From Bob: England
Hi Myles,
You wrote “We don’t have our own style, our own identity”.
I remember Muhammad Ali being asked about Frank Bruno as a young pretender. He said “The only style he’s got is NO style”!
Myles says:
Calling up Muhammad Ali for the US army showed us the real Amerika.
One of my favourite Ali remarks was, “Ain’t no Vietcong ever called me nigger.”
From Nigel: Dele Alli career template
When Rhys praises the Dele Alli career template and says this is the way forward that “ambitious English footballers should follow”…does Rhys mean the MK Dons youth system?
Dele Alli is one player…who else have MK Dons produced of note for their youth system to earn Rhys’ praise or for it to be heralded as being better than Arsenal’s youth system?
Alli has had a handful of games in the EPL and at international level. He’s done well, don’t get me wrong.
But how many young players over the years have shown potential at such an age only to do nothing in their careers….Kieron Dyer and Jermaine Jenas come to mind. Jack Rodwell is another who risks going that way. To heap such praise on a youth system which has produced one player who at the age of 19 is showing promise seems to be jumping the gun a bit.
I think the Arsenal youth system can let a lot from the Southamption set up and possibly the Everton one. But if Rhys wants to compare players who have come through the Arsenal youth system versus Alli then has he forgotten about Jack Wilshere?
Has he forgotten about his breakthrough season, the performance against Barcelona, how he was being heralded as England’s saviour? Yes he hasn’t lived up to that. Partly due to injury but also in part due to this being the nature of the English media when it comes to promising young players. We don’t know how Alli’s career will pan out so its too soon to make such comments.
Rhys also talks about how Arsenal stymie the development of 17-18 year olds because they need to win trophies immediately. What? Is this a criticism of the club or a general point in favour of how youth players should be developed? I’m pretty sure Arsenal fans including Rhys have been complaining the last 10 years about the lack of trophies, the lack of focus on the club winning trophies and too much of a focus on developing young players. All of a sudden now a focus on winning trophies is a bad thing and the club should be giving youth more of an opportunity? Make your mind up.
As I said I think Arsenal can learn from the likes of Southampton and potentially Everton. Rhys also mentions Luton and Leeds. But surely we can recognise that the demand on these clubs are very different to the demands on Arsenal which allows for youth development. But if we want to be competing with Chelsea, City and United then we can’t be relying on developing youth, especially when the club has money and fans are complaining about that money not being spent bringing in experienced internationals.
Arsenal are in the same competitions and “mini leagues” as Chelsea, City and United so any comparisons should be made with them…who have they brought through their ranks recently?
From Phil : Another Spurs player we need, Rhys?
Morning Myles,
Another day, another Arsenal fan complaining that Spurs have a player we should have, the same case was made for Son a few weeks ago. And Lamela a couple of seasons ago. And Capoue before that.
Delli Ali has started the season this well, no denying that.
But come on now, is anyone really making the case that his emergence at Spurs is a stick to beat Wenger with? Is that the rule now? Any young player that emerges anywhere in the country other than Arsenal is an example of how wrong Wenger has got it?
Rhys – do you think fans would have rejoiced if we signed Ali from MK Dons this summer? Or do you think they would have said typical Wenger, signing more kids that will never make it?
Let’s just ignore Bellerin, Coquelin, Ramsey, Wilshere and Gibbs because…Delli Ali right? But wait you say, not all those players are academy players – Ramsey was a first team player at Cardiff when we signed him…..like Delli Ali at MK Dons you mean?
Who do you drop from our starting 11 for young Ali, the greatest midfielder this country has ever produced?
You see the thing is, bashing Wenger is one thing. Lord knows he brings it on himself sometimes with stupid decisions and statements like the rubbish with Ospina against Olympiakos. But bashing him based on not signing Spurs players is laughable, totally and utterly laughable.
Pochettino looks to be doing a good job there, but let’s not pretend this doesn’t happen every year – if the people who run our club thought like our fans Wenger would have been out 5 years ago and we’d probably have the embarrassing sort of managerial record as spurs do.
O’Neil, Owen Coyle, David Moyes – all touted as improvements on Wenger.
And that is why people like me end up being called AKBs – because we trust a man who has done so much for our club and appreciate that the grass is very rarely greener.
ARSENE WARNS : Be careful what you wish for.