There is no question that Arsenal’s fingers have been burnt with players and their contracts in recent years. Thierry Henry signed a new contract and left a year later whilst Cesc, Nasri and Robin van Persie have all trodden different contractual paths to the exit door. It is not a one-way street, Arsenal like all other clubs, break the hearts of young players by releasing them with hopes and aspirations in tatters whilst casting aside this year’s model when the next edition comes along.
Like so many other aspects of the game, football is out of touch with the rest of the real world. Financially and legally, it operates in a bubble, protected from the usual censures and judgements by centuries of protectionism and lobbying. Laws that apply to normal businesses are inexplicably not pointed at the football arena, the European Union agreeing to a laxity in their own rules and strictures to reinforce the notion that professional sport is special. As clubs become more commercially aware, that argument becomes specious and the stench of corruption in the corridors of power fills the air.
Football contracts are not worth the paper they are written on. Managers are sacked on a whim and whilst this is not a cheap option for the owners with pay-offs and golden hellos, anyone expecting longevity through success need only look at the history of the head coaches of clubs who have won the Champions League; few last beyond 2 or 3 seasons. Players are no different.
Historically the power laid with the clubs but that was eroded gradually through the abolition of the maximum wage and the introduction of transfer tribunals two decades later. Bosman blew the doors off and players became king. At the top of the game, that is still the case although FFP regulations on profits seem likely to restore some balance. Those at the top will earn more but the disparity between those few and the rest will most likely grow. Cristiano Ronaldo’s reported demands for £500k each week underline that.
The egalitarian model pursued by Arsenal is a different take on that. The differential at the club between the top and bottom earners is nowhere near as dramatic as those at other big clubs around the globe. That is changing, a point to which Ivan Gazidis admitted earlier this summer; whether that is a realignment of policy or an admission of failure depends on your viewpoint.
With the definite end to each contract, clubs have to manage their renewal. Arsenal have been stung with Cesc and Henry, renewing barely long enough to purchase the airline tickets online. That is a chance that they have to take and in those two cases, the departures were inevitable. Arsenal were the architects of this situation to a large extent. There was a spate of signing players to ‘long-term’ deals following the move to The Emirates, young players were well-paid at the time and tied to contracts that were supposed to ensure that their loyalty to the club was bought – we’re not so far down the medical route to claim prove DNA claims, that is whole different type of doping.
At the time, the club were – and continue to be – criticised for the salaries paid to those players. The problem is that whilst they were well-paid compared to their peers at the time, the players grew up and those who reached the stars found that their salaries were no longer at comparable levels. This is the weakness of the egalitarian structure, the boundaries that limit the budget are achieved far quicker than a wider salary spread. Note: this is a different subject to whether the player is worth it.
So we find ourselves at a point where the contractual cycle is becoming more rapidly into view. We have lost Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri due to the proximity of the end of their deals, sold to avoid nil value being achieved twelve months later. The club in both instances were rebuffed when trying to talk to the player and their representatives about new contracts or the discussions were merely fodder for misfiring PR. The same situation has arisen with Theo Walcott although he is in discussions with the club. My own view is that had van Persie signed a new deal, Walcott would have been the star player to leave this summer. Patience has finite boundaries.
Alex Song left in a flurry of bizarre claims. Three years remained on his five year deal; his team wanted to renegotiate and Arsenal rebuffed them. Barcelona had probably been in contact and the pay-off to the player greater had he signed, the club were not that stupid. This summer has seen the club become tougher with contracts in some cases and Team Song found out the hard way that there are a lot more aspects of contract renegotiations than money. They scented weakness with the van Persie saga, determining that the club would not want to lose another key player. They were wrong. Are Team Walcott similarly misjudging the situation?
The other Alex is being spoken to at the moment to reward his progress; Koscielny and Vermaelen signed new deals in the past year and Mikel Arteta was rewarded for Player of the Season performances at the heart of the Arsenal midfield. Playing well is being rewarded. But can the club apply a broadbrush approach to deals and the renewals process? Is two years into a deal too soon to talk; one more year and it seems to be too late with two years remaining being the trigger for panic. Can the club find a middle ground?
