23 July 1992, after nearly a decade at Arsenal, he was sold to league champions Leeds United in a £2million deal, making him their most expensive signing. But the good form of Gordon Strachan and injuries kept him out of the side. He was transferred to Manchester City for £2million, but the move to Maine Road was not a success for him and he only managed two goals from 21 Premier League games. At the start of the 1994–95 season, he was transferred to Chelsea in a £1.25million deal.

In 1994–95, David played in nearly 40 games for Chelsea and scored two goals in the European Cup Winners Cup. The following season his injuries returned, and he played just one more game for the club, in October 1995. On completing his contract with Chelsea in 1998, he joined the Malaysian team Sabah on a free transfer but was unable to stay clear of injury and retired in December 1999.

During his time with Arsenal, David was capped 14 times for England, but did not make the squad for either 1990 World Cup or Euro 92.

In February 2001, he announced that he was suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer which attacks the immune system. He underwent a course of chemotherapy and was hopeful of a recovery. He died in the early hours of 31 March 2001, aged 33.

The David Rocastle Trust is a charity based in London, England founded in memory of Rocastle.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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Wenger to Work his Magic on Torres?

July 1, 2013

When the “Torres to Arsenal” rumours broke yesterday they came as no surprise to regular readers of the comments section of Arsenal Arsenal.

Our well-informed fellow blogger Kelsey revealed weeks ago that we were talking to Chelsea about the Spanish forward and that we had even gone so far as to make an offer.

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To me the story makes a lot of sense.

Higuain may be our number one striker target (although who knows? No-one at Arsenal has commented about the Madrid-based Argentine and I would not entirely rule out the possibility that the whole thing is a newspaper fiction that has taken on a life of its own).

But let’s take things at face value and say we are interested in him. Even so, we would be crazy to have him as our only option to fill the “world class” striker role that is essential for giving extra edge to our attack.

Players change their minds; agents can mess up any deal and if one of the financially doped Oiler teams sets their greedy eye on him we would be out-bid in a heartbeat.

So I both hope and assume that Arsene Wenger has other goal poachers in his sights this summer.

Wayne Rooney may be one. He inspires mixed feelings amongst Arsenal supporters (Gn5 said only yesterday that he could never forgive him for the atrocious dive that helped end our unbeaten streak), but he would undoubtedly strengthen our team and his departure would weaken Manchester United at the same time.

Some people doubt we could afford his wages, but with a big signing on fee and the promise of a free granny flat in the Highbury Square development I reckon we could woo the Roo.

Then there is Torres. At Liverpool he looked like one of the best strikers in the world. Then he went to Chelsea and his career stalled badly.

Maybe he hit a run of bad form; maybe he found it difficult to displace fan favourite Didier Drogba; maybe he is just allergic to Chavmungus scumbags, of whom there are many in the Chelsea dressing room.

Whatever the reason, and despite some signs of recapturing his form from time to time while in West London, there is no doubt that Fernando Torres’s stock is much lower now than it was when he quit the Scousers.

With Mourinho arriving as manager, the Spaniard must be unsure of his place in the Chavs’ future plans.

All of which could make him a perfect Wenger signing. Much of Arsenal’s early success under Arsene Wenger came from players whose careers had stalled or stagnated elsewhere.

Dennis Bergkamp (yes, I know he was signed before Arsene arrived but there is evidence that Arsene advised Dein to buy him) was struggling at Inter Milan. He had been signed from Ajax after his startling skills caught the attention of top clubs throughout Europe. His first season in Milan was so-so, but the following year things started to go wrong. He suffered injuries and wasn’t scoring goals. This is what it says on Dennis’s Wikipedia page: “Off the field, Bergkamp’s relationship with the Italian press and fans became uncomfortable. His shy persona and his propensity to go home after matches was interpreted as apathy. Because of his poor performance on the pitch, one Italian publication renamed their award given to the worst performance of the week, L’asino della settimana (Donkey of the Week) to Bergkamp della settimana (Bergkamp of the Week).”

That last fact makes me want to find a Milanese and punch him in the kisser.

