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Robin Van Persie: Another One On The C**t List
RVP has decided to join one of Arsenal's biggest rivals, but I blame the departure entirely on him, not the club.
On Tuesday July 3rd, Arsène Wenger wrote the following in his Eurosport blog.
“We want to keep Robin van Persie at all costs, because we depend on him offensively. I have always supported him even in the hardest times, and I hope he will end his career at Arsenal.”
Obviously riled by Arsène’s words, Robin van Persie and his camp (including Darren Dein) replied in kind with two fingers the very next day, releasing a statement outlining a refusal to extend his contract, whilst publicly questioning the direction of our club.
“This is an update for the fans about my current situation.” Note, the statement was for us, the fans. Not himself. The following statement by Robin van Persie was of no benefit to Robin van Persie.
“I have kept quiet all this time out of respect and loyalty for the club and as agreed with Mr. Gazidis and Mr. Wenger, but since there is so much speculation in the media, I think it is fair for you guys to know what’s really going on at the moment.”
“Respect”. “Loyalty”. “Fair”.
He wants us to believe that his team have not at any time, even wondered out loud, as to how much Arsenal would be willing to pay?
“As announced earlier this year, I had a meeting with the Boss and Mr. Gazidis after the season. This was a meeting about the club’s future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.” Not discussed? He wants us to believe that his team have not at any time, even wondered out loud, as to how much Arsenal would be willing to pay? That seems naive. Is that not what an agent is for?
“I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.”
“I”, “Personally”, ‘have been f***ing great, but my team mates? Those I captain? Not so good.’
“Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans, I don’t want to go into any details.”
“Huge respect” for Arsène, whose whole vision you are about to belittle, the players who you’ve already alluded to as being inferior, and the fans, whose club you are about to s**t on. Some respect.
“….but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward. I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract.”
Sincere apologies, Robin. What players did you want Arsène to sign? Did you have a formation in mind? Let’s play fantasy football (you’re in charge of course). Who will you pick? You’ve got £100m. Let’s see how much money you’ve got left to spend after you’ve paid yourself, the star of RvP FC.
Sincere apologies, Robin. What players did you want Arsène to sign? Did you have a formation in mind?
I wonder, if we’d let Thierry Henry pick and chose the players in 2004, whether he’d have thought to sign a Dutch teenager with a temperament almost as questionable as his jeans?
“You guys, the fans, have of course the right to disagree with my view and decision and I will always respect your opinions.” We do. You’re on the **** list.
“I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens.”
Stop now, Robin. The stench of b****ks is overwhelming.
Let me state that what Robin van Persie said might well be true, but this does not mean he had a right to say so publicly. Now, over a month and three quality signings later, his questioning of Arsenal’s intent have less substance. Had Robin questioned the club’s direction having already left, there’s no such issue. “I had to leave Arsenal because…”. His words came whilst he was captain of Arsenal Football Club. He talked of respect, loyalty and fairness, before releasing words which fly in an opposite ‘direction’ all together.
I understand the cravings of a world-class 29-year-old footballer to win things. The romantic side of me, the side in which my morals reside, thinks that a player whom Arsenal nursed and remunerated through seven injury-ravaged years might offer more than one good year before f***ing off, but that’s football. That’s footballers. The naive nature of a football fan believes their footballing hero when, in February 2011, said footballer talks with apparent genuine affection towards your club.
Stop now, Robin. The stench of b****ks is overwhelming.
“I don’t have the inclination to go anywhere. This is the best team for me to be in. The bottom line is that I want to win trophies with Arsenal. not anybody else.” Bollocks.
Or how about his first programme notes as captain of Arsenal Football Club in August of that year, where he wished Cesc Fabregas well whilst asking Arsenal fans to do the same, remembering that ‘its not as if he has joined another English club.’
How ironic then that Robin should be so adamant in joining Manchester United. What would Robin van Persie 2011 make of the Robin van Persie summer 2012? And what will United fans make of a player who joins them having pulled the same trick as Wayne Rooney did when agitating for a move to City? Wayne Rooney was younger, and United better placed to challenge and, more importantly, pay up.
Arsenal are rightly unwilling to do one, but the investment in Cazorla, Giroud and Podolski suggest efforts are being made to do the other. Such signings were obviously not enough for Robin Van Persie. Neither was the pay. I’d like Arsenal to lower themselves to the level of the Dutchman and reveal the details of his outrageous demands of salary and players. Show him for what he is.
