Transformation

When the final whistle blew at Eastlands on Saturday, it was clear that a transformation had been completed. Not of the Manchester City team, whose four wins out of four, though impressive, may yet prove to be another false dawn for the club – it is still early doors after all. Not of Tomas Rosicky either, whose return after eighteen frustrating months out with mysterious injury was capped with a goal and an assist.

Nor was this a transformation of the relative fortunes and abilities of the two clubs, for almost a year ago Arsenal departed the City of Manchester Stadium in even greater despondency, deservedly hammered 3-0, but by the end of the season finished six places and twenty-two points ahead of the Citizens. No, this was the final piece of the transformation of one Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor, from Gunners' hero to single most hated former player, above even Cashley Cole.

Without wishing to resort to hyperbole, even before the end of the match I was moved to opine that this was probably the most disgraceful individual performance I had ever witnessed by a professional footballer. His raking foul on Francesc Fabregas, late and into the Arsenal captain's ankle, was merely the opening salvo in what was obviously, for Adebayor, a personal quest for vengeance against the club that let him go.

That tackle was bad enough, at least warranting a yellow card that referee Clattenburg failed to dish out, but it would be followed by an appalling stamp on Robin van Persie's face as the Dutchman lay prone on the turf, and later by an inflammatory goal celebration that was not just offensive but downright irresponsible, almost inciting a riot in the away fans' end. Totting up all of the 'infractions', it would be reasonable to expect a ban of at least five to six matches.

It is difficult to countenance how a player can manage to burn his bridges so spectacularly. Sure, Ashley Cole was, almost by his own admission, greedy for more money too, and certainly disrespected the club and the fans by his actions in meeting Chelsea officials right before a big game at Old Trafford in 2004, but since his departure has at least retained some measure of relative dignity – and no, I never thought I'd be using 'Ashley Cole' and 'dignity' in the same sentence either.

That is how disgusting Adebayor's words and actions have been – they have made Ashley Cole look respectable. The striker running almost a hundred yards to rub Arsenal fans' noses in it makes the throwaway two-fingered salute Cole gave to the Gunners faithful at Ashburton Grove in 2007 seem almost quaint by comparison. Has Ashley Cole ever marched onto the pitch and set out on a personal vendetta to deliberately injure an Arsenal player?

Most painful in all of this is how this transformation affects our memories of glory moments of seasons past. Is it possible to revel in that comeback at the Lane in 2007, coming back from 1-0 down at half-time to win 3-1, without a sour taste in the mouth at the man who got two of the goals that day? What about the 1-0 win at Old Trafford early in the previous season?

In fact, how do you watch anything from the 2007/08 campaign, given the greedy one's immense contribution? I can only speak for myself, but I loved Ade then. I defended him at the end of that season against people who accused him of being too profligate in front of goal, too selfish, too lazy, too disruptive to the team (remember the headbutt on Nick?). All of these things would be borne out in his last season.

It must be pointed out that Kolo Touré comported himself with grace throughout the game, even making apologetic gestures to the Arsenal fans immediately following 'that' celebration. Indeed, he also made a point of waiting in the tunnel to talk to Wenger after the game to show that no ill-feeling existed as far as he was concerned.

It must also be admitted that the more unpalatably vicious aspects of Adebayor's own display had essentially no bearing on the outcome of the game. Arsenal were beaten because we could not make their own dominance pay or create enough chances to do so, added to the fact that we haemorraged goals far, far too easily on the break. As at Old Trafford, Arsenal were the better team and had the best of the possession for most of the game, and the statistics bear this out. In the end, however, only one statistic matters and that is the final scoreline. In that sense, Adebayor had the last laugh on Saturday.

Let's see who is laughing at Ashburton Grove on the 24th of April.

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