THE GREATEST ARSENAL TEAM EVER ?
October 29, 2008 · Print This Article
THE GREATEST ARSENAL TEAM EVER?
Pondering the delights of the ‘Mighty Arsenal ‘while sitting through an extremely boring budget projection workshop, I jotted down my greatest ever Arsenal team. The names that came to mind and the images of the football I had seen over the years opened the doors to a retrospective hour that enhanced and encapsulated my history as an Arsenal supporter.
The first game I went to was when Arsenal played at Upton Park in 1978. We couldn’t get tickets to the visitors section so we went in with the home supporters. I was 9 and spent an afternoon on the Upton Park terraces with the ICF (thanks dad). The last home game I went to was Arsenal against Everton in 1998 when my hero Tony Adams scored a blinding left foot volley following a sublime ball forward from centre back Stevie Bould. That moment was up there with Michael Thomas’s last minute winner at Anfield, the ‘79’ Cup Final and all the times we’ve beaten Spurs and the Manc’s. I have travelled to numerous grounds throughout England to watch ‘my team’ and since moving to New Zealand have had countless bleary eyed nights in front of Sky Sports. I therefore consider myself eligible to share my team with you.
The magic moments are what carry me through the hard times, when were not doing so well. My best ever team is compiled from players I remember watching and who have played in my life time. The predecessors to my team could include Ted Drake, Alex James, Cliff Bastin and David Jack. Brilliant I’m sure, but not entrenched enough in my memory to make my team. I pick my team based on my memories of the footballing brilliance these players have and their ability to define and uphold what Arsenal Football Club signifies to me as a Gooner. There are players I omitted because I didn’t believe that they had the dedication to the Arsenal that they should have. Ashley Cole would have been at left back, but I still have issues with the way he left the club and the departing messages to the supporters. Nicolas Anelka would have been on the bench, but he also didn’t emit the virtues I would expect from an Arsenal player.
JENNINGS
DIXON ADAMS(C) O’LEARY SANSOM
PIRES VIERA BRADY
BERGKAMP
WRIGHT HENRY
SUBS: SEAMAN, KEOWN, MERSON, ROCASTLE, THOMAS
MANAGER: ARSENE WENGER
The choice of Adams as captain was straightforward; he is Mr. Arsenal and is everything a captain should be. I would love to see him back at the club some day. He spent 22 years with Arsenal, 14 of them as captain. I can remember Liam Brady taunting Spurs in 1978 when we won 5-0 at the Lane of Shame, and that Cup Final against the Manc’s in 79, what a dazzling footballer with a magic left foot. Brady continues to work wonders at the club with the Arsenal youth.
I was at Highbury to watch Paddy Vieira’s first game for us (‘Vieira wooah, he comes from Senegal, he plays for Arsenal’), a gazelle like individual, but with passion, stamina and skill to boot. Dennis Bergkamp is undoubtedly the best foreign footballer ever to play in England. Some may have a case for Cantona and Zola, but Bergkamp was a Dutch master who created footballing nirvana every time he graced the Highbury turf. His passing and tenacity in front of goal were breathtaking. Ian Wright was all about hunger, passion, pace and power. A bargain 2.5 million pounds from Crystal Palace in 1991, Wrighty then went on to break Cliff Bastin’s club goal scoring record. Thierry Henry was a mercurial Gallic genius with breathtaking speed and flair. Henry effortlessly broke Ian Wright’s scoring record. He was a prolific goal scorer for club and country and won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions. Imagine the top two goal scorers in Arsenal’s history playing in the same team, fantastic.
The choice of Jennings over Seaman was a tough one. I believe that Seaman had one of the best defence’s in the history of the English league in front of him and that without them he would have been a tad more exposed. He was also prone to the odd error (remember Nayim from the half way line in 1995). His short comings were also seen when he wore the shirt of England.
It was a concerted effort to get the team down to eleven men. Some of my fondest Arsenal memories are watching Paul Merson, Charlie Nicholas and David Rocastle passionately wearing the Arsenal crest on their chest. Also on the peripheral of my team were Francesc Fabregas, Sol Campbell, Marc Overmars and Romford Ray Parlour. A plethora of great players who had donned the famous red and white shirt.
All that is left to do is to pay a visit to the Emirates and witness the new breed emerging through the ranks. The youth emerging at Arsenal are astounding and the youngsters coming through the system as well as the kids we’ve scouted look extremely promising.
I wonder if Glichy will knock Sansom out of my team, or if Walcott can displace Bobby Pires? I consider that the places of Brady and Adams will always be a safe bet.
That’s my ‘Greatest Ever Arsenal Team’. Would you make any changes? Take a moment, reminisce and ponder the magnificence that is Arsenal.
