Well, what a welcome relief it has been to see
Arsenal back in action. No more rumours, concentrating solely on performances
on the field and we have won back to back games away from home.
Sadly that is not
reality, nor is it September. The rumour mill is now in full on hyperdrive and
nothing is getting in its way.
Over the course of the last six days, we have played two friendlies, scored
bags of goals and made our supporters in two nations extremely happy. The
latter being the most important aspect of both friendlies, purely because
friendlies don’t mean anything. It is a fitness and sharpness exercise ready
for the tough season ahead. I’ll confess, I haven’t watched a second so far,
because like the players, you can’t replicate intensity of a competitive fixture.
That said, I do have a
subject matter for this week’s blog and it is none other than Luis Suarez. Last
Saturday @invinciblog did a fantastic job of piecing together the controversial timeline of the Uruguayan but I need to put my points
across.
I hate him and I don’t want him anywhere near my club. I even hate the fact he
gets to play at our stadium once a season. A player that cheats, bites and
racial abuses fellow professionals repulses me and it looks like that circus
act may be coming to our stable football club.
Suarez is a player who
is disliked throughout the league and it’s not because he is great player and
fans are jealous, it’s because people can distinguish between the good and the
bad. Much like with Ashley Cole, who is roundly booed in the majority of
stadiums because he’s not a likeable character.
I have seen of the
course of the last few days, that OUR fans are beginning to defend him.
Hypocrites of the highest order. The tribalism that exists within the Liverpool
support disgusts me, as they continuously see no wrong in what he does. Next
thing you know we’ll be banging on about our history, oh wait.
He racially abuses Patrice
Evra – So that is Evra’s fault.
He dives – Blame the
ref.
He bites opponents –
That’ll be the press to blame.
The mere fact that he
will consider a move to Arsenal tells you that his press ‘excuse’ is utter
nonsense, unless we have moved leagues in the last few days.
So when did it become
acceptable to defend all of the above? If it’s purely because he would wear our
shirt, then that’s just ridiculous and pathetic. We’ve had players in the wrong
before but they’ve learned from their mistakes – Tony Adams went to prison for
drink driving, Paul Davis broke Glenn Cockerill’s jaw and Patrick Vieira spat
on Neil Ruddock. All disgraceful (on different scales) but they learned their
lesson. How many chances does Suarez want? Maybe Arsene Wenger thinks he can
calm the elusive forward but he can’t keep himself out of trouble and teams
will continue to provoke him because he will snap. Wenger’s last trouble maker
purchase was Emmanuel Adebayor and that went exactly to plan. He continued his
billy big potatoes attitude and the club got rid.
Whilst Liverpool
supporters get their knickers in a twist about Evra lying and all the rest of
that nonsense – he used racist language towards an opponent. Now, I’ve played
in my fair share of football games and there are many players that dislike me
(of all skin colours) and you know what? Not once did I even think to bring
skin colour into it. Suarez did though. Of all things he could have mentioned,
he let that run through his thought process and that’s what he wanted to say.
Did I mention he also
punched an opponent (on the sly) whilst on international duty? Have a look below. A game in which he had picked up a booking and would subsequently be banned
for their next match. And you want him at our club?
Some of our supporters
are dangerously close to morphing into Liverpool fans. Maybe you can all meet
up and form some sort of movement to protect poor old Luis. It’s made me feel
quite nauseous; even Suarez’s latest ad (in Uruguay) had our fans chuckling. Here’s the thing, you wouldn’t want to
work in an office with Luis Suarez because he’s a twat.
If he signs, he signs,
there’s nothing I can do about it. If he scores, I’ll be happy because it’s a
goal for our team but I won’t change my tune just because he signs for my team.
I will always defend my team (when necessary) but when players are clearly in
the wrong then forget it. The fact is he will cause trouble and if he does sign
for us we can have no complaints when he is banned and for the possible effect
it has on the team as a result. You don’t buy the player you buy everything
that comes with him. I just hope this transfer never materialises but something
tells me it will. Even writing this blog has made me feel angry, he just can’t
sign for us but it would appear biting an opponent got him a move to Liverpool
and the racist abuse and biting another opponent gets him a move to Arsenal.
That just cannot be right, can it?
Michael Jeffares
I’m a 30 something year old Gateshead lad but thankfully my Dad is a cockney and he put me on the right path in life, taking me to my first Highbury game at the tender age of six.
Despite my obvious geographical disadvantage I am a season ticket holder and I attend quite a few away days as well.
I like to express my opinion which resulted in me starting a blog. I’m delighted to be part of the WTTGT team and you can read ’The Michael Jeffares Column’ every Friday without fail.
If anyone can tame Luis Suarez, it is Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.
Robin van Persie was an utter wanker at Feyenoord, if you will recall.
Look, I don’t like Suarez one bit either, especially the racism. But I somehow trust Wenger in this…
I would love to know what you think about van Persie now?
