And so, Arsene Wenger has taken the unusual step of all but confirming the arrival of Thierry Henry before the paperwork is yet complete:
“For two months it certainly will happen. I don’t take care of the agreement and insurance and that is not completed.
We cannot announce anything [now] because the paperwork is not done.”
Only Arsenal fans could greet the probable return their record goalscorer and arguably greatest ever player with anything approaching dismay. I remember when Liverpool signed a washed-up, overweight Robbie Fowler in January 2006 and heartily heralded the return of “God”. Arsenal fans seem comparatively nonplussed.
I understand why. Whatever state he might be in, Henry can only come in for a maximum of two months, and after February we’ll be back to relying on Park and Chamakh. Head over to arseblog.com and listen to today’s arsecast, where you’ll hear me discuss my desire for Arsene to bring in someone who can bring in someone who can provide legitimate and long-term support for Robin van Persie.
Let me just briefly collude with the critics and say that given a straight choice, I’d probably rather take Lukasz Podolski for four years than Thierry Henry for two months. However, the decision to bring in Thierry suggests that Arsene feels his primary targets are not going to be available in January. There is no point replacing his already substandard attacking options with another substandard player.
However Thierry’s physical condition may have degraded, he is still Thierry Henry. You have to remember that in electing to come back, the player himself has everything to lose and nothing to gain. Is that a risk he would take if he felt he was genuinely past it? I suspect not. In my time as an Arsenal fan, I have never seen a player so image conscious. Everything – his interviews, his transfer flirtations, even his celebrations – were expertly stage-managed. It was as much his intelligence off the pitch, as well as his brilliance on it, that helped make him a living legend at Arsenal. Over the past few years, he has had many opportunities for the perfect goodbye, including that emotional appearance as a Red Bulls player at the Emirates Cup this summer. A player so conscious of his own legacy would not dare jeopardise that by coming back only to depart with a whimper. If he’s coming back, it’s because he believes he can make one last, lasting contribution.
I was fortunate enough to be stood just yards away when Henry broke down in tears at the unveiling of a statue in his honour just a couple of weeks ago. As he composed himself, the fans around me burst in to song: “Arsene – sign him up”.
Arsene was listening, and he has. The King is returning. Fire off the 14-cannon salute, and for God’s sake, smile.
when we resigned sol campbell he was probably one of our most consistent performers during our usual end of season collapse. henrik larsson was a very good signing for utd when he went there on loan. i think it is a positive step in the short term. a no brainer. even at 34 he is far better than any of the other striker options we have on the bench. it is the stuff of dreams for him to come off the bench on monday against fulham and score a blinding winner even if he does use his hand to do it.
wenger himself said he wont play for 2wks after he signs..enough time to get match fit he says..id say that would be leeds on jan 9 or six days later at swansea i think(not sure)..i believe that will be the situation where he plays our cup matches, n maybe the last 25min in premier games wen weve either locked up a result or locked in where we cant get a result ie. wolves at home…
Wonderful news! Good read as well
if it’s one of dismay-it’s not aimed at henry but wengers lack of foresight once again-van persie needs support for MORE than two months fffs!it’s a nother cheap option/excuse not to spend the cash.end of & same old shit!
Good stuff, even if he only scores 1 goal I imagine it will be one of the most celebrated and cheered goals of the season.
Where can I find a hi res version of the statue pic? Would make a brilliant wallpaper.
thank you, i agree whole heartedly with your statement of taking podolski for 4yrs over thierry for 2mths..i was trying to make a case on other sites bout the quik fix notion and how it doesnt really move us forward but rather a band-aid move to patch sum cracks..ie campbell, lehmann!! what we lack is width and pace. apart from hennessey havin the game of his life for wolves against us, i believe with theos pace on the pitch, maybe even ox, we would hav killed the game 1st half… i suppose this is why i would lean towards a permanent signing of lets say a podolski for that reason.. i love thierry, but ppl seem to think he jumps straight in as striker…not gonna happen..why take rvp out of his best position to weaken the team..another thought- in the wolves game, yossi in my eyes had the game of his life, jumped first to every ball in the air, competent passing, linking up with all round him, and chasing every ball down wen we dont have it…my point is that he too is at the wrong side of 30, and it showed wen his lungs jus wouldnt last the distance..we all bag big arse arshavin wen hes lazy to chase n defend, are we aloud to get onto henry if his lungs wont allow him to chase.. i doubt it very much!! but i do take comfort in what u said that our beloved thierry wouldnt jeopardise his legacy n believes he has somethin left to offer..i also trust in our manager wen he says hes still good enough and still has it..i jus dont think we should jump the gun in believing he’l play the 90 n score for free..henry on his own, isnt a bad move.. but getting a player with pace and a proven scoring record of high standards to complement a move to nth london with thierry..NOW THAT WOULD BE A MASTERSTROKE!!! good post mate, thnx
I’m absolutely delighted that the King is returning. I fully intend to get his name on my shirt. However, it would be a mistake to not follow his signing up with that of another top quality striker/attacker. Henry’s signing is quite apparently a short term solution, that is not designed to deal with the greater problem of not having any real cover for RvP. With up to £60m in the bank, a failure to sign such a player in January would suggest that the lessons of our traumatic summer have not been learned.