Anyway, thankfully Dennis opted to join us and became a legend.

Then there was Marc Overmars. No-one would touch the flying winger because he was coming back from a traumatic, long-term injury which – according to conventional wisdom – had taken the edge off his speed. Under Arsene he flew once again.

Patrick Vieira: at AC Milan he was languishing in the reserves and played only twice for the first team. Arsene brought him to The Home Of Football where, from his first memorable appearance in the famous red and white, it was clear that we had someone special.

Thierry Henry: yes, already a World Cup winner when we bought him – but only as a wide man used off the bench by Les Bleus. He was not seen as a central striker by anyone except Arsene.

Nwankwo Kanu: like Overmars, untouchable because of injury – in Kanu’s case a dodgy ticker that required major corrective surgery in the US and led to the memorable terrace song “he’s big, he’s black, he’s had a heart attack.” Untouchable, that is, by anyone except Arsene Wenger.

Bobby Pires: unhappy at Marseille and in dispute with the club’s owners when Arsene picked him up.

You can see what I’m getting at. Put in the context of those early Wenger signings, Torres could very easily be the sort of player who could rekindle the highest heights at Arsenal. And unlike the others, he already has comprehensive experience of the Premier League.

When he was at his pomp in Liverpool Torres looked like the heir to Thierry Henry. His speed, his strength and his finishing all reminded one of our great Frenchman. Now, at 29, he should have two or three years of being at the absolute top of his game.

I, for one, would be perfectly happy to see him with a cannon on his chest.

Do you agree?

RockyLives

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Arsenal Brazilian disappointment and Barca DNA at the Confederations Cup

June 30, 2013

So, while watching various matches at the dress rehearsal for the World Cup in Brazil I found myself wondering who to root for, always a tricky task when there is no Arsenal involvement. For some reason I decided it would be the opponents of Brazil or Spain, two teams who I’d taken a dislike to for no readily apparent reason.

Now why should that be as how can any football fan dislike the Samba boys? Maybe, I thought, as a gooner my experience of our last two Brazilian imports was less than satisfactory, namely Denilson and Santos.

Denilson to me was overplayed too early in his development, and probably expected to fill a Gilberto/Flamini/Diarra sized hole in midfield and the abiding memory of him for many will be that of being outpaced by a portly referee who was keeping up with play a heck of a lot better than Denilson was.

Santos had a slow start to his Arsenal career and seemed to be filling into his left back role, as well as his ample XXL sized Arsenal top, when a string of slightly lackadaisical performances culminated in what, for me, was the cardinal sin of exchanging shirts with Van Judas on our first trip to old Toilet since the Cutch Dunt’s act of treachery. The shirt exchange on pitch was bad enough but to do it at half time showed a complete lack of awareness of the fans attitude to the aforementioned traitor!

Similarly, why did I feel an antipathy to Spain whilst they were playing the Eye-talians? There was no Nacho man or Santi on the pitch so that could explain why I didn’t warm to them.

Then it dawned on me: Barca DNA!

A side with the diving/cheating “skills” of Busquets and was bound to raise my hackles, and for Brazil the god awful play acting of Alves was what we’ve come to expect and loathe from this particular full back.

Alves alone was not enough to turn me away from the hosts – it was a Barca-to-be player who got special mention with respect to the Barcelona diving cheat award – Neymar.

I’m sure he has talent, is great on the ball, a pin up boy of Brazilian football yada yada yada, but to me he has the air of a young man who likes the look of himself too much and probably whiles away the long summer evenings gazing narcissistically at himself in the mirror.

The cherry on the cake of his Catalonian-ness was that horrendous dive when his jaw was brushed by one of the Azzurui and he flung his body into the contortions of a man who had been tazered.

3549689408_neymar dive full

Now before anyone pipes up with the “Well Pires dived to get a PK in season 2003-04 so that means no Arsenal fan can criticise anyone else subsequently for diving now or in history ever and forever more, amen!” – an argument that is older than Bruce Forsythe’s jock strap.

