Remember the days…

…when Arsenal used to sign big names?

7 May, 2011 10:00

Richard Ansell 14 comments

Alan Hudson: Signing that actually excited the fans

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So once again we limp towards the end of yet another season that promised much and as usual delivered absolutely nothing. So now we have the summer to look forward to; cricket maybe, Wimbledon anyone, or your annual family holiday (Lake District for us) and oh I nearly forgot Arsene Wenger and which players he will surely bring in (little joke there) to rectify the problem areas we have all witnessed far too many times this season and over the last six years or so.

On the subject of transfers I just about remember the buzz I used to get when we used to buy ‘big name’ players. I know it didn’t happen very often but once in a while we brought a player in that really got me excited. I have to admit that may be some of them did not live up to my expectations but never the less it was a statement of intent by my club that we were aiming for the top.

I am sure some of you can go back further than me but the following players are a few that I remember, some successful with us and some not, but all of them gave me that buzz I was talking about:-

Alan Ball
Alan Hudson
Malcolm MacDonald
Viv Anderson (not sure why I distinctly remember this one, but I do)
Kenny Sansom
Charlie Nicholas
Dennis Bergkamp
Marc Overmars

Obviously some of the above set the pulses racing more than others but the point is I felt we were at least trying to compete with Manure and the Scousers. Now we are content to be second or third or even fourth best, although our season ticket prices are scandalously high. Not only do we have to endure Wenger’s failure during the actual season, we also suffer (every summer) his complete refusal to buy in even one player that might actually make a real difference. Be honest with yourself, wouldn’t you like to pick up your newspaper one day in July and read that Arsenal had actually spent some money on a quality player? Or heaven forbid may be two?

As laudable as Wenger’s youth / bargain basement policy is I am fed up to the back teeth with it. It is not delivering and we as fans have indulged his fantasy football world for long enough. I know some of you will tell me to F off and support the Spuds but you know full well that is not possible as you cannot simply change allegiances after 40 odd years of support and we have no choice but to endure yet another transfer drought this summer.

Anyone for tennis?

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14
comments

Sach
May 09, 2011, 7:27 #6491

Agree 100 % on this one......And for the last Q. Yeah should completely focus on tennis i guess.....coz the change is needed & wenger is not gonna bring that........
hatfield red
May 07, 2011, 21:30 #6428

I was quite excited when Arshavin arrived as he was outstanding at the 2008 Euros. But he has proved not to be a team player and hates playing wide. But to be honest a team does not need stars, Dortmund this year and previous teams have shown this. I am just hoping Wenger learns some tactics and decides putting bendnter on the wing when we need a goal wont work!
GoonerRon
May 07, 2011, 21:15 #6427

Ronster - I hear the 'highest ticket prices in world football' line a lot on here - I'm sure it's true but do you know if any like-for-like comparisons have ever been done on match ticket prices against all clubs on the planet?
Gare Kekeke
May 07, 2011, 19:09 #6424

Andy Kelly you twit. I think you'll find that Viv Anderson & Charlie Nicholas were in The Arsenal's 1987 League Cup winnning side with Kenny Samsom as our captain. There was The Arsenal before Arsene Wenger. Learn some football history pre 1996 before coming up with utter tripe. And whilst you're at, get your head out of Arsene Wenger's bottom.
Ronster
May 07, 2011, 18:25 #6421

Andy Kelly....Anderson,Sansom and Nicholas at least picked up League Cup Winners medals against the most successful club in Europe at the time(Liverpool).....the current shower couldn't be arsed against Brum! Erik....you're missing the point...Richard talks about intent...putting down a marker..with the highest ticket prices in world football and two billionaire shareholders the club could afford to indulge the fans once in a while.Richard readily admits not all the above signings were successful but they raised the hairs on the back of your neck when you first heard about them.Alan Ball was a World Cup winner and won the league with Everton. Hudson won the FA and Cup Winners Cup at Chelsea.Super Mac was the England No9.Anderson can wave TWO European Cup Winners medals at you as well as a league title and was good enough to be pinched by Fergie.Kenny went on to win over 80 caps for England.Bergkamp and Overmars were decorated European legends. More dross from the French lower leagues to arrive this summer me thinks whilst the Gooner faithful take out that second mortgage to fund that season ticket.
Dominic Cassidy
May 07, 2011, 18:00 #6418

