RC8
Established Member
USArsenal said:i disagree with your diasgreement.. loyalty is great, but loyalty to a player has to be repaid with performance.. DB was still contributing through his last year.. and when he wasnt, he wasnt playing as much.. same thing that should be done with Freddie... he shouldnt be first choice.. his best performances in the past year have been for Sweden, not Arsenal... yeah, he works hard, but so does Hleb... and Hleb seems to work better in our new style than Freddie does...RC8 said:Pike said:Ljunberg_Rulz said:ok, im sure ljunberg had a ****house game, but come on, aren't we all forgetting what he's done for us over the years? i can remember all you guys singing his praises not too long ago after the UEFA final, and all the other times he's pulled through for us, he also provides much needed experience in the midfeild, something we're almost running short on a bit nowadays, ..., give freddie a go, he deserves it after all he's done here. that sort of comment is a little harsh.
Sports is all about what have you done for me lately. Loyalty is what you expect from a dog, not a team looking to accomplish great things.
When I lived in the states, I saw few Arsenal games. I always wrote off Ljunberg as, "well, maybe I just catching him a bad game. This year, I have seen everyone of Arsenal's games, except one. I am not at all impress with him. Especially since there are more talented players to choose from....
Also felt, that once the subs came on, the team seem to play with better cohesion and precision.
I agree with one point, Rosicky is a great addition. His ability to shoot from long range will help open things up.
Pike
I strongly disagree with that statement, that's what I would expect from a hockey or American Football team, not a football team, and DB10 testimonial showed how teams can remain loyal to players, and players to teams.
Polar, i see what you are saying about Freddie maybe needing a different challenge, but I disagree about Henry.. he hasnt looked great thus far this season, but he still has 2 goals and 1 (2 if you count Gallas' goal) assists in 4 matches and has (and will always have) more end product than Freddie....
Loyalty to a player has to be paid with performance, I agree, but the point of playing Ljumberg, I can assure you, is to rest Hleb or Rosicky, and I think that for the role he is playing (utility player) he is doing fine. He created various good chances both against Utd and against ShU, and scored against Zagreb at the Emirates.
Either way, it is very important for a club to show some loyalty towards certain players, even when they are not playing at their best. Would Man Utd be a better team with RvN? Sure they would, and, had they not dropped him inmediately when he did not perform, he would still be a ManU player. The point of mentioning the DB10 testimonial, is not just about Bergkamp, it's about all those Arsenal and ex-Arsenal players that played. If a similar event was to be done at Real Madrid or Man Utd, the amount of players attending, and the love they would receive would be much less. Why? because they are NEVER loyal to their players. I therefore conclude, that there is place for loyalty in football, and that in fact it can be very important, but only to a certain extent (i.e. when being loyal to a player is hurting the team's morale, or drastically affecting the team's performance)