This is a post made by me on my blog thing so it's really long and I apologize for that, you might want to print it out and read it when you get to the bathroom or something lol but here it is, I think all Arsenal fans should read it:
I know I'm going to catch a lot of heat in this thread but I really wonder how Arsenal fans can look so one-sidedly at this story. Now I'm not out to change minds about the boy as I think he enjoys his celebrity a bit too much, (but so does Freddie Ljungberg, I don't see anyone complaining when Freddie prances around in his underwear all over Sweden, why should Cole dressing up in suits ala GQ be any worse? )
But regardless, I think everyone needs to cut Cole a little slack. Yes, he's acted like a brat recently. No, he shouldn't have been at that meeting. Yes, he should realize that he's lucky to play for the club he loves for the wages he earns, but does that mean that he's nothing but a punk who just wants as much money out of the club as possible? no, of course not and Arsenal fans take it too far by trying to force a player out the door, especially if he does want to stay as he has said before.
But, whether or not you agree with it, there is another side to the story. Cole was earning, I believe, 22k a week when he went to the board and asked for a new offer. That was far below what he was worth as a player and, financially speaking, as an asset to the club. We all know this, the club knew it, and Cole knew it. Cole could've put in a transfer request right then, said he was looking for greener pastures in other leagues the way many Arsenal players have done in the past and, like many Arsenal players in the past, moved to a bigger club like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, etc. in order to pick up wages in the region of 100k a week that other world class LBs were earning. He didn't, he went to the board and tried to reach an offer and after a couple weeks, neither side was closer to compromising, we know this. Then he met with Chelsea and Peter Kenyon. This is where all the ire seems to be coming from, but had he met with a real madrid representative, would we have cared nearly as much? If he sent his agent to see what Chelsea were offering, would we have cared nearly as much? If he sent his agent to work out the entire deal and bring it back to Arsenal to hammer out a fee, would we have cared nearly as much? The answer I'm sure most of you will give is a resounding "yes." But if that's the case, why didn't the fact that Fabregas' agent met with Real Madrid two months ago and hammered out an entire deal for him arouse the anger of Arsenal supporters even an inkling? Because Cesc wasn't there? How is getting a free dinner out of the conversation any different, both authorized their agents to seek out other options, both wanted to see what other clubs were offering, and both decided Arsenal was the better option in the short term at least, even if they were going to take far less money.
Lets' look at the facts: 1) Arsenal are never going to offer cole what a club like chelsea or Real Madrid can in terms of wages. 2) Cole is still contracted to Arsenal FC. 3) Cole has yet to hand in a transfer request.
It's not like Cole can't force this move through. If he walks in and says "I want to leave, transfer me and I won't play for Arsenal any longer." and then says that in the press, which he easily could've said last summer, the move would get done. The club cashed in on Vieira, the club cashed in on Pires, the club would've cashed in on Cole.
This brings me to my last point: loyalty. This seems to be the buzzword a lot of Arsenal supporters are kicking around in regard to Ashley. They say he isn't loyal to Arsenal, that he wanted too much money, that he shouldn't have met with another team and broke the rules and wasn't committed to Arsenal. If all the players can't think about possibly leaving Arsenal while contracted to the club, then why aren't supporters freaking out about Fabregas allowing his agent to talk with Real Madrid? Why don't Arsenal supporters demand that Cesc fire his agent immediately for daring to do anything that might show Cesc isn't committed to the cause? If the fans are going to cry foul every time Cole shows the slightest hint of disloyalty, then they owe nothing less to every other player who considers moving to a Real Madrid, a Barcelona, or a Juventus.
However the thing that really gets me is why supporters believe that Cole should treat the club the way he should treat the fans, that he shouldn't treat it like a business. The thing the supporters need to understand is that the club will forever treat every player like a business asset. In the last decade or so we've witnessed Arsenal rise from a side that could challenge for the title to a side that should be expected to win the title. We've seen a side that has gone from UEFA cup qualification expected to Champions League finals they should've won. We've gone from an overachieving medium sized club to a big club with a big stadium and a bigger cheque book. Who is responsible for this golden era of Arsenal football? For my money, it's two parties: Wenger, and the players; and this has largely been done against what the board wanted. There have been numerous times when you could tell from the interviews people like Dein have given that they wanted Wenger to spend and he didn't, that they wanted to cash in on players but couldn't, that they wanted to run things a bit differently, but didn't because of Wenger. We've brought in and cultivated one of the greatest group of players to ever pull on the shirt from Bergkamp to Henry to Pires to Vieira to Overmars, to Petit, to Toure and Campbell, Adams, Wright, etc. etc. etc. It just goes on and on. For many of these players, what they've done for the club for outweighs anything the club, being the board, has done for them. The fans love them, support them, and that's all the players ask of us and us of them, but to ask the players to love the board as well and not treat it like a business is too much.
