Arsenal’s Century Club – Thierry Henry
Thierry appeared in 377 games over a 13 year period and scored 226 goals.
Thierry was born and raised in Les Ulis suburb of Paris which, despite sometimes being seen as a tough neighbourhood, provided good football facilities. As a seven-year-old, he showed great potential, and was recruited by the local club CO Les Ulis. He joined US Palaiseau in 1989, but after a year his father fell out with the club, so Henry moved to ES Viry-Châtillon and played there for two years.
In 1990, Monaco sent scout Arnold Catalano to watch Thierry, when he was just 13 years old, he scored all six goals in a 6–0 win. Catalano asked him to join Monaco without even having a trial first, later he joined Arsène Wenger’s Monaco as a youth player. Subsequently, he signed professional forms and made his professional debut in August 1994. Although Wenger suspected that Thierry should be deployed as a striker, he put him on the left wing because he believed that his pace, natural ball control and skill would be more effective against full-backs than centre-backs.
He was named the French Young Footballer of the Year in 1996, and in the 1996–97 season when Monaco won the Ligue 1 title. By his third season, he had received his first cap for the national team, and was part of the winning team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He continued to impress during his tenure with Monaco, and in his five seasons he scored 20 league goals in 105 appearances.
Thierry left Monaco in January 1999 and moved to Italian Serie A club Juventus for £10.5 million. He played on the wing, but found it difficult playing in an unfamiliar position against the Serie A defensive discipline, and scored just three goals in 16 appearances. Unsettled in Italy, he transferred from Juventus in August 1999 to Arsenal for an estimated fee of £11 million, reuniting with his former manager Arsène Wenger. It was at Arsenal that he made his name as a world-class footballer. Brought in as a replacement for fellow French forward Nicolas Anelka, Thierry was immediately moulded into a striker by Wenger, a move that would pay rich dividends in years to come. However, doubts were raised about his ability to adapt to the quick and physical English game when he failed to score in his first eight games.
After several difficult months in England he conceded that he had to “be re-taught everything about the art of striking”. These doubts were dispelled when he ended his first season at Arsenal with an impressive goal tally of 26. Arsenal finished second in the league behind Manchester United, and lost in the UEFA Cup Final against Turkish side Galatasaray. Despite recording fewer goals and assists than his first season, his second season with Arsenal proved to be a breakthrough, as he became the club’s top goal scorer. Armed with one of the league’s best attacks, Arsenal closed in quickly on perennial rivals Manchester United for the league title.
Success finally arrived during the 2001–02 season. Arsenal finished seven points above Liverpool to win the league title, and defeated Chelsea 2–0 in the FA Cup Final. Thierry became the league’s top goal-scorer and netted 32 goals in all competitions as he led Arsenal to a double and his first silverware with the club. 2002–03 proved to be another productive season for him, as he scored 32 goals in all competitions while contributing 23 assists, remarkable returns for a striker. In doing so, he led Arsenal to another FA Cup triumph, where he was man-of-the-match in the Final. Even though Arsenal failed to retain their Premier League crown, he was named both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year. His rising status as one of the world’s best footballers was affirmed when he emerged runner-up for the 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year award.
In the 2003–04 season Thierry was again instrumental in Arsenal’s exceptionally successful campaign; together with team mates the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pirès, he ensured that the Gunners became the first team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten, claiming the league title in the process. He was named as the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year, for the second year running. With 39 goals scored in all competitions, he led the league in goals scored and won the European Golden Boot.
In the 2004–05 season he maintained his reputation as one of Europe’s most feared strikers as he led the league in scoring, and with 31 goals in all competitions, he was the co-recipient (with Diego Forlán) of the European Golden Boot. In mid-2005 Thierry became the Arsenal Captain.
The 2005–06 season proved to be one of remarkable personal achievements for Thierry on 17 October 2005, he became the club’s top goal-scorer of all time; two goals against Sparta Prague in the Champions League meant he broke Ian Wright’s record of 185 goals. On 1 February 2006, he scored a goal against West Ham United, bringing his league goal tally up to 151, breaking Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin’s league goals record. He completed the season as the league’s top goal-scorer, and for the third time in his career, he was voted the FWA Footballer of the Year.
