Thierry Henry

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Anyone else feel he is going to leave the Gunners at the end of the season?

Just watching the Arsenal game and i couldn't help but notice just what a poor side Arsenal look at the moment. Their away record speaks for itself where it is poor by their standards.

I always thought away games would suit their style as they have the players for quick and effective counter attacks.

If i was Henry i would be looking around at the standard of players in the side and think they aren't as high as the standard he has played around in recent seasons.

Wengers signings are becoming less and less effective as he was once bringing in Bergkamp, Viera, Henry etc but now they have players suhc as Reyes, Hleb to name a few and while they have their odd game here and there they aren't consistently cutting it.

There is a huge danger of no CL next season if they continue at the rate they are and i can't see Henry being happy to play in the UEFA cup, especially at the age he is getting as he is nearing the tail endof his career.

A new stadium is about the only sign of ambition from that club to me at the minute.

He might just start to think a side like Barcelona is becoming more and more attractive as the season nears an end.

It just seems to me he has gone as far as he can with this club and if he has any real aspirations of CL glory before his career is over i believe he will need to get away from here and onto a bigger club.

Thoughts?

[all_funkt_up]

Thierry Henry's smoking crack
Thierry Henry's smoking crack

[all_funkt_up]

In all seriousness (for once) Kiko - he has to leave. He is another player that is too good for the club. I rate him alongside Michael Owen. I sincerely hope he leaves for a decent price and goes on to enjoy as much success as Little Welsh Mickey

[mrmuzeman]

You can guarantee if Arsenal dont make top 4 Thierrys outta there. Its 50/50 if they do make it tho i would say as theyve got the new stadium.

[Brewelly]

I cant see Henry leaing Arsenal, he loves the manager, the club and most all the fans. Do you see his reactions when he scores for us!! Pumping his chest kissing the badge, winning the CL with anyone else wouldnt be the same for the man.

And as for our new breed of players, if you rememeber it took Thierry 2 full seaons to settle in - he was awful in his first couple - same with Viera. Reyes needs more time, and i truly beleive Hleb will be a major star for us in a couple if seasons.

Then theres Van Persie - one of the best prospect in the world, maybe i am slighly biased but some of the things that lad does is awesome. Blackbnurn game for example.

Also i think its really unfair the amount of stick we're gettin at the moment - you show me another team who can cope with 8 defenders out, 2 strikers and a midfielder, We're not a bad team and wenger just doesnt in one season lose his touch, he's an intelligent man he knows Chelsea's spending power and feels the best way to rival them is play for tyhe future. Not this seaon maybe not next but one after that we'll be there and in the emirates stadium.

The future is bright for the gooners no matter what everyone says

[ONEDUNME]

The future may be bright but the present isn't and you can't blame people for commenting on it, so the stick is hardly undeserved.

It's not the players you have out that's important (every team can point to injuries etc), it's the ones you have in. when you go from being unbeaten in a season to winning just 3 games away from home, you deserve all the slating you get mate. They're a shadow of what they were and it's right that people point that out.

I'm not saying they won't come back with a vengence next year but at the moment they, won one point more than Middlesborough away from home and that's just shite.

[keemanan]

eeerm Rioch bought Bergkamp by the way . Henry will be there to lead them out at their new ground I think , he'll give Wenger chance to rebuild I feel

[ONEDUNME]

Nothing against Arsenal but I think he'll be a fool to stay.

I'm all for loyalty and the man can't get much higher in my estimation as he's as near to the perfect pro you can get and an absolutely brilliant player.

But

His choice is to hang around for two years and hope that Arsenal get stronger (and that Chelsea, Liverpool and United don't, which is doubtful) or go to a ready made Champions League winning side with the prospect of a shoot out with Real Madrid for next year's La Liga to even further raise his profile and a big wadge of money thrown in.


I think he'll go. I think it'll break his heart but in the end he'll go.

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Originally Posted by keemanan

Henry will be there to lead them out at their new ground I think , he'll give Wenger chance to rebuild I feel

Its all about ambition now imo.

He is 29 this summer and a player of his speed and skill doesn't have many years left so he has to ask himself how long he is prepared to let Wenger rebuild as i don't think Wenger can build a side to challenge for the CL just yet, i mean they may not even be in it next season they rate they are going at.

If he does stay i will applaud his loyalty but slate his ambition, thats for sure.

[Hippy Dave]

Originally Posted by Kiko

Wengers signings are becoming less and less effective as he was once bringing in Bergkamp, Viera, Henry etc but now they have players suhc as Reyes, Hleb to name a few and while they have their odd game here and there they aren't consistently cutting it.

To be fair, people weren't saying how great the signings of Bergkamp (looked past it), Viera (not exactly great at first) and Henry (wasn't even a striker) were back then. I think Wenger will have Arsenal back challenging within the next couple of seasons once some of the younger players improve.

Henry surely would have gone by now if he really wanted to leave, don't see him leaving in the near future.

[crowie]

Originally Posted by Brewelly

Also i think its really unfair the amount of stick we're gettin at the moment - you show me another team who can cope with 8 defenders out, 2 strikers and a midfielder

Fair points Brewelly but its not just the last month when players have been missing that Arsenal have been poor. Away from home they have been very lightweight all season.

For the last few seasons they have been a strong side, right through the team but look at the spine of the team now and you can see the issues

Lauren and Campbell in defence are the wrong side of 30 and, Campbell especially, seem to be losing the qualities that made them good solid players.

Vieira is a huge loss from midfield and his supporting cast of Gilberto (wrong side of 30), Pires (likewise) and Lungberg are just not doing it. Pires and Lungberg were good for 20 goals a season from midfield between them, how many do they have this season? 4, all from Pires, in the league.

Bergkamps influence has also decreased considerably in the last season or a bit, understandable again given his age.

That really leaves Henry, Toure and Ashley Cole from the "Invincibles" to carry the can. Cole has been injured and not exactly settled, Toure has still been there most of the time but Henry just can't do it all of his own back.

I would also say the replacements, much like Man Utds, are still not entirely dependable. Clichy, Senderos, Fabregas, Flamini, Reyes and Van Persie have all got some decent potential but none of them appear to be Vieira or Campbell-like consistent as yet.

The younger players that have featured also seem to be not quite ready, or may never be. They are all supposedly top notch but I would argue that you can only pull exceptional youngsters out of the hat now and then and Arsenal at the moment seem to need about 5 or 6 of them to come through now which I doubt will happen.

Personally I think it will depend on where Arsenal finish in the league. If its in the CL then Henry may stay, ifs its outside the top 4 then I can see him off.

[keemanan]

Bergkamp (looked past it),

signed by Rioch :sigh and far from past it , had a couple of dodgy years at Inter where he hated all the travelling.


It was mentioned on five live and you have to agree that Arsenal need more english/british players , none in last nights 16 . All the top teams have a good english spine.
Should have bought Wright-Phillips IMO

[ONEDUNME]

But why were'nt they saying they needes more English players when they were winning the league Keem?

It's bollox. A good player is a good player whether they come from Manchester, Milan or Mars.

There's just no logic to it in my view. It's like the argument about proffesional referees. Pay them more and they won't make mistakes. It just doesn't make any sense.

[keemanan]

They had seamen Cole and Campbell ODM

[ONEDUNME]

Come to think of it, they WERE saying they needed more Enlish players when they went through the whole season unbeaten. I remember the first time they fielded a side without a single English/British player in it. There was uproar.

I can't see any logical reason why signing an English player should be any better than any other than keeping the Enlish media off your back.