This is a club that pulled the trigger on its captain and arguably most important player in the first year he didn't invite speculation from Real Madrid, when he was still basically in the prime of his career because: they knew that they would have to either trade him then for 12m, wait a year and maybe only get 7 or 8m for him, let him go on a free, or sign him to a long-term contract into his mid-30s. They treated him like an asset instead of a player and a captain. This is a club that traded Robert Pires, one of their best midfielders of the premiership era, who just helped drive he club to the Champions League final, who struck up one of the best winger/striker partnerships the premiership has ever seen, because they didn't want to offer him just one extra year of security late in his career for fear he wouldn't play up to what his wages called for. This is a club that wouldn't offer Dennis Bergkamp, one of the greatest players that ever played for this club, the ideal professional who has given nothing but constant, remarkable service to the club and has never put a foot wrong in his career with the club, more than a one year deal because he was an aging player and he might not be worth the wages the next season.
And that's just recent history. I'm sorry, but Arsenal is a business, especially in regards to the board and the board treats it as such. The goals of the fans, the players, and the board are in line: to succeed on the field in the right way. But the reasons for these goals is far different, even if their results are the same. The board wants us to win champions leagues because it brings them more money, the players want to win for the sake of winning and we love them for it. To the fans, it means much more, to the players who pull on the shirt, it means much more as well and players patently take significant wagecuts to play at Arsenal, but Arsenal fans need to think about what they ask of the players when it comes to dealing with the board because the moment the players start treating their career the way the fans would and not the way the board does, they won't find themselves pulling on a captain's armband, they'll find themselves in Italy pulling on a white and black shirt, or in Spain pulling on a yellow one, or without club watching Arsenal on television.
I don't think Cole's a saint, but I don't think the board are a group of angels either. I think Cole wanted to get more money out of the club, but he wasn't looking for the 120k a week he could've gotten at Chelsea, he was looking for maybe 75-80k while the club wanted him on 60k. Now, there isn't really any way to ask this question honestly as many of us would easily take 60k a week to play for Arsenal were we able, but at the very least we owe it to Ashley and other players in their position to understand why they push for a little more money, especially since this isn't a job they can do for the rest of their lives, Cole's career could be over tomorrow and I doubt Ashley has much of a future as a writer. If you can't come that far, at least come far enough to give a stupid kid a second chance, maybe be a little quicker to doubt him or call for him to be dropped in the future, but as supporters of Arsenal we owe it to everyone who pulls on the shirt, especially someone who has given such great service to Arsenal and has yet to ask for the door despite it being open and there being a boatload of money on the other side, the right to be cheered for as long as they continue to play for the club. That's the Arsenal Way and that's what we owe all the players, even Cole.
I know I'm going to catch a lot of heat in this thread but I really wonder how Arsenal fans can look so one-sidedly at this story. Now I'm not out to change minds about the boy as I think he enjoys his celebrity a bit too much, (but so does Freddie Ljungberg, I don't see anyone complaining when Freddie prances around in his underwear all over Sweden, why should Cole dressing up in suits ala GQ be any worse? )
But regardless, I think everyone needs to cut Cole a little slack. Yes, he's acted like a brat recently. No, he shouldn't have been at that meeting. Yes, he should realize that he's lucky to play for the club he loves for the wages he earns, but does that mean that he's nothing but a punk who just wants as much money out of the club as possible? no, of course not and Arsenal fans take it too far by trying to force a player out the door, especially if he does want to stay as he has said before.
But, whether or not you agree with it, there is another side to the story. Cole was earning, I believe, 22k a week when he went to the board and asked for a new offer. That was far below what he was worth as a player and, financially speaking, as an asset to the club. We all know this, the club knew it, and Cole knew it. Cole could've put in a transfer request right then, said he was looking for greener pastures in other leagues the way many Arsenal players have done in the past and, like many Arsenal players in the past, moved to a bigger club like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, etc. in order to pick up wages in the region of 100k a week that other world class LBs were earning. He didn't, he went to the board and tried to reach an offer and after a couple weeks, neither side was closer to compromising, we know this. Then he met with Chelsea and Peter Kenyon. This is where all the ire seems to be coming from, but had he met with a real madrid representative, would we have cared nearly as much? If he sent his agent to see what Chelsea were offering, would we have cared nearly as much? If he sent his agent to work out the entire deal and bring it back to Arsenal to hammer out a fee, would we have cared nearly as much? The answer I'm sure most of you will give is a resounding "yes." But if that's the case, why didn't the fact that Fabregas' agent met with Real Madrid two months ago and hammered out an entire deal for him arouse the anger of Arsenal supporters even an inkling? Because Cesc wasn't there? How is getting a free dinner out of the conversation any different, both authorized their agents to seek out other options, both wanted to see what other clubs were offering, and both decided Arsenal was the better option in the short term at least, even if they were going to take far less money.
Lets' look at the facts: 1) Arsenal are never going to offer cole what a club like chelsea or Real Madrid can in terms of wages. 2) Cole is still contracted to Arsenal FC. 3) Cole has yet to hand in a transfer request.