Cheers
Gooner Baz
Cheers Baz , great article. If anyone else would like to submit theif Greatest Arsenal team, and their reasons behind it, please reply to this post.
Bill
I now have been to the new ground and now would like to go to Rome to see the only team i love
Jennings, Adams, O’Leary, Nelson, Sansom.
Brady, Fabregas, Vieira, Pires.
Bergkamp, Henry.
Subs: Seaman, Arshavin, Ian Wright, Overmars, Sol Campbell.
My selection is a mixture of the world-class and the nostalgic.
I’ve been following The Gunners since ’77 and some of my favourite players are from that younger and more impressionable time. Pat Jennings has always been my favourite player and was the most confidence-inspiring keeper I’ve ever seen.
Sammy Nelson was known among his fellow players as a huge Arsenal fan (I remember Pat Rice saying he’d never known a player who was such a big fan of his own club) – so that’s why he’s in!
Kenny Sansom is one of our most capped internationals and provided sterling service for years.
Tony Adams and David O’Leary require no explanation. What we wouldn’t give for those two now.
Chippy Brady and Cesc in the same midfield with Vieira would be devastating. Toss of a coin for Pires/Arshavin, but Pires pips it as he is an Invincible, although the Russian already feels like he will be very special.
Bergkamp (the best footballer I’ve ever seen at Arsenal) and Henry in his pomp scared the daylights out of everybody.
The goal Bergkamp got against Newcastle where he turned the ball one way and squirted around the other way, before sidefooting the ball into the net, would probably be the best Arsenal goal I’ve ever seen scored.
Although Mickey Thomas’ winner at Anfield on May 26, 1989, would run it very close!
I was lucky enough to be at the 7-0 win over Slavia Prague last season (and meet Arsene Wenger afterwards!) and that would be the best Arsenal match I’ve attended.
Gooner Baz – I wouldn’t really argue with your team, though I’d be tempted to replace Dixon with Sagna on quality grounds (though not on sentimental grounds) and possibly Bould for Keown. I’d also try to find a place for Manu Petit and Freddie (in his prime) on the bench, but not sure where!
I went first to Arsenal as a Junior Gunner in 1980 (I still can’t believe my parents let me go and stand with my mates in the North Bank, especially when the likes of Millwall came to Highbury). After that, I was a season ticket holder for the next 25 years or so – firstly in Highbury and then (briefly) the Emirates. I emigrated to New Zealand last year and can’t say I miss that much about London or England, but one thing I do really miss is the Arsenal.
Some great memories include:
- Of course, Mickey Thomas’ goal at Anfield (the greatest memory of all)
- Being in Paris for the Champions League final, and nearly winning it (and we probably would have if Henry’s legs hadn’t already gone when he had that 1-on-1 with the keeper)
- Bergkamp playing against non-Leaguers Cheltenham Town – it really seemed that he had arrived on Earth from a different planet.
- 11 years of watching Wenger’s teams playing beautiful football.
- Countless trips to Wembley and Cardiff.
- The whole of the Arsenal away crowd being charged by a single tattoed skinhead at Elland Road. He lost.
- Being able to laugh at S**** fans for the last 20 years.
- Countless others, including great Wrighty and Henry goals, Tony Adams clearing into row ZZ, hearing the crunch of bones as a Winterburn tackle went in, Overmars flying down the wing, Seaman’s ponytail, nothing ever passing Petit and Viera in midfield, Robbie P and Cole interchanging on the wing, Fabregas hitting a slide-rule pass, etc etc.
Some thoughts on the club are:
- I feel that Arsenal is unique among the big clubs in retaining its core values. These are encapsulated by Arsene Wenger, but also by the Board. However, external pressures are gradually cranking up and I feel that it’s only a matter of time before the Man Utd-loving oligarch gets his hands on the club and we go the way of Chelsea and Man City.
- On the subject of replacing Arsene Wenger, am I missing something here? Replace him with who? Peter Reid? Bryan Robson? In building the new squad (and forgetting just for the moment the silverware and pleasure his teams have brought us in the last 11 years), Wenger has produced miracles to get us to where we are on his budget. Semi-finals of the Champions League, in the CL again next year, with the best youth team and youth team policy in the world. Sure we had a disappointing season and, of course, we are all used to trophies but it’s a tough league and there are much richer clubs around than us. He deserves at least another couple of years to see if the team can really gel now and win something. He also needs the Board to front up the money and put the first team players on attractive contracts (which is partly why we had problems last season). Of course we also need to buy quality in a few key positions this year, particularly centre-half and central midfield.
So looking forward to seeing who we will sign over the next few months and if we can challenge next year. I don’t think we’re as far off as some people think, but we need to start well against the minor teams to build some confidence, as we are more fragile than the other contenders.
Cheers
David