Farewell to a legend in 2006

Sorry for another lengthy gap in between articles. Inspiration does not arrive to order sadly and I don’t like to write ‘stuff’ just for the sake of it. Today’s musings are a reflection on several issues in the modern game and have in a way been prompted by the apparent standoff between Arsenal and our third longest serving  player of those at the club! Yes you read correctly Theo Walcott who joined on the 20^th of January 2006, now Song and van Persie have gone is only preceded in to the club by two other current 1^st team squad members. This revelation is surprising as it has sort of crept up on us. The gradual clear out or walk out over the past 3 summers leaves Vassiriki Abou Diaby as, in theory Arsenal FC’s senior citizen. Dear Abou joined 7 days before Young Theo on the 13^th of January 2006. I am being a tad harsh on Johan Djourou who amzingly signed in 2003 but in reality he is not pushing for a first team slot at present and has no minutes at all this term.

English football has traditionally rewarded player loyalty to a club by the laying on of a testimonial match and here is the Wiki definition:

Clubs typically grant testimonials to players upon reaching ten years of service with a club, although they sometimes are given to players with less service as they approach retirement. These matches are always non-competitive. Typically, former greats for the club are invited to participate, either in the match itself or the surrounding festivities. For especially prominent players, some all-time greats of the game may be invited, or the opposition can be a national team. Alternatively, if a player is strongly identified with more than one club team, the testimonial may involve the player’s current and past clubs. All proceeds from the match go to the player; depending on the country, the income may be tax-free to the player.

Of course the tradition of the testimonial was a noble one devised to reward footballers at the end of their short career, as they had such a limited earning period ahead of a long retirement from the game. This was however when player’s wages were not so high and loyalty was common place. This being the case the fans were keen to turn out in good numbers actually wanting to, believe it or not, further line the pockets of their heroes, who they had cheered from the stands for 10 years. Sone younger supporters/readers may not even be familiar with the idea. Nowadays wages in the top divisions are so high that in some cases the average fan cannot relate to their current heroes in the same way and the players certainly don’t need the tax free cash sum to set themselves up in a new career, as was the case until the Premier League era. Continue reading →