The truth of the matter probably lies somewhere in the middle of both sides of the argument but the issue becomes clouded by the all the badge-kissing and public displays of emotion and support. When player X praises the club and its fans in multiple interviews and can be seen hugging teammates and fighting for the club week-in week-out it is hard not to develop an image of them as more than just
Truth is they all have a part to play. It should be obvious, but you can’t fill your squad with expensive, highly paid, stars, unless you’re Chelsea and Man City (although FFP looks set to challenge that big-spending policy). A hierarchy is vital; it’s a simple truth that some players will have to get acquainted with those car seats in the dugout, and if you want a happy dressing
Former England and Arsenal full back and BBC football pundit, Lee Dixon is a script and storyline contributor for I AM PLAYR, the first-ever point-of-view football online game. I AM PLAYR puts you in the boots of a professional player at River Park FC, allowing you to experience the life of a footballer,
What that tells us is that however honest and impeccably straight Mr Usmanov might have been during the interview the fact remains that it is remarkably easy to make promises while acting on them remains beyond your present capabilities. And there is a vast history of just these types of promises being shattered into a million tiny lies as soon as the power to act on them is granted to the person
The first thing that this adventure has taught is that our DNA as Arsenal fans must dictate that we attack each other incessantly, Twitterly disputing each and every individual, minute, tiny little atomic piece of information, news, gossip and/or complete and utter tripe. Every time a story is released – accurate or not - it is effectively thrown to the lions as literally thousands of Arsenal followers rip every aspect of its content to shreds before leaving the decaying carcass of a valid argument to turn on each
But rather than let all of that weigh heavy on your mind like a jagged granite hat I’ve decided to provide a list of 101 things that I consider to be more fun, useful or, indeed, imaginative than needlessly stressing about what has already been an annoying and sigh inducing transfer period. I’m sure from the content of the list you will be fully able to work out a) how excited I am about the
Perhaps I take the quality of Cesc Fabregas for granted and when Cesc is not quite at his best, he is still often one of the better performers on the pitch. I also think that when Cesc has been good this season, he has contributed to many of our goals and that has boosted up his ratings. His highest rating
I have decided that the most disappointing player for me all season was our captain Cesc Fabregas. I love him so much but his lack of contribution this year has been a significant factor in our downfall. While his football has clearly been mixed it is his attitude which has disappointed me most - his limp and selfish performance at the Nou Camp and his absence the last day of the season are not things I would
As the team allowed themselves to be bossed by nonentities such as Nigel Reo-Coker, the Gooner faithful were not shy in showing their anger. The team were roundly booed during and after the game and whether you agree with it or not, I think it’s very difficult to deny people the right to express themselves. Arsenal Football Club is not a communist state although some of the administration would
In a futile attempt to try and change things, Arsene brought on two would-be strikers at half time to little effect. Unfortunately Chamakh is looking so out of sorts at the minute that Shamu would be a better option up front. He needs to find some form quickly or else find himself going the way of Kaba Diawara. Bendtner on the other hand I can sympathise with. Forced out on the wing, he was hardly going to utilise his main attributes as a goalscorer. This particular experiment has been a spectacular