Marks out of ten for that lovely pirouette ?

Marks out of ten for that lovely pirouette ?

That would efffectivley mean no fan of ANY club could call out diving as every club has some who have dived, so that line of reasoning to me, like a chav with sketchy personal hygiene, just won’t wash.

For his histrionics and self-absorption I feel Neymar is a perfect fit for the Qatari boys.

Yes, you Catalans, this Neymar definitely has Barca DNA and Xavi can trumpet this fact far and wide.

By Charybdis1966

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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders : Early Era’s Vote Time

June 29, 2013

Time for another vote in our summer quest to find our greatest squad. And as in previous weeks you have the chance today to vote for midfielders from our earlier era’s. Don’t worry your recent heroes come next week.

You can vote for up to 3 players if you find the decision difficult,

If you’ve missed out on reading the excellent articles earlier this week check out Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s posts.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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Santi Cazorla Shows The Way To Real Madrid

June 28, 2013

There are two ways of being frustrated as an Arsenal fan during transfer windows.

The first and most obvious is the endless parade of “Arsenal on the brink of signing Player X” stories.

But equally distressing can be the stories that purport to show that our stars are wanted by teams elsewhere and, worse, may be interested in upping sticks and leaving.

We know from recent painful experience that these tales sometimes turn out to be true.

santi 1

So when news feeds started reporting earlier this week that Real Madrid had given up monkey-hunting for a while and were interested in our gifted playmaker Santi Cazorla, it will have sent a quiver through the stoutest Arsenal bottom.

But no sooner had the reports emerged than little Santi – many fans’ choice for our player of the season last year – killed them dead in the water.

While on duty with the Spanish national side he told journalists: “I have three years left on my contract and I have not thought of anything like that. My plan is to continue at the club. Arsenal are treating me very well and I want to win a title with them.”

santi 2

There you go. It’s not so hard, is it?

I often wonder why more players don’t instantly put an end to transfer speculation by categorically stating that they are not going anywhere.

Maybe they like to keep their options open: “…you never know, what if Madrid offer me 200k a week?” Or maybe they think being linked with other big clubs will help them get a better deal at Arsenal. Or maybe those mischievous imps of the modern game, their agents, advise them to say nothing.

santi 3

But Santi Cazorla has shown exactly how it should be done. He is clearly happy at Arsenal. He knows the supporters love him and he feels optimistic about our future. So it was perfectly natural for him to do the honourable thing and pledge his loyalty. I remember Thomas Vermaelen doing something similar a year or two ago when linked with Barcelona (something his current detractors might like to reflect on).

What do you think? Do we fans have a right to know what our players’ intentions for their future are? Do have they have an obligation to speak to us and, if they do, are they obliged to speak honestly?

Either way, Santi’s statement is just one more reason to love the little man.

RockyLives

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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 2

June 26, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we continue to highlight the midfielders.  Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite midfielder by voting in the poll at the end of the week

4. Alf Baker: 1919-1931.

Alf made 351 appearances over a 12 year period.

Born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, Alf was originally a miner and played for various clubs in Derbyshire as an amateur.

ARSEbakerADuring World War I he \was a guest player for Chesterfield, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town, and in 1919 he turned professional signing for Arsenal; according to Arsenal folk lore, manager Leslie Knighton signed Alf  after meeting him at the pit where he worked,  beating rivals for the player’s signature who were waiting at his home. He made his debut for Arsenal in 1919 playing in the first-ever top flight game at Highbury. He played seventeen matches that season, becoming a first team regular in 1920-21.

“Doughy”, as he was nicknamed, played in every position for Arsenal, including as emergency goalkeeper, but he usually played as right half.

He was made club captain in 1924, however when new manager Herbert Chapman arrived at the end of that season, he made Charlie Buchan captain instead of Baker, but he continued to play for Arsenal for another five years.

In 1927, he played in Arsenal’s first ever FA Cup final; however Arsenal suffered an infamous 1-0 loss to Cardiff City after a mistake by Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis. The following season, he was finally capped for England, appearing against Wales on 28 November 1927; England lost 2-1. It was his only international appearance.

