Arsenal 0 - Old Boys 44

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4498786/Stars-quit-Arsenal-and-win-44-medals.html

Interesting article.

MrMagoo wrote:http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4498786/Stars-quit-Arsenal-and-win-44-medals.html

Interesting article.

I was thinking about posting that link.... but I didnt want to be accused by the gooners of gloating or rubbing it in......

Wow, shows that it's a myth that players never do anything after they leave Arsenal.

roadoftrinity wrote:Wow, shows that it's a myth that players never do anything after they leave Arsenal.

Wasnt that myth started here ???

Yes some of the players have been slagged off a fair bit for moving for 'money' and not 'trophies'... whoops!

Ashley Cole & Nasri definitely left for the money, Adebayor, Flamini & Hleb left because they wanted to be stars, Vieira, Henry & Sol Campbell left because they were past their respective sell-buy dates, Jose-Antonio Reyes left because he missed his homeland too much, Cesc Fabregas left because, as he'd always stated he wanted to return to his boyhood club, Seb Larsson was released to allow him a first-team spot which he wouldn't have got with The Arsenal - who else is there?
I don't doubt the number of trophies won - all have won trophies of varying degrees of importance, Larsson (and Hleb?) with Birmingham for the League Cup, apparently, Campbell and Diarra with Portsmouth for the FA Cup, Vieira winning Serie A with Juve and Inter - we all saw how poor he was when he came to play for Juve against Arsenal, - Reyes some Spanish cup - Henry of course won stuff in Spain, but he was nowhere near the player he used to be - Fabregas is the one genuine talent who didn't milk the situation, he wanted to play for his home team and, no surprises there he's a success.
So, anyone reading The Sun and expecting anything other than a good headline can get excited if they wish but I'm not fooled by the stats they presented. Yes, varying levels of trophies have been won by former players - the older ones left because they were past it, some of the younger ones left because they wanted the money and/or stardom - let's face it, if you've played at Arsenal on a regular basis at any level you've been given an amazing footballing education. I've heard say that several former players now rue the day they left Arsenal - Hleb on more than one occasion - and make recommendations in Arsenal's favour to potential transfer targets (Pires to Cazorla). The Sun = Shite!

Oh dear....

SO your only answer is to denigrate the trophies these payers have won since moving on to greener pastures.... The thing to remember is you were quite happy competing for the league cup a year or two ago.... so to just dismiss these players efforts is just sour grapes....

at the end of the day though JPR its still 44 medals to NONE..... want me to repeat that????

As you may recall I wasn't particularly fussed at the possibility of winning the League Cup a couple of years back - OK losing the final in the manner we did was a bit difficult to digest but winning the League Cup is no big deal IMO.
44 trophies to nil means nothing. What should it mean? That if we'd kept a geriatric Henry and Vieira, a knackered Campbell we'd have won a trophy? Of course not. The players who left, for whatever reason had been/were still good players. At the time I regretted the loss of Flamini and Hleb who both went out looking for stardom, those two plus Fabregas made a decent, competitive midfield. I still regret losing Fabregas but it was always on the cards, I was disappointed that Reyes was so homesick that he felt compelled to return to Spain but the rest?
You can take the 44-0 on face value but I don't see how it is relevant to anything meaningful, other than a bunch of players who left Arsenal went out to various new clubs on whose books they were when the new clubs won a trophy. Nasri won a trophy with ManC last season but he didn't play in at least a third of the games - so what? Adebayor was on ManC's books last season (whilst they paid him to play for Tottingham), is that another stat of any particular significance?
It's The Sun (as I said, shite)!

Well the stat means... and it doesnt matter who is having a bit of a laugh publishing it.... that the players who hae left the Gooners have amassed a pile of 44 winners medals compared to the players who stayed who have none.. No wonder Van Persie and Song left I guess they didnt rate the prospect of getting one this season to highly....

Have to say I agree with JP in the main on this one.

Of the players who have left and currently won honours, who would a) Arsenal fans have wanted to keep and b) they were in a psition to keep.

I havent fully read the article, but I would suggest they are only in the minority. Yes, they would have liked to have kept Fabregas, Clichy and Nasri, but JP has correctly said Fabregas wanted to return home (as did Reyes, whose form dipped massively if I recall correctly) and Clichy and Nasri were nearing the end of their contracts and money does talk then. Whether it could be said that Arsenal should have got contracts signed earlier is another matter, maybe they did. Flamini was a big loss as he had an excellent season and I felt Diarra was a loss to the club. Was Larrsson ever good enough for Arsenal, the fact he has played for Birmingham and Sunderland suggests not.