In a surprise move Arsenal sold Thierry to Barcelona on 25 June 2007, for €24 million.
Henry left Arsenal as the club’s leading all-time league goal-scorer with 174 goals and leading all-time goal-scorer in Europe with 42 goals; in July 2008, Arsenal fans voted him as Arsenal’s greatest player ever in Arsenal.com’s Gunners’ Greatest 50 Players poll. Following his time with Barcelona, he signed a four-year deal for a reported €6.8 (£4.6) million per season, with the Red Bulls of the MLS.
After training with Arsenal during the MLS off-season, Thierry re-signed for the club on a two-month loan deal on 6 January 2012. This was to provide cover for players participating in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his second Arsenal debut as a substitute against Leeds United in the FA Cup third round and scored the only goal. In his last league game on loan, he scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a 2–1 win against Sunderland.
Awards and honours:
Monaco:
Ligue 1 (1): 1996–97
Trophée des champions (1): 1997
Arsenal:
Premier League titles: 2001–02, 2003–04
FA Cup: 2002, 2003, 2005
FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004
Barcelona:
La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10
Copa del Rey: 2008–09
Supercopa de España: 2009
UEFA Champions League: 2008–09
UEFA Super Cup: 2009
FIFA Club World Cup: 2009
New York Red Bulls:
MLS Eastern Conference: 2010
National:
1998 FIFA World Cup
UEFA Euro 2000
FIFA Confederations Cup2003
Individual:
UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year (1): 1996–97
PFA Players’ Player of the Year (2): 2002–03, 2003–04
PFA Team of the Year (6): 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
FWA Footballer of the Year (3): 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06
Premier League Golden Boot (4): 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06.
Golden Boot Landmark Award 10 (1): 2004–05
Golden Boot Landmark Award 20 (1): 2004–05
Premier League Player of the Month (4): April 2000, September 2002, January 2004, April 2004
Goal of the Season (1): 2002–03
UEFA Team of the Year (5): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
MLS Best XI (2): 2011, 2012
MLS Player of the Month (1): March 2012
Onze d’Or (2): 2003, 2006
European Golden Boot (2): 2003–04, 2004–05
French Player of the Year (5): 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
IFFHS World’s Top Goal Scorer of the Year (1): 2003
FIFA FIF Pro World XI (1): 2006
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1): Germany 2006
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball (1): France 2003
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe (1): France 2003
UEFA European Football Championship Team of the Tournament (1): 2000
FIFA 100: 2004
English Football Hall of Fame: 2008
A statue of Thierry stands outside the Emirates Stadium as a tribute to one of Arsenal’s greatest players
Arsenal’s Century Club | ||||||
# | Player | Years | Games | ** | Goals | GPG |
11 | Thierry Henry | 1999-07 | 377 | 181 | 226 | 0.60 |
12 | Olivier Giroud | 2012-18 | 253 | 237 | 105 | 0.42 |
13 | RVP | 2004-12 | 278 | 238 | 132 | 0.47 |
14 | Alan Smith | 1987-95 | 347 | 251 | 115 | 0.33 |
15 | Frank Stapleton | 1972-81 | 300 | 276 | 108 | 0.36 |
16 | Denis Bergkamp | 1995-06 | 423 | 296 | 120 | 0.28 |
17 | John Radford | 1962-76 | 481 | 306 | 149 | 0.31 |
18 | Joe Hulme | 1926-38 | 374 | 307 | 125 | 0.33 |
19 | Theo Walcott | 2005-18 | 397 | 370 | 108 | 0.27 |
** Games played to reach 100 goals. |
Thierry scored his 100th goal for Arsenal against West Ham at Highbury on January 19th, 2003.
GunnerN5
A paean to one of the very best players ever to have played at the home of football. Superb stuff, GN5. It comes as a surprise that TH14 is only 11th in this competition…. but boy did he make up for it once he rally got going. Simply beyond Superb.
Yes GunnerN5, I really don’t see the point of neutral stadiums either, whether it’s a neutral stadium or your own stadium the risks are the same.
