ARCHIVE - SEPTEMBER 2011
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ARSENE AMNESIA: ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT FORGETFUL? Nick, 01/09/11
Since the sale of Cesc Fabregas to
Barcelona and Samir Nasri to the Etihad corporation's Manchester
branch, and the subsequent lacklustre performances, people have been
quick to get on poor Arsène Wenger's back. Do they forget the
unbeaten season? Do they forget the nurture of rare talents like
Vieira, Henry and Ashley Cole as well as Cesc and Samir? They must
have forgotten the way legends such as Bergkamp, Overmars, Ljungberg
and Pires tore defences apart and the way Campbell and Toure formed
the unbreakable core of 'The Invincibles'. Off the pitch too
Wenger is capable of changing lives, let alone football matches. He
was able to get the best out of a young Nicolas Anelka, tame
troublesome Ray Parlour and famously his arrival was hugely
influential in helping Tony Adams overcome his alcoholism.
Wenger has been one of the Premier League's greatest assets since it's formation. He has spent 15 years at Arsenal and has treated us to the best style of football of any other team. He has made teams from scratch and brought players from nowhere to stardom. He even adds a touch of comedy, intentionally or not, with his petty claims, stubborn interviews and extremely red-tainted vision.
However, in spite of Arsène's credentials, there are still those predicting his departure and the instatement a Mourinho or Rijkaard figure by Christmas. People say he has lost it. The 8-2 loss at Old Trafford was a lesson of tactical humiliation from the Wackford Squeers character that was the cruel Manchester United. A lack of trophies since 2005 does not reflect well on the Frenchmen. But do people actually have no confidence? "He must be blind!" is what they say of Arsène, but they seem equally so to the possibility he'll pull something out of the bag. When Ian Wright and the JVC generation were rusting, Bergkamp and Henry stepped up. Even once the Invincibles had begun to perish, Arsenal continued to play the best brand of football in the league with the Emirates era of Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie.
Yet as the transfer window slid to a dramatic close, Arsène pulled his finger out plucking Mikel Arteta from Everton. Such a move was totally unpredicted, taking the back page and leaving David Moyes and Everton as exposed as those on the third. No doubt the underrated Arteta will prove a fantastic signing. Wenger knows of Arteta's talent and his Premier League experience is a massive bonus to the team. Add to this the experience of Per Mertesacker at the back and Arsenal seem to be shaping up once more. Arsène goes about transfers in his own way. He won't bring in an overpriced Downing or bid wildly to entice those already at the top. However, what has proved just as effective is to bring in those with promise. At times it's like he has been on the real world version of the Football Manager forums. New full-back Andre Santos could develop into a Dani Alves figure and who would bet against Chu Young Park, another buy from Wenger's favourites Monaco, being an Emirates superstar.
Before the rutting of 'Deadline Day,' Arsenal had in fact already brought in the promising and pacey Alex Oxlade-English-fat-Ronaldo-Chamberlain, showing Arsène's side becoming a refined and respected Rockefeller next to City and United's Empire States. Do not be foolish and forget also that Arsène has an array of talent queuing up, such as Jon Toral. Arsène has recently brought Jack Wilshere through the youth setup to become one of England's most cherished sons. He would not be giving such game time to the likes of Ignasi Miguel and Emmanuel Frimpong if he doubted their potential to do the same.
Yes, Arsenal have lots of questions that have needed answering for as long some of philosophies finest. Where is the defence? If we want to challenge in Europe, where is the world-class goalkeeper? Yet what Wenger can establish, if not silverware, is a team; a unit, and a unit that can play some exhilarating football at that. Where Mancini's mercenaries are moaning about Manchester and Kenny's critters are counting their cash, Arsenal's team will be clawing their way up the Premier League under Arsène's articulate leadership. Ably led by Van Persie and backed by an increasingly solid Szczęsny, whilst Wenger is still there, Arsenal will enjoy their football and engineer enjoyment to all who wish to remain faithful. If this is allowed to continue, the wolf should be scared from the door and will find Arsenal will again find their purple (or off-maroon) patch of silverware. Expect to see them in the Champions League again next season and expect Arsène to be lifting an Arsenal trophy by the time Miguel hits puberty.
Wenger has been one of the Premier League's greatest assets since it's formation. He has spent 15 years at Arsenal and has treated us to the best style of football of any other team. He has made teams from scratch and brought players from nowhere to stardom. He even adds a touch of comedy, intentionally or not, with his petty claims, stubborn interviews and extremely red-tainted vision.
However, in spite of Arsène's credentials, there are still those predicting his departure and the instatement a Mourinho or Rijkaard figure by Christmas. People say he has lost it. The 8-2 loss at Old Trafford was a lesson of tactical humiliation from the Wackford Squeers character that was the cruel Manchester United. A lack of trophies since 2005 does not reflect well on the Frenchmen. But do people actually have no confidence? "He must be blind!" is what they say of Arsène, but they seem equally so to the possibility he'll pull something out of the bag. When Ian Wright and the JVC generation were rusting, Bergkamp and Henry stepped up. Even once the Invincibles had begun to perish, Arsenal continued to play the best brand of football in the league with the Emirates era of Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie.
