Back in August, during a meaningless Arsenal v. Real Madrid match, following on the heels of a summer of seemingly schizophrenic interviews by Arsenal’s then 30 goal scoring target man, Adebayor scored a meaningless goal and promptly ran over to the fans and kissed the badge. Of course, they booed him.
At the time, linked above, I wrote that Adebayor was acting like a jilted lover. I really thought that the big fella just wanted to be loved. He didn’t get why Arsenal fans would boo him after last summer; in his mind he loved us, he was just doing what he needed to do to get an upgrade to his contract, and now that he’d bagged Beyonce he wanted us back. The thing he didn’t understand is that a lot of Arsenal fans would never forgive him for sleeping around.
And now, he gives an interview that in essence expresses how much he’s hurt that the fans that loved him no longer love him.
I bet it hurts.
I know a lot of people who supported Ade even after the summer debacle only to watch him slowly go downhill all season, put in lazy performances, and slowly erode any fanbase that he might have once had. Like the jilted lover, he just kept spiraling down, deeper into his shell, and became more and more listless. This in turn engendered more and more ire from the fans, and has culminated in the insane interview above.
Like I’ve said before, I was there when Ade scored his first ever home goal, back in March 2006 and so I’ve always felt a bit of a special connection to Adebayor. But if his relationship with Arsenal fans was complicated before, given the interview above, the season we just witnessed, and last summer’s transfer saga, he has managed to simplify that relationship and I doubt there are many left in his fan club.
I know he has one less in me.
Damn Women Drivers
There’s a bit of a bombshell over at The Mail where Martin Samuel interviewed Andrei Arshavin and he.. uh… said some stuff. No, I don’t mean his clear adoration of Barcelona. Nor do I mean his opinion that Arsenal need to buy two players, everyone says that. I mean his disgusting and Neanderthal views on women.
I would never give driving lessons to women. We need to build new roads for them. Why? Because you never know what to expect from a woman on the road. If you see a car behaving weirdly, swerving and doing strange things, before you see the driver you know it is a woman. It is always a woman.
I mean come on! Everyone knows that it’s not always a woman, it’s always a woman ON A CELL PHONE.
(I’m kidding, I love women… to do the dishes, to clean up my room… I’M KIDDING, I REALLY DO LOVE WOMEN.)
How much is in the war chest? As much as Arsene wants.
You will see a lot of stories about how much, or how little, money Arsenal have to spend this summer. I suggest you ignore them all, and just let Arsene handle it, because Arsenal have plenty of money, if they want to spend it. The stories about how Arsenal are skint are nothing more than a vain attempt to sell papers.
Ive been over this ground before but since it seems to come up in every thread I thought I might just remind everyone about the official Arsenal financial reports. Read them for yourself, start with the 2008 report linked above and work your way back. You will see that Arsenal are basically a profit making machine, earning roughly £30m a year (AFTER tax) every year for the last three (since the new stadium). This annual profitability has left them with a £93m cash reserve.
Now, add in that the half-yearly financials that were released this spring, which showed a £24m pre-tax profit. And add in the fact that Arsenal made it to the semi-final of one of the most profitable Champions League campaigns ever, and the semi-final of the FA cup and I suspect that profits will break the £40m mark this year.
It’s astonishing really.
That money is the reason the board insisted that they don’t care if they miss the Champions League. That money is the reason that Usmanov’s bull about owners paying down the debt is a ruse.
Money is there, and after we sell Adebayor for £10m (that’s a joke, kids) there will be more than enough to buy some big, unheard-of, defender and another central midfielder.
So, can we put this tired story about Arsenal being skint to bed? And could someone please restart the Xavi Alonso to Arsenal rumor? I like that story.
Published by the Argentina Department of Motor Vehicles:
== Worst Driver Categories:
-Women
-Women on cellphones
-Women driving minivans
No offense intended to the fairer sex, I absolutely adore women. I respect their intelligence, believe they should get paid according to their job rather than their sex, however, got to agree with Arshavin. Driving everyday in Atlanta only reinforces my opinion that women are the most dangerous threats on the road, my wife included.
We have an ongoing bet of 10 cents going when she drives with me as to the sex of next “idiot” on the road. She gave up trying to pay me years ago. (lol)
Re Ade: You are right, based on the interview, he seemed like a beaten person who has lost all his self-confidence and it has been shown by his recent on field performances. Unfortunately, he will leave and become another thorn in our side somewhere in Spain or Italy. He will flourish somewhere else and will leave a lot of us thinking WHAT IF.
I predict he will leave in the summer, and I also believe all the Arsenal fans who have been on his case unmercifully, will live to regret it.
@Manuel,
You missed the category, Women drying their nail polish by sticking hand out of the window while talking on their Blue Tooth Cell, reading the gossip headlines and steering with their knees.
Great multi-taskers though.
Women searching their purse for God knows what and/or putting on make-up while talking to their friends about some kind of bloating or cramping.
Come on Wenger, be daring. Break the bank a little bit.
CaribKid
You also left out the ones who are putting on eye-liner while driving – they are my favorite – especially when they are doing that while talking on the phone (no bluetooth – just steering with the knee). I saw one eating a bowl of cereal while driving last week.
(I hate driving in Houston.)
Hey come on be fair to lady driver’s remember whilst they’re doing all the stuff above, they’ve got to turn around and keep the screaming kids quiet in the back, whilst stopping the pet rottweiler jumping out the passenger window and savaging a passing cyclist.
Ade go where you will, join all the mega stars that have furthered their careers, by leaving the club, and going on to fame and fortune. (Thierry excepted, who would do well anywhere). Viera, Flamini, Hleb, von Bronchitis, and all the promising juniors, all gone on to greater things, and now shine like stars in the firmament, I don’t think. In a year or two Tim you’ll be writing ‘a whatever happened to…’ page for Ade.
Viva!