Thank you for all the fine work that you’ve put into this series of posts.
Thanks GN5. The teamwork here is so much better than other sites.
Apparently the whole team works together, fights battles together and trash it out together, sometimes trashing it out at each other.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11544184/arsenal-news-invincibles-fighting-lauren-henry-wenger/
In the Arsenal’s official site there is a latest podcast on that too:
https://www.arsenal.com/news/lauren-fights-training-giggs-and-more
I love how the team then had almost the whole team of leaders, and now there are much lesser leaders. We need not have a team of galacticos, but a team that fights together wins things together. All for the shirt.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/05/player-wages-and-contracts-will-bankrupt-efl-clubs-its-time-for-the-pfa-to-act
A sharp summary of the predicament the clubs are in. Players salaries are likely to floor a lot of clubs in the next 12 months if nothing is done about them.
Um guys, somehow Henry had not been generating much comments. Everyone fine?
King Henry showed everyone that staying humble made you better. And humility gave him so much awards on a personal and International level, which fits someone of his stature. Stay humble and we can get out of this predicament soon and although we will not get back to life as it was, there is a chance that we will get back most of the things we can do.
Stay safe. Stay at Home.
Wise words, 84. Both TH and OG have generated just a few comments and it may be a sign that things are now really slowing donw. This is of course not due to GN5’s exquisite posts but to do with the lack of real football and the ongoing horrors of Covid-19. Still, we need to stick together and talk about our feelings and experiences, as it will do us good!
Well it’s a beautiful day out here in Essex, sunny and warm.
I’ve just been doing some work out in the garden, working up a sweat.
But yeah, Total/84, talking about the minutiae of football seems trivial when the world is in turmoil.
But we’ve gotta keep things ticking over, stiff upper lip and all…
I think when it comes to our more recent strikers, it’s all been said before, what can we add? Also GunnerN5’s posts are so concise that they kind of stand alone, but my favourite Thierry Henry goal is his first, at Southampton, I was at the Dell with my youngest son that day and that’s where the Thierry Henry song was born, it was a magical moment…
Morning Guy’s (7:30am) here in London Ontario.
It is strange as Ollie and TH14 were two of our most popular players and all of our bloggers know them. if these two players only get a handful of comments what might it look like once players from the 30’s and 40’s are highlighted.
I hope the missing bloggers are all safe and that they will take the tine to write a few words.
It’s a fine sunny day here but only 3c right now – rising to 12c in mid afternoon.
This, of all the wonderful goals he scored, is my favourite – I was in the clock end.
https://www.premierleague.com/video/single/518056
It is superb goal, GN5. The first touch and then bang – what a volley over the great Dane!
Kev, good to hear you have been busy in the garden. No doubt you have your own teaplants! 😀
I read yesterday that more than any other clubs Arsenal are dependent on gate-receipts for their paying their players. 40% of salaries is financed through ticket sales, whereas many clubs only finance around 10-20% of players wages through ticket sales. So playing without spectators will hurt us even more than other clubs. Offloading the expensive players will be extra hard as most clubs will have to watch their finances carefully with financial fair play and general financial challenges to take into account. It will be a tough, tough time ahead for most PL clubs, and I am starting to realise that Arsenal may not be in as good a position as I thought we would be…
Total, if I could grow tea I most certainly would, but if I did no doubt 17tino would come around to my place and tip it into the Chesapeake Bay… 😉
You know what Total every team is going to be in financial trouble after all this but there are certain sections of the media who seem to want to suggest that Arsenal are the only club in crisis but everybody else is ok. I’ve not read anything about Tottenham being in the mire or Liverpool or Everton or West Ham or Man Utd, but it beggars belief that Arsenal are on the skids but everyone else isn’t. 🙂
Hi guys…Sorry, but I guess I must count myself as one of those who just can’t seem to focus on the fine series put together by Mr. N5. And, I rather agree (with AKev above) about not feeling the need to rehash opinions on the more recent strikers. Henry’s “humility” 😮 (as JK puts forth, also above…) is something I might argue against, if I were in a mood for a debate, but, I’m just not there…at the moment… 😉