Just because he was in the wrong before, doesn’t mean he has to be confronted with this all his life. He had his punishment and has said sorry. A bit harsh to go on about it like he committed murder! Like it or not, we need Suarez more then he needs us! If he behaves well in an Arsenal shirt i will cheer for him. If he misbehaves himself the manager and club should handle it in a correct manager. Up to the Wenger if he is willing to take risk (juding on the bid, he is willing too).
We need a striker and there seems to be three available – Rooney, Higuain & Suarez. Why purchase the most expensive player with the most baggage? Seems illogical.
why i think this is stupid. The best players in the world dive. Ronaldo, Messi, Thierry Henry. Henry cheated with that double handle assist. Messi handled to score as well. Terry racially abused Antoine Ferdinand but the media doesn’t make that much of it he is after all a local. The Terry incident is all in the past now, so much so that many including me have forgotten about it but we are left to constantly bombard Suarez with small reminders of what he had done. He Bites, so what? I have seen the GREAT Zidane headbutt a player on the biggest stage in the world the world cup finals. Some say Suarez had done it before and he doesnt learn; but so has Zidane the world cup headbutt was his second headbutting offense. I have seen Scholes punch people. RVP had so many disciplinary problems before we took the chance and brought him to Arsenal and we made him into Captain material. The club would be lucky to get a world class player like Suarez.
What you seem to missing is that fact that each player has there own isolated issue (as mentioned re: Adams, Vieira & Davis) but he has several different misdemeanours against his name.
As for the "He Bites, so what?" – That’s a joke right? Because you cannot be serious.
Signing Suarez is favorable as a statement of intent for the Arsenal football club. That’s the primary reason why signing him is not a bad idea. We need a player to come in and produce, even if it is only for a season or two. I think his quality will remain high and we can sell him for what we pay for him most likely, if need be. But, in the immediate future, he would represent Arsenal’s intention to win, he may aid us in actually winning, and while not the most likeable or honorable of players, he has a very solid knack for finding the back of the net. I think that representation far outweighs the flawed character that we would be inheriting. As you said, we got rid of Abedayor (thankfully) and we can do the same with Suarez. Let’s agree that the time is now to add to our trophy case and he would be a huge asset in enabling that to occur.
He can’t be quality when he is suspended though and he seems to have a bit of a suspension fetish. He had a good year last season but his record as whole is not spectacular. Ade once had a great season and it never made him a great player.
There is not doubt Suarez has skill, but I cant begin to imagine him in a Arsenal shirt I’m afraid that the skill doesn’t make up for the constant diving, the racial abuse and the "oh poor me the media hates me" the media doesn’t hate Suarez in fact its quite the opposite they love him because there is always a damn good chance to be a great story when ever he is involved.
On the other had I do agree with Sipho too Arsene is a brilliant manager and could do the seemingly impossible with Suarez. But I think for many Arsenal Fans out there he will have a long road to travel before we trust him and even maybe one day love him.
As for the 40mil being bashed around, it just blows my mind that any player bar maybe a Messi or a Ranaldo could even come close to being worth that much. I rather spend the 40mil on a couple of world class defenders before buying any striker at 40mil. In my personal opinion Suarez is a long way from being worth a insane 40mil
it’s a long road indeed, probably the length of the A1. I just can’t see how we go from one extreme to the other. We’d smash our transfer record by 25m and I don’t think he’s worth it.
The sad truth is, as bad a person as Suarez is, he is very likely to thrive at Arsenal on the pitch, given our slump over the last couple of years that’s exactly what Arsenal needs, add his premier league experience and young age and you see why the club could infact seriously consider him. Hopefully he will straighten up abit, but he is worth the gamble.
He probably would thrive but it doesn’t mean we’d have to adore him and worship the ground he walks upon. You shouldn’t be gambling when you pay 40m.
Michael – firstly, I respect your feelings about Suarez. As I wrote in my article – thanks for the mention, by the way – he certainly divides opinion. We’re all entitled to our own views on someone/something.
Perhaps it is unfair for you to accuse Gooners of "changing their minds’ regarding Suarez. They may (or may not) have formed a solid opinion about him before he was linked to us, but suggesting that they are merely conveniently choosing to ‘ignore’ or ‘forgive’ his faults because they are trophy-desperate or morally ‘loose’ is perhaps a little unreasonable?
I for one had an un-informed, knee-jerk opinion about him, and wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about, so I spent a pretty long time researching him and his deeds. I focused in particular on the racism issue, because it fascinates me, and I think 99% of what people think they know about the case is mistruth, rumour, conjecture, or even outright lies.
When you say "he racially abuses Evra – so that is Evra’s fault". That is just plain incorrect on both counts.
You may be over-simplifying for effect, but whether you believe that statement to be true or not, I’d strongly suggest that you read the full FA Tribunal report, the Liverpool and Suarez official statements, and then, if you have time – the following articles:
http://tomkinstimes.com/2012/01/all-spanish-speakers-are-racist/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16430580
http://tomkinstimes.com/2012/01/the-suarez-decision-lfc-grounds-for-appeal/
http://afootballreport.com/post/15301344153/flaws-and-consequences-the-curious-case-of-luis-suarez
You would be doing yourself and your readers a favour.
