So as William Gallas talks about how proud he is to be captain of Arsenal, Gilberto Silva has spoken of his disappointment at being passed over for the job. He said:
Of course I was surprised because I was captain all last season when Henry didn’t play, and after his move to Barcelona I naturally thought I would be this time.
And he wasn’t alone. The general feeling amongst fans was that he was the right man for the job and I’m told the players were as shocked as anyone when Gallas was appointed. I thought Gilberto captained the team to great effect in Henry’s absence and while some might say he’s not a shouter and screamer what he did was lead the team by example. He probably had his best ever season in red and white, we know he was a captain off the pitch as well as the Christmas party was held in his house and overall he did a good job.
Being the top professional he is though he’ll get on with things and give 100% to the club but he’s obviously upset about the way the situation was handled, saying:
Arsene is the manager and it is his decision and I have to accept that. Life goes on and I will get on with my job like I always have. But I was surprised he didn’t speak to me about his decision. He had the time to do it because I was at the training ground before it was made public.
He didn’t say anything to me and I just found out about it that evening when I saw it on the Arsenal website. I wasn’t upset about not being captain, but I was about the way I learnt about it.
Now, for a man famed for his man management that is very poor, you have to say. What would it have taken to spend 10 minutes with Gilberto before making the terrible decision to have Gallas as captain, just to explain his completely wrong decision to the man who led his young team so well the previous season? Is that the way to reward good service? I had more or less gotten over the Gallas appointment, distracted as I was by the actual football, but I felt sorry for Gilberto at the time and I feel even more sorry for him now. Whatever Arsene’s reasons for making Billy Big Bollocks captain the way he has handled the situation is very disappointing and we can only hope that it doesn’t cause further resentment within the squad.
The Chairman, P2D2, has been talking about the club’s finances and he reckons we’ve never been in better shape and there’s money there for Arsene to spend. He says:
All these stories that the manager hasn’t got money to buy players are absolutely ridiculous. We’ve never denied him funds in 11 years and we’re not likely to now.
Keith Edelman said something similar last month but unfortunately for him and for the Chairman they’ve got a manager who appears to be allergic to spending money. Having made a profit of £255 billion this summer you’d think he might bring in some more players to the thinnest squad of his Arsenal reign but so far there appears to be little movement. The need for quality on the wings is there for all to see and while there may be no obvious candidates, Quaresma apart, there must be players who can come in and improve our first team straight away. There are now 17 days until the transfer window closes. Perhaps Arsene is just letting the money gain interest for as long as possible before he spends it.
Blackburn’s Morten Gamst Pedersen is a name that has been linked over the last few days. So there. He’s looked a decent player at times for Blackburn, capable of some spectacular goals, but doubts remain about his ability to play at the highest level on a consistent basis.
The team news ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League qualifier against Sparta Prague sees Adebayor definitely out with Eduardo da Silva rated as 50-50 and you have to think the manager will err on the side of caution with him. There’s no point risking him if it’s not completely necessary and Bendtner showed he can do a job when given the chance, despite his obvious rawness.
If you fancy two tickets to see Blackburn v Arsenal at Ewood Park on Sunday then simply click here to enter a very simple competition. It’ll run till Weds at midnight then I’ll announce the winner on Thursday morning. It goes without saying that you need to be in a position to actually travel to Blackburn to collect your prize and see the game, doesn’t it?
And that’s it for this morning. Good day to you.