It seems the club is locked in a cycle whereby the young are satisfied, the mature players are discontented with their lot. Perhaps Oxlade-Chamberlain is signalling a change to that approach. Shorter renegotiation cycles which are triggered by achievements both for the team and personally, the latter has to happen. I don’t think anyone can complain with that policy since personal achievement cannot be entirely subsumed in a team structure.
You can never relieve the issue of players signing deals that allow them to take their money and playing out their contracts. It always has happened, it always will. Arsenal have to protect their investment in assets and need to find a balance. Even in a time when Arsenal have been stung once more, the seeds of change can be seen. As much as from securing the playing strength of the squad perspective, the club needs a run of positive PR in terms of contract renewals. Too many column inches have been lost to those who have gone, it is time to redirect them towards those that want to remain.
Evil – I am not able to harbor any ill feelings towards him either. I think the feeling is that of disappoinment and unfulfilled potential. Anyway, I suppose that is enough of dwelling on the past. We have a new Spaniard in the group and he could prove to be every bit the player Cesc was promising to be.
evil, i have lots of views on religion.
but i dont bother, becuase i know it will upset alot of people..
i could go on about it for hours..
footballs different..
religions too personal..
I think sometimes we forget how young and immature most footballer are. They generally think short-term and do not consider things like leaving a legacy or their position as role models. They are often surrounded by people telling them how wonderful they are, how short their careers are and how they should be earning more than player X because they are better or the ‘banta’ from their mates about how they will never win trophies unless they join one of the big boys. In the lad-ish culture of football, it’s really not surprising that so many of them do what they do, when you think about it.
International week is going to be pure torture for me. Great game at pool. Much better trip than last year. Hope the crew are injury free coming back.
UP THE. GUNS!!!!!!!!
International week is going to be pure torture for me. Great game at pool. Much better trip than last year. Hope the crew are injury free coming back.
UP THE. GUNS!!!!!!!!
if theres a player who wenger would love to have back it would have to be cesc..
but we wouldnt get him back for what barca paid for him..
hes not coming back..no matter what the rumours are, hes stuck where he is.
Yes JJ, that is probably true, but I could wonder what a midfield trio of Cesc, Cazorla, and Arteta could produce.
This is what international breaks do to me. I am forced to think up hypothetical situations to get me through…AAARRRRGGHHHH!
Passenal what I find amazing about the claims you make is that they are provably incorrect. I could carefully and reasonably explain the full history and context of how the argument arose (which you could then verify if you like). I have been repeatedly pilloried by you but you do not wish to even discuss it or let me explain my side.
There was important context and if you think I started the argument you are utterly wrong.
I’d genuinely appreciate the opportunity not to be judged on the fact that you like his ethos and not mine and instead look at some evidence.
If you would like to talk about it rationally I am pleased to explain the reasons it arose.
I have offered before but you and a few others are simply too angry to apply reason.
Regardless it was what he said in the finality that got him banned. Blaming me for what HE said because of provocation is unfair.
You forgive him for a litany of unpleasant things said to me – but then if I had responded badly and then insulted YW afterwards I suppose you would think that a fair outcome.
I recently ostracised Ateeb for unpleasant sexist/ageist remarks against you. I did similar to G69 for repeated casual homophobia. Which in spite of insinuation I did not instigate and was not relevant.
I can find examples if you wish.
He brushed it off, as did you and a few sympathisers, but then what do you know? You are after all, just a woman.
So, are you equally forgiving of me when I introduce casual sexism as you were of G69 regarding homophobia?
I’m firm in my beliefs but firmest of all regarding civility and humanity. Paul and I – as far as I am concerned – are copasetic. I like his contributions but disagree with some of his beliefs. This is fine with me. I certainly wish him no ill. I am sure at times I should be less vigorous and I have apologised for my conviction in the past).
OK – the biggest point is that if you want to blame me for the exit of G69 you should at least be prepared to discuss it.
Everyone deserves a fair trial, no?
Evening JJ!
I blame mostly the FA and the moneybags clubs for turning the weaker personalities into prostitutes
Good post Yogi! Politically correct as well.
