Barring something very surprising it looks as if the great Patrick Vieira will be returning to England, accepting the luxuriant Eastlands grass as a new pasture. Who can blame him? If I was an overrated footballer (as opposed to cruelly underrated, which is the truth) with my best days behind me (this is perhaps true) I would head to Manchester City quicker than Andepaymor?’s mother can say sorry. Unlimited cash, low expectations, a new manager – what’s not to like? A team in which well-known violently misogynist moron Craig Bellamy is regarded as wizened elder is one harboring low expectations.
I suspect along with other Gooners, I have mixed feelings about Paddy’s return. Unlike Bergkamp or Pires, I don’t look back on his departure with unbridled affection - his prolonged courtship with Madrid rankles slightly. And ‘Vieira, wohohhoo, Vieira, wohohoo’ won’t have the same ring to it if he’s wearing light blue alongside Andepaymor?, Bellamy, Tevez and the whole sorry panoply of City’s overpaid, granite-idle strike force.
It’s also unclear whether he’ll be able to do a job. He was effective in Serie A, but the games in the main less intense, and he’s never hit his Invincibles-leading peaks. Having said that, with the current state of our midfield I’d welcome him back with a friendly, exposed bosum were he offered. At least for a few weeks.
But while I know that Arsene was reported to have been toying with resigning him at the start of the season, I find it hard to imagine it ever having come to fruition. As Thomas Wolfe said – you can’t go home again. There’s a reference you won’t get on Le Grove. It’s good to be back.
So mixed feelings, all in all. What do you lot think?
In other news the expected weather did materialise, and the club wisely decided to pospone the match. As I suggested below, the was a strong risk of the Bolton fans suddenly feeling at home, running amok; reducing house prices, stealing electronic equipment and brawling with one another in the road. It would have been horrible to see. There is now also a likelihood that we’ll get to play them with the ACN crew back, and possibly Cesc. Satisfactory all round – if matches must be postponed, you want them postponed when our best players are out anyway.
Nice Thursdays?
Tags: Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, emancity? andepaymor?, manchester city, patrick vieira
January 7th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
I also don’t quite love Paddy as perhaps I should.
As I previously mentioned on here, I didn’t really watch any football (apart from the FA Cup finals in 01 and 02) between 98 and 2003 and so I probably missed his best years.
When he first joined the Arse, my brother would call him Daddy Long Legs, which suited him I think.
I have to say though, I’m not remotely bothered where he chooses to ply his trade. There is still talent there, but I can’t see him thriving in the Premier League anymore.
Towards the end of the Juve game in 2006 he was shot; absolutely nowhere to be seen. I thought it quite embarrassing for him, truth be told.
January 7th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Quote As Thomas Wolfe said – you can’t go home again. There’s a reference you won’t get on Le Grove
Along with the rest of your appalling grammar and English. If it’s not your first language then fair enough but don’t start trying to be what you are not
I am certainly not trying to defend Le Grove
As for content – it’s worse than the writing
January 7th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
As James McKean said, that Juve game was where we saw the beginning of the end. Everybody looks back on the moment he was tackled by Pires of all people before Cesc went on to score as the turning point from our past to our future. Paddy would not get close to our team now (when all fit) with Cesc, Rambo, Song, Denilson, Nasri, Rosicky and Diaby all fighting for places, and he won’t improve City a hell of a lot either. He’s not nearly the player he was for us so he might as well stroll around earning £150,000 a week at city. In 20 years time I’ll just remember the unstoppable legend that led us through an unbeaten season, not the man who’s going to jog around Eastlands for 6 months.
January 7th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
One of the wonderful things about newsnow these days is you can block rubbish sites like this so you only have to waste your time once.
January 7th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Exactly ralph. Blocked!
January 7th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Great to have you back guys!
Go read a grammar blog Nonny.
x
January 7th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Wow… some very unsatisfied customers today. I can’t exactly see why, the content is both relevant and reasonable, in my humble opinion. As for Nonny Mouse’s comment, I think we need to relax. This is an Arsenal blog, we’re not studying Ovid.
And Le Grove is written by and for the Arsenal supporters that make the rest of us look bad. And yes, I just started not one, but two sentences with ‘and’. And I’d do it again.
January 7th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
You said:
A team in which well-known violently misogynist moron Craig Bellamy is regarded as wizened elder is WON where expectations are low.
It should at least be…
A team in which well-known violently misogynist moron Craig Bellamy is regarded as wizened elder is ONE where expectations are low.
Proof read in the future. Other than that I have mixed feelings on him returning too…we need a midfielder but although I think he’s past it I am concerned about if he’ll do the job against us in April when we play Shitty.
January 8th, 2010 at 1:34 am
Golly gosh, so much rage. Clearly Gooners have become angrier over the past few months.
I apologise, ‘edits needed lad’, for the disastrous one/won error. Appalling. It has been fixed.
Nice to hear from the rest of you non-angry people. Ought we be reading any other blogs for inspiration do you think?
January 8th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Le Grove?
January 8th, 2010 at 11:14 am
@James McKean
Harhar.
January 8th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
well, i’ve always been a bit of an Untold Arsenal fan, but the smugness and arrogance levels had been rapidly rising in that blog until i thought it would get renamed “ATWOOD’S ARSENAL” or “UNTOLD TONY”.
Recently however, this smugness appears to have rescinded to a palatable level. Which is a relief because it is, in the vast majority, a well reasoned and well-researched blog with a good sense of humor.
I don’t think you should be looking to anyone for inspiration though lads, you seem more neutral than most in the AKBs vs Doom and Gloomers war. You also give my ribs a prime old tickle here and there.
Just don’t fuck off again for months!!
January 8th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Nonny Mouse is spot on. What makes the achievement of this site so remarkable is that English is actually Grabber’s 7th language, behind Inuit (his mother-tongue), Swahili, Igbo, Chinyanja, Manchurian and Persian. What a man.
Personally, I bloody love PV4 and would have liked to see him back at Arsenal, if only to add a bit of gravitas to the dressing room. He always did seem good at being very serious. Perhaps Eboue vetoed the signing on those grounds. We’ll never know.
Not really worried about him playing for City, they’ve already got Ireland, de Jong, Barry and Kompany, so it’s hardly much of a strengthener in my opinion. Weird that they also wanted Veron (didn’t I post something about him way back last season as a potential midfield stopgap for us?) I was mocked, obviously, but he’s hit top form since then. I’ll probably be mocked again. Ah, well.
January 8th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Ooh, without meaning to sound (too) sycophantic, has everyone listened to today’s Arsecast? The interview with Arshavin and Talkshite Radio are pure pod gold.
January 10th, 2010 at 11:44 am
And just as I thought it couldn’t get better, a delightful jibe at “Le Grove”. Good stuff, Grabbers, keep it up. Rather pants result yesterday, mind.