Some will blame the Arsenal board, but for me they have played this summer well, lessons learnt from last summer. New signings arriving early, and although it is horrible to sell to United, rinsing the debt ridden devils for another £24m is good business considering the year left on the 29 year old’s contract. Arsenal did not want to sell to Manchester United unless they received a bid too good to turn down, whilst United’s overall spend on Van Persie, taking into account his wages, stands at a £65m risk, despite the injury record repellent. Remember that the next time Fergie accuses City of buying the title. The club cannot be blamed for letting the player edge so close to the end of his contract either. Not when the alternative would have been brining a pen and paper with £100,000.00 a week offer to the treatment table for the contract to be signed.
Some will blame the Arsenal board, but for me they have played this summer well, lessons learnt from last summer.
Every time you hope they will be different. You expect more from them than history teaches. Robin has removed my last remaining ounce of faith in footballers. Here was a boy pictured wearing the Arsenal kit in his bedroom as a kid like I did. Like Ashley Cole did. It means so little to some, that by the time they regress into a footballer, pounds signs flash and any respect for those who’ve helped along the way, paying for their horse placenta and such, is quickly forgotten.
Stars fade almost as quickly as they shine, and the next hero will mean less than the last.
My own life and the priorities within it are changing fast. I cant wait to dress my kid head to toe in Arsenal, but they’ll never have a name on the back of their shirt because none is ever as important as the name on front. None is beyond betrayal.
Robin Van Persie joins Adebayor, Ashley Cole and Samir Nasri on the c**t list. Mind that ankle won’t you? It would be horrible for you to suffer any sort of injury the minute you pull on the wrong kind of red.
Some will accuse me of being bitter. They’d be right. Is it not a football fans justification to take such actions to heart?
It shows you care, and beats being passive and wishing the greedy swine luck.
The original version of this updated article first appeared online at The Gooner - www.onlinegooner.com
Other great articles on Arsenal:
RVP Can Go To Old Trafford, The Future Is Bright Without Him
The Arsenal Fans’ Season Preview: Revenge For The 8-2 And Ignoring RvP’s Birthday
Arsenal: Expect Gervinho To Blossom Into A Real Wing Wizard
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COMMENTS
Typically bitter Gooner.
You're all on the c**t list you bitter frog loving, cheese eating surrender monkeys!!! You've only got one Song... n he's off to Catalan country next to join Cesc! Holloway rd is the land of chavs, not winners! Pick a proper team!
I have had terrible family news recently, and, this makes me feel almost as bad as I did, and, still do about my family news. Has it come to the point that any cheers by the crowd should be team songs rather than player songs, because, the players everyone sings about like the rest of them.
I am so happy that he left, he can not be the same player like he did last year.The fact is that we didn't have a better striker in our team so he was the one,honestly Vanpersi he is not a classic striker like Oliver Giroud we also ha e podolski and the new midfielder cazorla so we will be stronger this year fuck off vanpersi you fucken looser.
Great article !
Dear Joe, it's not you it's me.....this hurts me as much as it does you. Can we still be friends? Love Robin ps. I left a couple of CDs and some training gear at your place - let me know when I can swing by to pick it up - I understand if you don't want to see me so can you leave it on the doorstep? Thanks, your friend Robin
For me, being a club legend is a higher accolade than trophies. I understand why people regard trophies as the main judgement, but maintaining loyalty with a club and being a 'character', will reward a player with huge gratitude from the clubs fans. Hundreds of Thousands of fans could adore you, rather than a statistic in a footballing archive, or a medal to show off to your neighbour, or a worthless compliment from Allan Hanson.
Disgusting. 8 incredible year’s service he has given you (and let’s be honest, you would have finished 10th last season without him) and this is how you treat him. You should be ashamed of yourselves! Why is it you goons still love a badge kisser because they give the impression they love your club? Supporters of pretty much every other team worked out long ago that in 99% of cases club loyalty is dead and find the whole 'i love this club' badge kissing an embarrassment.
What a stupid blog here by Joe Mardon who cannot get his points across without using vu lgar language et. but poor Joe misses the po int completely,no trophies at the Emirates in seven long mediocre seasons,that,s why Robin van Persie now seems set to move to Old Traff ord,Arsene Wenger is to blame ,no none else so carrying on writing childish bs with vulg ar language,it only shows you up like Tim who also cannot post without using vulgar langua ge ?
Dave I think you're spot on. Like someone said, would you rather have Nicolas Anelka's career or Alan Shearer?
Totally agree with the article Van Persie has claimed to be a true Arsenal fan over the years and even slated the money teams like City but now he's no better than Ade and Na$ri. N17 you only got one Modric… erm no he's gone to Madrid and you can't even afford Adebayor. Sad times for Tottenham
We should blame only on club. The club like Arsenal looking only on profit can not keep their best players. Arsenal was looking for good money only for RVP, that's why he is sold out to ManUtd.
dont worry arsenal fans the chances of him breaking his legs are extremely good haha we worked him hard last year hes only year of full football. this year he will be tired and likely to gt injured also hes gting older last year was his peak he will never be what he was last season.
