Imagine it’s the first home game of the season and, as the Arsenal players emerge from the tunnel wearing the world’s best football kit, all the camera lenses are trained on one man.

That man is Robin van Persie – our “want-away Dutchman” who stayed after all. He may even be wearing the captain’s armband.

How will you react?

I know the writing appears to be on the wall regarding van Persie’s departure, but graffiti is temporary by nature and there is still time to change the script.

Perhaps an extra £20k a week, or an extra year on the contract extension, or the signing of his countryman Ibrahim Affelay or a combination of all three will have swayed Robin’s heart (or at least his wallet).

Or perhaps Arsenal’s management – the nine stone weakling of the transfer market – will have magically transformed into the bully who kicks sand in people’s faces and forced RvP to honour his final year, with no pay rise and the loss of the captaincy.

Either way, it raises a question that every Arsenal supporter will need to consider: do I give van Persie the unquestioned support I gave him previously? Do I refuse to applaud him and leave it at that? Do I boo his traitorous, greedy arse?

One thing is clear: if he stays things won’t be the way they were before.

Our relationship will be like a marriage where one party has had an affair and then returned to the marital home.

You can make it work, you can resume the semblance of normality, but really something magical has gone and will never be replaced. Maybe it’s trust, maybe it’s love, but it has gone.

The different potential scenarios surrounding Robin’s non-departure obviously have a bearing on how supporters would react to him.

The more positive option is relatively straightforward:

If he signs a three/four year extension and apologises for his silly comment about the direction of the club (he could say he was down in the dumps after Holland’s woeful showing at the Euros) I suspect most people will welcome him back with open arms despite the sense of having been betrayed.

The choruses of “he scores when he wants” may be sung with a bit less gusto, but if the goals start going in the volume will increase and, in time, his sins will be forgiven. Or at least forgotten. It worked for the granny botherer at Old Trafford after his flirtation with a move to Middle Eastlands.

But if Robin is made to stay against his will (or reluctantly agrees to see out his final year), what then?

Football support is an emotional business and we, the fans, are invariably the ones whose hearts get bruised.

So the temptation will be to let a Reluctant Robin know how we feel about his treachery – perhaps by booing him, by just not cheering him or not “showing the love”.

For me, despite the hurt feelings, it’s all quite simple. If he is wearing the Arsenal colours and is trying his best then he gets my support.

Not just because booing your own players is counter-productive (it will hardly motivate them to play better, it’s an encouragement to the opposition and provides even more fuel to the spiteful Arsenal haters among the national media).

But because it’s the mature thing to do.

Much as we would like the players to share our passion and our one-love faithfulness to the Arsenal, the fact is they don’t.

Hardly any of the current first team squad grew up as Arsenal supporters. Most didn’t even grow up in the UK, let alone the hallowed ground of N5. They are professionals who may form a fond attachment to their employers, but whose ultimate loyalty is to themselves.

They are well-paid freelancers who can take their skills elsewhere when they are out of contract and a better offer (or what they perceive to be a better offer) comes along.

To expect different is to hanker after a bygone age when footballers were part of the fabric of their community. And even in those days it was hardly unheard of for players to move on for cash or glory (Liam Brady was only 24 when he decamped for Italy).

We may be disappointed when a valued player decides to leave, we may feel they are ungrateful to the club, the manager and the fans. But they are just exercising their rights as an employee.

They are not us and we are not them. They can transfer their loyalties, we can’t and, probably, we should not expect them to. To accept this state of affairs is to find peace in the maelstrom of affection, betrayal and disappointment.

If Robin takes the field in an Arsenal shirt again he will get my 100% support – and he should get yours too.

RockyLives

“Because he[RvP] is one of the best no10’s in the world” – Van Marwijk.

The Dutch national manager Bert van Marwijk opted to play RvP behind the striker, in the no10 position, against Portugal last Sunday. He was desperate to turn things round and for once he gave in to the strong calls in Holland to play Huntelaar, the Bundeslega top scorer, and RvP, the PL top scorer, together up front.

It was a daring decision to put RvP in the no10 position. Holland has a few players who believe it is their god-given right to play there, and can become very disruptive if they are being played elsewhere, or even worse, being placed on the bench. During the last World Cup, the likes of Sneijder and van de Vaart have competed aggressively and publicly over who should play in the position that is simply the Holy Grail for any aspiring Dutch attacking footballer.

