Soler
Established Member
Originally posted on Tuesday, 8 February 2005 3:42 PM.
Oh, you guessed it, they're at it again. The entire scandal involving Ashley Cole, Chelsea and a wee bit of tapping up (Peter Kenyon at it yet again) is just too much for certain papers to resist from turning into a soap opera. Since the 'news' was leaked sometime last week, more and more melodramatic rubbish has been printed by the papers by the day.
I don't live in England anymore, so naturally whatever I read in the English papers comes from their websites. I usually read the Guardian and for some ungodly reason, the Mirror. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that ninety nine percent of what the Mirror publishes both online and in its papers is complete and utter ****. Some of the 'stories' (if you could even call it that) are so false it's almost painful.
That brings me to something I read today. I usually read anything they have to say about us, often just to get a laugh. This particular 'story', however, is so over the top it's gone beyond the stage of ridiculous and into the realms of insanity. A particular story written by Martin Lipton is what I'm blabbering on about.
Lipton's claiming that should Ashley leave then the entire squad will follow suit; well, pretty much words to that effect, anyway. He believes that the mass player exodus would be so large that it would resemble 'a flood, as unstoppable as a force of nature, and with ramifications that would become truly unpalatable for the Gunners faithful'. Lipton has also claimed that Chelsea will turn Arsenal into what they've turned West Ham into – nothing but a feeder club whose next big star from their famed academy is shipped off to Chelsea after a few years. Lipton has even gone as far as to claim that Arsène Wenger will soon be leaving our beloved club – just because our board are tight with the purse strings (I wonder why, Lipton), that Wenger will just up and leave.
This may seem as though it is an attack on Martin Lipton and only Martin Lipton. Well, it isn't. I, personally, am just sick of this continually happening by the press. One sniff of a negative piece about Arsenal is immediately lambasted across the various papers as though the world is about to collapse in on around N5 and Highbury is going to be sucked into some sort of parallel vortex into the next dimension.
Unsure of what I mean?
JENS LEHMANN: Borussia Munchengladbach/Stuttgart - The Calamity keeper could go anyway as both German clubs want him.
SOL CAMPBELL: Inter Milan - He insists he will be playing in Italy in five years' time. Could Cole's departure bring that plan forward?
PATRICK VIEIRA: Real Madrid - All of the top clubs remain an admirer of the powerhouse skipper. And he knows it.
THIERRY HENRY: AC Milan - Unlikely to follow Cole to Chelsea or subject himself to Spain's race problem with Real.
ROBERT PIRES: Real Madrid - Wenger stole him from under the noses of Real six years ago. Could the Spaniards have the last laugh?
JOSÉ REYES: Barcelona - Battling homesickness and a loss of form anyway. A return to Barcelona might just be the answer.
FREDDIE LJUNGBERG: Juventus - Contract talks have already begun in an attempt to keep him out of the Italian club's clutches.
If that isn't the biggest load of hyperbole then I'd like to see it. That is not only over the top but it is simply taking the piss. Yes, Ashley Cole could leave this summer and I, for one, would not at all be surprised if he did indeed leave us for the most despicable club in football (yeah, even the doping at Juventus wasn't as bad as Chelsea and their tainted money). It will be his choice and if earning more money at Chelsea is more important to him than the club he's grown up with then that's his choice.
But the thing is, Ashley leaving would not trigger a mass exodus like Martin Lipton and the Mirror would so dearly love to see. They would absolutely 'luv it' if Ashley left Arsenal for their new bumchums to butter up to. Arsenal in a negative light has to be their number one selling topic, after all.
With all due respect to Ashley Cole – and I do love him as a player, he's one of my favourite Arsenal players out of the lot – he doesn't have the status of Patrick Vieira or Thierry Henry, and especially Arsène Wenger himself. Yes, Ashley's supposedly imminent exit wouldn't exactly go down well the dressing room but if Vieira had left for Spain I fear the departure of Henry would have happened a lot quicker than that of Ashley Cole's.
Which leads me to believe that everything Lipton has written in this article is a load of made up crap like ninety nine percent of their articles are. Why? It's simple. Arsenal aren't exactly in contractual negotiations with Freddie as far as I'm aware, Ljungberg still has another two years to run on his current deal, and Freddie has voiced nothing but his desire to stay at Arsenal. Sure, this isn't exactly conclusive proof he would be staying or leaving (I think we all remember Vieira saying something of similar ilk at the end of last season).