Instead, like the taxi driver, I’m trying to get out (in the sunshine) and work on house and garden projects, while taking a bit of care of my (aging) body. Sometimes, however, I lack decisiveness, and, without a plan, it’s hard to make (what feels like) good progress…and then I’m back on the sofa (the worst thing for the body, I’m starting to realize) trying to sift through all the news and opinion on this whole virus business. And, over here at least, it’s the business which matters most… 😦
(It appears we’ve flattened the curve sufficiently–or ramped up production of necessary items, like refrigeration of dead bodies, for example–a branch of the meat-packing industry that the Donald is so keen to keep up and running?–so that the health or human issues can be dealt with by the individuals affected… Everybody else is needed back at work–or on the other side of the table doing what we do best: spending money…)
Please pardon this ^^^ little rant…at least I used parentheses, right?… 😀
Maybe it’s that I’m also preoccupied with trying to imagine the future, both short and longer term, generally and as I (and my family) might navigate it. Lately I’m finding this particularly difficult (which is maybe why it’s hard to come up with “plans”)… I definitely get the feeling that–if we ever get to the other side of this thing–I’ll be saying, “Well, before the C-virus, I used to…but now I…” In other words, excruciatingly slow as it feels, I think we’re in for some significant and lasting changes. It (often–to me) feels like NOTHING is happening, when it might be nearer to the truth that our foundations are shifting in rather monumental ways which we can’t really see from our current prospective. Or something…
As such, I probably am more likely to click on the links about the future of football (and specifics about Arsenal–as opposed to say, video clips of former stars), but even that sort of stuff feels very distant and my focus isn’t where it ought to be…
Which is all a long-winded way of saying that y’all should keep it coming (GN5’s excellent series of profiles…and any other posts)…even if I’ve got nothing to say about them… They ARE appreciated…and keeping the blog up and running is also (much) appreciated…even if my head is elsewhere most of the time…
You talkin’ to me?… (Sorry, we’re watching a lot of older movies, esp., ones set in NY–as my boy hopes to attend university there in the autumn…and Taxi Driver was one of them…and maybe the best…see this list: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/best-new-york-movies)
I like tea myself (in the afternoons, when an espresso just wouldn’t be the thing) so no protests here… 🙂
I agree about the money thing…except that the Kroenke ownership has shown a relentless drive (with notable exceptions, like splashing the big millions on the exceptionally disappointing Nick Pepe guy) to suggest that Arsenal NEEDS that big stadium full of ticket buyers. The idea that Stan would take a haircut (due to the virus) seems unlikely…which irks a section of the fan-base (including me) quite profoundly…which may lead to more clicks on the articles…and the fraction of pennies that earns for the, er, media outlets (and I use the term loosely)… Arsenal’s position-relative to all those other (mid-table) teams–is strong enough, I would think…
Well 17tino, I’m glad that you do partake of the occasional cup of ‘Rosie Lee’ mio amigo as the thought of your dressing up as an Indian was troubling me… 😉
Taxi Driver is one of my favourite films, even if I’ve never been seen driving around London with a similar hairstyle. I’ve also been watching a lot of films myself recently as much as anything to escape the present scenario we’re living through. Watching the news is just too depressing…
GunnerN5 I was on the Clock End that day, an amazing piece of skill, how I miss the old stadium.
allezkev, I also miss the stadium, and the whole Highbury area, perhaps more than most people. I was born on Avenell Road and spent the first 10 years of my life there when my family moved to N7.
We were a poor family so I had to find “innovative” ways of getting inside the ground, If I failed to get in before the game started, which was rare, I would wait until they opened the main gates at half time and I would then make a dash inside – the stewards (who knew us local kids) would make a half – hearted attempt to stop me. I always went to the clock end where my extended family would be congregated.
Being small I would sometimes pretend to faint and would be passed down to the sideline line over the top of the crowd and after being checked I would be given a drink and be told to sit by the corner flag – many of the players would pat me on the head when they were taking corners.