When Van Marwijk was challenged during a press conference over the debacle against Portugal – the third game they lost in succession, meaning they had to leave the tournament with nil points, after setting themselves the highest possible target – the journalists were keen to find out why the manager had opted for Robin van Persie in the hole position, at such a crucial game. Van Marwijk’s answer was typically short and to the point: “Because he is one of the best no10’s in the world”.

Robin van Persie might have been chosen for the no10 position by the manager, but that does not mean anything; so it appeared. He got no service whatsoever, despite making himself available continuously. Van Marwijk also played Sneijder (left midfield) and vd Vaart (central midfield) and it was simply asking for trouble. The Dutch team had no shape, except for the first twenty minutes or so, and there was hardly any cooperation, desire to make the runs, to close down, or to simply work for each other.

An utter disgrace and I feel truly sorry for the likes of Van Bommel and Matthijsen who now lost out on their last chance to win a major tournament with their national team. Van Bommel has been the physical and mental glue for the Dutch national team in the last few years, but he simply could not drive the team forward anymore; with very dire consequences.

I am sure we will hear more on this in the next few weeks, but I wonder what our Boy Wonder is thinking about it all at the moment. I reckon he will be gutted as this was a golden opportunity for the Dutch team, and him, to win a major trophy. The Dutch will have to rebuild now and it could take another twenty years before they reach a final of a major tournament again.

What is an exciting thought, though, is whether Robin van Persie is indeed one of the best no10’s in the world.

Dennis Bergkamp has said on a few occasions that the ‘Shadow Striker’ position would be ideal for RvP. It looks like Giroud has been bought by Arsenal, and he would be a welcome addition to the earlier purchase of Podolski. And if so, two new strikers of good quality will have been added to the squad. They are the sort of players who should fit in straightaway and can make a real difference.

Apparently, Arsène believes Podolksi, Giroud and RvP can play together up front, and as per LB’s post a few days ago, this would leave us with an embarrassment of riches in our attacking positions. How is Arsene going to fit in the likes of RvP, Podolski, Giroud, Theo, Arshavin, Gervinho, Chamakh, Park, Vela, Ryo, Campbell, and the Ox?

So, there can be no doubt that a number of the above players will be sold or loaned out before the end of the transfer window.

For a long time, I was convinced that RvP was going to stay at Arsenal. But the lack of clarity after his ‘informal’ meeting with Arsene and Gazidis before the Euros, has made me doubt again my earlier optimism.

Clearly, the meeting between them is, and might always be, a black box for us. But if we take the premise that RvP indeed loves Arsenal, and would like to stay if he feels the club has done enough in the transfer window this summer to be a serious competitor for the title and Champions League, would the offer to Robin to play in the Nr10 position not be a major selling point – the icing on the cake? I think it would.

And with him moving into the hole position, Arsenal need two proven strikers for the 50+ games we will play, in order to cover adequately for suspensions and injuries. The likes of Park and Chamakh have not convinced since they joined us and Theo, Vela and Campbell are probably not (yet) of the quality required to really make the top striker position a great success next season.

It seems conceivable that RvP will have asked for proven quality additions, and in Podolski and Giroud Arsenal have just done that.

Of course, there is still a good chance that Arsenal have simply been more pro-active this summer and that Giroud and the Pod are direct replacements for RvP and Chamakh, but I don’t want to think like that, yet.

The thing is, RvP did not just become our top goal scorer last season, but as a captain he has also injected a new spirit; a new culture into the team. This would be very hard to replace and I just cannot imagine Arsene taking it lightly. If RvP leaves we would be in another transitional year again, and we would run the serious risk of becoming a club in perpetual transition. I believe Wenger is a very ambitious man and is fully aware he needs to start holding on to his top players, if he ever is going to win something again. I also feel the club has entered a new (financial) era now.

That’s why I believe RvP will not (be allowed to) go this summer, even if he does not sign a new contract. Even the BoD will realise that cashing in on RvP will not be a wise decision this time round.

It seems to me very likely that RvP will be played in the shadow striker position next season. It will be interesting to see whether Arsenal will play 4-2-1-3 again or whether we go for 4-4-2 next season.

