RvP: Where do we go from here?

Let's face it. At Arsenal we have witnessed a steady departure of players who could make a difference to our club's fortunes over several years and while players have been sourced it is also the case that those new faces were not likely to step into the shoes of the ones they re place. Well at least not on a like for like basis and usually not immediately. While I greatly value the arrival and presence of Mikel Arteta and would indeed shout his name from the highest tower, he is no replacement for Cesc Fabregas whose departure we had all known of long before the arrival of Arteta was even considered. We never replaced Vieira properly nor Henry and the growing chorus of our beloved club becoming a selling club grows louder by the season. And speaking of seasons, well wasn't the last one hugely exciting, though for not quite the reasons we had envisioned. Yes we made it back into the CL for a record-breaking time. Yes we all rejoiced in a way one could say that supporters and players of a club that just escaped relegation would rejoice. The season couldn't have started in a worse way and January brought no joy either. There weren't even any wins!! Too much Christmas pudding perhaps. If only. Sadly, the reasons may be deeper such as poor tactics, a squad lacking in depth and over-reliance on our talisman striker and captain. Yes we were third but were we better off than in seasons past? Well if you consider that 19 points adrift of the runner-up place is good then, I suppose it was a better season considering our fightback but there are statistics elsewhere which point to a different picture, such as shipping in 49 goals. You cannot ship in 49 goals and still expect to be counting much at the end of the season except for your lucky stars I venture to suggest.

Back to our captain then. It is said we stood by him in seasons when he carried injuries, that his average number of games per season amounted to 34 as compared to Henry's 37. Well a difference of 3 doesn't seem very much to me and the same surely could be said in van Persie's favour that he stood by us when we were trophyless and leaking top players. In fact let us examine that and one need not go back too far for that. Our previous captain had wanted out though of course. The main reason would appear to be a return to his roots but it did, did it not, set off a chain reaction that when Manchester City came calling. Purely on the basis of on paper facts both Nasri and Clichy went to a club that won a trophy the season before and ended up with another, a bigger one at that and one could say they helped win in their maiden season with them. All Arsenal fans will lament at the empty space in the trophy cabinet ever since the move from Highbury. An absence of trophies, players leaving and those questioning if indeed there is as much urgency to capture trophies as there seems to be in merely guaranteeing a place in Europe. That it would appear has become the trophy. Only it doesn't feel or look like one. If you are in sport and respect yourself as being a major player in the sport either at club or player level, I put it to you that the measure of that stature is by winning or showing that you can win. For a sportsperson there surely is no greater incentive than to place one's hands on a trophy in front of cheering and adoring fans. Considering much was placed on the shoulders of RvP, is it not yet another example of over-reliance on our captain that once again we ask of him to stay when at best all we can offer him is that invisible trophy of fourth place or indeed, perhaps third if the wind should blow in our favour?

Thre are those who speak of a favour extended by the club to it's current captain in the time he had been injured. I think the favour has been returned. We retained him when he was injured and he then remained with us when we were trophyless. It seems reasonable to me that if we cannot give him a reasonable hope that in staying with us, there would be silverware on the horizon then in all good faith we should honour his decision and let him go with our blessings. Who knows if we may ever have need of his services in some way again and his most recent memory of us should tarnish any relationship and jeapordise any future association? It is time to give way to gentlemanly considerations. This is after all a sport and sport should be played by gentlemen. While there are times when one supposes that business considerations can deflect from the aims of being engaged in sport, one should remember that in business too, it is best to walk away with happy memories. Right now not much are being created in that direction.