Editor
14 July 2009 - 15:02
by Nigel Brown
At the end of May Emmanuel Adebayor sat in front of the BBC Football Focus cameras bemoaning the lack of support from the Arsenal fans, following the jeers and boos he received at the beginning of the 2008/2009 campaign after the majority of Gooners had felt he held the club to ransom. A couple of months on and according to Sky Sports, the Togolese forward is in talks with Manchester City over a reported £25 million move.
The big hitman who kissed the badge and declared his desire to win trophies in a red and white shirt, falling in love with the club after being nurtured by Thierry Henry, is willing to leave the Emirates. At least when Thierry Henry departed Arsenal he left with a heavy heart, looking visibly sick in a video interview on Arsenal.com. (Only to be pictured 48 hours later kissing Barcelona's badge – at least he gave years of service and admitted he will allways be a gonner – a small but admirable consoaltion for fans)
Not all the blame can be levelled at Adebayor as Arsenal accpeted the transfer offer from the cash rich club. But, reading between the lines it is likely that Arsene Wenger has given up on trying to keep a forward constantly linked with a move away from North London, and lets be honest, constantly engineering a move away from the club.
Betrayal and frustration
With Arsene Wenger having put so much faith in the player, helping the player secure the best package the boardroom could offer last summer – 'the professor' must feel an element of betrayal and frustration, much like his old adversary Sir Alex Ferguson who has seen a so-called fan favourite in Carlos Tevez turn his back on Manchester United. So, has cash become more important than loyalty to the badge? Does the modern player think about becoming a one club great? Weren't the fan favourites normally sure things when it cam to contract re-negotiations?
Should players be putting more emphasis on playing for a club that matters to them, or, are fans led to believe that the modern footballer cares about the club they support, when really they want their monthly wage packet inflated five fold.
Where has the one club legend gone?
One club men are few and far between, a past time lost in the annuals of football. It is easy to point the finger at players and label players as money hungry, but the issue at hand that needs quantifying is, can managers use the lure of becoming an institution and legend at a club, carving a place in the history and heritage of a football club, or is it simply down to a numbers game. Alan Shearer, Tony Adams, Ryan Giggs and Jamie Carragher are characters that would simply be honoured to be offered a new deal, sign it with a smile and get back on the park working hard to have their name on the team sheet for the Saturday afternoon. Agents, brothers, advisors and other shady consultants seem to have the power to turn the ear of a player, while the manager must sit back and receive whatever is being thrust up him.
Contracts are now officially meaningless
In the modern game contracts are now officially meaningless. We must accept this. Sir Alex Ferguson revealed an offer was put to Tevez in March, while Adebayor signed a new contract only a year a go, but still their future was uncertain. Do footballers not understand the concept of contracts or are they dimwitted enough to think that they can re-negotiate year on year and still earn the respect and trust of the fans that pay their wages. Fans deserve more than this and it is time that Fifa and Uefa cam up with a solution to put the power back in the hands of the football clubs.
Quite simply, the romance that English football was based on, with legends like George Best and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United, Steven Gerrard at Liverpool or Tony Adams at Arsenal has been diluted. This ancient loyalty and history is not talked about, lauded or cherished. Instead, we have stumbled into an era of over paid egos, prima donnas with wizard like agents able to grant their clients all the treasures they ever wanted.
By the time you read this Tevez and Adebayor will undoubtedly be holding hands in a bath full of gold, but at what price? A loss of respect, integrity and an ignorance of the history of the English game – our national league was built on poetic stories of Bobby Moore and Wembley, Clough and Forest and the one club men that have made the beautiful game beautiful.
One last thought for the Manchester United's fans old Argentine friend - Good luck, and remember, you have just left the biggest club in the world. The only club you have won medals of note at. You could have been a great, a Stretford End icon, but now you will be remebered for your cheque book. Sleep tight.
Unitl next time Sport.co.uk comrades.