We still love you Freddie
695 comments July 24th, 2007
Freddie Ljungberg’s nine-year stint at Arsenal is over, but his love affair with the Arsenal fans will doubtless continue for a long while yet.
When Ian Wright left Arsenal, it was obvious it would take a remarkable character to fill the number eight shirt. But from the moment Freddie made history by lobbing Peter Schmeichel just four minutes into his Arsenal debut, it was clear the punky young Swede had the personality to fill Wright’s shirt. What’s more, he had the goalscoring instinct to match.
When Robert Pires’ 2001-02 season was tragically curtailed by his cruciate ligament injury, Arsenal’s double pursuit was suddenly in doubt. But Ljungberg had other ideas – a stunning end to the season saw the flame-haired midfielder finish the year with 17 goals. For a player who had been signed just a couple of years earlier on the back of a Man of the Match display in an internatinal against England, it was a remarkable achievement.
Arsenal.com have compiled a few of Ljungberg’s greatest moments. For me, my favourite Freddie goal will always be his double clinching strike in the 2002 FA Cup Final in Cardiff. It was the first cup final I’d attended, and Freddie’s gutsy strike made the journey home with my Chelsea supporting brother so very sweet.
In the years since then, Freddie has suffered with a string of injuries, from reocurring hamstring problems to, in typically unusual style, tattoo infection. However, this committment to the cause has never been in doubt. Even in the past two years, when his decline has been most evident, you could never say Freddie didn’t care.
But it’s undoubtedly the right time for him to go. These stats from Sky Sports show that in the past two seasons, he’s managed just one league goal. In eighteen appearances last term, there were no goals and no assists. In the light of those facts, the £3m fee doesn’t look too bad at all.
At his West Ham press conference, Freddie painted a picture of a disillusioned Arsenal dressing room who were struggling to cope with the break-up of The Invincibles. I understand Fred’s perspective, but I think the truth is simply that the current Arsenal squad is not the one he remembers. His friends, his team-mates, have all moved on, and now it is his turn. I personally have no doubts that Ljungberg will do a great job for West Ham. Their fans love a character like him, and I expect that Ljungberg’s huge character will remind them of their former talisman, Paolo Di Canio.
I spoke yesterday about wanting to hold on to Ljungberg’s experience. Now he is gone, he needs to be replaced. We need a wide midfielder who can play on either flank and score goals. And if they have half of Ljungberg’s determination and spirit, we’ll be OK.
The other major news is that Danny Fiszman has delivered a crushing blow to anyone potential buyers of Arsenal with this statement. I think the most heart-warming extract is this:
“I have been a member of the Board for 15 years now. The Club has experienced many successes both on and off the pitch in that time and being part of the Arsenal family is something that is not only in my mind but also in my heart.”
Fiszman is a businessman in his head, but Arsenal is in his heart. Let’s hope this puts all the speculation to bed for now.
Absolutely no chance of that, eh.
I’ll leave you with a few more Freddie moments. Enjoy. It’s not a crappy compilation of fancy flicks, just goals goals goals. Goodbye Fred: as a friend of mine would probably say, you were fuckin’ excellent.
