Morning.
I could look up the internationals to see who with an Arsenal connection played, but I can’t be arsed. It’s an Interlull. The sooner it’s over the better. So, what else to do on a day like this to fill the blog space but an ‘On this day’, as I delve back into the archives.
October 11th 2003
Young Gunner John Halls is going on loan to Stoke. He says:
“My aim is to try and impress Tony Pulis and get a regular place in the side and also impress Arsene Wenger because he has said I am still part of things at Highbury.”
He certainly impressed Tony Pulis because he signed permanently for Stoke that December, then had spells at clubs like Reading, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Aldershot Town.
Later, after football, he became a male model. Or just a model, I suppose, but when I say ‘male model’ it makes me think of Zoolander and that amused me.
October 11th 2007
Kolo Toure reveals why the Arsenal squad have nicknamed Mathieu Flamini ‘Gattuso’.
Amazingly Gattuso himself provided the answer some years later.
Also on this day, I reported on a story which said that Barcelona had taken Fran Merida to court after his move to Arsenal. The court found in their favour, meaning the young midfielder had to pay them £2.1m for his future value and the training he’d received up until his departure to London. At the same time, the Spanish papers are saying that the Catalans will ‘never rest’ regarding Cesc and will ‘launch an offensive’ to bring him to the Camp Nou.
Arseblog comment:
The irony of Barcelona using the press to try and unsettle a player who has a long term contract while taking out a lawsuit and making a teenager, who had NO contract, pay a £2.1m fine isn’t lost on me. ‘More than a club’? Yes, indeed. A club of complete and utter cunts. I hope their fucking stadium falls down while they’re rebuilding it.
I was so much more fruity with my language back then, and as any Arsenal fan who attended our last fixture against Barcelona can attest, the stadium is practically falling down, so maybe I’ve got some powers I’m not quite yet fully aware of how to use.
Let me try something:
Sp*rs are complete wankers and I hope a sinkhole appears in the middle of their new stadium.
Now, we wait.
October 11th 2012
Two Arsenal players sit down and interview each other for Spanish outlet AS. It’s Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta. Looking back, what Santi says about the man who is now manager of the club will resonate.
When I arrived, I was a little surprised at the level of respect that you have in the dressing-room. But when I saw you with the group and on the pitch it’s obvious that almost all consider you the Captain. You are a leader. I’m no good at that, nobody would listen to me! But when you talk they listen.
Nicklas Bendtner said more or less the same thing when I interviewed him for the Arsecast, and while the only surprising element of this is how quickly it’s happened, that Arteta went into coaching/management and ended up back at Arsenal should be no surprise to anyone.
You can still read the Cazorla/Arteta piece here on Arseblog News.
October 11th … ah fuck it
See, the problem with doing an on this day in the middle of October is that every single day is in the middle of an Interlull, so there’s a lot of nothing going on. So, frankly, I’m going to stop right here and just have some breakfast. I don’t think it’s right or proper to use up brain power on a Sunday when everyone out there is just chilling out anyway, so I’ll save what little I have for tomorrow.
For some extra reading though, ahead of his own book coming out in English, here’s Arsene Wenger answering questions in the Observer. Nice one, Mr S.
Have a good Sunday folks, I’m craving an Orange Mocha Frappuccino for some reason.