The defining moment that will keep a lot of these players here was Sol Campbell signing a new Arsenal deal. Vieira staying was incredibly important but it's my opinion that Campbell staying at Arsenal was more important – whether everyone realises it or not Sol is our natural leader on the pitch while Patrick maintains his dressing room leadership.
The media's take that Cole leaving would spark a cataclysmic exit is, as I said, going incredibly over the top. As per normal they are being melodramatic beyond belief. They act as if Cole leaving would be the end for Arsenal, that we'd have no hope if a left back left and we'd be swapping Barclaycard for Coca-Cola. Rubbish.
It's been perceived as though Arsenal are the real big loser out of this. How? Even if Ashley did decide to join the dark side, we have a ready made replacement in Gaël Clichy ready to come in. Even if Ashley did decide to let his eyes blink incessantly for the sterling Arsenal would stand to receive a substantial fee.
What these uninformed amateur-esque ****** at the Mirror and the like fail to mention is that Arsenal hold the all important card in all of this: Cole can't talk to them until we agree a fee with Chelsea. David Dein knows how much money Chelsea has and knows what we could get out of this. Marseille knew this and they managed to rob £24m for a lummox like Didier Drogba, because Marseille knew Chelsea would pay anything to get what they wanted, and Marseille in turn exploited that. They made Chelsea pay £24m for a striker no more talented than Milan Baros, and he surely is not worth £24m too, yes?
So how are Arsenal really this damaged? What's stopping us from demanding a fee of £50m for Ashley, as well as the contract of Petr Cech? Nothing. The worst case scenario out of this is that Chelsea and Arsenal agree a fee that's not befitting Ashley's talent. Yes, we could lose Ashley, but if we made £50m plus Cech off of this sale, we could buy that top class centre back needed to partner Sol Campbell, and we already have Gaël Clichy ready to come in to replace Ashley.
Or, nothing happens. Arsenal could dawdle on the fee for as long as they wanted to. David Dein could continually reject the fees offered from Chelsea until it borders onto insanity:
Peter Kenyon: "Chelsea offers £25million for Ashley Cole."
David Dein: "Sorry, we want more."
Peter Kenyon: "Chelsea offers £30million for Ashley Cole."
David Dein: "Sorry, we want more."
Peter Kenyon: "Chelsea offers £40million for Ashley Cole."
David Dein: "Sorry, we want Petr Cech as well as your money."
Peter Kenyon: "We have no further offers. I will be back in a few months to illegally approach more of your players and get away with it because the FA are incompetent and spineless."
What I'm trying to say is simple: it is not as bad as Martin Lipton is trying to claim. Reyes may leave, but that has nothing to do with Ashley Cole's supposed imminent departure. If Sol is playing in Italy in five years time then good for him, he'll be 36 then and most likely past it – he's good, but he isn't Maldini.
If Freddie Ljungberg decides to leave for Juventus then we can quite easily buy Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City. AC Milan would have to pay an astronomical fee for Thierry Henry to be prized away from Arsenal (think triple what Chelsea might have to pay for Cole). If Martin Lipton thinks Real Madrid would get the last laugh by buying Píres now then he's definitely taken some drugs – we all know Píres' best years are behind him, and we all damn well know who saw Píres' best years; that certainly is not Real Madrid.
Arsenal could buy an entire new squad from the money they would receive from Cole, Ljungberg, Henry, Reyes and all of these supposed departures that are on the cards. Arsène Wenger could quite comfortably buy Cristian Chivu or Ledley King, Shaun-Wright Phillips, Fernando Torres and a host of others in one swoop if he had to. Maybe even Adriano.
So, basically, don't believe this rubbish being printed by Martin Lipton and his equally moronic colleagues who would just love for this all to happen. But I digress that they're in for disappointment, because there is no possible way Arsène Wenger and David Dein would allow this volume of players to exit Highbury in a short period of time. Hopefully, when it's September 2005 and we're playing in our redcurrant kits, Ashley Cole, José Antonio Reyes, Patrick Vieira and whoever are among them, otherwise I will certainly look like quite a plum.
PS – Peter Kenyon embodies everything that is wrong with football and the sooner he's banned from any involvement in football the better.