That’s a lovely story GunnerN5, I come from between Newington Green and Dalston, all my family were from Hoxton/Shoreditch/Dalston area, my Mums family were all Tottenham fans but after she met my Dad and he took her to Highbury she developed a crush on Archie Mcacauley and that was that.
My Dad, his two brothers and their brother in law would all cycle from Dalston to Highbury, they parked their bikes in the back yard of a house in Conewood Road, the family who lived there were all Spurs fans funnily enough, and then they’d walk to the Clock End where they would stand just to the right of the Clock and halfway down the terrace.
The Clock End, watching the Stiffs is where I first saw my initial Arsenal games in the Comb’…
hahaha Kev, 17HT would indeed have no hesitation to come and visit you in his beloved London. Hide those leaves before he throws them in London’s finest river!
Good to hear from Seventeenooh though. Yes tough times and who knows what the future will bring. Here in bonnie Scotland we are so lucky to have Super Nicola looking after us, so I am not too worried it will come good here. But England and the US of A….? Dark times ahead I am sad to say.
Love that story GN5! 😀
Cheers, TA… And, that is an incredible story from Mr. N5…which I’m planning to share with the family…if I can get them off their screens at some point this evening…
If we’re free to speak about political leaders… 😉 … In one of these recent comment threads, AKev asked about Governor Andrew Cuomo (of New York, who is NOT the mayor of NYC, that being Bill De Blasio, who had an early “go on about your lives” sort of leadership stance. De Blasio was also one of the more “progressive” democratic presidential candidates… Which maybe goes to show, far left, far right–most people like to hear optimism/good news from their leaders…) Anyhow, Cuomo, I think, has done good work with his daily briefings–esp. when compared to the commander-in-bleach, who was cautioned by his friend–and everybody’s favorite Gooner, Piers Morgan–that he was doing himself more harm than good with his Pande(moany at the) mic Task Force and his “thinking out loud” (and with zero empathy for anybody but himself) approach…which he wanted to abandon (pesky science, and all that)… The big news today is that he’s gonna stick with it–but the media better be nice…or toys WILL be thrown out of the sand box…
On the advice of several people I’ve finally started listening to California Governor Gavin Newsom (who surely will try his hair hat as a Prez candidate before too long–and whom JW thought might be a good vice-presidential partner for Sleepy Joe)…and it was good listening (and kept me at my garden work a bit longer)…so, a better day for me…and maybe soon enough I can get back to burning questions about both future AND past Arsenal stuff…
In the meantime, I fear both coffee and tea have had their moments today, so…time to savor some of Scotland’s finest…
How I wish I was born in England, Kev. I can only watch the games (started about 20 years ago) on the telly. I love the weather on England, just nice and all, and to watch games in the stadium regularly is a dream for me.
Commander in bleach hahaha 🙂 It is absolutely amazing that a nation allows somebody like that to go on. I think I will drown myself in a whiskey river too tonight, 17HT 😉
Talking about drowning. Let’s appreciate the love we (have) receive(d):
Some more wisdom by Du Fu, the wise and well-travelled Chinese poet of the 7th century:
Each piece of flying blossom leaves spring the less,
I grieve as myriad points float in the wind.
I watch the last ones move before my eyes,
And cannot have enough wine pass my lips.
Kingfishers nest by the little hall on the river,
Unicorns lie at the high tomb’s enclosure.
Having studied the world, one must seek joy,
For what use is the trap of passing honour?
Hey 84, how are you getting on working from home? And how is your mum doing? I guess you are not able to see her right now or do you live in the same house/flat? And how do you ‘seek joy’ in these times?
Been good, sleeping later and waking up later helps, and me and my mum live together so I get to see how she had been doing.
For me, seeking joy is looking at videos on Youtube. Arsenal videos, cars videos, Basically they are both my likes. As I am still able to run outside I will run outside once per week. If not most of the days I will do some push ups to get my body shaped up.
Good to hear you are able to look after your mum, 84. What sort of car videos do you watch: sport or road cars? I should do more push ups and stuff like that! Fortunately, we are allowed a walk a day here so I make the most of that. 🙂
Glad to hear that you’re in good health 84, do you drive, what kind of car have you got and what’s it like driving in your neck of the woods?