It's not like Cole can't force this move through. If he walks in and says "I want to leave, transfer me and I won't play for Arsenal any longer." and then says that in the press, which he easily could've said last summer, the move would get done. The club cashed in on Vieira, the club cashed in on Pires, the club would've cashed in on Cole.
This brings me to my last point: loyalty. This seems to be the buzzword a lot of Arsenal supporters are kicking around in regard to Ashley. They say he isn't loyal to Arsenal, that he wanted too much money, that he shouldn't have met with another team and broke the rules and wasn't committed to Arsenal. If all the players can't think about possibly leaving Arsenal while contracted to the club, then why aren't supporters freaking out about Fabregas allowing his agent to talk with Real Madrid? Why don't Arsenal supporters demand that Cesc fire his agent immediately for daring to do anything that might show Cesc isn't committed to the cause? If the fans are going to cry foul every time Cole shows the slightest hint of disloyalty, then they owe nothing less to every other player who considers moving to a Real Madrid, a Barcelona, or a Juventus.
However the thing that really gets me is why supporters believe that Cole should treat the club the way he should treat the fans, that he shouldn't treat it like a business. The thing the supporters need to understand is that the club will forever treat every player like a business asset. In the last decade or so we've witnessed Arsenal rise from a side that could challenge for the title to a side that should be expected to win the title. We've seen a side that has gone from UEFA cup qualification expected to Champions League finals they should've won. We've gone from an overachieving medium sized club to a big club with a big stadium and a bigger cheque book. Who is responsible for this golden era of Arsenal football? For my money, it's two parties: Wenger, and the players; and this has largely been done against what the board wanted. There have been numerous times when you could tell from the interviews people like Dein have given that they wanted Wenger to spend and he didn't, that they wanted to cash in on players but couldn't, that they wanted to run things a bit differently, but didn't because of Wenger. We've brought in and cultivated one of the greatest group of players to ever pull on the shirt from Bergkamp to Henry to Pires to Vieira to Overmars, to Petit, to Toure and Campbell, Adams, Wright, etc. etc. etc. It just goes on and on. For many of these players, what they've done for the club for outweighs anything the club, being the board, has done for them. The fans love them, support them, and that's all the players ask of us and us of them, but to ask the players to love the board as well and not treat it like a business is too much.
This is a club that pulled the trigger on its captain and arguably most important player in the first year he didn't invite speculation from Real Madrid, when he was still basically in the prime of his career because: they knew that they would have to either trade him then for 12m, wait a year and maybe only get 7 or 8m for him, let him go on a free, or sign him to a long-term contract into his mid-30s. They treated him like an asset instead of a player and a captain. This is a club that traded Robert Pires, one of their best midfielders of the premiership era, who just helped drive he club to the Champions League final, who struck up one of the best winger/striker partnerships the premiership has ever seen, because they didn't want to offer him just one extra year of security late in his career for fear he wouldn't play up to what his wages called for. This is a club that wouldn't offer Dennis Bergkamp, one of the greatest players that ever played for this club, the ideal professional who has given nothing but constant, remarkable service to the club and has never put a foot wrong in his career with the club, more than a one year deal because he was an aging player and he might not be worth the wages the next season.
And that's just recent history. I'm sorry, but Arsenal is a business, especially in regards to the board and the board treats it as such. The goals of the fans, the players, and the board are in line: to succeed on the field in the right way. But the reasons for these goals is far different, even if their results are the same. The board wants us to win champions leagues because it brings them more money, the players want to win for the sake of winning and we love them for it. To the fans, it means much more, to the players who pull on the shirt, it means much more as well and players patently take significant wagecuts to play at Arsenal, but Arsenal fans need to think about what they ask of the players when it comes to dealing with the board because the moment the players start treating their career the way the fans would and not the way the board does, they won't find themselves pulling on a captain's armband, they'll find themselves in Italy pulling on a white and black shirt, or in Spain pulling on a yellow one, or without club watching Arsenal on television.
I don't think Cole's a saint, but I don't think the board are a group of angels either. I think Cole wanted to get more money out of the club, but he wasn't looking for the 120k a week he could've gotten at Chelsea, he was looking for maybe 75-80k while the club wanted him on 60k. Now, there isn't really any way to ask this question honestly as many of us would easily take 60k a week to play for Arsenal were we able, but at the very least we owe it to Ashley and other players in their position to understand why they push for a little more money, especially since this isn't a job they can do for the rest of their lives, Cole's career could be over tomorrow and I doubt Ashley has much of a future as a writer. If you can't come that far, at least come far enough to give a stupid kid a second chance, maybe be a little quicker to doubt him or call for him to be dropped in the future, but as supporters of Arsenal we owe it to everyone who pulls on the shirt, especially someone who has given such great service to Arsenal and has yet to ask for the door despite it being open and there being a boatload of money on the other side, the right to be cheered for as long as they continue to play for the club. That's the Arsenal Way and that's what we owe all the players, even Cole.
