Jim Johnson : Charlie, Charlie
Hi Myles,
Some interesting points made here recently.
Most interesting of all them (to me at least) are the ones from Gooners who remember the dark times that have fogged every manager’s era since Billy Wright.
Occasionally, the board would offer a glimmer of hope by giving us the marquee signing, and just occasionally, the signing would pull something out of the bag in the form a Littlewoods Cup win or a top four finish thanks in part to Arshavin.
We don’t need marquee signings, we need winners.
The two are not always the same thing.
Plenty of players have left AFC in recent years in search of glory, but of all of them, the only one whose departure I’ve truly lamented has been RVP, and only then because it reminded us of the stark reality that he was going to a bigger, more ambitious club.
When your ambition is tempered, you become home to the cautious.
What I’d give right now for a Vieira or a Campbell to be pulled out of the hat. Already great players with their best years ahead of them wanting to achieve something extraordinary with the Arsenal.
Under the current regime, it would appear this is too much to ask.
Jack should get out now, lest he ends up like Michael Owen who, in the wake of his retirement, has divulged that he played the whole of his career since the age of 19 with some form of injury.
My message is this: “Jack you may be wedded to the club as a fan like the rest of us, but you should be among giants, playing where your career as a professional is best nurtured numerically and footballistically. Good luck at Barca, son.”
In the words of Prince, “Sometimes it snows in April.”
From Atishay : to Jim Johnson
Goes to show the kind of world we live in, when armchair pundits start proclaiming that Jack Wilshere ‘deserves’ better than Arsenal.
Jack Wilshere has learnt everything at Arsenal since he was nine years old.
He’s had one very good season, one which he missed entirely, and one where he’s been decent enough.
Are we saying that he is already bigger than the club? Has he done enough to earn the right to move on?
Why bother bringing top quality youngsters into the first team if the club’s first team aren’t ‘worthy’ of them?
As for injuries and Owen, surely Michael himself is majorly to blame for playing throughout with some form of injury? When players keep playing with injuries, we say it’s because they’re ‘winners’.
Sadly though, it’s just irresponsible. Owen only has himself to blame for a very underwhelming career. It’s important to know when you shouldn’t play. No one knows that better than the player himself.
Let Jack become a consistent, fit, top-class footballer, and then we can talk about whether he ‘deserves’ more than Arsenal.
Myles says: Come on, Atishay !
Michael Owen was overplayed as a kid.
He was far too brave for his own good.
As you saw when Hoddle let him go back on field after a horrific head injury in a friendly just before France 98.
Owen was never my favourite striker but I’ll give him his due.
Even if you won’t.