Oh, you guessed it, they're at it again. The entire scandal involving Ashley Cole, Chelsea and a wee bit of tapping up (Peter Kenyon at it yet again) is just too much for certain papers to resist from turning into a soap opera. Since the 'news' was leaked sometime last week, more and more melodramatic rubbish has been printed by the papers by the day.
I don't live in England anymore, so naturally whatever I read in the English papers comes from their websites. I usually read the Guardian and for some ungodly reason, the Mirror. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that ninety nine percent of what the Mirror publishes both online and in its papers is complete and utter ****. Some of the 'stories' (if you could even call it that) are so false it's almost painful.
That brings me to something I read today. I usually read anything they have to say about us, often just to get a laugh. This particular 'story', however, is so over the top it's gone beyond the stage of ridiculous and into the realms of insanity. A particular story written by Martin Lipton is what I'm blabbering on about.
Lipton's claiming that should Ashley leave then the entire squad will follow suit; well, pretty much words to that effect, anyway. He believes that the mass player exodus would be so large that it would resemble 'a flood, as unstoppable as a force of nature, and with ramifications that would become truly unpalatable for the Gunners faithful'. Lipton has also claimed that Chelsea will turn Arsenal into what they've turned West Ham into – nothing but a feeder club whose next big star from their famed academy is shipped off to Chelsea after a few years. Lipton has even gone as far as to claim that Arsène Wenger will soon be leaving our beloved club – just because our board are tight with the purse strings (I wonder why, Lipton), that Wenger will just up and leave.
This may seem as though it is an attack on Martin Lipton and only Martin Lipton. Well, it isn't. I, personally, am just sick of this continually happening by the press. One sniff of a negative piece about Arsenal is immediately lambasted across the various papers as though the world is about to collapse in on around N5 and Highbury is going to be sucked into some sort of parallel vortex into the next dimension.
Unsure of what I mean?
JENS LEHMANN: Borussia Munchengladbach/Stuttgart - The Calamity keeper could go anyway as both German clubs want him.
SOL CAMPBELL: Inter Milan - He insists he will be playing in Italy in five years' time. Could Cole's departure bring that plan forward?
PATRICK VIEIRA: Real Madrid - All of the top clubs remain an admirer of the powerhouse skipper. And he knows it.
THIERRY HENRY: AC Milan - Unlikely to follow Cole to Chelsea or subject himself to Spain's race problem with Real.
ROBERT PIRES: Real Madrid - Wenger stole him from under the noses of Real six years ago. Could the Spaniards have the last laugh?
JOSÉ REYES: Barcelona - Battling homesickness and a loss of form anyway. A return to Barcelona might just be the answer.
FREDDIE LJUNGBERG: Juventus - Contract talks have already begun in an attempt to keep him out of the Italian club's clutches.
If that isn't the biggest load of hyperbole then I'd like to see it. That is not only over the top but it is simply taking the piss. Yes, Ashley Cole could leave this summer and I, for one, would not at all be surprised if he did indeed leave us for the most despicable club in football (yeah, even the doping at Juventus wasn't as bad as Chelsea and their tainted money). It will be his choice and if earning more money at Chelsea is more important to him than the club he's grown up with then that's his choice.
But the thing is, Ashley leaving would not trigger a mass exodus like Martin Lipton and the Mirror would so dearly love to see. They would absolutely 'luv it' if Ashley left Arsenal for their new bumchums to butter up to. Arsenal in a negative light has to be their number one selling topic, after all.
With all due respect to Ashley Cole – and I do love him as a player, he's one of my favourite Arsenal players out of the lot – he doesn't have the status of Patrick Vieira or Thierry Henry, and especially Arsène Wenger himself. Yes, Ashley's supposedly imminent exit wouldn't exactly go down well the dressing room but if Vieira had left for Spain I fear the departure of Henry would have happened a lot quicker than that of Ashley Cole's.
Which leads me to believe that everything Lipton has written in this article is a load of made up crap like ninety nine percent of their articles are. Why? It's simple. Arsenal aren't exactly in contractual negotiations with Freddie as far as I'm aware, Ljungberg still has another two years to run on his current deal, and Freddie has voiced nothing but his desire to stay at Arsenal. Sure, this isn't exactly conclusive proof he would be staying or leaving (I think we all remember Vieira saying something of similar ilk at the end of last season).