Michael – I personally think you are doing yourself a disservice by not educating yourself on the Evra Incident, since that ‘racist bone’ is sticking in YOUR throat – as it is in many Gooners’ – and threatens to make your support of the team difficult, should he sign.
But, more than that, and the reason I am commenting – is because I believe it is wrong when people throw out the phrase "Suarez is a racist", over and over again, without a basis for the accusation, other than a severely lop-sided and questionable decision by an over-reaching FA tribunal (consisting incidentally of Paul Goulding, QC – a die-hard Spud; Denis Smith -a man with strong ties to SAF and Darren Ferguson – and, who in his autobiography claims to have ‘saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job’; oh, and of course – David Gill, Chief Executive of Man Utd and an FA board member). It just serves to perpetuate a falsehood, never mind the effect it has on Suarez himself, love him or loathe him.
I’d go as far as to say that calling someone who isn’t a racist a racist is probably as damaging as the very thing of which he stands accused!
Regarding his gamesmanship: Suarez had 2 yellows for simulation in the last two seasons at LFC. In comparison, Bale had 4 in last season alone for Spuds. As I mentioned in my stats – Suarez has only had one red in his entire career (approx 260 games) and 64 yellows (approx 1 in 4 games).
As Khaleel commented below: the physicality that Suarez shows (apart from the mental dental approach) is part and parcel of playing at this level. Messi, Zidane, RVP, Henry, Vieira, Fellaini, Scholes – they’ve all shown questionable physicality and gamesmanship at times.
I understand that Suarez is an unlikeable character. As I mentioned in my post – I’ve treated him mostly with distrust and disgust since the WC2010.
That said – I do believe that he receives a lot of unfair press, some folks just plain can’t stand him because he’s the Boogeyman to them. But I prefer to base my prejudices on information, not hearsay. I’d rather form my own opinion, and take flak for it, than swim with the tide.
I’m not asking you to ‘change your tune’ because he may sign for Arsenal. I’m asking you to reconsider parts of your opinion on him, because I believe they may be unjustified.
Written with utmost respect – please read it that way! 🙂
Thanks for replying Batmandela.
I think the Evra incident is coated in lies and ignorance. Suarez changed his story, was charged for using racist language and subsequently banned – for which Liverpool did not appeal. If they truly believed that the panel was let’s say corrupt, then surely that favoured their appeal as lawyers would rat that out straight away. I know you pointed out that Evra didn’t actually believe he was racist but in my mind you don’t use that form of language – maybe it’s just the way I am. I never see skin colour as an angle for attack – for some reason he did. I also don’t think he can be excluded from racism because he has a black relative – in a way that makes it much worse. That said, the panel claim to have unseen footage which led to the charge and because of that hidden element there will always be speculation about him not using racist language.
As I have explained to you it’s one of many elements behind why I don’t like him. It’s not just the sole factor but it does contribute massively, as does the biting.
The thing is it won’t affect my support of the team because first and foremost I support Arsenal. He will not impact that but it doesn’t mean I will ever like him. I have disliked some of our players in the past, namely Wiltord but I won’t resort to booing or being counter-productive within a stadium. Unlike many fans who have booed the likes of Eboue, Ramsey & most notably Adebayor.
I did pick up on your blog about the Ghana penalty incident and for me – I don’t have that much of an issue with that action – I think I’ll leave that thought with you.
When you look at his disciplinary record – He has been booked 18 times over the last two seasons. That’s a lot of bans and that’s without the racism suspension and the on-going biting charge. He’s missed a lot of games because he can’t control his temper or emotions. Yes, others have lost the plot and most players need that edge but Suarez has gone too far.
I couldn’t have said it any better. The hypocrisy from Gooners on this clown has been sickening. What’s hilarious is that if we sign him and he does something to get sent off or suspended (and make no mistake, he will), Gooners will whine about the negative coverage and claim it’s typical media bias against Arsenal. It’s just infuriating.
The one good thing about this saga is that it’s once and for all shown Gooners up for what they really are…and that’s no better or worse than any other group of fans. And fans of any club are, by and large, completely and utterly full of shit. And hey, if you’re one those that’ll admit to being a full on hypocrite, then I’m cool with it. Be whatever you wanna be, just own it. But don’t get all affronted when your sudden about face on a rat faced clown is called out. That’s been the most bothersome part of all.
I hope we don’t get him. Hilariously he’s just about the only decent striking options seemingly available now, but I’d sooner bring in no one than But if we do, I want to know exactly how and why Wenger wants someone who’s arguably been the world’s most detestable and disliked football player in the last twenty years. Considering he couldn’t reign in the likes of Adebayor, Bendtner nor Gallas, the idea that he can change around someone that’s far worse than those three combined is simply not believable.