This thing called vanyi perse,his the person that he deserve to b booed his so shit his like used c
What do you expect? It's all very well signing Giroud, Podolski and whatever his name is, but look at the list of top players that have been allowed to leave over the last few seasons. However you look at it, that doesn't smack of a club that wants to be the best in Europe. Look at Man United. Aside from a record 80 million for Ronaldo, Rooney and Vidic were the 2 big players linked to moves away, and the club managed to hang on to them. Not many big names have left Chelsea when the club wanted to keep them either. There is a lot to admire about Arsenal, especially the style of football Wenger employs, and the financial independence they are striving to achieve, but they come across as a club whose only aim each season is to finish in the top 4. This obviously feeds on itself as more top players leave in search of trophies. I do laugh at the irony of all these Arsenal fans though, who are banging on about RVP only having one good season in the last eight, which is exactly what their own club has achieved.
Great article! It sums up my feelings pretty accurately. We should stop idolising players alltogether, we should idolise the club. I was thinking about getting Vermaelen or Cazorlas name printed on the back of my shirt, but you know what, I'm going to keep it clean, maybe put Wengers name on the back of it..
who wanys a row?
I don't think he is a c**t. You really are stupid if you think players are loyal. Why the hell would he want to stay at Arsenal and scrape into the Champions League and finish without a trophy (again).
Arsenal are a small club
You know, club and players have interests. And no only players but clubs also have loyalty towards players. Arsenal has never thought of selling him, they could easily replace him or sell him during his unlucky years when he gave less than he costed.But they didn't. No it was his turn to forget about interests and remember some stuff he talked about loyalty !
Yeah, but the point is it was Man U! thats a kick in the teeth to his former manager, teams mates and fans - regardless of your affiliation you have to admit thats low. Its not the point that we know that theres no such thing as loyalty - players should stop spouting such rubbish - a lot of fans are very romantic about their clubs, but Players shouldnt pretend they have any heart for their club or the fans. RVP wanted to win things, so why didnt he want to be the guy to lead his team to a trophy? Arsenal are a top 4 team, now hes just another bit part in the Rooney Road Show. One excellent season out of 8 average and largely injured ones and he thinks hes a king. Oh well, no one needs his kind of shenanigans in a team disrupting things - agree with GunnerJakob too - idolisation is not the one
Look at Man U's squad without RVP they are really weak so they really need him. Arsenal have a better mid-field, better keeper, and if Persie stayed a much better strike force. Only Fergie's determination got them to second last season. And they are going broke. If Persie had a bit of foresight he would have stayed and won something this season guaranteed
I understand the writer being bitter but players move on for all sorts of different reasons and fans just have to thank them for the good times and move on. United fans weren't burning Ronaldo shirts so just have some respect for players and their lives. Also Goonlife is funny, " Arsenal have a better keeper" no you don't de gea was the best keeper in the pl AFTER Feb/March and he will build on this. "Arsenal have a better midfield" well United's midfield has the most underrated player in the pl which is carrick. I'd take nani over the ox and Valencia over walcott anyday. Also ur best midfielder is more injury prone then M. Owen(wilshere)and song is possibly/probably leaving. So no Arsenal have a good team full of talent but they are NOWHERE near united.
Great. Not bad for arsenal to get £24m for injury prone 29 years old striker. Actually i don't mind letting him go since arrival of Podolski and Giroud. Arsene should consider julio cesar. Sczeney is weak compare to De Gea or Cech or Hart. Fabiansky is the worst GK i have ever seen. Defence need a little more chemistry i think. M'villa will b great replacement for Song if he join Barca. With wilshere back in October, Arsenal will b fine. Cupless drough will be soon be over if Arsene realize that depending on youth academy is not working.
Wow! 24 million bucks for a 29 year old injury prone plastic duck?? Desperate times for old Fergie indeed. Manure needs a midfeilder to replace the tired Scholes and a defender to partner Vidic that is if he is to get back to the form we've known him for but why not rip them off after all Vanyi persie will never have another season like 2011. 8 years at arsenal, 1 of football season, 29 years old now! interesting statistics isn't it? Get ready for astronomical medical bills you manure losers as for us we gat Pold, Santa, Giroud & the Verminator.
all the non gooners need to f*ck off this article, until this happens to u and ur club then u will understand why we are so pissed off
Amen
Here is the bottom line. Players are loyal to money. Rvp has one contract left in his career, and an odd 60 more years to live. He realises that if he does not cash in now, he will have far less money to spend for the rest of his life, and that makes sense; probably all of us reading this blog would do the same in his shoes. Yet, I do feel disappointed. Disappointed because for some stupid reason I thought rvp was different, and I still think he is. I think he will go on to regret his action even if he does win silverware. Nevertheless, it's a lot of money and he has a family to think about. I will boo him, and I hate him for hurting us and wenger most of all. All morality in football has vanished. Rip rvp...it really is a shame.