The latter formation might suit RvP more as I don’t think he is a natural playmaker, with great overview and in possession of an array of deadly through-ball skills. He is neither a Dennis Bergkamp type of player, nor a Cesc Fabregas type, and I think he will be a nr10 player ala Rooney at Manchester United (in terms of type of player), but only better of course LOL!

He would be absolutely deadly in that position and we would significantly improve our tally of goals from outside the box next season. He would also be closer to the midfield and therefore better able to captain his team.

I would love to see RvP in the nr10 position and I believe Van Marwijk is a top quality manager, who has a close relationship with our captain. If he thinks RvP is one of the best no10’s in the world, then I am not going to disagree with him.

And I think it is all part of a master plan by Wenger to keep our Boy Wonder happy and hungry at our beloved Arsenal next season.

TotalArsenal.

So Euro 2012 has reached the Quarter Finals stage, with England’s thrilling displays of attacking football the talk of the tournament.

Not.

My brief summary:

Spain – brilliant but increasingly annoying

Portugal – diving bar stewards

Holland – that’s what you get when you won’t pass to van Persie

France – meh

Italy – with Pirlo they might just do it

Germany – best in show.

Along the way, many Arsenal players have featured (including some of our loanees).

So, for no other reason than that this site has been overdosing on psychology and philosophy lately, it seems like a good time to discuss how our boys have done.

It was either that or metaphysics. I thought most people would prefer “that”.

The Poll below will allow you to vote for the Arsenal player you feel has been the most impressive (from a footballing perspective) during the Group Stage. You can then justify your selection in the comments, where you will be exposed to much verbal cut and thrust but, hopefully, no actual cutting or thrusting. Or name calling.

I have allocated three words to each of the players, based on the scientifically accurate approach of “they’re the first three words that popped into my head.” Indeed, you might also want to offer your own three words for some of the players (based on how they have done in Poland and Ukraine). Please keep expletives to a minimum.

Andrey Arshavin: Gifted, Short, Knackered.

Nicklas Bendtner: Goals, Miscontrol, Pants.

Tomas Rosicky: Injured, Unlucky, Injured.

Wojciech Szczesny: Impetuous, Flakey, Gutted.

Robin van Persie: Unsupported, Misfiring, Staying.

Theo Walcott: Milner? Really? Milner?

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Exciting, Young, Unready

Lukas Podolski: Shoots, Heads, Runs

Over to you…

Right, must be off now. I need to work on my upcoming Post: “Is ‘Arsenal’ the Signified or the Signifier? A Linguistic Deconstruction of the 2011-12 Season.”

RockyLives

I am not unrealistic.

I certainly never assumed RVP would extend his contract with us. At best, I thought we had a chance, but with the odds and the world against us slightly. I was sure though, that if our captain left us, it would be in a respectful way, and his legacy with true fans would be a good one, because we really do appreciate our great players and what they have done for us. In this case, we have been blessed with a sublime performance for almost two seasons, and led back into an all important champions league spot.

I say his legacy would be intact, because, like most thoughtful people, true fans try to consider the decision he has to make, all the options he needs to weigh. I have already heard many Gunners express their understanding that he wants to be at a competitive club, with a chance of trophies, especially entering into his last big contract. Many even understanding that he should not have to ignore superior financial offers, no matter where they come from.

But, some things have occurred recently that just don’t seem to add up. I am aware that so much is rumour, speculation, and many, simply lies.

Maybe some disinformation? This is what is giving me some hope after a doom filled week on the subject of Robin’s future.

You see, I also understand the many reasons that he might want or need to leave us. But some of the reports we are getting just don’t add up, at least with the people we know that are involved. We heard about a very important meeting to take place with Robin, Arsène, and Ivan. I hope no one expected smiling and handshakes as they all emerged from the house. But, we might have expected a positive, hopeful, or respectful statement crafted by public relations people at Arsenal, to try and ease our worries, and/or pain.

Instead, all we received was silence, and ugly stories of a cold confrontation with specific numbers thrown around, as if there were reporters in the room.  Now, if that were the case, and if indeed it is true, that’s just the sad truth about modern football and economics. And we will all have to be mature and accept it. Our club will have to make the best deal they can to improve our situation if we can’t go forward with our season saving leader.