Alf finally won a major medal when he played in Arsenal’s 1930 FA Cup final win over Huddersfield Town; by now he had nearly reached the end of his career. He played only one more game for the club (also against Huddersfield, on 7 March 1931) before retiring from the game aged 33 in the summer of 1931, later working as a scout for Arsenal.

In all, he played 351 matches for Arsenal, scoring 26 goals.

He passed away in 1955, at the age of 56.

5. Joe Mercer: 1946-1954.

Joe made 275 appearances over an 8 eight period.

gun__1279617767_mercer_joeJoe was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer.

He first played for Ellesmere Port Town as a left half; he was a powerful tackler and good at anticipating an opponent’s moves. He joined Everton in September 1932 at the age of 18 becoming a first team regular in the 1935–36 season. He went on to make 186 appearances for Everton, scoring two goals and winning a League Championship medal in the 1938–39 season. While playing for Everton he gained five England caps between 1938 and 1939.

During WW11 he became a sergeant-major and played in 26 wartime internationals, many of them as captain. He was transferred to Arsenal for £9,000, in 1946 and commuted from Liverpool. He made his Arsenal debut against Bolton Wanderers on 30 November 1946 and soon after joining Arsenal he became club captain. As captain, he led Arsenal through their period of success in the late 1940s and early 1950s, helping to haul the side from the lower end of the table to win a League Championship title in 1947–48.

Joe went on to win an FA Cup winner’s medal in 1950 and was voted FWA Footballer of the Year the same year. He led Arsenal to Cup final in 1952, which they lost 1–0 to Newcastle United, but the following year bounced back to win his third League title with Arsenal winning the 1952–53 League Championship on goal average. Initially he decided to retire in May 1953, but soon recanted and returned to Arsenal for the 1953–54 season. However, he broke his leg in two places after a collision with team-mate Joe Wade in a match against Liverpool on 10 April 1954, and finally called time on his football career the year after.

After retiring he ran his own green grocery business in Wallasey and he became known as the Football Grocer in football annuals of the late forties and fifties.

He returned to football in 1955, becoming manager of Sheffield United, who was relegated in his first season in charge. The rest of his time as manager was spent in the Second Division and in December 1958, he resigned and moved to Aston Villa who was bottom of the First Division. Although he led them to the FA Cup semi-finals he was relegated to Division Two for a second time, but led Villa to victory in the inaugural League Cup in 1961.

He suffered a stroke in 1964 and upon his recovery he was sacked by the Aston Villa board. Despite this setback his health improved and he went on to enjoy great success as a manager with Manchester City between 1965 and 1971. In his first season at Maine Road, the club won the 1966 Second Division title to regain top-flight status. Two seasons later he led Manchester City to the 1968 First Division championship, going on to win the FA Cup in 1969, the League Cup in 1970 and European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970. Later he became embroiled in a club takeover bid which led to his departure to become manager of Coventry City, during the same time Mercer was also caretaker manager of the England national football team for a brief period in 1974 after Sir Alf Ramsey’s resignation.

In 1976 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to football.

Later in life he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and passed away, sitting in his favourite armchair, on his 76th birthday.

Joe played 275 times for Arsenal and scored two goals.

6. Alex Forbes: 1948-1956

Alex appeared in 240 games over an 8 year period.

$(KGrHqF,!osE63YPy-wiBPCfQKjJt!~~60_35Born in Dundee, he started his career playing wartime matches with Dundee North End, before signing for Sheffield United. He was a regular for Sheffield in the first two seasons of competitive football after the war ended, and made his debut for Scotland, against England on 12 April 1947.

Transfer-listed by the Blades, he signed for Arsenal in 1948 for £15,000, after being persuaded by his friend, and Arsenal player, Archie Macaulay. He made his debut against Wolves on 6 March 1948. Nicknamed “Red” (for the colour of his hair) and known for his hard tackling, he picked up a First Division winners’ medal in his first season at Arsenal (1947–48), making 11 appearances that season.