Since when have Manchester United been rivals of Arsenal? Rivals? Fuck off you sky "footie" mong. United have three rivals. City, Liverpool and Leeds. Arsenal have never been and never will be rivals of United.
He was there 8 years, how isn't that 'loyal'? It's only right that a player of his talent should want to join a big club after all.
Goonlife,shit for brains muppet,arsenal twats like you make me happy
@Colin - you must be a youth, United have been rivals of Arsenal for roughly 15 years. Granted, more then than now, but matches used to be like derbies. And clearly you've forgotten the times Arsenal won the league and cups.... though i suppose most people have
I really don't understand the whole i want to win trophies thing. they get paid so much for doing something they love and rvp was playing in every major tournament the game has to offer.
@Goonlife. Look, United did't need him. Lets be Honest. And trying to kid ourselves saying we have a better overall squad than United is, well, sad in a way. Im Devo'd, as I'm sure most are, but the way things are going, im worried about Arsenals future if we keep selling our best players. Look, we have a good Midfield when fully fit, but without Cesc and Nasri, it's no stronger than Utd's. And Saying Arsenal have a better keeper, i do agree to an extent, but De Gea started slowly, Szczesny started quickly, but De Gea improved dramatically, but Wojciech started to allow little mistakes into his game. I'm glad we havn't done what we did last year, but waiting until players left before panic buying, Podolski is a decent player, and can definately help in the goals department, as will Giroud, but Cazorla will add class to the team, a spark we missed with Cesc and Nasri leaving. But we should have just let RVP go for nothing next year. Let him give us one more season of goals, ad a title challange. But saying, 'we don't need him, we're better than them' essentially, is lying to yourself.
Colin, I reckon there just might have been a bit of a rivalry between the two clubs between the years of 97 and 2005. Or in 91 when a pitch brawl broke out at Old Trafford. Or in 88 when Mclair and Winterburn clashed after a missed pen in the cup at Highbury. Or in 79 perhaps, in one of the greatest FA cup finals of all time. Yours truly, a "sky footie mong" with a season ticket for over 20 years.
Goonlife, keep dreaming. Sure you have some good players but Song and then Walcott will leave soon, followed by whoever becomes your next best player, and the one after that, and so on. And de Gea will be a better keeper than either Flapianski or Scheesey can dream of being in 12 months.
Ah the sweet sweet sweet salty tears of an Arsenal fan watching another captain leave. I have never seen a ship sink quite this slowly, but it sure is funny. 7 years of sustained decline.
Rvp is playing career football and at 29 its time to cash in. Call him whatever you like, its a business and that was a solid decision.
Herp - You obviously have no clue what a "rival" is in football. Arsenal have a rival in Spurs. It don't matter what position in the league (or even what league they are in for that matter) they are, they are your rivals. It isn't fabricated by a few cunts on TV, it is real. You listen to what the utter twats at Sky say and because two teams are battling for a title they inform you that United are rivals of Arsenal. No. They are not. Fighting for a title yes, rivals no. Never will be. You might like the idea of being a "rival" of the biggest club in the land but I'm afraid to tell you that it is all in vain. Leeds two divisions below United are more of a rival that Arsenal could ever be. Sorry about that. Joe - Again, you are thinking about going for titles. I remember when Blackburn won the title and that hairy-handed halfwit at Sky was trying to tell me that United had a "new rival" in Blackburn. Yeah, Blackburn a rival of United. Because they battled for the league. Fuck off. As for the 79 cup final, I remember it well, I was a teenager at the time and it was a great game. But what the fuck has that got to do with being rivals? I also remember very well the 77 cup final when we beat our real rivals and stopped them winning the treble. Joe, stick to hating your real rivals, they might well be the top club in North London if you insist on selling your captains every year.
Colin - a rivalry does not have to be a local one, nor do I suggest it's the same as United/Liverpool or Arsenal/Spurs. I'd say Vieira and Keane demonstrated a rivalry existed without Sky Sports writing the script.