It is also worth noting that when it comes to talking about transfers, Arsene is useless. He would never come out and state that “yeah, we definitely need a striker, cos what we currently have is shite.”
Fingers crossed for Podolski.
Awesome news!!!!
Totally agree with the Podolski thing but having Henry back might get the underachievers YOU KNOW YOU ARE !! To remove there fists from there arses and buck there ideas up………
Henry is GOD
And roll on the man u game in jan….can’t wait
4-2 Gunners
gs .. nice post… get back in to being regular postings….
mabe allow people for you to do postings for you or indeed even suggest a topic for you to comment, we can then get back to the halcyon days of 800+ postings,,, these days we we get around the same number as a Bangladesh ODI score
congratulations on your victory over india WEG..bloody game tho…
Just goes to show that the Aussie tactic on days 1 and 2 were correct. Get bundled out cheaply, force Tendulkar and Dravid to bat for a full day to tire them out, and then tip them over on days 3 and 4!!!!
Good post GS. All i’ll say is don’t expect miracles from Titi. I don’t know what Arsene will do. Put him up front and put RVP on the wing? RVP is in the form of his life. Would be suicidal to move him to the wing.
Move titi to the wing? What’s he going to do there? He doesn’t have pace no more. Now that Arsene has got Thierry we won’t be signing another striker. Now once thierry goes in March and RVP gets his inevitable injury who will play upfront. Chamakh? Ha. Park? Ha. Theo or Gerv? Both can’t finish.
Mark my words we wont get 4th spot if Arsene doesn’t get another striker. He has ruled out a left back? Yeah makes sense with Santos out long term and Gibbs who can’t last 15 minutes on the pitch. But we have Vermaelen? Yes put our best Centre half in Left back. Great Arsene!
agreed..great to hav thierry back, for the spirit of the club, but his coming back 2 training has already done that n it has shown.. bit worried bout our positional play and lack of pace all over the pitch with this move..
An Arsenal’s legend no doubt but seriously that’s it, I mean if a team like arsenal can’t sign a 20 -25mil striker then we have a big problem. Are we really a top 4, well the way it’s going right now top 6 team. Arsene gets on my freaking nerves sometimes just plain stuborn so that’s it no signing in Jan right? Some of u guys might be happy wig this but am not this is just plain ridiculous. Anyway just get me 3 points thus weekend damn
The thing is that class looks classier when it’s lined up with dross. Much like a rose looks rosier when embedded in shit. Or how my penis would look nicer when placed in a line-up of English penises.
Honestly, considering the team he’s rejoining, Henry doesn’t have to do much to ensure his legacy continues – just pick up the ball from halfway, dribble past half the team, side-step the keeper and pass the ball into the net.
Simples.
Patrick Vieira believes that Steve Bould would be an excellent manager once Wenger hangs up his croissants. I concur. Steeve BOuld has done an excellent job with the yoofs of the ARsenal, and it’s not his fault that many of them aren’t being given a chance (Lansbury, Dirty Sanchez, WEJET, chuckles, Benny), nor that Wenger believes in signing yoofs instead of promoting his own.
Steve Bould, upon prmotion, would immediately bring about the sort of swift change is status and structure that those of us in the know wish would happen sooner. Steve Bould would quickly implement a side consisting of :
Chezza
Sangas Vermie Kozza Gibbsy
Jackie Boi Rambo Songa Oxie
van P, Theo
with subs like:
Ryo, Chuckles, Benny, Iggy Pop and Kyle “Barto” Bartley.
