Posted by: Yogi's Warrior | June 8, 2007

A Captain Speaks (At Last) And This Guy Has The Biggest Yaya’s Of The Lot

Thierry Henry seems to be doing the media rounds at the moment, this time being interviewed on ESPN and a lot more upbeat about the future, and present, than would have been portrayed in the English and Spanish media. Having spoken about DD’s departure, he turned his attention to the squad,

The potential is definitely there, the signs are definitely there. So now let’s hope we can put that all together and bring back some silverware. Man United didn’t win the league for three years and finally they did it - who would have said that 10 years ago? So things happen sometimes, you have to keep going and make sure you can be better and have a great season next season.

Which is more like the realism that has been unreported so far.

At the end of the day, everybody knows all of our resources went into building the new stadium. Therefore, you have to deal with what you have. So that’s why I would like to give credit to some of the youngsters. Maybe if we don’t have a new stadium, we would have done better and maybe have more players, I don’t know. Sometimes you can’t invent something that you don’t have or create something that you don’t have, so you have to deal with what you have. We’re still playing good football, ok, not winning anything at the moment but you know, you have to give us that at least.

It has been picked up by the red tops here and their interpretation is of the rest of the conversation, about how he is hurt by DD’s departure. The reality is that everyone wants to interview him in the hope he will say, “I’m off“. He is not naive and knows this but it is good to see him acknowledge the realism of our situation. I understand his frustration, he is after all a ‘winner’ and has done so in his career and it would be the easy option for him to take the short hop to Barcelona or Milan. As he acknowledges, it is flattering to your ego when the ‘best’ in the business want your services, an appreciation that you must be doing something ‘right’. For the first time though, that I have seen, he has done ‘right’ by Arsenal in recognising that the squad have maintained a standard, to a degree, given the Club a good base to build from. It would have been easy for them to slip to 8th or 10th place on the basis of inexperience. Yet, Wenger has maintained a good mix of experience and youth, keeping us in the top four. The gap of twenty points on the leaders is not easy to make up in one fell swoop however who knows how many points are going to be required to win the title this season. I suspect that it will be a similar level because even with the spending carried out lower down the division, those teams have a hell of a gap to make up to challenge the current top four. It will need consistency at home, turning wins to draws draws to wins (ta, Passenal); away from home, defeats to draws. Each team will drop points occasionally. We have done so regularly in matches we would not expect to. We need to get back to the ‘occasional’ to stay in contention longer. If you are in with a chance at Easter, anything is possible. God, I feel optimistic this morning. Don’t worry, the usual cynicism will resurface at some point!

Yaya Toure is being linked with the club but that is of no interest really. What drew my attention was this interview, given to Spanish Radio. I’ll quote verbatim from Sporting Life,

Dimitri Seluk, who claims to be one of the player’s advisors, told Spanish radio station Ona FM that Toure would be “happy to talk to Barca”.

So the scene is set for a Mr 15% spiel,

I am not exactly his representative. I am like a father for him. If I say to him that it makes a thing, it will do it. There are a lot of clubs interested in him. I have been asked about him by Inter Milan, Lyon, Roma, Everton and Arsenal. Everybody wants to speak to him. The price would be around 15million euros.

How great is that? I think the Americans call it chutzpah. Fantastic stuff. So let’s get this straight, the Guy isn’t even his Agent and he’s hawking Yaya around like a cheap handbag off a market stall. Brilliant. Please God, let FIFA haul him up in front of a committee, make the hearings public because this man could become the next comedy hit of the year. Moments like this are what help to make the close season bearable. Interesting though that the station is Ona FM. Does that make the journalists that work there onanists?

’til Tomorrow.

Posted in Arsenal, Football, Premiership, Soccer, Transfer Gossip

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Responses

How many “advisors” do players need? Especially the likes of Yaya Toure.

They need to be careful. Purporting to have authority that they actually lack is illegal.

By: Sniff on June 8, 2007
at 7:14 am

Yes Yaya, don’t need him we have a lot of CM’s. I think Henry should decline interviews, they twist everything that he says.

By: Ekow Manso-Howard on June 8, 2007
at 7:20 am

Thanks for that YW, as the media will no doubt focus on his comments about DD to try to spin ‘Arsenal in crisis blah, blah, blah…’ headlines.

Sorry to be picky, but you said ‘turn wins to draws’ when I guess you mean the opposite as that was a big part of our problem last season!