Yet as the transfer window slid to a dramatic close, Arsène pulled his finger out plucking Mikel Arteta from Everton. Such a move was totally unpredicted, taking the back page and leaving David Moyes and Everton as exposed as those on the third. No doubt the underrated Arteta will prove a fantastic signing. Wenger knows of Arteta's talent and his Premier League experience is a massive bonus to the team. Add to this the experience of Per Mertesacker at the back and Arsenal seem to be shaping up once more. Arsène goes about transfers in his own way. He won't bring in an overpriced Downing or bid wildly to entice those already at the top. However, what has proved just as effective is to bring in those with promise. At times it's like he has been on the real world version of the Football Manager forums. New full-back Andre Santos could develop into a Dani Alves figure and who would bet against Chu Young Park, another buy from Wenger's favourites Monaco, being an Emirates superstar.
Before the rutting of 'Deadline Day,' Arsenal had in fact already brought in the promising and pacey Alex Oxlade-English-fat-Ronaldo-Chamberlain, showing Arsène's side becoming a refined and respected Rockefeller next to City and United's Empire States. Do not be foolish and forget also that Arsène has an array of talent queuing up, such as Jon Toral. Arsène has recently brought Jack Wilshere through the youth setup to become one of England's most cherished sons. He would not be giving such game time to the likes of Ignasi Miguel and Emmanuel Frimpong if he doubted their potential to do the same.
Yes, Arsenal have lots of questions that have needed answering for as long some of philosophies finest. Where is the defence? If we want to challenge in Europe, where is the world-class goalkeeper? Yet what Wenger can establish, if not silverware, is a team; a unit, and a unit that can play some exhilarating football at that. Where Mancini's mercenaries are moaning about Manchester and Kenny's critters are counting their cash, Arsenal's team will be clawing their way up the Premier League under Arsène's articulate leadership. Ably led by Van Persie and backed by an increasingly solid Szczęsny, whilst Wenger is still there, Arsenal will enjoy their football and engineer enjoyment to all who wish to remain faithful. If this is allowed to continue, the wolf should be scared from the door and will find Arsenal will again find their purple (or off-maroon) patch of silverware. Expect to see them in the Champions League again next season and expect Arsène to be lifting an Arsenal trophy by the time Miguel hits puberty.
SAMMY'S SPENDING SPREE Will C, 08/09/11
It's a well-known fact that footballers earn a lucrative amount of money in the modern game. Even a lower league player can earn a six figure salary for playing their beloved sport. However, not many earn as much as Anzhi Makhachkala's new signing Samuel Eto'o. In fact the Cameroon striker is now the highest paid player in the world after signing a staggering £350,000 a week contract with the Russian Premier League side.
To many, this amount of money is completely unimaginable and even Eto'o himself will struggle to come up with ways in which to spend his fortune. So here on Fresh Air Football, we thought we'd give the confused Cameroonian a bit of help. So here is a collection of things that he could buy with his wages:
Every year Eto'o earns a staggering £18,200,000. That's enough to buy an 143ft luxury yacht. If he sticks around for five years, he’ll have enough to buy Christiano Ronaldo, not that he'd want to though.
To many, this amount of money is completely unimaginable and even Eto'o himself will struggle to come up with ways in which to spend his fortune. So here on Fresh Air Football, we thought we'd give the confused Cameroonian a bit of help. So here is a collection of things that he could buy with his wages:
- Every second, Samuel Eto'o earns a diminutive 57 pence. In the current climate, that's about three Freddo bars, with a few pence change.
- Every minute, our Sammy earns £34 which could buy him a brand new Football Manager game for his PC. What else is there to do in Russia? Especially in winter.
- Every hour, Mr. Eto'o earns an astonishing £2,083, more than most people in a whole month. This sum of cash could buy the Cameroon international a top of the range, state-of-the-art Apple Mac to run his Football Manager game on.
- Every day, Sam earns a whopping £49,992, nearly double the average UK annual income. Enough to buy an Audi R8 - every single day! But with Eto'o in his thirties, he may need to start thinking about his future appearance. A day's work could fund a hair transplant; they look great, just ask Wayne.
- Every week, £350,000 finds its way into Sammy's account. To put his earnings into context, a person earning the minimum wage in the UK would have to work for thirty years to match the former Inter Milan man's weekly wage. This sum would pay for him to go around the world 332 times.
- Every month Sam earns the small matter of £1,400,000, enough to buy a Bugatti Veyron 16.4, currently the most expensive street-legal full production car in the world. But it may not suit the snow covered roads of a Russian winter.
Every year Eto'o earns a staggering £18,200,000. That's enough to buy an 143ft luxury yacht. If he sticks around for five years, he’ll have enough to buy Christiano Ronaldo, not that he'd want to though.