By Andrew Hutchinson
I’m sure most of you have heard the press rumours about Liverpool making a bid of £5 Million for Gael Clichy.
When I first heard the news my first reaction was….. I was perplexed… it just didn’t seem right to me. My Brother is an Ardent Arsenal Fan.,… so I’m constantly extolled with the ‘virtues’ of Arsenal.. but one thing that stuck me was his lack of anything positive to say about Clichy,…. so when the news came out about him and us.. I was confused to say the least.
Is he good enough to play for Liverpool?
The questions been swirling in my head for a good 24 hours now.. and so I had an idea… why not see what other Arsenal Supporters are saying about him…. are they disappointed to see him go…. ready to picket the front gates or the emirates.. or are they queuing up in their cars outside his door waiting to drive him to Anfield.
The initial results I’ve found make grim reading if I’m honest……………
After doing a search on newsnow for Gael. I came across an article on a blog called “Arsenal Truth”. Titled Clichy’s progress will be fascinating – at another club.
First paragraph of interest:
It will, however, be fascinating to see how Clichy develops at another club. His athleticism is unrivalled and technically he’s sound, but positionally the French left-back is dismal. Mentally feeble, he is prone to consistent and costly panic attacks. Under Wenger, Clichy has been a mechanical loose cannon from day one; but under a coach that can instil regimented discipline and mental strength into his game, he might yet develop into a much better full back.
Ouch…. It doesn’t get any better:
I could be wrong of course, Clichy might simply be an overpaid dimwit. Out of all the horrendous defenders Wenger has bought, Clichy has surely cost Arsenal more points than any other. I know it’s a team game, but his individual mistakes have been perpetual and consequentially disastrous.
And the subject of Clichy comes to an end with the following missive:
I have longed for the day that Clichy got sold, and it’s down to Wenger’s poor decision making (or blind-sided arrogance) and ineptitude as a coach that the player has been held onto for so long when most top clubs in Europe would doubtless have dumped him at least three years ago had he produced equally poor levels of performance for them.
Now…… don’t get me wrong there is a chance that the author of the article is a bitter gooner,…. or the comments that were added to the article that mirror his views were also from disappointed gunners…,and if anyone can set him straight defensively,…. then surely Steve Clarke can…. BUT… whatever happens… it is a gamble? Gambles can become successes no doubt, but the questions I have are:
· Is he the best we can get for that position?
· Does he have what it takes to smooth out the potential issues he seems to have?
· Does he meet the standards of a Liverpool player?
I’d Appreciate your views
YNWA