From Skeptical Gooner : on Arshavin criticism

Seems a lot of complaints are pouring in about AA.

OK, he does reply to weird questions on his website.

The other concerns are that he doesn’t put in the effort required, he and Myles complain that he isn’t played in his position and that he displays prima donna like behaviour.

As far as effort is concerned, why don’t the same people make the same complaints when Wenger constantly plays Diaby? What effort does he put in, except once in a while take his huge ass to a dribbling alley he can’t get out of and then lose the ball? When was the last time he put any effort into making himself useful? Yet, Wenger’s consistency in putting him into the lineup is never questioned. Why the double standards? Why did no one complain that this substandard player got a contract extension worth 60k/week?

As for position, play a Torres or Messi out of position and we’ll see how well they do. Even a young Cesc, played out on the right, could not teach his young body to cope with flank play and he flourished in the center. One expects a 28-29 year old Arshavin to now learn a new position and a new style of play? How come the same people didn’t complain when Flamini whined and whined about being played LB and Wenger meekly put him back in the center? I forgot, double standard rules the roost in AKB land.

Arshavin can be a prima donna like a lot of other Arsenal players including ex-players – Gallas rings a bell? How about Henry? And Eboue? Most of our French players are huge prima donnas.

Yes, Arshavin has not lived upto his hype, but when he has played well he’s really played well’ and looked head and shoulders above all other Arsenal players save for a couple. He’s one of the very, very few world class, and recognisable, names that we have. Look at the trash that play around him like Diaby and Denilson. I’ll be arsed if I can figure out just exactly what Eboue did on Sunday to warrant a starting spot. Wilshere at least showed heart. Sagna and Clichy were once again the useless crossers that they truly are. And then we wonder why Arshavin doesn’t feel like playing with such losers.

It is up to Wenger to find out why he’s not clicking on a regular basis and to offload him if it can’t be fixed, but Wenger would probably just go and get another unknown Frenchie to replace him with.

And as I write this, the strongest link to another CB is…surprise, surprise another Frenchman who no one except Wenger and Monsieur Grimandi has heard of.

And then we wonder why only ordinary Frenchmen and kids want to come to Arsenal, while true winners want to play for ManYoo and Cheatski

 

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From Mike Geraghty  Re: Liverpool match: Good points

 

Hi Myles,

Good points about us missing runners.

These guys are either too lazy or too stupid to see the value in it. The only acceptable reason for players not to make a run is that they’ve made at least ten good ones already and nobody has attempted to pick them out.

That’s what tended to happen to me when I used to play astroturf a couple of years ago. Some plonker would hit an impossible shot from a stupid angle and hit the corner flag, rather than a simple square ball or even lofted pass.  I was unmarked most of the time.  If I was playing with friends I knew well (which unfortunately didn’t happen enough) they’d give it to me and I’d score some goals. That was gratifying when it happened because I have even less technique than Walcott in an opium dream.

But it’s still easy knock the ball into a huge goal when you’re unmarked. And I’d made the effort and scored more goals than everybody bar the very best players. Unfortunately when you are playing with selfish players. Arsenal have players like Fagbregas, Nasri, Arshavin, Rosicky and RVP. All these guys will pick out a runner, so why is nobody running?  Maybe we need some less technically gifted but more honest, hard-working players? Like British and Irish players maybe.

 

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From BW : Birthdays & knees

Happy birthday Myles,

Your knee woes made me think of AFC’s injury woes.

I love the technical, quick thoroughbreds that Arsene produces, but ….it does strike me that these slight guys pick up so many more injuries.

I watched a masterclass by Scholes the other night and thought – how many times has he been out for long periods? Nasri could play the CM position but he, like many others, is just not robust enough (and never will be).

By the way, AW would have let Scholes and Giggs go 5 years ago!

As I write – a Great Egreat and a Blue Heron have sailed by – 95 degrees in Sawgrass, Florida, so I’m as mellow as you !

Hope the knee gets better.

Cheers

From Chris Carwile : Lack of blogging

Nothing Arsenal-related worth writing about anyway, including the Liverpool game!

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From Matt : Liverpool response

I agreed with only one thing you said about Arsenal in this article.  Nasri had no runners. 

Your reviews of Arshavin are becoming ridiculous.  Arshavin can be a sparkplug and when he’s on, he’s one of the best in the world.  But when he’s shite, he’s shite and he was shite against Liverpool.

You complain about how nobody makes runs, and that football is full of posers who want the ball to feet.  I say you just described Arshavin.  Even when he plays well he doesn’t run.  You can say that it’s because Wenger plays him out of position but what does that say about him except that he plays for him, not the team.

And I’m glad Wilshere got to play.  It’s moments like when he gives away a ball 25 yards from goal that is immediately turned into our own net that proves people who think he should be an every day starter wrong.  He should be playing at the end of games when Arsenal is ahead at least 2.  That’s it.  He’s still a developmental player.