Cherry picking at it's worst. I remenber these days. I also remember us buying John Jensen (I even remember seein him score for us), Eddie McGoldrick and the new "George Best" aka Peter Marinello. As for not buying quality players, is Nasri not quality?
Raskolnikov
May 07, 2011, 17:46 #6416

Richard Ansell wind your neck in son! Who says Arsene never makes big-name exciting signings? Some of you so-called 'fans' are so exciting. Think to top-notch signings like Chamakh, like Silvestre, like Squillaci, like Fabianski, like Diaby. Which other club has an amazing youth policy like ours? Have you seen the quality youth talent we signed this season in Jens Lehmann (in a retirement home) and last season when we signed spring chicken Sol Campbell?? How dare you criticise Arsene. Ungrateful so-called fans. Our season ticket prices are the highest in Europe because we are privileged enough to watch world-class talents like Dneilson, Diaby, Eboue, Song, Almunia, Clichy and Rosicky. If you want world-class talent at lower prices, p*** off and support Spurs!!! And a word about our top-class manager, who has an unparalleled record in the transfer market. He has overseen a wage bill of £110 million and Eighteen players out on loan. Which other manager in the world do you know of, that could manage to finish top 4 with a wage bill of £110 million! Which other manager do YOU know of that could be capable of paying Eboue £60k a week, Rosicky £65k a week and Chamakh £80k a week? Arsene is underpaid on £6.5 mil a year! Your expectations are too high. We only pay £1300 for a cheap Season ticket, and the prices have just gone up 6.5%. Gazidis explained this well. We need to raise prices, so we can continue to shell out for all those world-class transfers our dear Leader makes! How ELSE do you expect the club to be able to afford top talents such as Diaby and Eboue? You just don't know how good you've got it! We see CL football every year. We will never win the CL of course, but that isn't a REAL trophy. A REAL trophy would be the 4th place CL qualification trophy. So get behind the team and manager!!!
fozzy's mate
May 07, 2011, 17:37 #6414

We need a big signing this summer to excite the fans. The inevitable annual collapse leaves us awaiting the start of each season with an ever decreasing lack of excitement and anticipation. I for one would love to be surprised by us going nose to nose with our rivals for a world class player in or just approaching his prime. Let's end the predictable summers and give us something to look forward to the new season for.
Theo's Bikini-Line
May 07, 2011, 16:00 #6410

Andy Kelly, nice cheap shot there but as you ask, Viv, Kenny and Charlie won a league Cup - which is one more trophy than this shower of losers have!!
Joolz The Gooner
May 07, 2011, 14:08 #6402

Andy Kelly can you remind we what the majority of Wenger buys in recent history has won at Arsenal?
BNG
May 07, 2011, 13:59 #6401

totally agree with this article, instead of any top notch signings we'll have to make do with a 17 year old Bolivian with work permit problems, another excellent point is the way Wenger apologists use the "go and support the spuds" phrase because they haven't got an argument to back AW....they might as well use the tried and tested lying politician trick of labeling any author of criticism a 'racist' to stop things in there tracks
Erik
May 07, 2011, 13:29 #6398

So, during your 40 years of supporting Arsenal we had never gone 6 years without a trophy and we were always a top 4 team? Umm I thought between 1970-1988 (18 yrs) we won the league just once, then 7 yrs between 90-91 to 97-98... Would love to live in your world where Arsenal were the best team in the world before Wenger and won everything every year, how do I get there? dimensional machine? Yup, I love sarcasm.
CD
May 07, 2011, 13:19 #6395

Oh those were the days, and you are right Richard not only do we suffer during the season, but also during the close season. This is always made worse, as we watch other clubs bringing in quality well known players whereas we have some unheard of bloke from the French second division to look forward too! Part of being a football fan is the exitement of a well known face coming into your club, but as you say we have even been denied this for so long now, with the exeption of maybe Campbell and Arshavin. That however is only two players in approx 10 years under AW!! The reality is that it has been the opposite for us as Arsenal fans, where it's much more likely that big named players will leave our club eg Henry, Vieira, Petit and probably this summer Fabregas. This is all the more galling when we all clearly remember the promise made to us of competing for the best players in the world, once we moved to the Grove. This clearly has not happened, and probably never will whilst AW remains in charge, with his pet vanity project!
Andy Kelly
May 07, 2011, 13:02 #6391

Please remind me what the first 6 won at Arsenal.