But, as I said, there are things that just don’t make much sense, according to what we know about the parties involved. Do we really think that Wenger and Gazidis walked in and insulted Robin with a shockingly low offer? You know that through back channels, all parties had a general idea of what was coming and expected. Do we really believe that Van Persie basically demanded the huge numbers being thrown around in the media, and that everything fell apart immediately?

Of course that’s all possible.  It seems the way the sport is going, and the plight Gunners seem destined to endure from now on.

But I choose to be skeptical of most of these negative reports. Firstly, of course, because I don’t want it to be true. But more importantly, something just doesn’t seem right at all. The stories were so numerous and negative, it almost felt like a punch in the stomach. The feeling you get when you have been betrayed by a friend. I’m not comparing the possible situation to betrayal, just personalizing the feeling of when someone that you think you know fairly well, really smacks you with something you never expected. By that, I’m referring to stories of a tense meeting, with large salary demands,and the club saying “take it or you’re staying for another year anyway”.

It’s a little hard to fathom because of the obvious respect and affection Arsène and Robin have built over the years. This includes sticking with him through many injuries, and the faith that Wenger has shown in him, and of course the skills he has helped him develop in a system that contributed to him becoming the player of the year, not to mention fair wages for most of the years.

Instead, my view is this :

1 Robin van Persie is not completely motivated by money ( of course it’s a big issue, but not the only one )

2 The numbers are not as far apart as reported by the media, or leaked by rivals trying to sow discontent. Especially when you add the loyalty bonuses into the weekly wages, making the disparity smaller. Also the fact that the club owns the player for another full year, in which he would stay on his smaller salary, no loyalty bonus, and threat of injury which could hurt his value going into his last lucrative contract later. Although I doubt it was threatened in a sinister manner.

3 Robin made plain his demand for serious improvements to the squad, as well as retaining with raises, Song and Walcott, who he constantly praises, especially regarding their assists.

4  The club laid out some details on plans for improvements to the squad, and asked for some time to accomplish some signings other than Podolski, which is a good start. Time will be needed to unload some contracts also.

5 Mutual agreement not to talk to the press, to facilitate and protect deals in the works. In, or out.

6 Lastly, I just can’t see RVP demanding a salary so large from any team, that would really weaken the amount of any transfer fee that we could receive. That would be a little disloyal, and would also be a dis-incentive to sell him now, if that really is his preference.

So, with all the mysterious silence, and all the rumours, where will the truth end up?

As always, probably somewhere in between… But I hope for all of us, it’s closer to my bright estimation.

Written by JNYC

There are rumours abound that he hasn’t signed/isn’t going to sign, there are rumours that he’s holding out for more money, that he wants assurances about signings, that he wants this, that and the other.

It’s all dross and hyperbole, no one outside Arsène’s house knows what happened on Wednesday morning.

What I say is this, regardless of the results of the contract negotiations this summer with Robin, I thank him with all of my Gooner heart because he has given me some amazing memories, hit some amazing goals and been able to drag a struggling side from 17^th to 3^rd in a season where goals from elsewhere in the team are harder to come by than a fat-free option in your favourite Kebab House.

He has brought something new to the Arsenal table. He brought fight and real passion. When Robin banged in one of his amazing goals the joy on his face and the determination to score more for Arsenal was tangible. We all revelled in the glory of Robin and rather than castigate him for taking time to consider his options, we should celebrate him and what he has done for us.

Make no bones about it – Robin has done something in that dressing room. Lord knows what it is but the guys have more fight than last year. We didn’t quite have enough in the tank to overhaul ManCiteh and ManYoo but we have done extremely well to end up where we are. It has been a divisive season. Some fans are saying that 3^rd isn’t good enough. Some fans are suggesting that last summer’s transfer dealings were poor.

I say, move on. It happened. What is the point in trying to play the blame game? There are no winners in that. What Arsenal had to do was recover and produce a season that made us believe that there is a future without Fabregas and Na$ri.

I believe.

I look at our team now and I see actual hope wearing an Arsenal shirt. I look at Podolski in his press release and I see a fighter. Just look at him. He’s muscle on legs and before I gush about him I believe he is a massive part of the future of Arsenal FC. He’s got pace, power and a vicious left foot.

He will be a massive player for us. In him I think Robin has real hope that the puritan, Arsenal way can and will conquer the Premier League once again.

Wigan Gooner