Van Persie released a poorly worded statement this week, making his position at the club untenable
Dear Robin,
I’m writing to you in response to your statement you released, which was supposedly for the fans. I’d like to express my disappointment at the irresponsible way the statement was released, its tone, and the fact the statement was “for the fans” when in reality it was for you, and you only. This situation could have been handled much better by you, and means you don’t leave Arsenal on good terms.
I understand you are at a point on your career where you have a make a decision, and maybe you thought it was the right time to move. While I am disappointed that you are going, I respect your decision, but what I can’t respect is your statement, a statement which was childish, irresponsible, and has left a bitter taste in everyone involved at Arsenal football club, not least the fans. It is full of so much disrespect and double standards it is laughable.
Where do I start? I don’t know where to begin. Let’s look at the bigger picture shall we? By releasing this statement to the public, your value has plummeted. If potential suitors were in doubt before, they are in no doubt now that you want to leave. This reduces Arsenal’s bargaining power to get the highest price possible. OK so you’ve decided to leave us, fair enough. The least you could do is keep quiet about it so that you can help the club achieve the highest price, and do that much for the club who has remained loyal to you for eight injury plagued years. Apparently you don’t have even that little bit of respect.
Another lack of respect is the fact the club had absolutely no idea you were releasing this statement. Wenger went out to the media the previous day saying how much we needed you and wanted to sign you on. Then, you, did what looked like an irresponsible childish prank and decided to embarrass your boss and release your statement. You also lied in your statement about Ivan Gazidis. He isn’t on holidays as you mentioned, the club denied it. This was just another cheap shot from you making it look like the club isn’t doing their job.
Let’s get into the actual statement then. You speak of “respect” and “loyalty” to the club, and you talk about “huge respect” for Mr Wenger, the players and the fans, but then you straight away rip into the manager and the club for lacking ambition, and tell them you won’t sign a new contract.
OK so let’s get one thing clear. What part of “respect” is ridiculing the club, basically telling the manager he is an idiot, disappointing the fans, and acknowledging that the players who are already at the club are inferior? What part of “not going into details” is telling everyone that the club supposedly lacks ambition (which is the main point anyway)?
Your double standards continue. You say you want to bring the club back “to its glory days”, well then why are you abandoning us?
Given the damage the statement has done as a whole in addition to the above, saying “I love the club and the fans no matter what happens” sounds quite fake.
This statement wasn’t about the fans at all as you tried to claim. This statement wasn’t about Arsenal, this was about you, you, you and nobody else. It was about you trying to force through a transfer, nothing more. We aren’t stupid.
One key thing I noticed is that you didn’t thank the fans or the football club. You made a statement about “always loving us”, but it sounded forced, a sort message on the side to your big message of wanting to leave. There was no thank you. If you really had your heart in the club, the bulk of this statement would have thanked the club, and saying that you had to move on would have been a side statement.
I think the worst part of your statement was the fact that you failed to acknowledge Arsene Wenger at any stage, apart from that contradictory so-called “huge respect” for him. Not a single thank you. Let me tell you a few things mate. In 2004 when you arrived here you were deemed as a loose cannon, a player who was placed on Feyenoord’s transfer list. You weren’t even good enough for them. Nobody believed in you, except Arsene Wenger. You then spent eight years at our wonderful football club. Unfortunately, due to your injury worries, you only played more than half the games in two seasons, 08/09 and 11/12. Who believed in you all these years while you were on the treatment table? Who always talked you up as one of the greatest strikers in the world when the media would criticise you? Who was the first person who defended you when you had an average EURO 2012 campaign? Who never gave up on you? The answer to all those questions is Mr Arsene Wenger. This is a man who’s had offers from Real Madrid, the French national team amongst many others, but turned them down to stay at Arsenal. The man has shown incredible loyalty to this wonderful football club, and also showed you so much loyalty while you were on the treatment table. How do you repay him? Not only do you walk away, you didn’t even say thank you. You ungrateful disgrace.
Look mate, I am frustrated at the lack of trophies, WE ALL ARE. Don’t make this just about you. Everyone at Arsenal wants to win trophies. We are all pissed off. We have signed two quality strikers already this transfer window. Podolski and Giroud are quality, established strikers who performed exceptionally well for their respective teams. They carried their teams in their respective leagues and ensured their teams overachieved. I don’t exactly know what you mean when you say the club lacks ambition. In Podolski and Giroud, we have acquired some of the best talent that is available out there. They would have complemented you very well. I got news for you, there aren’t that many better players out there that are AVAILABLE. Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney and Xavi aren’t for sale mate. In my opinion, these two signings alone (with more to come I’m sure), clearly represent that the club are as ambitious as they can be realistically.
