I’m ridiculously excited by the growing possibility of Patrick Vieira returning to Arsenal. He was an absolute legend during his stay at the Club. My favourite memories of him on the pitch include his goals at home to Manchester United and Newcastle United in his first season (I was there for both goals). More generally, him and Emmanuel Petit’s customary high-five just before kick-off always got my adrenalin pumping – and who can forget the breathtaking sight of him galloping impressively upfield year after year like an imperious thoroughbred?
I also encountered Vieira off the pitch quite a few times. The first time was at Lee Dixon’s testimonial golf day (I know!) during which him and Petit were great value. I chatted with him a few times during my then-regular visits to the Arsenal training centre in my capacity as Dennis Bergkamp’s official online biographer. Vieira would sometimes come and join Dennis and me as we went about our website business, and always showed a devilish sense of humour. Those two could be a great comedy double-act.
In autumn 2000, I wrote this cover feature on Vieira for Four Four Two magazine, predicting he would become the next Arsenal captain. Naturally, I was proved right. I also recall doing an in-depth interview with Neil Ruddock a month or so after Vieira had spat at him at Upton Park. I asked Ruddock about the incident. If it had genuinely upset him he did a good job of pretending he found the entire controversy rather amusing.
I make no bones about it – I’d love Vieira to return. The last time a player came back for a second Arsenal career was Martin Keown in the mid-1990s and that worked out very well. True, this is a different situation in many ways but I’m all for a second helping of Vieira. It’s true that, under Wenger, Arsenal have tended to sign unheard of players who he turns into stars. But he is also the master of taking established stars who have lost their way and putting them firmly back on track. Just ask Marc Overmars and Thierry Henry about it.
Come on Arsenal, make it happen with Vieira.
And I also enjoyed Vieira’s comment in his autobiography about Ruud Van Nistelrooy: “[He] is a cheat and a coward who is sneaky in the way he goes about fouling other players. Everyone thinks he’s a nice guy but, in fact, he’s a son of a bitch… At Arsenal we hated him and had real reason to do so. I can’t stand the sight of Van Nistelrooy. He’s a great player – but everything about him annoys me.”
I have to say, if we are buying Vieira to paper over the the obvious vacancy then I am not impressed. his great days are sadly behind him. If however, we are still intnt on buying a good strong holding midfield player and Paddy will be cover then it will be good. maybe Arsene sees him as a centre-back now we have rid ourselves of Tour and almost Senderos. The few times he played there fo the Arsenal in the past, he looked good. Don’t forget Adams and Bould did not have searing pace. We do need the height!
Seeing PV4 in an Arsenal shirt again will be pure magic, even though we’ll be lucky to get 15 games out of him.
I I agree with Ashley. As long as Wenger doesn’t see him as the answer to our problems, which I’m sure he doesn’t, then I’d absolutely love to have him back.
Two over-the-hill players returning to become two over-rated players do not a “Master” make!
I’m not understating Wenger; just objecting to hugely overstating him, as his most dedicated acolytes tend to do!
You want a Master? Take a look at Pellegrini, and his career before Real Madrid, with Villareal, and before that in Ecuador!
What he did at Villareal (capacity 22,500) in four seasons, and particularly with an Arsenal cast-off, Pires, that’s a MASTER! Pires, Senna, Riquelme, Forlan, Sorin, Nihat, Cazorla, Capdevilla–all cast-offs, all now first team players for their respective countries!
I’m sorry, Oy, but screaming “Up the Arse-nil!” until you’re blue will not make the manager a Master!
As for the quote about Van Nistlerooy! You should be roundly ashamed for even reading it with a guilty pleasure and even more for disseminating it!
At least tell us what Ruud thought of Vieira!
Of course you can’t, because Ruud is a MAN with CLASS, a GENTLEMAN, unlike the street thug from a Banlieu in France, who drop-kicked his ignorant way out of a slum and brought the same attitude to the football pitch!
Oh! Yes. Do bring St. Patrick back! That’s just what the master needs–A Bully Boy to remake Arsenal into the dirty team it was under Graham!
Wenger’s superb track record speaks for itself.
Ruud is a good footballer but not a gentleman – he’s a serial cheat.
And yes, Vieira came from humble roots and made something of himself. To be admired.
Van Nistlerooy a gentleman? What a joke! Like Chaz says he is a total cheat.