By: Passenal on June 8, 2007
at 7:32 am

Just to add something to that Henry interview and how the media, namely those excuses for news papers the sun , star etc, have put the spin on it. You picked up on what he says to praise the youngsters and his grasp of the financial situation. They on the other hand have said it casts fresh doubts on his future and may lead to mass exedos from the club. Like you say they want him to say yeah im off and slant their headlines and tone of story to play up a crisis

By: DeiseGooner on June 8, 2007
at 7:41 am

“It would have been easy for them to slip to 8th or 10th place on the basis of inexperience”

This is just the point a lot of people have been missing. Historically that is just what would have happened. The achievments of the last 2 seasons, at the begining of Le Bob’s cycle, means we are really set fair for the next few years. Keeping AW at the club is the essential ingredient.

By: Flint McCullough on June 8, 2007
at 8:23 am

A couple of years ago fans at ManU were calling for Ferguson’s head saying he lost direction and that his rebuilding was killing the club. Look where they are now.

That Arsenal have remained competitive whilst bringing so many young players through is a testament to Wenger and his staff.

While not all of these players will necessarily make it at Arsenal long term, the seeds have been sown.

By: Easy Tiger on June 8, 2007
at 9:34 am

Let Henry leave if it’s what he wants. Those who fear that Arsenal will be playing in the Championship when he leaves don’t know much about football.
We ‘ve had the true winners in Tony, Wiltord, Kano, Edu, Overmars, Berkamp and Viera.
And what we’ve got today with Henry, the one man show at the club; we ‘ve lost leadership, winning mentality. We rarely come back from conceding a goal and win a game these days.
So what we really need at the moment is not necessarely keeping Henry at all costs. It’s about the type of transfer market we need to acquire the type of players we’ ve lost and we are no longer scary as we were three or four years ago.
Henry may be still at Arsenal next season and I have no doubt, if AW doesn’t do anything to mix up the squad (need balance), I am sure we could be facing another season of desappointment.

By: lc on June 8, 2007
at 11:47 am

The interview with Thierry Henry shows a man giving an honest assessment of the situation he is in and shows that his committed to leading Arsenal to future success. The thing that stands out when you listen to Henry speak is the utter genuinity of his words and the feelings he conveys about his situation. He is a unique player and captain because he really speaks his mind and does not hide behind fake sentiments or professionalism when getting ihs point across.

The problem with this is that for every instance when he says “I’m at Arsenal and I’m happy” he also says “There are problems with X” or “I’m flattered that Y is interested in me”. The media then just jumps on the negative things Henry says and flips them into ridiculous headlines like the one thatDeiseGunner showed us. The media would not create any controversy if they displayed the headline “Henry is happy at Gunners” or “Henry will stay with Gunners” so they don’t bother. Negativity sells - you see it on the TV and in the paper for other forms of news and it is no different in the football world.

It is just a shame that Henry’s honesty creates speculation and worry for a lot of Arsenal supporters worldwide who do not necessarily speak English as a first language because they are not sure what is real and what is speculation.

And for the supporters who do speak English I think I am not alone in saying it is pure frustration to wake up every day eagerly checking the news for some news of transfers into the club and seeing that one of the club’s most loyal players (and their captain, for goodness sake!) is on his way out.

By: Spanish Fry on June 8, 2007
at 12:45 pm

Haha - I was happy with what I wrote so I added it on the end of my blog article!

Just letting you know if you wondered why the same text was in here and on the blog.

Spanish Fry

By: Spanish Fry on June 8, 2007
at 12:58 pm

Sadly judging by some of the comments around the place, the media appear to have succeeded in alienating Henry and Cesc from some fans, which is really not going to help the atmosphere at the Grove!. The anger and bitterness directed towards the players is astounding. If you’re going to be angry be angry at the irresponsible journo’s twisting their words to make headlines. Judge Henry and Cesc by what they do on the pitch while wearing an Arsenal shirt, that is all you can do.

By: Passenal on June 8, 2007
at 2:48 pm

for prime example of that look at the comments section of today’s Arsenal news blog.

By: Jimmy on June 8, 2007
at 3:16 pm

The Arsenal Mailing List isn’t much better…

The whole thing is starting to be very similar with Vieira to Madrid and look what happened there.

Henry could issue a statement but would that stop the speculation? No but a refusal to answer questions might or answering them with something along the lines of, “I’m an Arsenal player, I am under contract and I have no desire to leave”. But he won’t do that because he would then be backing himself into a corner. Even if he did, some people would not be happy so he can’t win.

Personally, it would be nice if he put an end to it all one way or the other by either taking the stance above or putting in a transfer request. Not because I want him to go but more through be thoroughly sick and tired of the media circus surrounding him.

By: Yogi's Warrior on June 8, 2007
at 3:32 pm

Why does this happen with our players more so than any other team? Every summer when PV was here we had to go through the same bullsh*t. I’m heartily sick of it!