The defining moment that will keep a lot of these players here was Sol Campbell signing a new Arsenal deal. Vieira staying was incredibly important but it's my opinion that Campbell staying at Arsenal was more important – whether everyone realises it or not Sol is our natural leader on the pitch while Patrick maintains his dressing room leadership.
The media's take that Cole leaving would spark a cataclysmic exit is, as I said, going incredibly over the top. As per normal they are being melodramatic beyond belief. They act as if Cole leaving would be the end for Arsenal, that we'd have no hope if a left back left and we'd be swapping Barclaycard for Coca-Cola. Rubbish.
It's been perceived as though Arsenal are the real big loser out of this. How? Even if Ashley did decide to join the dark side, we have a ready made replacement in Gaël Clichy ready to come in. Even if Ashley did decide to let his eyes blink incessantly for the sterling Arsenal would stand to receive a substantial fee.
What these uninformed amateur-esque ****** at the Mirror and the like fail to mention is that Arsenal hold the all important card in all of this: Cole can't talk to them until we agree a fee with Chelsea. David Dein knows how much money Chelsea has and knows what we could get out of this. Marseille knew this and they managed to rob £24m for a lummox like Didier Drogba, because Marseille knew Chelsea would pay anything to get what they wanted, and Marseille in turn exploited that. They made Chelsea pay £24m for a striker no more talented than Milan Baros, and he surely is not worth £24m too, yes?
So how are Arsenal really this damaged? What's stopping us from demanding a fee of £50m for Ashley, as well as the contract of Petr Cech? Nothing. The worst case scenario out of this is that Chelsea and Arsenal agree a fee that's not befitting Ashley's talent. Yes, we could lose Ashley, but if we made £50m plus Cech off of this sale, we could buy that top class centre back needed to partner Sol Campbell, and we already have Gaël Clichy ready to come in to replace Ashley.
Or, nothing happens. Arsenal could dawdle on the fee for as long as they wanted to. David Dein could continually reject the fees offered from Chelsea until it borders onto insanity:
Peter Kenyon: "Chelsea offers £25million for Ashley Cole."
David Dein: "Sorry, we want more."
Peter Kenyon: "Chelsea offers £30million for Ashley Cole."
David Dein: "Sorry, we want more."
Peter Kenyon: "Chelsea offers £40million for Ashley Cole."
David Dein: "Sorry, we want Petr Cech as well as your money."
Peter Kenyon: "We have no further offers. I will be back in a few months to illegally approach more of your players and get away with it because the FA are incompetent and spineless."
What I'm trying to say is simple: it is not as bad as Martin Lipton is trying to claim. Reyes may leave, but that has nothing to do with Ashley Cole's supposed imminent departure. If Sol is playing in Italy in five years time then good for him, he'll be 36 then and most likely past it – he's good, but he isn't Maldini.
If Freddie Ljungberg decides to leave for Juventus then we can quite easily buy Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City. AC Milan would have to pay an astronomical fee for Thierry Henry to be prized away from Arsenal (think triple what Chelsea might have to pay for Cole). If Martin Lipton thinks Real Madrid would get the last laugh by buying Píres now then he's definitely taken some drugs – we all know Píres' best years are behind him, and we all damn well know who saw Píres' best years; that certainly is not Real Madrid.
Arsenal could buy an entire new squad from the money they would receive from Cole, Ljungberg, Henry, Reyes and all of these supposed departures that are on the cards. Arsène Wenger could quite comfortably buy Cristian Chivu or Ledley King, Shaun-Wright Phillips, Fernando Torres and a host of others in one swoop if he had to. Maybe even Adriano.
So, basically, don't believe this rubbish being printed by Martin Lipton and his equally moronic colleagues who would just love for this all to happen. But I digress that they're in for disappointment, because there is no possible way Arsène Wenger and David Dein would allow this volume of players to exit Highbury in a short period of time. Hopefully, when it's September 2005 and we're playing in our redcurrant kits, Ashley Cole, José Antonio Reyes, Patrick Vieira and whoever are among them, otherwise I will certainly look like quite a plum.
PS – Peter Kenyon embodies everything that is wrong with football and the sooner he's banned from any involvement in football the better.