It is true that the competition is as fierce as ever and it will be harder than ever to win titles, as we’ve seen in recent years. It will be tough, no doubt about it, I totally understand that, but for yourself who has said of plenty of occasions that you want the club to return to its “glory days”, and that “you can’t imagine playing for another Premier League club”, doesn’t it make sense that you stay and fulfil this ambition? Doesn’t it make sense that you stay, and give back the loyalty to the club who was so loyal to you all these years? You have your first real great season and you turn your back on us.
But OK, despite everything I’ve said I still respect your decision to want to move to get more chances for winning trophies. I don’t agree with your decision but I understand it. You could have handled it so much better though.
I’m extremely disappointed for your lack of respect for the fans, the club and Arsene Wenger especially. Something as simple as “I’d like to thank Arsenal, Arsene Wenger and the fans, but its time I moved on” would have been just fine, but in your statement you went out your way to disrespect the club, its fans and our manager, making it all about you as you look to force through a transfer. Without Arsenal you are nothing, yet you didn’t even have it in you to say thank you to anybody not least the only man who believed in you, Arsene Wenger. Without Wenger you would have been rotting in the Feyenoord reserves now, or God knows where else. We will always have a Flying Dutchman who wore number 10 that will be an Arsenal legend. His name is Dennis Bergkamp. You are nothing compared to him. I leave you with a famous quote from that great man:
“do you really like Arsenal? Or just Arsenal with trophies?”
Yours Faithfully,
Rayed Mamun
On behalf of Arsenal’s fans
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GREAT ARTICLE,RVP VERY UNGRATEFUL PLAYER,I DON’T BELIEVE THAT HE CAN SAY WHAT HE SAID TO THE PRESS,SELFISH PLAYER ,AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED BY HIS MOVE TO LEAVE ARSENAL CLUB.
You lots are still dreaming bout VP.Arsenal fans should understand
tha a tree cannot make a forest which means VP
Decision to leave is for his own good.
Arsenal should focus on how to build a strong team by adding
few solid players who can make history in Arsenal than having
headache on a player who claim to be world class while his fellow
team mates are Cabbage.
All I can say is lets respect his fake decision and lies to leave than rambling up on a deadwood who seem not listen to his family and dog.
7yrs without trophy is painful yes’ but is better than being in the
Championship level.
What a farce. Let the man leave. He saved the team last season when the club had demonstrated such irresponsibility and lsck of ambition. He more than did his part. Arsenal without his goals had similar goal stats to Swansea! It’s fair for him to take care of his own. Arsenal has an opportunity to show it’s ambition on the market. Arsenal fans must remember how arrogance in the market got us to this point. Podolski and Giroud are s good start now they need to show their real intent. Was it just to try and keep RvP or do they realise that to compete with the best you need something special that we don’t have.
famous quote ” He who laughs last laughs best, i was going through some of the previous comments to a famous article, ‘reasons why Vp will sign’ guess what? James rubbished most of us the fans for being mpatient with Vp not signing he even said ‘ he should have signed a provisional contract’ my friend, do you realize where we are now with Vp ? i for one will want to see the end results. Vp is not God to arsenal, without other players like song playing alongside him, he would have done nothing, look at the Euros 2012, the guy simply fired few blanks. i love him to stay though! but he sould not thing that it is him who gives every one air to breath at arsenal.
let RVP leave..NOBODY BIGGER THAN ARSENAL…with or without rvp,we’ll always be ARSENAL FC..send him to rusia to Anzhi…so that someday he’ll be understand…that..NOBODY BIGGER THAN ARSENAL..#indonesian gunner4ever
am nt forgeting d fact dat rvp is a gud player bt he should also understand dat a tree cannot make a forest. Without rvp we wil always process. He is so disrespectful for my liking. LET HIM GO. . . . . . . . .
Ramsey might have had a lousy 2nd half of the season but one should not go ss far as wishing him ill. I think TheTruth has gone overboard here. I hope Ramsey does well at the Olympics and come back with more confidence.
Let rvp go,arsenal is not all about rvp,we have many world class players such as podolski,giroud,song rosisky,varmalin,etc.
You sound like a jilted lover. Are you going to lie in bed with a box of chocolates, wearing his shirt whilst watching his ‘Best Goals’ home videos & weeping into endless tissues? Telling everyone how much you hate him & you wouldn’t want him back even if he begged for forgiveness yet secretly yearning for his return?
Being a footballer is a job, nothing more than a contract worker. He single-handledly rescued our season & for that we should be grateful.