The new team? I think it will take them time to gel. But if it can come out stronger than last season still remains to be seen. We might have actually balanced more now and might not have to rely on one player to score our goals. But that’s just conjecture at the moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if Podolski or Giroud starts banging in the goals. However, I think Cazorla would play a significant part this season, in fact, there are good chances that he can form a good partnership with Podolski and Giroud, similar to the one enjoyed by the triad of RVp-Song-Theo. Theo needs to play ahead of Ox and he will remain a vital cog to our attack as long as he’s with us. Too early to judge on the defence but I wasn’t really concerned by that after january last season. Too many ‘ifs’ exist though, related to our squad being vulnerable to injuries-which consequently makes it difficult to gauge the extent of our possible title challenge this season. There is little question about Diaby’s abilities on the pitch, but doubts still remain over his fitness. Similarly, it’s been too long that Wilshere has been out. If he comes back fit within a month, he can possibly start contributing by January. The same goes for Rosicky. Rosicky and Cazorla in the middle of the park can break down a lot of buses in my opinion.
The team looks more balanced, though I think more than defensively, we will suffer from a lack of creativity. On paper the first team looks as good as any other. But we will need to be more consistent this season in order to win the title. Unlike United we don’t have a one man wonder that can bail us out. Although who knows we might develop one or two this season. Podolski, Cazarola and Diaby are the ones to watch out for in my opinion. Perhaps Theo might push on, for a better contract (or a transfer), and give us his best season? Ox is too young and raw at the moment, I don’t think we will see the best of him for another season or two, but he will contribute more than last season. For the stability of the team and winning anything, we might need Sagna to play at least 25 EPL matches. And if Arsene continues with his ‘non-rotation’ policy than I doubt we’ll win anything. I hope he’s learnt his lessons on that front.
As for Europe, I don’t think we stand much chance with the likes of Barca, Madrid, Bayern and United. They all have a few world class players in their teams that can be the key to unlocking defences just on their sheer abilities. We can though start by learning to pass a bit quicker and better and see it from there. If Giroud can produce the same form he did last season, then he can really shift the balance in our favour. He’s missed a few chances so far, which you’d expect a good striker to take. We’ve seen Chamakh, Park and Gervinhio do that for us in the past. Though he seems stronger than the three of them.
Gervinhio!? I can’t say. I am still confused with regards to the skills he brings to the pitch. We’ve got Arshavin, Gervinhio and Chamberlain for the left wing. Despite my reservations about Chamberlain’s youth, I’d still pick him over the other two. Maybe Gervinhio can surprise us this season. Summing up, we would need exceptional performances from all these players throughout the whole season and hope we can keep the players fit.
its a very tasty midfield, vice
Go fuck yourself Jonny. Calling a woman ‘a woman’ isn’t sexist. I used that term just as I would use the term ‘mate’. You, however, seem to excel in taking people’s comments out of context and fitting them in your one dimensional thinking. Now what happened to G69? He got banned because of calling Yogi a ‘fucking prick’? I doubt that was the reason.
Evil (11.45) & Vice – fair points.
I never thought I’d be more angry with a player than I was with Cesc, for all the reasons we know about.
How wrong I was!
And, in RvP’s case, for many reasons I evidently knew little about, until way too late.
Not sure I could ever fully forgive him for the way he let Arsene down. But I’d be pleased to have him back.
I’d never say that about the (F)lying Dutchman.
Right, I’m off – night all!
Apologies y’all for the heavy seriousness of the last post, just really tired of regular accusations.
AA – got your message, no worries. Kind of knew that would happen. Next time!
PG – looks like early ACLF but in blue. Jeez – that sets a tone.
* Sorry – meant to write:
“Not sure I could ever fully forgive CESC for the way he let Arsene down …”
Must. Get. Sleep.
Jonny – yeah, big pity, never mind – we’ll crack it though!!
Ateeb, first I should apologise and retract the ‘ageist’ bit, which I misread.
However the ‘woman’ bit would have got you a serve from any thinking person I know. It’s not friendly, and it seems it’s purpose serves to detract from the validity of her point (by dismissing her as a woman). This is because the distinction – that she is a woman – is unnecessary and irrelevant to the point you are making>>
“Mature conversations? Where you all rub each other’s back and tell each other lies of how ‘great a season we are going to have’? Pfft. Old news woman”
———————
IF you meant it casually and nicely I think you need to brush up on etiquette and the use of unnecessary classifications. If you doubt me replace the word ‘woman’ with a different, unnecessary adjective like ‘Arab’ or ‘child’ or ‘titmouse’. See how the inflection changes?
