Who?
Arsenal almost signed me - Barton
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Who?
NOPE. Barton has English grit. Therefore >.
Fellaini. Moyes has pretty much admitted he may have to sell again in January, and the stalling of contract negotiatons between the club and him have alerted Arsenal and Spurs. Makes sense. If talks break down with only 18 months of contract left, he'll be worth half the value before long, and would be ideal cover for the players who go out for the African Nations Cup (or whatever its called).
---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------
Grit counts for nothing when you're a gobby little **** causing trouble.
I personally don't see how Arsenal fans are in any position to say they are too good for a player. 4 point from 5 games should show that, and considering your own teams disciplinary record, again, I don't see how someone being a *** or 'footballing cancer' (really..? sigh) has any negative effect on him joining your team? I haven't seen Barton stamp on anyone this season. Just saying.
To be fair, the fact that you have to say that rather speaks volumes.
I'm not fan of Barton, and quite apart from his off-field behaviour I don't think he's good enough for Arsenal. Technically he's all right for an English player, but for an Arsenal player he just isn't good enough.
No, the fact that he hasn't actually done anything wrong this season, yet people still call him a footballing cancer, while their own players stamp on people, and they rarely manage to finish a game with 11 players is what speaks volumes.
Sure, when Arsenal had Fabregas and Nasri, he wasn't good enough. But compared to Benayoun/Ramsay/Frimpong/Diaby, he is just as good, if not better imo. Granted, he isn't as good as Arteta, when they are both on form, but Arteta hasn't been on form for the past 2 seasons. Obviously, Wilshire is better than Barton, and so is Song, but they regularly play 3 in the middle, and Barton can also play on the wing, where Walcott/Gervinho/Arshavin are far from excelling this season.
It's too easy to write people off over off the field issues, but why should they even matter, Arsenal don't look like the tight knit team of old, they often look disjointed, their heads go down way too fast when they go behind, why would someone with a disruptive personality have any effect? It's not like he has much moral/team spirit to disrupt.
Tbh, I am glad that he didn't go there, Arsenal are on a downward spiral, they need to invest in their defence much more urgently, start actually spending money on good player, but considering they probably wont have champions league football next season, I can't see them attracting the best players.
I admit that's taking it way too far. Barton's not an angel, but to call him a footballing cancer is a bit ridiculous. I don't remember anyone calling El-Hadji Diouf a footballing cancer...
Most of you are under-rating Barton, sure he has a lot of baggage and i don't think he'd be the right signing for Arsenal or any other 'big' team for that matter, but he isn't a bad player, some of you are acting as if he's Rob Hulse standard when based on footballing ability alone he's probably in the top 20 midfielders in the PL, including his versatility.
(omg, im so biased!)
(omg, im so biased!)
Not in my opinion he isent, Song is not good enough for a top 4 side jus my opinion.
That's pushing it.
Anderson
Carrick
Young
Giggs
Park Ji-Sung
Nani
Fletcher
Mata
Lampard
Meireles
Silva
Yaya Toure
Cabaye
Gervinho
Walcott
Song
Wilshere
Gerrard
Lucas
Downing
Modric
Et cetera.
Admittedly some of those aren't the same type of player as Barton, but hey, you said midfielders.You missed out Tiote!!
You missed out Rooney. Him and Silva are playing in same position
All right all right! For ****'s sake. XD
I only took them from about 5 clubs and chucked extras in. It was just quick rundown off the top of my head.
But, in the list he has posted, he's named.. what.. 4 Arsenal players, 2 with which I would disagree with in terms of being 'Better than Barton' in Walcott and Gervinho, who are both inconsistent, with Walcott having one good game in every 10 he plays and often looks lost, and I am yet to see Gervinho really justify his £12m price tag, to be honest, apart from maybe earning a place in the National Science Museum for having a head the size of the moon, he has looked anything but good, average might be a better word. I wouldn't put Arteta on there either, on recent form, well.. the last 2 years anyway, Barton has been miles ahead of him.
Now, I am not saying Barton would be the first name on the team sheet, but granted he would be good enough to be on the team sheet. Football isn't about who is the nicest person, it's a results business, I would take someone who is a massive **** and amazing, over a nice guy who is average any day of the week.
And anyway, I am sure there are plenty of players around 10 years ago who would have been proper ***** off the pitch, and I imagine most of it back then you wouldn't have heard about, but due to the massive increase in media attention, and the fact that the media are ***** and try to dig up everything and blow everything out of proportion, twinned with the increasing use of social networking by 'famous' people, we hear every ******* thing these days, admittedly Barton is a **** on twitter, but who is to say back in the day, Roy Keane for example, wouldn't have done a similar thing? Would you still label him 'footballing cancer'? What about Tony Adams? Maradonna? These players could have been utter twats in their youth, or even in their later years to their career, who knows? Would you suddenly hate them if you found out? No, probably not.
I am probably fighting a losing battle, I am not really trying to convince anyone otherwise, just trying to put the point across that Arsenal fans are too eager in their dismissal of this revelation by Barton. Look at who they were apparently going for in the summer? Linked with all these big names and then they sign a playmaker who is 2 years past his best, and another attacking midfielder who rarely played at a top four rival and is also, way past his best, spend £12m on a player who had a **** of a chance in joining Newcastle (not a top 4 side by a long stretch)? What happened to the Hazard's, the Mata's, the Jan Vertonghen's? I just don't understand what's going on, replacing world class players with players that wouldn't even get into a top 8 side? I wouldn't have Yossi or Arteta starting at Newcastle, I wouldn't see them getting into the Spurs team, or anyone else in the top 7 or so. How could you turn down a player of Bartons quality, on a free, and then be happy about it, sitting in 17th place and looking like you're going down rather than up?
Hopefully this isn't the start of the end of Arsenal being a top four club, but with re-investment in the squad like the last transfer window, I just think it's deluded that Arsenal think they will finish anywhere near the top four this season. To turn down a player of Bartons quality on a free, when you are having obvious problems bringing players in during the summer, and be happy about it, is just as deluded.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Vertonghen
I've never labelled him a footballing cancer, but the negatives outweigh the positives for me, especially given how Arsenal player view him, even before the gervinho incident.
He's free, doesnt mean he is going to get on with the players.
As for Arsenals business, i've gone on and on about this all summer berating the board/wenger. Something stinks in the boardroom when it comes to transfers.Arsenl should have had Mata for 13million and 70k a week, in fact they a deal with the player, then it fell apart before chelsea even came in.
There is a reason why the very best didnt look at a very good free player, and thats his temperament, still question marks against it