During normal times the most common comment I get from passengers whilst driving in London is ‘I couldn’t do your job’ which usual follows me being cut up by some idiotic road craft from a cyclist or a pedestrian walking into the road whilst their eyes are solidly fixed on their mobile phone – or cellphone as it’s called in the Colonies.
Morning all, currently 1c and sunny, going up to a balmy 11c thus afternoon.
I’m happy my little story was liked – I have many more.
Like a group of us street urchins would use the main gates of the stadium on Avennel Road as a goal and we would play five aside using a rag football (sewn together by mum, we couldn’t afford a leather ball). We would all decide which player we would be, I was always Jimmy Logie, a great Scottish inside forward who was born in Edinburgh. We were all from families that had been savaged by WW11 but we knew how to make the best of what little we had.
Talking about WW11 – my mother lost a brother and sister and my father lost his father, youngest brother and eldest sister – all within two weeks, leaving my grandmother to raise her remaining nine children on her own. They were very tough times and we learned very early on that nothing ever went to waste, food was rationed, with very little fresh food available, we grew up on powered milk.
I still have a piece of the blue velvet curtains we drew together every night to keep the gas light from showing out through the windows (it would light up the skies and give the German bombers a target). A member of the Civil Defense would walk around all of the streets looking for chinks of light, and if he saw any he would inform the residents.
I could write a book.
Kev, here is a belated comment on your post from a few days ago (by a blogger named STEVE):
Things Arsenal Need To Do During the Transfer Window.
Players To Sign.
•Thomas Party – £47m.
•Axel Disasi – £13m.
•Santi Carzola – Free.
•Sign Ceballos on a Permanent Deal – £44m.
•Sign Pablo Mari on a Permanent Deal – £10m
•Keep Aubameyang at all cost.
•Keep Lacazette at all cost.
Assuming all these are achieved, then let’s talk:
Players To Sell.
•Mustafi – £15m.
•Sokratis – Free.
•Luiz – £8m.
•Toreira – £30m.
•Elneny – £10m.
•Mkhitaryan – £10m.
•Mesut Özil – £20m. Approx.
NOTE.
Arsenal should extend the contract of Konstantinos Mavropanos and loan him out to a top league like the Bundesliga, Premier League or French league. Mavropanos has what it takes to be a top defender and he has impressed since he came to Arsenal with the little opportunities given to him. I still do not understand why he was not given lots more opportunities at arsenal. He is clearly better than Mustafi and Luiz, but these players got a lot more opportunities.
Arsenal should keep Emile Smith Rowe in the first team, to understudy and compete with Santi Carzola in the No.10 role.
When you calculate players signed and players sold, you will see that our Net spend will be approximately £21m, which the club will be happy with.
One of the biggest problems in Arsenal, is that the people running the club are not proactive and lack a clear strategy.
I expect that a club that doesn’t like to spend big, should be very proactive, especially with transfers and contract extensions. During the season, identify the weak positions in the squad, identify your transfer targets to solve those weak positions, start negotiations, so by the time the season ends and the transfer window opens, the players are already signing.
TA, I like sport car videos, and how the Youtubers sprice up their cars.. I don’t like Hoonigans though.. they are too flashy.. Devin Niemela is quite good, not too flashy, just loving the engineering side of the cars. I watch formula 1 videos too. And of course I am a fan of Grand Tour and the Clarkson era Top Gear.
Kev, I drive an old 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer GLX, family car, and we do not have woods here so city driving is pretty boring. Pretty much point A to B (driving from one end of Singapore to the other end is like 2 hours one way, so not much of a road trip here in Singapore), so I watch the videos to see how people in other countries drive and I should say country roads are pretty straight for long distances.
Kev, here in Singapore we also have to drive with both eyes peeled on the road. And also maintaining a safe distance. Previously when we were in London, we drove on the weekends on the City Centre, so it is still ok. I know that during peak hours the traffic is very bad, but it is also the same here in Singapore.
