It's all about the Shirt (and the Benjamins)

As an Arsenal fan, a fan of the game and a fan of the game of the game, some of the off-pitch news "reports", if we can call them that; more resemble the ropey story-line from some shitty wrestling tv show. Its not as if the world of football off the pitch is boring and mundane that this crap has to be made up, just that it pretty much opitimises the way the more prolific and more observed aspects of journalism is nowadays. Who's linked with who, who said what to who then denies the media claims then commits long term future to his boyhood club THEN buys out contract under some "Winston Badger clause" and signs for Intergalactico FC for £2bn per week.

This shit really happens. You just can't make it up - and by looking at some of the stuff churned out; they obviously can't. My references are primarily directed to non-internet originated press organisations. But please feel free to apply them to any other medium as you see fit (but not to this one fella !).

Who are we linked with now you ask ?

19yr old Cypriot - Demetris Christofi and also Aaron Spear. Plymouth cheeky chappy young fella-me-lad. I can see where that tenuous link might come from. Arsenal have a player euthanasia policy slightly more lenient than Logans Run and have an aversion for buying big names (strangely, again like the producers of Logans Run. Funny that).

Having previously opened our wallets for Theo and now more recently Rambo from Cardiff; its only natural that we are linked with relatively unknown young kids. And mostly British kids at that too. Did you notice the carefully placed sound-bites seeded into press conferences last season that were aimed at deflecting the mocking talk of our lack of homegrown players ? Again the mainstream media as a whole doesn't pick up on the constant production line of British talent that flows through the ranks at Arsenal and in the Arsenal Academy. It’s a fair point to make that a blisteringly high percentage of that talent moves on elsewhere and is not guaranteed by some divine right, a place in the full squad. This comes down to a number of factors. Technical ability vs mental stability; attitude, physical strength, injury history and team compatibility.

The fact a boy has talent doesn't make him at Arsenal. If the kid can shut up, do as he's told - when he's told to and not think he's better than the collective whole or think that he's bigger than the club. If he can play in a team and make a team play, not look to the team to play to HIS strengths; If he can be patient and retain his self belief and confidence under adversity, then and only just then - He could be an Arsenal man.

I don't buy the popular opinion that there is the youth team, reserves, second string and the first team. My view is simple. If you are good enough to be given an Arsenal shirt, you're good enough to play for Arsenal.

You can see at some clubs (and in some of the kids we have too admittedly), that they get to the "squad" level if you will and ease off a little and tend not to extend their capabilities, understanding and their game… because they've "made it". The gap between other talented kids at their age playing park football and the one's lucky enough to have been selected by a club is markable. Suddenly the flash car, the clothes, the bling, the obligatory "Beckham-esque" tattoos on the inside of the forearms. They're in with the big boys now aren't they… that’s what "they" do isn't it. Despite the fact that off the pitch they act like champions league material but the are playing for Mansfield or Chester or the like. Some kids (and men too) are easily turned by the thousands of pounds they do and could potentially earn. Easy to say I know. Personally I think I'd change dramatically if someone started throwing £10k a week at me for football training 4 times week and sitting on a bench of a Saturday afternoon. I'm pretty sure you would too - despite what you say.

So its refreshing when we hear words of wisdom that far surpass their years from players like Cesc, Theo, Randall and now Rambo. They acknowledge they have a path to progress along. No God-given right to jump the queue. Heads screwed on right.

Older heads could take a leaf out of their books. Realise that when they step out on the pitch, its about being good enough for the shirt. Not, being as good as Bob Bobajob who's on 65 large a week, so that means if I'm as good as him I should be getting that too, if not I'll go elsewhere and get it. Lets leave the career aspect out of this article for a moment - that’s a story for another day. Players who start off only being concerned for themselves are not the kind of characters that make the game more appealing and influence the kids coming through.

Take a look at Anelka and Owen. Anelka was an unbelievable talent. Bought for £750k from PSG I think and after having his head stuffed with his brothers shitty cocks and turned by the promise of thousands of tapas laden virgins feeding him only the best Spanish wine in Madrid - sold for £23.5m where he did sh!t all. A small fish in a big pond. Now he's done something like 7 clubs and accrued transfer fees of about £70m, looking like a shadow of his former self chasing the paychecks. No longer Iconic. I can't see the Chelski store preparing a huge stock of Anelka printed home shirts for the start of the forthcoming campaign. Look at Lill' Micky Owen. Injuries have plagued the fella, but he's almost a dinosaur in terms of his attitude to the game and his loyalty to all of past and current employers. Which one of the two would you want your football mad boy or girl to grow up like ?

You've got to play for the chance to wear the shirt. The Benjamins will come; but they shouldn't come first.

[ 10th June 2008 - more at - www.dubaibury.com ]