James Southby
Published in 2003 under the Club’s official seal, written by the team of Adam Ward and Dave Smith and compiling the views of hundreds of fans, The Official Arsenal Dream Team put together a fantasy eleven based upon the popular vote, in each position, of the Arsenal fans involved. The authors themselves acknowledge the difficulty of the decisions reached, as the greatest Arsenal team, unlike many others, cannot pick itself. In considering my own personal Arsenal dream team (which every Gooner has at some point), I find myself disagreeing with several of the choices made in this book, arrived at by the will of the Arsenal-loving majority, and wondered how many others feel the same way.
For the benefit of those who haven’t read the book, the popularly-chosen line up is as follows: Seaman, Sansom, Adams, McLintock, Dixon, Pires, Brady, Vieira, Rocastle, Wright, Henry. No doubt a great team, and one that I and any other red-and-white-bleeding fan would want to see. But the absolute best of the best, pick of the bunch? Personally, I don’t think so.
Although each of these names do rather suggest themselves as individuals, it is the combination of some that is the problem for me. Where two players would do the exact same job, the potential is there for a lack of balance. I approach this subject as if this team were to be fielded next week, and so will try to apply real-world logic to what is by design a fantasy set-up, and acknowledge this with no hesitation. Tony Adams did this in his (excellent) autobiography, “Addicted”, and I found that interesting. He really should go back and update that book – let’s be honest, he’s not terribly busy at the minute…
So could this team play together, the different time periods aside? Yes…probably. But what changes (if any) would you make?
In my opinion Seaman is the automatic choice. Though biased on account of my age (23), growing into perpetual Gooner-dom proper in 1993, the latter years of the Graham era, there has been no-one else since. As good and as popular as John Lukic was, Seaman has by all accounts gone further and done better. Lehmann had moments of brilliance and stupidity in at times annoyingly equal measure, while Almunia is good and solid but by no means world class just yet, which is not really a good thing for a keeper already over 30.
At the back, for me you simply cannot have both Adams and McLintock together, because the two men are just too similar. Both great and inspirational leaders yes, but for a team to work effectively there can only be one leader. That means choosing one of the two, and involves me putting my head in the lion’s mouth. Again, handicapped by my age, I spring for Adams – our most successful captain, and my sporting idol as a kid. Alongside him I would want someone described by Adams himself as calm, unflappable and never putting a foot wrong, so therefore Steve Bould.
With Dixon already on the right, and three of the old Back Four in this team, the temptation is to bump Sansom for Nigel Winterburn. I get the sense I’d be filleted for this by many a Gooner in many a pub, but think about it: this was our single greatest defensive unit, who played and trained together for more than ten years, and established a reputation that is still widely spoken of today. I would contend that each individual player was at their best when playing with each other, and so mainly for that reason I would make the swap.
Think about it – our current attacking quality backed up by this kind of stern rearguard? Magic…
The midfield quartet I have much less of an issue with, aside from sadly not knowing enough of Liam Brady or ‘Rocky’ Rocastle, relying basically on YouTube footage at this point. I emphatically agree with Pires and Vieira, and while I would’ve been tempted to put Fabregas in the middle and perhaps Ray Parlour (yes, I know!) on the right, I don’t feel nearly as strongly about these changes as I did the defence, and am about to with the forward pairing.
Wright and Henry. I know, it leaves me salivating too…but again, I think they’re too similar, and would get in each other’s way. The good news is I know without a shadow of doubt who should replace one of them – care to guess? Anyone who didn’t say Bergkamp, please hit yourselves with something heavy. Okay that’s a bit harsh, but still…
Bergkamp would be, and has been, the perfect foil for both of these men, to which Wright and Henry have both attested. His killer passing ability, his unparalleled technique and his own goal-scoring brilliance demand his inclusion, as he could both score himself and provide service to the other. With Pires also providing service, all you need is someone who can bang them away, time after time. Both Wright and Henry can certainly do that, as any montage video will prove to you, but which one will bust a gut and go after the hopeless cause, when all avenues of service have been cut off, and get a goal from nothing?
For me, it’s Wright. I know I’m probably against the majority here, but Henry can and has been isolated in the past, and can cut a forlorn and frustrated figure when he does not get that perfect ball. That does not apply for Wrighty, of whose energy and enthusiasm I have never seen the like.
So, let’s take a look: Seaman, Winterburn, Adams, Bould, Dixon, Pires, Brady (or Fabregas), Vieira, Rocastle (or Parlour), Bergkamp, Wright.
What do you think?