But I was thinking that maybe Henry’s less equivocal stance on his future is related to what happened to DD. He’s probably thinking that if the club can get rid of someone like him no one is safe. Thus he would not want to dismiss interest from the likes of Barca and Milan just incase Wenger decides to let him go. Look at what happened to PV in the end. Just when he decided he wanted to stay, the club decided they were ‘neutral’ about him leaving. He has to keep his options open, but it makes for a stressful time for the fans!

By: Passenal on June 8, 2007
at 3:48 pm

Point accepted Passenal but my own take on Vieira was the AW had become heartily sick and tired of him and his ‘want-away’ attitude.

So no comparisons there with Henry then…

By: Yogi's Warrior on June 8, 2007
at 4:07 pm

fans are pissed off with fab / Th because there is no need to say anything, someone asks a questions you say i am an arsenal player and will remain so full stop. if something is happening behind the scenes so be it, but continually moaning in public and saying you are only playing because of wenger is out of order. TH should know better. he has a responsibility as club captain and is not living up to it. don’t blame the journalists for doing their jobs, it is not their responsibility to make sure all is well at arsenal football club. clearly there is a lack of leadership at the club at the moment, from the board to wenger, someone needs to grab hold of the situation, as stated it always seems to be us, no one else has these problems every year. the players obviously feel free to say as they please with no consequences.

By: dan on June 8, 2007
at 4:45 pm

I always thought that there was only one summer when PV seriously thought about leaving for Real Madrid, much like Henry and Barca during the 05/06 season. But it seems to have become the fashion for the media to link our captains to every ‘big’ team going!

Maybe if we didn’t have such a high profile player as our captain we wouldn’t get this sort of crap?

By: Passenal on June 8, 2007
at 4:48 pm

With PV4, it was much the same pattern as Henry; one summer of media speculation, then a summer (or year in TH14’s case) of mulling over an offer, staying, followed by another summer of intense media speculation.

There may well be a difference in their own individual views - Henry could be content to stay, PV4 wasn’t. I would be surprised if AW hasn’t spoken to him to find where the land lies. If he goes, it will be because AW has enough indication that TH14 wants to and therefore, the club will ‘cash in’.

Part of the ‘problem’ is the club’s way of doing business; quietly and professionally which is the correct way to do it but it leads to an awful lot of media speculation in the meantime.

By: Yogi's Warrior on June 8, 2007
at 5:23 pm

My only problem with this is that he is the CAPTAIN. I do not mind if he decides to move on although I would be gutted as despite an injury hit season and his growing years I still think he has a lot to offer. I know the full interview is not printed and the gutter press will be taking the story selling bits out of it but this is twice in two weeks now.

I Personally think Club captains shouldn’t express their views in this manner. I know he has the freedom to say what he wants, but there are 40-50 other players that play for Arsenal whether it be in the 1st, Reserve or Youth teams that look up to the Club Captain and his words will undoubtably un-settle them, he has a responsibility to show leadership and this is not leaadership. If he wants AC Milan or Barca or Liverpool to know he would be interested in moving he could do it on the quiet through agents.

If the article is true and Thierry is considering his future, the Captaincy should be taken away and given to someone with 100% commitment, my preference would be Kolo or Gilberto

I personally hope he has been mis-quoted but if he wants to go then lets take the 20m and get in Etoo, Klose, Curtis Davies, Wright-Phillips and Malouda

We could challenge with those additions

By: Patthegooner on June 8, 2007
at 7:02 pm

[...] A Captain Speaks (At Last) And This Guy Has The Biggest Yaya’s Of The Lot Thierry Henry seems to be doing the media rounds at the moment, this time being interviewed on ESPN and a lot more […] [...]

By: Top Posts « WordPress.com on June 8, 2007
at 11:58 pm

Flint,
“The achievments of the last 2 seasons, at the begining of Le Bob’s cycle, means we are really set fair for the next few years. Keeping AW at the club is the essential ingredient.”

I second that view flint with one addition:
2-3 solid signings. Not “super stars” necessarily; but that commodity Arsene has been brilliant at spotting: potential, this time with experience behind them. “Undervalued” players, implausible as that seems, shall we say?
As for Thierry Henry, I suggest we just ignore the press. We’ll never know for certain until any deal is done anyway.
The question isn’t whether it is the press or Henry that’s getting on our nerves, it is about Henry’s state of mind, in fact, something we’ll never know being the lay public.
If his heart isn’t entirely in it, I’d rather he leave. Nothing, in my view, is worse than ambivalence: It destroys one’s ability to lead by example.
Let’s hope for the best.

By: karthic on June 9, 2007
at 2:47 am

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