Arsenal is great for Thierry, and Thierry is great for Arsenal
It's fantastic to be an Arsenal fan and see the headline on teletext stating that Henry wants to stay at Arsenal!
My own conviction has always been that TH would not turn his back on the club that he has often stated in the past that he owes so much too. When I recently heard Jamie Redknapp say he was sure TH would be at Barcelona next season, this conviction became even more rock-solid… Redknapp's analysis is never the best!
It's the right decision for Thierry. He is Captain and the main personality of a football club with a magnificent tradition and set of supporters; he plays under a magnificent coach with whom he has a special relationship; he will be a leader of a magnificent new generation of young footballers; and AFC is moving to a magnificent new stadium which will bolster revenues for team-building.
Arsenal has been great for Thierry, and Thierry has been great for Arsenal. He is already AFC's top-ever goal-scorer, and in his six seasons at the club he has won championships, cups, and in two consecutive years been voted the second best player in the world (in 2004 he was robbed of being number one by dubious voting!).
TH only needs to see how the fans adore Dennis Bergkamp for his loyalty to AFC to see how great it would be for him to commit his long-term future with the club. Conversely, Arsene only needs to say the names Marc Overmars and Emmanual Petit to put across the point summed up by the phrase: 'the grass is not always greener on the other side'.
TH is a winner and his continued presence in the team will be invaluable for the likes of Francesc, Reyes, and RVP who need winners to look up to and emulate. His presence will also be vital in attracting top players to the club, and for not allowing opponents to think that AFC are on a major slide.
Of course Thierry needs to sign the new contract before everyone connected to AFC can totally rejoice, but I'm prepared to be confident that he will do so because of the above reasons and his own words published today. It's a fantastic prospect for all Arsenal fans and fans of Premiership football in general.
posted by T at 1/07/2006 11:18:00 am
EFT match of the season for 2008/2009: Barcelona construct a masterclass footballing performance to defeat the reigning Champions League holders and current English champions, Manchester United, by a scoreline of 2-0 in the 2009 Champions League final in Rome
EFT player of the season for 2008/2009: Chelsea central midfielder, Frank Lampard
EFT player of the month for May 2009: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for April 2009: Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for March 2009: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for February 2009: Phil Jagielka (Everton)
EFT player of the month for January 2009: Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)
EFT player of the month for December 2008: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for November 2008: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for October 2008: Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for September 2008: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for August 2008: Amr Zaki (Wigan Athletic)
EFT match of Euro 2008: Turkey's amazing comeback from two goals down to beat Czech Republic 3-2 as captain Nihat Kahveci's two goals in the last three minutes sensationally put his country through to the quarter finals at the expense of their beaten opponents
EFT player of Euro 2008: Spain (anchor) central midfielder, Marcos Senna
EFT match of the season for 2007/2008: Liverpool win titanic Champions League quarter-final second leg 4-2 against Arsenal that also saw two of the best football moments of the season - Fernando Torres' top corner strike and Theo Walcott's thrilling run across the whole of Anfield.