 

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From Seb : Arsenal misuse Arshavin ?

The biggest problem with Arsenal seems to be Andre Arshavin! Everything about him is wrong – mentality, body language, lack of team work, aloofness, big mouth – in fact, the only thing that is right about him, according to you, is that he is not a cheap player from France / Africa. You spend so much time praising the dude, and yet he is not performing.

I don’t know if you ever played football, but football is a collective game. You and Arshavin can’t continue mourning that he is not played in his favourite position, and yet the player can’t put in any effort at all! When Eboue has a bad day, you will not point out that he is played out of position (his position is right back, but because of teamwork, he is ready to sacrifice for the team!)

Had Wenger not started an Englishman (Wilshere), your likes would have made a lot of noise – now look at how the lad messed us up. Is AA waiting to have a picture perfect team for him to start playing football? Let your favorite player not rest on past glory. We Arsenal fans will judge him by his last game, except of course YOU

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From James Reiff  :

Myles,

Are you Arshavin’s agent, relative or chairman of his fan club?

I agree that is a superb footballer, deceptively quick (in body and mind), a perceptive passer, subtle, slaloming dribbler with a shot that requires little back lift (a la Bergkamp).

I also agree that he could be effective in the middle, off the main striker but I don’t think playing in advanced position on the left, where he can cut in on his stronger right foot and naturally protect the ball is such a bind for him.

However, your consistent defence of him astounds me! He was quoted saying his form is poor and a leg injury was bothering him, so that may be an excuse for his lazy and disinterested performance(s) yesterday and last season.

His on-pitch attitude is of the kind of talented player that has occasionally filled in as an emergency 10th player for my weekly 5-a-side, the type that strolls about as if he is doing you a favour and a privilege just by being there, but that really this is beneath him.

Except Arshavin isn’t doing anyone any favours. He is being paid a lot of money to at least work hard, make an effort to control and protect the ball, recover it when possession is lost etc etc. But currently he is doing none of this.

He seems like an amiable, down to earth guy but we deserve more than a favour and the occasional flash of brilliance. Did Dennis Bergkamp, when he first joined a squad containing a number of average players, adopt that attitude?

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From Just me : Cheer up 

Myles, you are sounding weary already. Cheer up, mate.

This is the start of the football season, not the grousing season. We’ve just got a point at Anfield and Arsene’s still got time to buy a central defender. Life’s full of promise.

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From Toby Wareham :  Great article

Hi Myles,

Hope you’re feeling fresh and ready for the new season at Arsenal, which already shows signs of provoking your usual eloquent cynicism.

Just wanted to let you know about the following article:

http://redlondon.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/rosicky-making-case-over-arshavin/

It makes some interesting points, particularly in the final paragraphs. Rocky’s season last year was marred by several defensive mistakes, mistakes made by the likes of Nasri, Diaby, even Wilshere, usually costly lapses of concentration outside their area.

Is it really fair to blame these attacking midfielders when they’ve been forced to abandon their natural instincts to play deeper roles?

Such is the frustration with this great club.

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Myles replies :

One reader liked my frivolous birthday ramble? Amazing.

I’m feeling good. I’m ready for an intriguing football season. I love the sport and I’m ready for more but I’m not ready to write about Almunia and I’m not ready to pretend that third is a trophy. 

And I’m not ready to repeat things I’ve written here for the last three or four years. I find that boring. You cannot imagine how boring that is for me.

Luckily, I have a book to write that’s a challenge and it makes me laugh to remember great gigs, exciting nights, and things musicians said to me in the Seventies.

Don’t mention David Rocastle, it’s too sad.

I used to sit in the back row of the press box with two old taxi drivers sitting behind me. Behind them a middle aged white woman talked about Rocky as affectionately as if he was her own son. She had seen him many times playing for the reserves and youth team. She loved him dearly.

One night I was astounded to see George Graham go onto the pitch during a stoppage in play. The pitch was wet and muddy and George wasn’t in a padded jacket, tracksuit trousers and football boots. He wearing, as always, an immaculate suit and shiny black shoes.

George shouted and pointed but he never went on the pitch. He had Gary Lewin to do that. Nobody could understand why he did something he’d never done before.

Afterwards the press asked George about it.

Reporter : “Why did you go on the pitch?”

George : “David Rocastle lost a contact lens.”

Brian Woolnough: “And you went on to look for it? “

We were in shock when he sold Rocky to Leeds for £2 million. That was like selling a member of the family. It took me two years to get over it.

Rocky had guts, flair and pace and played some storming games against Liverpool, who were the best team in the league at that time. Rocastle was ten times better than Walcott or Eboue. But he’d had so many knee operations, George didn’t think he’d pass the medical.

Among the staff at Arsenal, Rocky was the most popular player at the club. Everyone loved him.

Gordon Strachan was said to have a chronic back injury and Leeds needed a younger player to replace him. As it turned out, Strachan played on for years.

 

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