He eventually managed to displace his friend Macaulay from the Arsenal side, becoming a regular for the next seven seasons. He went on to win a second title in 1952–53, and picked up an FA Cup winners’ medal in 1949-50. He continued to also play for Scotland, eventually picking up 14 caps for his country.

Injury blighted his final season with the Gunners; a problem with his knee cartilage demanded an operation, which restricted him to five appearances in 1955–56. Having lost his place to Dave Bowen, he moved to Leyton Orient in August 1956, where he spent a season before finishing his playing career with Fulham.

After retiring from playing, Alex spent time coaching the Arsenal reserves and youth teams. He later immigrated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he now lives in retirement, to coach children at a local private school, Yeshiva College of South Africa. He is also chairman of the South African branch of the Arsenal supporters’ club.

Alex is the last surviving player from Arsenal’s 1950 FA Cup Final winning team.

In all, Alex played 240 games for Arsenal, scoring 20 goals.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 1

June 25, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we begin our quest for the greatest midfielders to include in our team.  Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite defender by voting in the poll at the end of the week.

1. John Dick: 1898-1912.

John made 284 appearances over a 14 year period.

Born in Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, John first played for Airdrieonians, but in 1898 he was signed by Woolwich Arsenal as one of manager William Elcoat’s many Scottish signings. A strong muscular centre half, he made his debut for the Gunners on the first day of the season on 3 September 1898, missing only four games of his first season.

arsenal-john-dick-6-futera-promotional-copy-the-captains-of-arsenal-platinum-1998-card-45950-pHe was also a competitive cross-country runner and was known for his formidable endurance, once recording a time of 33’ 45” for a six-and-a-half mile race. He was a near constant in the Woolwich Arsenal side for the next six seasons, missing only one game in 1899-1900. Although he was not known for his scoring, he did manage to score thirteen times in his Arsenal career, including scoring twice in a 12-0 demolition of Loughborough on 12 March 1900, the Gunners’ record win in a competitive match.

He was moved to right half, in 1993 but continued to be a first team fixture as Arsenal won promotion from the Second Division to the First Division in 1903-04. In the meantime he had also become club captain, though by the time promotion had come round, fellow Scot Jimmy Jackson had taken over as skipper.

He played as first-choice right half for in Gunner’s first season in the top flight, becoming one of the first Arsenal players to play in over 200 matches. At the beginning of the 1905-06 season his place was taken by John Bigden, and he stepped down to the reserves. He continued to play sporadically for the first team for the next five years, but never regained a regular place.

In the summer of 1912 he left Arsenal to coach abroad in Prague, and became known for being one of the early pioneers of football in Czechoslovakia, where he coached Sparta Prague. Little is known about John after this period.

In all, he played 284 games for Arsenal in the League and FA Cup, and 30 in other first-class matches.

2. Roddy McEachrane 1902-1915.

Roddy made 346 appearances over a thirteen year period.

Roddy was born in Inverness and moved to Canning Town, London at the age of 20, to work at the Thames Iron Works, and joined the works football team the Thames Ironworks FC.

arsenal-roddy-mceachrane-prominent-footballers-1907-nostalgia-reprint-1992-collectable-card-53327-pHe was a left half-back with a reputation for tough tackling and was a regular for The Irons in the 1898-99 season, helping them to win the Southern League Division Two title. He was again an ever-present the following season, and again during Thames Ironworks’ first season under their new name, West Ham United.

Roddy was also one of the Irons’ first players to turn professional and during his time as a player for the club he appeared in 113 matches scoring 6 goals. In May 1902, he moved south of the River Thames to join Second Division side Woolwich Arsenal, later being joined by ex-West Ham team mates James Bigden and Charlie Satterthwaite.

He made his debut against Preston North End on 6 September 1902, which was Woolwich’ first period of success, finishing third in the 1902-03 season, and then second in 1903-04, which won them promotion to the First Division. Roddy, playing at left half, was near ever-present, and although the Gunners were only a mid-table team in their first stint in the top flight, they reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1905-06 and 1906-07.