“Diving and just general over exuberant histrionics at the slightest bump are something that greatly annoys me, just as it greatly annoys most everybody, but I do not think van Nistlerooy engaged in either practice. He did not fall down and roll around, he did not grab his leg, or his face, or any other part of his body as if to say that he’d been struck. He just flinched, as any human would when another creature aims a kick at him, and then he looked at the referee to see if the petulant kick had been spotted, as all soccer players do in such a situation. What Vieira did was completely wrong, and it was deserving of a yellow card. To blame Ruud for what happened is just childish. That Vieira had already gotten booked was also his fault, and perhaps he should have been thinking about trying to control his childish outbursts after his name had been written down the first time.
http://www.soccertimes.com/oped/2003/sep26.htm
Oh! you must mean THIS ruud the cheat and THIS Patrick the gentleman!
Anyone have any idea how many yellow and red cards the cheat and the gentleman each earned in their years in brit football?
Chas, I berated you for disseminating this stuff because this is EXACTLY the kind of gratuitous hatred that encourages hooliganism, and I would hate to think that an otherwise sensible man would actually want to unnecessarily insult players who are long gone just to keep the hate-fest alive.
You want Vieira back, good! I hope he comes back! But why the cheap and low blow at Ruud? What was the point? To prove you love Arsenal? Hate Man U? Why, for heaven’s sake, would you scratch an old wound?
Stop this! Now!
I share your tremendous enthusiasm Chas, and really hope it becomes a reality! A good sign is that AW hasn’t dismissed the idea ou of hand!!
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=8852&cc=5739
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=8056&cc=5739
Patrick Vieira–from 2001-2009–95yellow cards 8 reds
Van Nistlerooy–from 2001-2009–35yellow cards 1 red.
But statistics don’t really tell us who spat at other players (Vieira) who broke legs (Vieira) who made obscene gestures to the crowd (Vieira) who played so dirty that he was known to his fellow team members and around the Spanish league as “El Maton” (The Bully Boy)
Oh yes! Van Nistlerooy was the cheat and Vieira was the perfect gentleman!
BTW Chas, if Wenger’s record is superb (I’m surprised you didn’t say immaculate!) you’ll have to admit that Sir Alex’s is quite good in comparison!
The point about cheats is that they are clever at getting away with it, so Ruud’s card tally is irrelevant. (Though I would say your passion in defending him is admirable!)
I have never claimed Vieira is a gentleman. Footballers rarely are nowadays, sadly.
Sir Alex’s managerial record is absolutely fantastic. He’s a great manager and a great man.
You miss the point, Chas; I am not defending Ruud or attacking Patrick. I could care less if they are great players, cheats, down-low merchants or rough trade.
Are you suggesting that Ruud is a “successful cheat” while Patrick is an “unsuccessful cheat!”?
All this is about YOU, Chas; because it is unseemly for a MAN to be stirring up baseless hatreds.
You hate Van Nistlerooy, fine, hate him on your own TIME, not on your own BLOG! It’s below your dignity Chas, and it detracts from that all-too-important POV that you do bring us daily!
Cease and desist, Sir. Let your expressions of love for Arsenal not be trammelled by your screams of hate for all the others.
I know; football is a game full of passions, but not for people in your position with your pulpit!
I am not sure if you are joking or not in your last message.
If not, I suggest you calm down and get some perspective. I’m just writing about football, not “stirring up baseless hatreds”. I don’t hate Van Nistlerooy, or any other footballer.
So how do you explain THIS, Chas?
“At Arsenal we hated him and had real reason to do so. I can’t stand the sight of Van Nistelrooy. He’s a great player – but everything about him annoys me.”
I know it was said by Lord Patrick, and how you must have laughed and nodded your head and thought ” OOOh, I wish I’d said that….”
And now you have! You have disseminated an unfounded calumny–We HATED him AND we had every REASON to, Ho Ho Ho!–and now you’re saying you didn’t!
Can you be trusted to be EVEN a SHABBAT GOY? You do know that these were the people who informed on their employers to the Nazis at every opportunity!
Of all the things you could have written about Patrick, his style, his elegance, his leadership, you chose this:
And I also ENJOYED Vieira’s comment in his autobiography about Ruud Van Nistelrooy: “[He] is a cheat and a coward who is sneaky in the way he goes about fouling other players. Everyone thinks he’s a nice guy but, in fact, he’s a son of a bitch… At Arsenal we hated him and had real reason to do so. I can’t stand the sight of Van Nistelrooy. He’s a great player – but everything about him annoys me.”
Did you really choose that comment out of the whole biography because you really ENJOYED it, Chas? If not, why choose ONLY that?
It’s just football is it? No harm, no foul?
Again, I suspect you are joking. All the same, I am going to suggest you calm down, get some perspective and move on. Though if you want to come and have the last word, please do so. Thanks.
I promise that, Perry Comoesque calm, I shall return someday, when you are all riled up, to remind you of how you once “enjoyed” and shared your enjoyment of Vieira’s hate speech!
Enjoy Patrick’s return; I suspect it won’t last long!