A Disrespectful Statement? I Thought You Loved This Club Robin?

Let’s be honest, deep down, we knew he was off.  I wanted to believe he would be convinced to stay but it seems like his mind was made up by the time he sat down with Arsenal…

Van Persie @ PFA Awards – he made no eye contact at any cameras; he stuttered his words when giving his acceptance speech and paying tribute to his team mates (the same ones who are now not good enough to win trophies). He ended by saying he will speak to Mr Wenger about “two things and it’s nothing special” – what ever that means!

Van Persie @ PFA Writers Awards – “Arsenal is an unbelievable club. I am the player I am today because of them. I’ll set a date to see the boss and Ivan Gazidis. We haven't set a date but we will be having a meeting about my future and lots of other things.” And when asked on new signing Podolski he said he was a ‘great signing’ – oh how that has changed!

Van Persie at West Brom Away –‘I love this club. Whatever happens that will never change," Yeah we know why you said that now!

I am all for showing ambition and direction, and buying star names may mean a better chance of silverware; so let’s go and buy Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben and win the league. Would you like that Robin?

I would have thought the Euro’s showed Robin that having big names does not guarantee anything. Watching Robin and Holland this summer made me appreciate the team morale and spirit at our club because last season was as good as I have ever seen it in a long while. I thought Robin would have appreciated that too.

Now to that statement; that stupid statement. If a good player wants to increase his chances of winning silverware, that’s fair enough. I accepted Cesc and Samir going even though I did not like it! I have never given Samir Nasri any credit but at least he kept his mouth shut and let Arsenal get the best possible price for him.  Robin, on the other hand, has decreased his value and Arsenal’s bargaining power completely by releasing such a stupid statement. For someone who proclaims to love the club and have ‘great respect’ for Mr Wenger, he has a funny way of showing it.  He has criticised his team mates by hinting they are not good enough and clearly does not think much of Podolski or Giroud by slamming the ambition of the club.

For me, it’s all about getting rid of him as soon as possible before he starts being a disruptive influence. Remaining as captain and gaining the respect of his team mates will now be an impossible task.

In Robin, we lose an amazing player and one who was brilliant last season, but let’s not forget the other six and a half. I find the statement even more baffling because of the way Mr Wenger and the club stood by him during his darker days (i.e. injuries, getting arrested, low moments with the national team etc). The manager has made many mistakes, like all managers do, but the faith he has and belief he has over his players and the way he stands by them is one of his best assets, and Robin has thrown it back in his face.

I will never forget Chelsea and Liverpool away this season and Robin made it happen and for that I am grateful but for all the respect I showed him, I expected some back.

Enjoy your life Robin because in my opinion, you have burnt your bridges here.

Farewell.

A different perspective...

So we all saw it, a certain Mr Arshavin ran the show on Friday night and many Arsenal supporters were wondering where this little Russian has been for the last year or so.

I have always been keen to keep faith with Andrey Arshavin but something clearly was not right last season. Perhaps his loan spell has just recreated that form we saw when we bought him.

I find myself having real issues and creating bonds with players and wanting to believe that they will come good and that has caused me a lot of heartache at times but with Arshavin, it may be worth the risk? It will be an interesting summer, if he has a good tournament overall, would it be silly to get rid of him?

We saw our keeper not exactly get off to the best start, we saw our new front man miss a sitter and saw our big German defender back named as a sub in the space of a few days.

Today we may see Alex Oxlade Chamberlain start for England and many have asked the question, what does this mean for Theo Walcott?

I think Theo Walcott had a very good season and his goals and assists record speak for it itself however, I think playing Chamberlain tonight may be a fantastic move. Without Rooney, England will have to try and make the most of the ball when they get it against a very good France team (on paper anyway) and perhaps Chamberlain is in a better position to do this. I would have loved Theo and Chamberlain to start together but I can understand why Milner will/is chosen (I cannot say the same about Downing though!).

I think Theo has a big part to play tonight and in the rest of the tournament and think the 6/1 odds of Theo scoring tonight at any time or 14/1 to get the last goal (even as a sub) is well worth a punt!

