Statue day / Thierry's Emotional speech

A day filled with class from a club with class.

Our day started with a few of us being invited to one of the club level suites and being greeted with a cocktail reception along with a small finger buffet. I enjoyed my Champagne and glass of wine and the Legend DVDs on show.

Ivan Gazidis welcomed us by saying a few words.

We got taken downstairs where we were in a school like queue; we waited around because someone was late... that someone was Arsene Wenger. He then came and signed a few autographs and walked past us along with the directors and chairman of the club.

Then this tall Frenchman, who I am told scored 226 goals for our wonderful football club walked past and shook a few hands (including mine!).

We were taken to each statue separately and speeches were given by Peter Hill-Wood, Arsene Wenger and off course, Thierry Henry.

Thierry's speech was superb, his love for the club was genuine and he broke down while speaking and the crowd helped fill the silence by chanting his name. Thierry ended his speech with his legendary 'Once a Gooner, Always A Gooner' line.

Maria even had a chance to shout her 'Come On You Gunners' which is very well known within Arsenal supporters.

The game vs Everton will also be just as special and I hope all Gooners enjoy the game; After all, its a game we must win!

Here are a few snaps from the day:

The English Teams In Europe Dilemma

Firstly let me apologise for my absence in regards to blog posts. New job along with the away trips (which have been epic by the way) have taken it out of me!

Watching this weeks Champions League action got me thinking about what I want to happen and what is best for Arsenal football club.

On one hand, our record against English teams in Europe is quite poor. Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have knocked us out in the past so if we have ambitions to go far in the competition, the lack of English teams should help us.

But the other hand says we will probably not win the Champions League so finishing fourth is a MUST and therefore the more games our rivals play, the better. Yes going out of the Champions League means playing in the Europa League on Thursday nights but do we really think the big teams will play their strongest team? I don’t think so.

For me, Man City and Man Utd are a bit far off and even though a good run off form can see us catch them, it seems unlikely. Chelsea on the other hand, are only two points ahead and if they had gone out the other night then come February, they would have had a real advantage in the league. Imagine having to play a European away game then go to Everton or Liverpool and having Chelsea fresh.

It was one of them dilemma’s I had while watching the games and even though seeing Chelsea go out would have meant, the small club in crisis would be the only English team left in the Champions League, the possible fixture congestion (for Chelsea) can only be a positive.

If Arsenal avoids the two big Spanish teams, then you just never know what can happen.

UP THE ARSENAL !

Punishment In Sport

Looking around sport and seeing the types of punishments being handed out has really got me thinking.

On a day where Cricket has grabbed the headlines, I have thought about punishments in general (sport and society).

I have always been a bit sceptical about the punishments for a straight red card in football. A player can get a straight red card for being the last man and stopping a goal scoring opportunity or equally, a player can get a red card for a leg breaking challenge.

What is the punishment? A three game ban (in most cases). Does a player who has just been caught out of position deserve the same ban as someone who broke the leg of another player? For me, the three match ban should not be so black and white.

Today, the three Pakistani cricketers got a jail sentence but in the big picture, is a jail sentence right?

Take the young lad, M Amir. He was 17 years of age (when he bowled the No Balls) and was obviously leant upon by his captain among others. He was a young player with immense talent and could have been a world star. Coming from Asia, where there has always been rumours of corruption and where poverty exists, you can understand slightly why Amir did what he did; off course it was wrong and he should be punished but most people will have some sympathy.

The three players did wrong and should be punished; some agree with a jail sentence and some do not.

I look at Salman Butt’s 30 months (even though he may only be in for half of that) and think I know people that have done a lot less time for assault. Look in our own sport, Joey Barton was jailed for six months for assault. Which one is worse? Is Salman Butt’s crime five times worse then assault? I am not convinced.

I am a big follower of cricket and follow the Indian and English cricket team very closely and go and watch England play every summer ( more this summer because India were here) so I understand the argument of paying customers being cheated and I agree but is jail right?

Others have been known to actually throw a game; players like Mohammad Azharuddin (who was one of my favourite cricketers when growing up) and Hansie Cronje have been given life bans but interestingly no jail sentence. Both were very high profile players and captains of their countries (India and South Africa respectively). Cronje even passed away in a suspicious place crash which shows how deep the problem may go.

I have been told that these illegal bookies do not take NO for an answer and players worry for the safety of themselves along with their family and this may well be a valid argument but without players coming out who have been approached, it will prove very hard to catch these criminals. No man would enjoy threats to their family and there is a level of sympathy there too.

Other players have come out about how they have been approached like Hollioake, Nixon, Akhter etc and this may help the ICC to stop match/spot fixing in cricket.

I have never understood how life bans (in any sport) can be over turned. Once a life ban is given to a player, it should not be rescinded unless there is genuine proof the original ban was incorrect.

Back to the original point and that about punishments in sport and life generally; I asked the question if spot fixing in cricket should get a jail term and I am still undecided. The thought of having someone who has been convicted of spot fixing next to someone who has been convicted or Murder doesn’t sit well with me.

There are many positives to come out of this type of sentencing. Illegal bookmakers and potential players may just think twice about spot/match fixing. With all the sympathy around Amir, an argument can be made that if he is let off lightly, other young players may feel they can do the same. Young players are likely to be targeted as they may not have the experience or know how BUT at the same time, they should be protected a little.

Harsher punishments may be required if corruption in sport is to disappear but if the courts are to get involved then there has to be some consistency, others who spot or match fix must get harsh sentences and other crimes must have sentences that are deserved for the respective crime.

The question remains, some who assaulted another human being got six months in jail and someone who was apart of a major spot fixing case got 30 months.

Regardless of if you agree on the jail time or not, the three players and any others in any sport who match or spot fix deserve to get punished and I for one, never want to see any players who fix anything in sport play again ever.