How could we lose????????
HE woudl also buy back the outstanding WEJET and give him the bollocking of his short lfietime, hence, turning WEJET into a titan or a colossus of the sport and the only man who can lift his mercedes with his WEJET… you know I’m talkin’ downtown!!!!!!!
ok i can deal with the right back issue.. even if j.dourou was out inured, le coq can play there unconvincingly, but on the left back if verm was to get a knock what then, what if gibbs n santos arent back in a month..this is a suicide move by not loaning cover..reminds me of 09-10 season at centreback with squid the main man, no cover..the excuse was to not waste money on a 6th centre back for a four yr contract.huge mistake!! does he do this to get us excited bout names like wayne bridge..really worried
There is no doubt th is providing cover, buts not for chamahk. The cover is for wenger. This will deflect attention from the fact that over the last 6 yrs we have been getting progressively less competitive and less ambitious. It’s a very nice smoke screen for when fourth slips out of our reach. It’s a great replacement for st totts day which we won’t be seeing this year. Thanks arsene. But arsene you should thank Titi cos he is the one that really provided you the legacy that you now feed off. More a carcass than a legacy though if we were honest.
i heard through the grapevine that liverpool were looking to ian rush to cover for suarez..nd if defoe rumours having a bust up with arry rednose are true than id suspect teddy sheringham to be on the calling cards..giggs,rush,teddy,thierry…WHATS GOING ON, must be that economic crisis we all hear about..(bad joke i know)
Anyone read these jokes on Spuds?
Harry Redknappp went into Burger King and asked the assistant for two whoppers. “Sure”, she replied. “You’ll break into the top four and win the Premier League.”
++
What have General Pinochet and Spurs got in common? They both round people up into football stadiums and torture them!
++
A man was found drowned in the River Thames today. He was dressed in a Spurs shirt, frilly knickers, stocking, suspenders and high heels. However, Police have removed the Spurs shirt to save his family any embarrassment.
++
What’s the worst thing about White Hart Lane? The seats face the pitch.
++
Did you know that Jose Mourinho was offered the job at Tottenham? He turned it down claiming: “I’m not that special.”
++
What’s the difference between a Spurs fan and a shopping trolley? The trolley has a mind of its own.
++
Three old football fans are in a church praying for their teams.
The first one asks, “Oh Lord, when will England win the next World Cup?”
God replies, “In the next 5 years.”
“But I’ll be dead by then”, says the man.
The second one then asks, “Oh Lord, when will Chelsea next win the European Cup?”
The Good Lord answers, “In the next 10 years.”
“But I’ll be dead by then”, says the man.
Finally, the third one asks, “Oh Lord, when will Spurs win the Premier League?”
God answers, “I’ll be dead by then!”
++
How many Spurs fans does it take to change a light bulb? None – they’re quite happy living in the shadows.
++
What’s the difference between a battery and a Spurs fan. A battery has a positive side.
++
A man walks into a pub and pounds his fists on the bar. “All Spurs fans are idiots!” he shouts. Another man at the back of the bar jumps up, “I resent that”. “Are you a Spurs fan” the first man asks. “No… I’m an idiot.”
++
The fire brigade phones Harry Redknapp in the early hours of Sunday morning, “Mr Redknapp, sir, White Hart Lane is on fire!”
“The cups, man! Save the cups!” cries Harry.
“Uh, the fire hasn’t spread to the canteen yet, sir.”
++
Diary
Monday: Stayed in. Dad came downstairs and kicked me up the backside.
Tuesday: Stayed in. Got punched in the stomach by Dad.
Wednesday: Stayed in. Dad tried to suffocate me with a plastic bag.
Thursday: Stayed in. Dad urinated all over my bed sheets.
Friday: Stayed in. Dad tied my testicles to electrodes.
Saturday: Dad took me to watch Spurs play. Wish we’d stayed in.
++
A primary teacher starts her new job at a school in Tottenham and trying to make a good impression on her first day, explains to class that she is a Tottenham Hotspur fan.
She asks her students to raise their hands if they, too, are Tottenham fans, whereby everyone in the class raises their hand except one little girl.
The teacher looks at the girl with surprise and says “Catharine, why didn’t you raise your hand?”
“Because I am not a Tottenham fan”, she replied.
The teacher, still shocked asks: “Well if you’re not a Tottenham fan, then who are you a fan of?”