Roddy continued to be a stalwart in midfield for the next four seasons, as Woolwich Arsenal finished sixth in 1908-90, with him missing only two games that season, but by 1911 he was 33 and was displaced by fellow Scot Angus McKinnon. He remained at the club for another three seasons as McKinnon’s understudy, although by now the club had fallen on hard times, and were relegated in 1912-13. He played his last first-team match for Woolwich Arsenal on 22 November 1913.

The arrival of World War I suspended all first-class football in England, and with it his career finished. In all he played 346 games for Arsenal in thirteen years, every single one at left half – never scoring a goal.

He holds the Arsenal club record for the most appearances by a player without winning a cap or a medal.

He died in 1952 aged 74.

3. Billy Blyth: 1914-1929.

Billy made 343 appearances over a fifteen tear period.

Born in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Billy played as a schoolboy for local junior side Wemyss Athletic. For a short period of time he played for Manchester City before signing for Arsenal in May 1914.

arsenal-william-blyth-11-futera-promotional-copy-the-captains-of-arsenal-platinum-1998-card-45944-pHe made his debut for the Gunners, in a Second Division match against Huddersfield Town on 21 November 1914, a game that Arsenal lost 3-0. He made twelve appearances in 1914-15 but by then World War I had broken out, and he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, serving in France.

When football resumed, at the end of WW1 hostilities, he returned to Arsenal and immediately became a regular in the newly-promoted side. An energetic midfielder, he usually figured on the left of midfield, as a left half or inside left. He became a mainstay in the side, with over 300 league games in ten seasons, becoming club captain in 1925. He also played in the 1927 FA Cup Final, Arsenal’s first cup final, which they lost 1-0 to Cardiff City.

He was transferred to Birmingham in May 1929, playing his last first-team game in September 1930 before retiring at the end of the 1930–31 season. Billy also starred in one of the first football-related films, the 1930 production The Great Game. After retiring, he moved back to Scotland, and ran a pub in Port Seton.

In total, he played 343 matches for Arsenal, scoring 51 goals.

He died in Worthing, West Sussex in 1968 at the age of 73.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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Tony Adams and Santi Cazorla at Loggerheads

June 24, 2013

There have been two important Arsenal-related statements this week – one from a club legend and one from a legend-in-the-making.

The interesting thing is that the two statements are diametrically opposed to each other.

The established legend – Tony Adams – says Arsenal are “miles off” winning the Premiership title.

The legend-to-be – Santi Cazorla – says the opposite. He reckons we can definitely be among the trophies next year and that our form during last season’s run-in has given the players the confidence they need to push on to glory.

So who is right? Little or Large? Rodders or Adam Sandler?

Both deserve to be listened to. Big Tone because he embodies the spirit of modern Arsenal and he knows what it takes to win the English league title; and little Santi because he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the players around him and, quite possibly, also has an inkling about our summer transfer intentions.

Tony’s exact quote was: “It’s time that Arsenal won something again, even the FA Cup or the League Cup. But, I can’t see it to be honest. They are still not good enough in certain areas of the team. And they are miles off the title.”

We can speculate about what he means by us being not good enough in certain areas. I would imagine he’s referring to not having a world class striker and, possibly, he feels there is still something lacking in our defensive play despite the successful run-in. Maybe a better goalkeeper is also part of his thinking.

Most fans would probably agree with those sentiments. It’s why we’re all anxiously scanning the news every day for the much-anticipated transfer coups which, we hope, will fix those weaknesses.

In fairness to Tony, there was no follow-up question (or at least none reported) asking him whether he thought we could compete if we made two or three good signings.

But his use of the phrase “miles off” suggests that he thinks our shortcomings are not going to be solved by the arrival of some new faces this summer. Interestingly though, he also maintained his backing of Arsene Wenger as the man to lead Arsenal to future glory.

Santi Cazorla, as you might expect from a current player, was more upbeat. He said: “When the team does not win and we do not get the results we want, the collective confidence does drop a little and that is natural.