His statement shows lack of respect to Wenger,his work and vision and also underestimates quality of every in individual in the current Arsenal squard.He also forgets that its been one fully season when he was able perform week in and week out for Arsenal and the he wants to leave,thats quite ungrateful and lack of human values.I think he doesnt love the club because he is willing to destablise it.
vp sh’d respect his colleagues who did all they can’d to make him that much feared scorer, look at the likes of song, wallcot, Arteta who tires sent the balls in the rightful direction. U floped in EUROS B’SE no players of the likes was along u . By the way who was to win titles when you where on the treatment table. Remember there were times when arsenal was almost their but b;se the le profesor had kept u instead of shipping you and bringing quality players, the title who be their. YOU WERE PART OF THE PROBLEM, just reflect and thank the club that has made you. My advice is join a club that has similar play style other wise no one will keep feeding you balls to score all the time good wish
Let allow this ingrate to leave, He is unfortunate because any time the club need him he go on injury now thet is injury free he want to to leave let wish him well.
Everything for Van persie is lack of patient and commitment. See the like of great Hennry a true player that every fans love most. But let him go if he is insisting to go no problem. I just believe we are destined to raise trophies up this season.
R.V.P we all understand and we are not happy about it at all. You are right to change club for trophy, i will advice you to change ur foolish, and nonsence country so called holland for trophy since u av nt lift any dere too. Hw many goal do u register in europe even lazy bendtner is far beta than in that competitiön. Take a look at flamini,hleb and allerdiare nd so on.
Lovely article and it was very emotional…
So RVP was wrong in stating that Arsenal had no ambition. Is he not stating what Wenger said that ‘fourth is good enough’?. The writer obviously had short memory.
And loyalty to club… for fuck sake RVP is lucky to be accorded the selected players. Did Park (6 mins of play-time), Vela etc been given the chance to prove anything, vs the likes of Ramsey and the retards?
Stop this Wenger worship. Its Arsenal we support, not Wenger.
ARSENAL IS BIGGER VAN PERSIE, and we have had good players then even the injured prone van persie.all of them have gone and the clubs has been moving on with them, therefore Van Persie should leave. we shall get even good players as long as Mr wenger do not leave.In ARSENE we trust.
It sounds like someone is very bitter to me. Get a grip what do you expect he is a footballer and is only concerned about one thing, his bank balance. Why should he come out with all the bullshit thank you and I love the club statements that most players feel they have to say? You should respect him for smashing you into the champions league places on his own. Without him last season you would be screwed and Podolski and Giroud would have signed for spurs instead.
More to the point will you and the many others like you still like Arsenal without trophies? Those that began supporting a team only because the trophies were rolling in and the reflected glory boosted their own sad little egos. Man up and face up to the reality of supporting a team in tough times as well as good. Or go and support Man Soorty.
Does that mean sitting and watching deadwoood players like Dennilson,Bendtner,Park,Squalicci. Djourou picking up excellent wages for being shit players and who rewarded them these great wages, the gormless dictator Wenger, it’s about players giving all even if they are not skilful, Romford Pele comes to mind, a player who gave every thing while crass players like Diaby still continue to collect great money. Our club is in disarray and the dictator and filth on the board are killing our club, we have become a laughing stock, our youth policy doesn’t exist, great players are played out of position and yet we have to watch the fool Wenger behave like a kid on the touchline when he doesn’t get his own way, his spin, his vision is a joke. Our great players are leaving because they have seen through the lies the madman spouts
Why can’t people for God sake understand the angle the young man was coming from,this is a guy who has come out to suggest what he feel will be of great glory to the team,futbol is about winning trophy not the samba,champaign,tick taka or jambody style Of playwill be accredited to ur cv after retirement, every professional player will wants to be identify with a medal,mind you he have limited years to his career,therefore we should not allow sentment or affections we have for our various teams erode the basic objective of the game.we should also think about their future too,this guys are proffessionals which young lads are looking up to and questions will be ask tomorrow about theirs playing days.can people tell me why pele and some other famous players in the world both present and past are been celebrated today the answer is simply cos they are successful in their career and have trophy to show for it in their respective clubs or countries,why the complain in nigeria?its simply cos our team for quite a while now has not recorded any troph to her glory,fans should learn how to call a spade a spade in order to balance situation and also for better performance of the team.why then did arsene wenger hurridly went to buy more experienced players after the poor outing he had at the beggining of last season?this players know beta cos they are at the centre of it all,we don’t have to trash what they say,we fans are only watching from screen,in as much as we beliv in arsen wenger,we should also know that without the boys no arsen wenger,fans should try to reason along with the players too.an hypotetical cases of similar to rvp has been tested by some players and have put them right over the coach and the team.so,whatelse does the fans needs to prove that futbol has gone beyond living in the past.for example,fabrigas and nasri were able to prove their critics wrong.thank God for them,we should always be objective in our submission,how else do we expect players to show their commitment to a team that was in 8 on the log table and later fought their way back to 3rd this boys are commendable and deserve to be encouraged,I think is high time the manager and the mgt board of arsenal futbol team get to know that game of futbol has gone beyond two teams domination,its now like a pendilum which can swing either way only with a powerful insrument called money.you can’t eat ur cake and have.
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