For once, England does not expect, and that is not a bad thing. Come on England and off course, come on Chamberlain and Theo!

Practically a Cup Final…

So,it's all come down to the last game, and it could even be the last minute or last second; after all, we are the Arsenal!

It’s been one hell of a strange season. For the first time in a while,Arsenal have not been competitive in the League or any of the cup competitions - during the last seven years, we've usually been more competitive in the title race or progressed through to the latter stages of a cup competition. But this season, with one game to go, third is the best we can hope for.

I think Arsenal have achieved some significantly positive things this season. Mikel Arteta has been fantastic. Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen have complimented each other well, with the latter signing a new long term contract. Tomas Rosicky has paid back a lot of the faith shown by the club and manager by putting in some brilliant performances and winning the player of the month award in consecutive months.

Of course, we cannot forgot our horrendous start to the season and the disaster of a summer that preceded it. Indeed even the manager admitted to it. But to come back so strongly after our abysmal start shows the team has developed the sort of steely backbone and determination that our critics have openly attacked us about in the past. And even the club seems to have learnt from thetransfer sagas last Summer, with the early signing of Podolski andthe moves towards Rennes' midfield stalwart Yann M’Vila signallingArsene's positive intent from the outset.

M’Vila in my opinion would be a massive signing. He's a proper defensive midfielder which we just don't have at the moment. Alex Song is a top player and his assist record demonstrates his attacking instinct. M'Vila will help solidify our formation, and allow Song the freedom to attack, and be able to be rested more often. M'Vila can allow Alex Song to provide more cover for the centre backs and can come in when they need a rest. His signing will help the transition from a 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 when needed, and with Podolski in, it is something we may need at the Emirates in particular.

It goes without saying that our success next season will depend on keeping our prized asset Robin Van Persie and his good mate Theo Walcott. We all know about Robin but I think Theo is just as important. In simple terms, when Robin Van Persie and Leo Messi say publicly that you’re a good player then you have to start to believe them. Theo has had a good season; he has a game based around speed and in certain games, he just won’t be as effective, and the job for Theo is to have a plan B for these games. At the age of 22/23he has time on his hands to find this plan B and I think he will get there. I have sat in stands with people slating him. I remember one incident at QPR away in particular, when the lady behind me was hurling a torrent of abuse at him, only for him to score, and for her to start cheering him on like there was no tomorrow. With all the talk on Robin, I hope the club are working hard to secure Theo’s future because I believe he will be a vital part of our club for years to come.

Another man who has come out and said he feels he has played his part is Yossi Benayoun, and I think he has done much more then that! He has really put in a shift since that Spurs game and since the start of April he has put in some stellar performances. I would love for him to stay but cannot see Chelsea agreeing another year-long loan. And in any case Yossi wants something more permanent, so I expect Sunday will be Yossi’s last game in an Arsenal shirt (I hope he stays though). He has shown heart,commitment and no shortage of skill at the business end of the season.

WBA away on Sunday is bigger than a cup final for us. Any Liverpool supporter will tell you how difficult it is to re-enter the Champions League positions after you drop out for a season, and Arsenal's entire fabric would be damaged were we to finish fifth. When I was walking back from the Emirates to the Tollington Pub last Saturday, my world was going to end because I thought we had blown it and we would finish behind Spurs and not having our Champions League fate in our own hands. The thought of watching a Champions League final that was going to decide our fate that we were not even playing in was soul-destroying... that was until Aston Villa came to the party and got a result! We have another chance now and we MUST take it.

Patrice, retiring after devoting his life to this club, deserves so much credit. He has given everything to our club as player and then as coach and assistant. Thank you Mr Pat Rice.

It may have been a testing season on the pitch, but it has been an amazing experience off the pitch. I would like to thank all my Twitter followers, many of whom have become real-life friends I meet at home and away games. The power of Twitter has heightened the pre-and post- match atmosphere at grounds, pubs, trains, service stations and even the streets of North London and the rest of England.

So let's get the party started and end the season on a high, and get quality new players in and the current lot signed up, and get prepared to DO SOME DAMAGE NEXT SEASON!