“Now we have put in a spectacular run-in and you can see the difference in mentality. We have great players. I am sure we will be a better team and improve. This season we hope we can be even better and win trophies and the supporters can enjoy it. That is what Arsenal really wants.”

Cazorla had an outstanding first year in the English Premier League and was many fans’ choice for Player of the Season.

He has seen at first hand what we’re up against in our challenge to win the title next year. He has played against the financially-doped, overpaid stars of the Northern and Southern Oilers and against the referees’ favourite team from the red half of Manchester. He has tasted victory and defeat against our pox-ridden neighbours.

He has also seen what his team mates are capable of: the ability to grind out wins in difficult circumstances and the willingness to work for one another that was so evident in the last 10 or so games of the past season.

So whose word do we believe? Tony Adams’ or Santi Cazorla’s?

For me it has to be Santi – and not just because I am of a generally optimistic outlook regarding where Arsenal is heading.

He has been part of Spain’s all-conquering national side so – like Adams – he also knows a thing or two about winning and if he believes we can do it I am inclined to go along with him.

Tony, on the other hand, has a track record of making odd statements and, occasionally, some pretty negative comments about Arsenal.

For example, as recently as mid April he was slagging off the club’s transfer policy and confidently pronouncing that we would not make Top Four by the end of the season.

I have no doubt that he was speaking from the heart and from a desire to see Arsenal at the top again, but he was wrong about the Top Four (it may have been a squeaky-bum finish, but we did it) and his comments about our transfer policy are reflective of the ill-informed views of many fans (ie, they did not take into account the financial background of the last seven years).

It wasn’t the only occasion in recent seasons on which Tony talked down our end-of-season prospects while we are still in the thick of the fight. In fact he pops up with this sort of negativity as often as your common or garden Redknapp. And like Twitchy, he always turns out to be wrong.

If we make the sort of ambitious signings that we’re all hoping for it would be nice to hear some upbeat words from the big man before the new season begins.

If Tony thinks he should have been made Chairman of the Board at Arsenal after the news of Peter Hill-Wood stepping down, he might well reflect on what one of the principle roles of a chairman is: namely, to be the public flag-bearer of the club; to always talk it up and to keep his more pessimistic thoughts to himself.

Mind you, even if Chairman is a stretch, I think it would be a public relations masterstroke for Arsenal to invite Tony onto the Board as a non-executive director.

RockyLives

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Youth Policy. A waste of Money?

June 23, 2013

What is happening at youth level? Why has Liam Brady who has been Head of our Youth programme decided to resign – and this after spending most of his life at Arsenal?

Is the Youth Policy a waste of Arsenal’s resources?

It must cost a great deal of money to coach all these kids from the age of 8 up to the reserve and first teams – are we getting value for money? Who have we managed to sell from this outlay in order to “balance the books”? Lansbury, Stokes, maybe a few more. And who in today’s first team has made it from the hundreds who have passed through the ranks? Wilshere, Frimpong and ……?

screen-shot-2013-03-28-at-14-39-15

Academy Team 2013

Gibbs, Ramsey, Cesc, Coquelin, Theo, etc all came to AFC from other team’s youth systems. Perhaps this is the better option – to cherry pick and if this is the new Arsenal way, then why bother with the  little kids?

There has been a cull in the Academy with almost half the squad shipped out. They will be replaced by other young men pursuing their dream. Who knows, one or two of these chaps may make the first team but statistically it is highly unlikely.

However, there is another viewpoint and that is Arsenal in the Community. It is essential that at a local level Arsenal continue to be the pinnacle of youth football in North London. We have a fantastic reputation as educators of good footballers and there are many of our “rejects” who make a decent living in the lower leagues. In these days of balance sheets and “value” it is laudable that the club continues it’s traditions.

Looking back through the Wenger Years I can only think of Ashley and Jack who have risen to the top, perhaps there are others but this is a 30 minute post and I have done little/No research (sorry).

So, the Youth Policy. Value for money …. No, Valuable ….. Yes.

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Direct from the Spurs Youth Policy and Just for Peaches 

written by Big Raddy

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