Who wants to play for a team that has won nothing in the last 5 seasons? Even when he had a phenomenal year last year the Arsenal didn't get any closer to winning a title. For me its ironic that he joined man utd, because now all the Arsenal fans are going to put him on their "C**t list" yet we just paid potentislly 70 million quid for a 29 year old who has a history of injuries not to mention our debt problems. Arsenal fans need to relax, if my captain even hesitated to extend his contract at my club I would want him gone ASAP. Also welcome to football in 2012 where it actually IS all about the MONEY, so deal with it because we had to last season when Man City won the title.
It just shows that players should keep their traps shut about their love for the team etc. - they claim to be true fans and have something invested in their team and criticise other players for leaving for money, then they do the same! of course people are going to call hypocrisy when they see it. @Kabir you say "team that has won nothing in the last 5 seasons" like Arsenal are a bottom table team - Arsenal are a top 4 champs league team, a captain of a top 4 should be proud of that and should strive to win and take his team to a trophy or title - RVP is just going to see out his days on a bench or therapy table like Owen and live vicariously through others' achievements. Arsenal hadd a bad start last season and STILL finished 3rd, any player would look at that and think "we can do better next season" maybe RVP thought his season was a fluke so went while the getting was good?
You Manchester uniteds fan need to button it about the naivety of us Gooners for believing in loyalty. Are you saying you never truly believed in the likes of Giggsy and Scholes, who, through loyalty, have shown the difference between being good and being a legend? what about the loyalty of fergie? No. I am grateful to RVP for his efforts, but I am disappointed that at the end of the day a 250,000 pay hike and a 'perhaps' promise of a trophy drew him away to rival team.
I never said arsenal are a better team. If we were better than Man u we would've won the league. I said we have a better mid-field and keeper when everyones fit thats my opinion. And we would be a better team than Man U had Persie stayed thats my opinion. Some of the responses on here are a bit silly and childish to be honest
@Jimbo "United fans weren't burning Ronaldo shirts so just have some respect for players and their lives" Ronnie never went to another PL team though... Agree with Arthur - what if a united legend left for another PL team? i can hear you now saying "that would never happen..." - so does that mean you get it? dont worry, when Fergie pops his cloggs or retires you'll slip - you wont be top of the league every season and you might even find yourselves as runners up with no trophies or titles for a few years - i can see you being really laissez faire if your players decide that City are winners, so City is where they want to play...
The biggest kick in the teeth is that we have been in a position to win trophies over the past 7 years and as any supporter knows when you need that extra push to get over the line you turn to your "star" players. Players like Fabregas, Toure, Na$ri, Adebayor, Van Persie. Yet where were these players when there time came? Where were they when the team needed proper grit and determination? they all talk about wanting to win trophies that's not the case... They want other players to win trophies for them and they can join in the celebrations!
What is it about Arsenal players and greed? Song is off now too. Why do we always have to take two steps back after taking one step forward? There is a loser mentality at Arsenal and it is going
Los Tres Amigos - the sight of Peter the great playing for City - even if he didn't directly transfer there - has always left a bad taste for me, and slightly tarnished his status as a United Legend.
Terry Henry left Arsenal at the same age as RVP. Is he considered a judas?
Get back to the safety of your foster home Joe. When you grow up into a maladjusted adolescent at some point in the next ten years, you will realise that Arse-nil are a great little feeder club. £24M for a 29 year old who is always at danger of getting Knee or Ankle knack at just the sight of the pitch is great business, espcially when your likkle club has ripped off Manure for that fee. As sure as shit is also known as shite Vermaelen will be nxt to leave as he has been made goon squad captain, and then after two seasons not even winning an egg cup Cazorla will bade a not so sad farewell. Get back in your cage and accept it!
@ Colin The age in which the player left is hardly relevant. TH14 gave the club many seasons of great service and didn't disrespect the club on his way out.
Don't blame RvP for leaving. Blame Wenger for his stupid flat wage structure that will not allow Arsenal to be able to attract top talent and to pay existing top talent to stay and win trophies, but instead pays a lucrative salary to mediocre players who would rather be sitting on the bench than to be transferred out even with a better prospect of gaining more playing time. I hope RvP wins a Premier league medal this year. He deserves one. He would never win it with Arsenal with the crap squad at the Club. Arsenal does not even have enough top class talent to field a full team.
Shut up Ben People can moan at Wenger all they like, RVP still would have left regardless. He wanted £££££££££ Arsenal would never (and rightly shouldn't) pay anyone 250K per week. RvP is a cunt, and I hope he snaps his leg when he comes back to the Emirates
All you guys dont act like saints..... Money s to be eanred and not burnt....
SABOTAGE