“l’m an Arsenal fan, and proud of it.” Catharine replied.
The teacher could not believe her ears. “Catharine, why are you an Arsenal fan?”
“Because my mum and dad support Arsenal, so I’m an Arsenal fan too.”
“Well”, said the teacher, in an annoyed tone, “That’s no reason for you to be an Arsenal fan; you don’t have to be like your parents all of the time. If your mum was a prostitute and your dad was a drug addict, what would you be then?”
“A Tottenham fan.” smiled Catherine.
@arsenaltruth.squarespace
For me, the signing of Henry is the saddest of all…..Here is a player that we should be proud of and instead it will be like an ageing Muhammad Ali entering the ring and embarrassing himself.
And you know what; this shows more than anything else that AW is the biggest self-serving fucker that he is. He must know that TH will not do anything and likely embarrass himself but he uses this signing in getting the brainless supporters excited – it’s one big PR move that will ultimately only satisfy his own agenda and ridicule one of our modern heros. The man doesn’t care who he steps on in order to placate his own job.
Unbelievable!
It’s quite amazing how AW manages to get all the AKB’s out from their holes.
Here they all are creaming themselves about TH.
Are you fucking nuts??
What the Fuck is wrong with you people (Including GS)? I’d rather have Podolski for 2 weeks than Henry for two months.
That’s what you should be saying GS – not this Wenger ball sucking crap.
GS, you have truly lost the plot – along with your slave master; Wenger. It’s like the fucking Pied Piper – but in real life……astonishing that there are so many morons that have no ability to think for themselves and happily let another person lead their thoughts – I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!
Wenger sticks his flute in his mouth and chief protagonist GS dances a merry tune…..you couldn’t make this shit up.
Let me help the idiots; signing TH is the biggest joke around – He is in his rightful resting place MLS. This is equivalent to the Scottish 2nd tier or our 4th tier and you expect a player from those leagues to perform at Premiership level – come on idiots – get your thinking brains on – It’s not rocket science.
How many non premiership capable players does it take Wenger to sign before you realise Wenger is a clueless moron who’s hoodwinking you at every opportunity.
How many? One? Two? Three? Ten?
Year after year he shows he has no idea about signing players – but he’s an expert at getting rid of our best players.
What’s his move next season:
** BERGKAMP IS BACK **
Get a life. Get laid. Get out more.
Go Suck Wengers cock – He’s missing you!
Much of what you say is true. But you are a one track mind. You have said before that you don`t belive in AW`s mental strenght crap etc. And now you claim his/our team is utter shit players. One of your views must be wrong, since we innfact have a pretty decent team which is 4th in the pl ahead of chelsea, and we are in solid form.
boss Thierry Henry will liven up the arsenal game, evry1 will watch n the opposition will be uncertain of this former beast who used to poach…he will make the arsenal team more frightening, Henry n RVP with Walcott n Benayoun on the pitch, scary stuff, den bring the OX from the bench.
Haha…scared of Henry?? You obviously haven’t seen him play recently.
When/If you see him play….then come back on here….I think you’ll be surprised how different a player he is these days. I very much doubt he’ll get much airtime with AW apart from the customary 10-15 mins here and there.
will do bossman, Wanadooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
We are missing our attacking fullbacks. We are not stretching defenses enough with width (both Theo and Worf prefer to drift inside), because the makeshift FB we do have are more defensive in nature (as well they ought to be). Makes for tighter defence, but means that poor quality teams can clog the middle and park the bus. Wolves pulled it off; QPR tried to do the same but were not successful. Note when le Coq entered at FB, and things loosened up promptly: Theo’s miss (!) and RVP’s goal. Le Coq is more the attacker.
Just a thought.
A correct thought;)
I can’t believe Theo’s having a war over his wages, seriously Wenger should start playing OX. I cannot believe Theo’s miss yesterday, arrrr. WHy r we letting frimpong go out on loan, wat if song gets injured, whilshere aint back yet!!!
Young Walcott could do with a wee slap if you ask me, cheeky little bastard, that 1 on 1 miss yesterday was appalling. The boy’s had smoke blown up his arse for quite long enough now, it’s time he got a grip on reality before taking the piss with wage demands. I wouldn’t mind persevering with him a while longer but if he’s about to get greedy then bench the bastard and let a keen and grateful Chamberlaine have a go.
Where the HELL is Park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved the look on Aguero’s face wen city lost to Sunderland