By Myles Palmer
I’m just too disgusted and too tired right now to write about Patrick Vieira, but if I don’t do it tonight I suppose I will have to do it tomorrow or Saturday.
Where do I start?
By saying : A star footballer cannot admit that he is leaving his club. So they never admit they are going.
Basically, as we all know, Vieira was forced to stay at Arsenal last summer.
On June 8th 2001 I wrote : Vieira will stay after assurances.
On June 24th I wrote : Arsenal must insist Vieira stays one more season.
With hindsight, those pieces were a mistake.
My revised view is this : Vieira gave Arsenal 110% for five years and he was the best player in England in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
He was a colossal warrior-athlete, a six foot four inch powerhouse with two great feet, amazing balance, explosive pace and an indomitable competitive instinct.
His playmaking and goalscoring improved during last season. He was a giant gladiator.He was the Premiership’s MVP.
He was a winner who didn’t win enough trophies with Arsenal. He was fulfilled by his international career, but not by his club career.
So he wanted to go. But Arsenal made him stay and Arsene made him captain.
Sadly, Vieira has played poorly and is useless as a captain.
Sure, he has had some OK games, and some good halves, but he’s not the player he was last season.
Anyone with eyes can see it. But nobody with a laptop can see it – the press have failed to point out that, by his own high standards, Vieira has been dismal this season.
We all know he is leaving. His dodgy performances tell us he is leaving.
We don’t need to read stories in the paper or hear opinions on radio and TV.
Patrick Vieira’s mediocre performances tell us that he does not want to be at Arsenal. His mind is not on the job.He tackles less often, gives the ball away more, and gets sillier bookings than ever before.
Vieira was in Madrid on Monday with his agent and lawyer to meet Real president Florentine Perez.
Real are believed to have offered him £3.5 million a year for five years.
But surely his agent and lawyer can sort out his contract.
So why did Vieira need to be there? Why was he there? Really, why was he there? He had no reason to be there.
What was the conversation about?
Did Perez say,”Carry on playing crap, so your price will come down.”
Since Real want Vieira, and Vieira wants to go there, the only thing left to talk about is how the money is divided up.
How much Vieira will get and how much Arsenal will get.
But, when you think about it, it’s old news. It all old news.Everyone knew last summer that he wanted to go to Real Madrid.
What we did not know was what promises the club made when they persuaded PV to stay after he cleared his locker on the night of August 21st 2000, following his red card against Liverpool in the second game of last season.
And we don’t know what promises were made to Vieira in July 2001 to make him stay another season.
All we know is that Arsene made him captain, presumably to motivate him. Or to make it look as if the player was still committed to Arsenal.
That hope was misplaced.He has not been the same player. He has been ordinary rather than extraordinary.
Take Leeds at Highbury. One powerful early run, beating three players,called back by Jeff Winter and given a free-kick. After that, anonymous.
Arsenal lost 2-1 in a game they should have won.
Last Sunday Vieira was a disgrace in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool.
You watched him and thought : he wants to get home in time for the Real Madrid-Valencia game on Sky.
Or : he’s wondering where to go for dinner tonight with Thierry and Nicolas.
I thought : Vieira is a chalk outline on the ground. Like you see in a detective drama. A murder, the body has been taken to the morgue, and there’s a chalk outline on the floor which is discussed by everyone.
COMPARE THE TWO LIVERPOOL GAMES.
When Vieira was suspended at Anfield, Ray Parlour turned it on and inspired the team and they won 2-1 with ten men.
When Parlour was suspended at Highbury for the return fixture,Vieira was shabby, flaccid, not concentrating.
I think Vieira and Henry are such big mates that they influence each other’s moods. If one is having a bad game, the other has a bad game as well.
That was so noticeable when Bergkamp came on.
DB10 lifted the game because he lifted them.
Two reasons for that.
One, Bergkamp is more dynamic than Kanu, plays the ball faster, earlier,longer. He takes one touch, maybe two, and expects players to make runs for him.
Two, Vieira and Henry were actually ashamed to carry on playing so badly while Dennis was on the field with them.
Keown was the senior player in that game, and Vieira was the second most senior player.
But Bergkamp was signed a year before Vieira. So his arrival as a sub changed the pecking order.
Even as a sub, Bergkamp is senior to Vieira, and the two French superstars knew that. So they started pulling their fingers out, making runs, wanting the ball.
That was SO noticeable, especially when I watched the video two nights later.
It looked as if Vieira and Henry didn’t really give a toss about the soft press or the forgiving fans, but they DID care about having the respect of Dennis Bergkamp.They have to work with him and see him every day.So they started to do a bit.
There was plenty of time – 25 minutes – to score again after Riise equalised.
But how could Vieira concentrate on winning that game, and being an inspirational captain, if he knew he would be on a plane to Madrid in the morning?
By flying to Madrid, Vieira was saying : I’m bigger than the club, I can do what I like, I’m above all of you mortals.
His action is a joke, a farce, a disgusting insult to honest people who pay £800 for a season ticket.
Are Gooners really such brand-loyal, hero-worshipping Muppets that they will still sing Vieira’s name after this shockingly disloyal and insulting episode?
I don’t think so.
Patrick Vieira should be dropped for the Leeds, Leicester and Liverpool games.
Arsenal can win those games without him. They should make Keown captain, start Edu, and go and beat Leeds, Leicester and Liverpool.
That would show the arrogant Vieira that he is NOT bigger than the club.
And if they lose all three games it doesn’t matter.
BECAUSE THE PRINCIPLE IS MORE IMPORTANT.
As I said, I’m knackered tonight.But I’m enjoying my music, even if I’m not enjoying my football.
Had an early start, getting on the phone at 8.15 a.m. to country singer Rodney Crowell as he stepped off a 16-hour flight from Salt Lake City to Manchester.
But that’s another story. If you’re in Scotland, it’s in Friday’s Scotsman.
G’night…
17th January 2002.