And you can doubt the reason (notably without any evidence) but you also need to dismiss YW and OOU as liars in doing so.
just saw one guy commenting on LadyArse that he’s got a source who told him in mid-June that van persie was going to united, song was off, and not to be surprised if fabregas goes to city next season.
what a horrible thought.
Jonny, no one is on trial, you believe you did nothing wrong, I felt there was fault on both sides but fortunately for you Yogi took your side, which obviously riled G69 who went over the top, there’s no denying that. Outside of that incident I had no issue with either of you. Not sure what being “just a woman has to do with anything”, other than perhaps I should leave the men to their business and get back to the kitchen.
Fabregas wouldn’t do that.
Evil
i am praying hard.
There was a series of comments that led to that reaction form G69. Both you and FG blame me for inflaming the situation but my goodness he said some nasty things that made me uncomfortable.
I was subjected to repeated casual homophobic comments and found it unnecessary in a debate.
The clumsy point I was making was that you seemed forgiving of that whereas you might have been more reactionary if I had said something casually sexist.
He then accused me of being homophobic whilst refusing to explain his words.
The unfortunate thing about this medium is that you cannot take words back or hear ‘tone’ but he could have handled it better. Since then I have had to put up with unfair comments.
I am a bit sensitive – a thing G69 also attacked me for – but I feel as though I have been judged on the outcome and not engaged about the facts.
Personally I don’t miss him but in no way did I mean to get him banned or celebrate that outcome.
I do miss the magic Cesc brought to Arsenal’s play. Made everyone better with his fantastic passes. He still plays a lot for Barca and for Spain. but he’s not the main man and his spirit of creative imagination isn’t the heartbeat of that team. I’d have him back but I think Cazorla may help us forget him soon. He made a mistake leaving, ad I said all along that they wouldn’t appreciate you. The only way to have gne ack home was as an Arsenal champion. Instead he was a bit of a chump.
Until Cazorla wipes the memory:
http://mr-renoog-videos.blogspot.ca/2009/10/cesc-fabregas-best-assists.html
I am beginning to understand why you end up in a fight with g69, which frankly I don’t remember too well. I didn’t call Yogi or OOU ‘liers’. I did however point out that they might be lacking objective analysis in the case of the player exodus which we witnessed this summers. As for you, I’d trust passenal’s and FG’s opinion on that matter. Without bothering much about objectivity.
Anyways chill out. Don’t need to start going through over archives over petty issues. You don’t need to ‘stand up’ for her, she can do it for herself.
Bulldshevic
What a fucking ninny
@AA
Yes, our former captain is simply too far gone. After the statement it would’ve already been hard to see him continue in our shirt, and only acceptable if he would’ve apologised for it, but now, even if there was an opportunity to get him back on relatively favourable conditions, I would be absolutely against it. I would absolutely loathe it to see him in our shirt ever again.
Pass – I think at the root of FG’s alienation from this blog was how the uproar was finally resolved. Some of us need to learn when to step back rather than trying to prove how right they are. Too much testorone at the keyboards if you ask me.
Now I shall take my own advice.
LSG
he was duped by his ‘mates’
they just dont love him enough. not as much as we did.
Ateeb @12.27
Yes, it was actually.
AA
It’s not that FFP will have make wholesale changes to the financial structure of the game, simply that clubs will have to be seen to do something. The path of least resistance will come in wages. There will be one scapegoat made – one big club – will be banned by Uefa somewhere along the line because their spending is not being curbed. Others will look to prune wages gradually so that those such as Eto’o and Ronaldo (if he joins that sphere) are exceptions at the top level.
That will be the FFP impact, ensuring that those who own the clubs, keep the profits.
http://www.aclfarsenal.co.uk/?p=9432
This morning’s post, Return of the Jack as Andrey walks away?
Really enjoyed this post… this is about Santi and will interest some people I imagine:
http://footballfortheday.com/2012/09/06/santi-the-santa-of-statistical-analysis/