arsenal:Arsenal immortal

I closed yesterday's blog talking about how anyone paying a visit to the Grove of late will have seen that Mr Gazidis is most definitely not all mouth and no trousers. The more astute amongst you may have noticed that I couldn't quite work out how to finish yesterday's blog and it just kind of ended, but that's not important right now.

When you go to the Grove on Saturday- I'm not, but I will be there for the Carling Cup game in two weeks- you will see a brand new mural embracing the stadium.

As you can see, Dennis Bergkamp, Bob Wilson, Eddie Hapgood and Charlie George have joined Adams, Brady, Bastin and Henry in footballing, well Arsenal Stadium, immortality.

It's curious, I don't think anyone can dispute Bob Wilson's commitment to the Arsenal cause, having had the pleasure of meeting Bob I can personally say that not only would he bleed the proverbial red and white, but he is also a top man. But should he be on that wall instead of David Seaman, who served Arsenal for so long and with such success? There again, Dennis didn't feature on the first mural, did he? So perhaps there's time for old "Safe Hands" to take his place in the pantheon.

Elsewhere, not to dwell on it, but perhaps I was a bit harsh on Barcelona yesterday. Reading what their club and those associated with it went through under Franco, it certainly seems to me that if they are indeed "mes que un club", it's only because the Spanish authorities treated them so. Us Gooners have a bit of a persecution complex when it comes to referees, right? Well Barcelona once lost a match to Real Madrid 11-1. It was a game they went into for fear of their very existences, harshly treated by referees, constantly barracked by a partisan crowd and so they gave up trying when Benito was sent off for nothing more than being a bit of a star.

Reading further, it pleased to me to note that they lost out on Alfredo Di Stefano by trying to "lowball" his club. Though the fact that they lost out to Real Madrid I like less. Negotiations went on for ages until Madrid stepped in and well... the rest is history. So, despite continued pressure, Barça were unable to land their man. This didn't, however, stop the local press jumping the gun in announcing Di Stefano as a done deal. Old habits die hard... So, where yesterday, I was quite accepting of Arsenal and indeed Cesc Fabregas' fate, it now seems to me that when he goes, it will be under the best possible circumstances for this football club.

And I wonder too, if Cesc might not fancy doing something to render himself an Arsenal immortal before he leaves? The man himself is doing his utmost to render such talk premature, as it undoubtedly is, whether that's through his actions on the football pitch or in his public declarations. In celebrating his great mate Rosicky's return to the first team, he- consciously or not- echoes his manager in talking up the team spirit and saying this,

"It's great to have him in the team; he's like a new signing."

Is that an early bid to be the man who replaces the boss when he eventually departs? Not likely, I think. I also think the boss has it spot on by saying he will not be the one to name his successor, but it's a measure of the influence Arsène has had at the club that such a story could even be considered as news. As he says himself, it's not his job - so why would he do it? There are those out there, no doubt, who feel the boss has had too much influence as it is. It seems to me that, as sad as the day will be when it comes, the best thing for everyone will be a clean break and a new start.

But we shouldn't have to think about that for a while yet and yes, I am assuming it's just a coincidence that this story, which prepares the psychological landscape for his eventual departure , comes justa day or two after Gazidis' "Second place is not good enough" rallying cry...

Hasta mañana (with apologies for the Barcelona diversion).

source arsenal mania