Top of the morning greetings to you wherever this post is meeting you.
I’m bracing up for another episode of a Gooner’s Perspective with guest appearances from King Martyn (@mayorbaze), Bola Ogundairo (@bolagunner), Kaine Roberts (@IamKayRobs), Cuntinho (@davicky) and Mallam Ramsey (@nwakibie).
These five gentlemen will join me in Shangrila to talk about some issues in our dear old club, Arsenal. I’ve instructed them not to bring any palm wine like Bobby because there’ll be Alomo Bitters for everybody. 😀
While we wait for these Gooners to converge in our meeting location, there has been some news making waves in the Arsenal world. From the picture you saw above, Arsenal has launched its away kit for the 2012/13 season. It’s not yellow or blue this time, but the jersey is reminiscent of the third kit of the 2007/08 campaign where the Gunners last challenged for Premier League honors.
That squad was very strong and balanced with Wenger employing the 4-4-2 tactical setup. Manuel Almunia was the custodian between the sticks and he had Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure, Mercenary William Gallas and new kid on the block, Bacary Sagna offering him protection. Mathieu Flamini was the enforcer of the midfield, liberating Cesc Fabregas to do his thing in attack while Tomas Rosicky and Aliaksandr Hleb provided with from the flanks.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie were the lead attackers, but Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo da Silva bit their bit as well. As at February 2008, Arsenal was five points ahead of Manchester United and eight points ahead of Chelsea but a series of disappointing draws coupled with losses to the aforementioned teams saw the Gunners drop to third place.
Arsene Wenger’s men ended the season with 83 points, but it certainly wasn’t enough to win the Premier League.
A full description of the new kit can be seen on the club’s official website and there’s also a gallery with Gunners showing off the new kit. Its also worth noting that Robin van Persie wasn’t among the guys in the gallery, probably still on holiday I guess.
Alex Song also had a few words to say about it:
“I think the new design is really nice – I’m a guy who likes fashion and when I saw these colours, I was very happy. This kit is different to last season’s and I’m really excited to wear it. I might do something with my hair to match!”
Dear Song, I don’t really care what you do with your hair, as long as those assists keep coming in. The last time I checked, he assists when he wants. If Song had followed van Persie to that meeting with Wenger and Gazidis last month, the captain might have signed the deal because he would’ve required Song’s assist-ance.
However, the prestigious kit making company, Adidas, could potentially become Arsenal’s next kit supplier as early as the 2013-14 season. David Gubala, an Adidas employee, tweeted it a few days ago.
Adidas last sponsored Arsenal’s kit in the 1993/94 campaign, a year after the Gunners had won the FA and League Cup double. Reports suggest that Arsenal is one of the most profitable clubs in terms of revenue generated from the sales of jerseys, as it was estimated that close to one million jerseys were sold between 2005 and 2009.
Adidas has made many great kits in world football and they showed what they were made of in the Euros, with leading nations like Spain and Germany using their kits. However, I’m still deeply in love with France’s home and away strip in the tournament and that was the handwork of Nike.
Finally, youngster Kyle Bartley tweeted that he has been promoted to the first team,
https://twitter.com/kylebartley22/statuses/223081267871223808
The young lad was born in Manchester but he joined Arsenal in 2007 after spending two years in Bolton’s academy. Bartley has failed to make a league appearance for his parent club but he was part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2009.
He made his debut for Arsenal in that dead-rubber match against Olympiakos in December 2009. I can remember vividly that the calamitous Mikael Silvestre was the captain of the night. Arsenal had qualified for the Round of 16 so Wenger used the game to offer chances to youngsters like Carlos Vela, Jack Wilshere and Fran Merida. Bartley wasn’t the only Gunner that made his first professional appearance for the club, a movie star, Thomas Cruise, was Arsenal’s left back that night.
Bartley has had two spells with Sheffield United and Rangers in the course of three years. Wenger feels that it’s time for the young lad to step up but he’ll have to bring out his best if he’s to contest with the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker. There’s still the threat of Johan Djourou and Ignasi Miquel to contend with.
Bartley’s last appearance for Arsenal doesn’t bring fond memories though. He scored an own goal in the Emirates Cup match against Thierry Henry’s New York Red Bulls.
I wish him all the best though, what Wenger sees on the dugout, a fan at the topmost point of the Emirates can’t see it.
The second episode of a Gooner’s perspective will come up later in the day.
Sayonara.
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