EFT player of the season for 2007/2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for May 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for April 2008: Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
EFT player of the month for March 2008: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for February 2008: David James (Portsmouth)
EFT player of the month for January 2008: Ronaldo (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for December 2007: Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers)
EFT player of the month for November 2007: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for October 2007: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
EFT player of the month for September 2007: Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for August 2007: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for May 2007: Carlos Tevez (West Ham Utd)
EFT player of the month for April 2007: Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd)
EFT player of the month for March 2007: Carlos Tevez (West Ham Utd)
EFT player of the month for February 2007: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd)
EFT player of the month for January 2007: Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for December 2006: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd)
EFT player of the month for November 2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for October 2006: Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton Wanderers)
EFT player of the month for September 2006: Andrew Johnson (Everton)
EFT player of the month for August 2006: Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth)
EFT match of World Cup 2006: Italy win a thrilling 'end-to-end' World Cup semi-final 2-0 against Germany courtesy of two late extra time goals from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro del Piero 
EFT player of World Cup 2006: Italy captain and centre-back, Fabio Cannavaro
EFT match of the season for 2005-2006: Liverpool win the FA Cup final 3-1 on penalties against West Ham after a Steven Gerrard-led fighback saw the Anfield side recover from 2-0 and 3-2 down to level the match in normal time
EFT player of the month for May 2006: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for April 2006: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for March 2006: Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur)
EFT player of the month for February 2006: Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Middlesbrough)
EFT player of the month for January 2006: Jason Roberts (Wigan Athletic)
EFT player of the month for December 2005: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
EFT player of the month for November 2005: Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
EFT player of the month for October 2005: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
EFT player of the month for September 2005: Danny Murphy (Charlton Athletic)
EFT player of the month for August 2005: Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd)
EFT match of the season for 2004-2005: Liverpool win Champions League final 3-2 on penalties against AC Milan after sensationally recovering from 3-0 down to level the match in normal time
8 Comments:
I am over the moon. Although Theirry has his weak points-he doesnt close down defenders, he cant play with his back to goal, he doesnt attack the box enough and he is not the greatest captain in the world, no body is perfect. He will lead the team to greater heights than ever before
1/07/2006 11:38 am
I fucking love that man. Everything he does reeks of class. Legend!!
1/07/2006 11:54 am
What a beautiful and selfless man and player he is to put the club and his family before himself and his career.. to have him actually say "After the blow of losing Patrick I don't want to be the cause of this club going into the new stadium in a mess" says everything about him...everything.
Double D and the board don't mess this up.
1/07/2006 12:34 pm
It's the kind of news Gooner fans have been waiting for, similarly to Liverpool fans about Cisse, when a popular player sends rumours into embers, regarding speculative transfer possibilities, to the positive for the club. How could Jamie Redknapp be that certain, he knew something we didn't?
Rose, I'm interested in where you read or heard those words.
Anon (11.38AM), I couldn't imagine those words said about Henry seasons back. But he hasn't been as sharp, as solo as previous and that was down to some reason, which this recent statement may aid to bury altogether. I wonder if Arsene Wenger will contemplate another world class striker to add tot he numbers in May, or wait until after the World Cup.
McGibb, appreciate your passion for the news but not the profanity, please.
As Henry said, it's time to now get on.
RedsMan.
1/07/2006 3:00 pm
it would have been a big loss to english football if henry had left, but nothing is for certain in football. i mean how close did gerrard come to leaving liverpool only to change his mind at the last second, and what about viera? he also said he "loved the club" but departed the season after.
1/07/2006 9:00 pm
SKG, I definitely take your point about nothing being certain until its done, but the case histories of both Pat and TH are very different and that's why I can trust TH but could never fully trust Pat.
Redsman, Rose is quoting Henry from the Sun (good to have your comments Rose). Re Henry's sharpness: I agree he is not looking AS sharp as in previous season's... but I think this is more to do with not being 100% fit and recently having to play a new role that doesn't fully suit him. Saying this, I hope the feel-good factor generated by his announcement will see him on fire again!
1/08/2006 3:06 pm
Redsman, I don't want to bring up a sore point, but isn't it a bit more like you waiting for Gerrard to sign? I wasn't aware that you all valued Cisse so much.
I agree with t regarding Henry's sharpness; he's still scored 10 in 14 Premiership matches. It's just a shame that so many fellow gooners were slagging him off when one of the reasons he purports for staying is the fans' support.
1/09/2006 3:02 am
Anon (3.02am), yes, Henry's statement about staying is on a par with that of Gerrard, both of similar status at their respective clubs. In referring to Cisse, I mentioned a recent player than refer to Gerrard pre-season. Gerrard's case isn't a sore point for me, now that he is at Liverpool, but certainly would have been otherwise!
RedsMan.
1/09/2006 11:09 am
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