Camden New Journal - 2Footed

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Camden New Journal - by RICHARD OSLEY - ARSENAL FAN
Published: 21 June 2007

IF Thierry turns his back on Barcelona and Milan and Grimsby (one for old times sake, folks), and decides to stay at Arsenal – I think he should do the decent thing and give up the captaincy.

We can’t have the skipper prevaricating on where he should spend the twilight of his career all summer.
I’d be sad to see Henry go – he is indisputably the world’s greatest player at the moment, the best ever to have graced the Premiership and maybe in the top ten players to have ever played for Arsenal – but you can only push things so far.
I wasn’t saying it while Julio Baptista was taking penalties like he was at Twickenham and Jeremie Aliadiere was pratting around in front of goal last season but maybe its time to think about life beyond Henry.
If he doesn’t go this summer, he’ll go next summer (after Arsenal win the Champions League) or the summer after that. Nobody goes on forever – even if Bergkamp threatened to do so.
So, I say, promote Kolo Toure to club captain.
Can anyone ever imagine Kolo flirting with a move to another club? Can you imagine him stuck in a contract wrangle with the Arsenal moneymen? Getting his agent to brief journalists to ramp up his pay and conditions?
But there is a better reason for it to be Captain Kolo: he clearly hates Chelsea.
His behaviour in the Carling Cup final was clearly a little bit off-key. Apparently, it’s not the done thing to lose your rag and go chasing after as many Chelsea twits as possible with raging fists. It’s not the done thing – but who could blame him?
There was Chelsea, with a squad that took around £980 million to amass, struggling to squeeze past a team of reserves and youngsters, wasting time in the final seconds as they desperately tried to win a tin-pot trophy.
Kolo’s fury that day represented what everybody who isn’t a glory chasing Chelsea fan (the ones that you couldn’t see in the 1990s but seem to be everywhere now) thinks: Chelsea have no style or history.
A perfect qualification for the Arsenal captaincy, I’d say.

Is he right? What do you think? To let us know your views just email us at:
sports@camdennewjournal.

MY thanks to Gary Smith for a bright start to the weekend (CNJ June 14). He made me laugh solid for about 5-10 minutes with his amusing comments.
Of course Spurs are catching up on Arsenal. Why, only two seasons ago, they finished one point behind, while last season they were eight adrift of their North London rivals. That really is ‘closing the gap all the time’!
Also last season, they managed two draws at home against the Arsenal. And they kept the score down to three in each of the two games at the Grove.
In two of the matches they were up against the most youthful Arsenal team since they last won at Arsenal 14 years ago.
Oh, and as Arsenal didn’t ‘do anything worth mentioning in the last year’, could you tell me the last time Tottenham won some proper silverware?
Thought not.
Ending on a bright note, you might even beat Arsenal next season, the first time in eight years. Good luck. You’ll need it.
ALISTER CAMPBELL
N1

READING Mr Bell and Mr Smith’s responses to Richard Osley’s comments (CNJ June 14) it was obvious that some vitriol was on display towards Arsenal and the supporters, in their opinions about the relative merits of the teams they clearly support.
‘Ignorant about the game’, ‘Serious facts’? When all is said and done Arsenal have won more titles and more cups than the two clubs mentioned (Chelsea and Tottenham) and have a better head to head record against those clubs.
Neither of those clubs have completed three doubles nor have they gone a season unbeaten in the league. These are not opinions they are facts with no arrogance attached!
While not always agreeing with Mr Osley (yes we are not all ignorant) my guess is that if he just stuck to the facts every week he would not get the sort of indignant responses from local people that support teams other than Arsenal. Ironically the two letters mentioned seem to be more about hating Arsenal than praising their own team’s achievements.
JAMES JALLOH
via email

ARE we going to have to put up with Dan Carrier harping on about “the glorious Lilywhites” all through the summer until Itchy Osley and Scratchy Etoe resume their interminable scrapping?
If we are, it’ll be a relief to have them back, even though they sometimes take positions that in comparison make Hamas and Fatah look like mildly dissenting siblings. Come on CNJ – what’s happened to your even-handedness? Can’t you alternate his weekly article with one by a good, red-blooded Gooner?
This preoccupation that Spurs fans have with Arsenal’s results and the rumours (invariably unfounded) emanating from the Emirates is tiresome.
I swear they would rather see us lose one nil at home to Fulham than have their own beloved team beat Man United 5-0 at Old Trafford.
I suggest we leave them to try and get to grips with all their new summer signings, which if you read the names carefully are just anagrams of last season’s team.
Meantime, although last season was a tad disappointing for Gooners, we’ve only got to wait until September 15 for a trip down Memory Lane to cheer ourselves up.
After all, we won the League there a few years ago.
TIM SANDERS
via email

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