TA, (apparently it’s Steve), I do not agree with what Steve had said. You have to look at what players we have in each position and then decide to add or subtract. We need ample cover (4 centre backs are not enough. We need at least 6.) for all positions. 3 for each position, namely, GK, RB, LB, CB, DM, AM, RM, LM, CF. Each needs to have 3 players in each position, then we are safe.
Just re read the post and it notable that Thierry scored another goal for us when he was on his loan from the MLS, it took a deflection the sort that Frank Lampard made a career out of but those mean spirited a-holes at the dubious goals thingy, took it away from him…
Somehow I doubt that they would have done the same to Alan Shearer, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney or Stevie G…
It was also a bit of a curiosity why Thierry failed to score a goal in any of his many cup finals, this came home to roost in Paris in 2006 when he failed to convert a hat trick of the kind of acceptable opportunities that you would expect him to take with his eyes closed normally…
Thanks Total for forwarding Steve’s post, no mention of Soares though?
I’m not sure that I’d spend £44m on Cabellos and I’m pretty sure that Arsenal won’t do it either.
There certainly is a lot of excitement surrounding Thomas Partey and I hope if we do get him that he lives up to all the hype as a £40m plus fee would be a substantial outlay at this particular time.
I’m not sure that I’d keep Lacazette and Aubameyang at all costs as we’ve gone done that road before with very mixed results. Of course you want to keep your best players but sometimes you just have to let them leave with the trick being picking the optimal time to maximise the rewards.
I only ever had one Japanese car 84 a Mitsubishi, it was quite old but I loved it as it had all the mod cons, air con when that was a luxury and cruise control which I loved. Unfortunately time caught up with it and I had to trade it in for another not so old banger.
Do you ever take your car to Malaya to give it a go, is that easy to do or problematic?
Kev, I did it once with my family in 2018, and it is very sprightly for a 11 year old car then. Drove for about 1000 miles to and fro and it is very good.
My father brought it for servicing regularly, and it being a manual and with lesser computer stuff it is quite a good car. Singaporeans love their Mitsubishi Lancer, and you will still see quite a number of them on the roads. Very hardy cars.
Hey 84,do you often drive into Malaysia or Thailand or do you have to stay in Singapore/need a visa to go there?
I remembered you like Formula1. I am hoping it will still get started this season!! Last weekend should have been the Zandvoort GP (in the Netherlands). A real shame it could not go ahead!
Kev, I hear you re Thierry and that goal. I was also surprised that both Ian Wright and Alan Shearer had Roy Keane as best PL foreign player ever, with TH as their joined second. Lary Ginneker argued against their choice for Roy Keane but they were not having it. Keane was a very good midfielder (albeit with a nasty rather than a hard side that neither of them spoke about) but surely TH14 electrified the PL for all those years he played in it? Was it jealousy?
Kev, TH14 helped us to get to the final and that goes a long way. It could have been his night indeed, but finals are funny (and mostly) rare occasions for players and it was not to be.
I would also sell one of Auba and Laca (the latter if you asked me) and move Pepe central. We can do without Ceballos imo (and I would, with reference to STEVE’s comment, definitely keep Torreira who is a top player and will only get better).
Ah I just saw that Kev also asked the question about driving into Malaysia (and was already answered by 84)!! Must be drinking the same tea, Kev! :p
Hey fellas…Interesting direction this thread has gone…
I could talk a bit about Japanese cars…I had a 1971 Datsun 510 as a youth…and I STILL have a 1973 Datsun 620 pickup…which I hope to get running well enough for the long (3000km) trip down to Mexico at some point. More recently, I’ve started collecting (well, we have 2 of them currently, but I wouldn’t mind a third one…) Suzuki SX4s…
These cars were discontinued for the US market in 2013, probably because all Japanese parts and assembly were too costly relative to the way most foreign cars are built over here (with parts coming from all over the place). I like them because they can be found with a manual transmission and an all-wheel drive setting which we need for the snowy conditions here in the mountains.
It’s possible that I might try and buy a little Suzuki Ignis to keep down in Mexico. The dollar is VERY strong (relative to the peso) right now and it would be a monumental thing for me to buy a brand new car. The trade off is that these south of the border ‘Zukis are mostly built and assembled with a supply chain that starts in Brazil and works it way north. Obviously, I prefer small vehicles and there are also some very cool little pickups that are made down that way, esp. those Mitsubishi Tritons, so that’s an option too… Still, if I could get myself and my ’73 Datsun (in one piece) down that way, surely, it would be an epic road-trip…
Anyhow, this is all just a dream at the moment… In the meantime, I have to ride with my boy (he’ll be driving) to his “job” (at my wife’s college while she works from home?…) because the motor vehicle office is closed and he can’t take the driving test to get his license… Strange times…
More later…
Total, I am today drinking a cup of chai, it’s very flavoursome… 🙂
Regarding Roy Keane, he was a great player but I am biased – I also think that I am right – but I would take Patrick Vieira in front of Roy Keane 100 times out of 100, all day every day…
Interesting tale about Malaya 84 and also driving a thousand miles, phew, where did you go and what did you see?
I’ve just checked 84, I had a Mitsubishi Galant, it was two tone green, very comfortable, but it just reached a stage where to keep it on the road would have cost me a lot of dough, so it sadly had to go…
I am with you there, Kev. Vieira all day long.
Loving the car talk. I had a Mazda 6 for 5 years or so and always loved driving it. Very smooth and reliable.
New Post New Post 🙂
OK, Nobody wants to talk about (my) Japanese cars…
So, I’ll weigh in on (my) feelings about the last three posts in the “Quickest to 100” series…
Having only fallen into the N5 (at 17HT…) in September of 2006, I only really experienced Thierry Henry as an injured Arsenal player. His reputation was still very intact–despite the questions about the CL final (who WAS he really playing for on that day, what with all the off to Barca talk?…) but I NEVER saw the guy featured in the song (to the tune of Kum-ba-ya… “We’ve got the best player in the world (x3)…Thierry Henry…”) That said, I have seen The Invicibles video (which is actually titled “The Untouchables” due to some sort of copyright issue)…and it really is ALL (or mostly…) Titi… “Unplayable,” I think, is what defenders called him…and, his very presence–in full flight–opened the rest of the pitch for the other runners/passers (Vieira, Bergkamp, Pires, Freddy, Ashley, etc…) to do their thing.
By contrast, RVP and Ollie, were far more mortal…and different ends of the talent spectrum, really. (You can’t teach size, they might say about Giroud, in an effort to be charitable)… RVP leaving (and Giroud arriving) was a REAL low moment in the back half of the Wenger era, no matter how the manager tried to spin it. (“He’s really an old style English CF,” Arsene said, I’m pretty sure, about Ollie). I recall watching him (for the first time) with France at the 2012 Euros…and thinking, “uh oh…”
I think that BOTH guys suffered in trying to fill Henry’s shoes (though at least neither was “born offside” like Adebayor)… Henry’s abilities (and the Arsenal teams he spearheaded) meant that parking the bus was the way to play against our club, by the back half of the aughts… RvP had a clever provider in Cesc (and Nasri, and even Alex Song during that one big 30 goal season), but Giroud’s accomplishments are probably all the more impressive given that he had to share pitch-space with the uber-selfish Alexis Sanchez, who really wouldn’t pass the ball to anybody (without complaining, at least) whose name wasn’t Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla having been shifted to a deeper slot and Running Rambo, with his head looking down at the ball…when he wasn’t injured…
I’m not sure if Giroud was all that much a better person than RvP–his wife might tell you why we had to start Yaya Sanogo in one of those CL debacles vs Bayern–and, if only he could’ve converted that opening day chance little Santi put on a plate for him on–the day they both debuted…well, then perhaps my introduction to Bergkampesque (trying to argue with a guy who posted as “Highbury Harmony” about staying positive about our players)…might not have been as fun…or challenging… Still, the one (Ollie), in the end, seemed a real professional who made the most of his talents, whereas RvP will always seem at least a bit of a wastrel–probably even to ManU fans as he couldn’t help them bridge a way forward when they lost THEIR legendary manager…
Enough said, and still some things to do before the (“work”) week closes…
Happy Friday…
Ah, crap… I got new posted… 😦
Serves me right… 😀