As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
I Hate Hleb wrote:ALTHOUGH NOT NORMALLY A CONSPIRACY THEORIST, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN A HINT OF TRUTH IN THE 'GILBERTO REFUSES TO PLAY AS A DEFENDER' STORIES DOING THE ROUNDS YESTERDAY, AND MAYBE MAKING GILBERTO PLAY BUT GIVING THE CAPTAINCY ELSEWHERE WAS WENGER'S WAY OF MAKING A POINT.
Wash your mouth out IHH how dare you question the mighty Wenger?
I have to agree with IHH, it appears that Arsene may have been a bit economical with the truth. There has to have been some sort of row for Gilberto to not captain a team of youngsters.
Personally, I think the captaincy should have been given to Hoyte if Gilberto was not the man. It would have sent a great message to the other youngsters at the Club (and he captained the reserves a couple of weeks ago).
As for Fabianski being captain on his second appearance, I recall Almunia doing the same thing at Old Trafford, and then letting the ball go straight through him after about 30 seconds.
Why should I disbelieve Arsene? Nor did Gilberto look like he was sulking or in anyway unhappy, I would find it hard to see him whining, that one captain incident aside when Arsene didn't inform him aside, or being trouble to anyone. So why should I think Gilberto is suddenly demanding something and being stripped of vice captaincy?
I didn't mind him as the skip last night, he didn't have to do much anyways
He was good at the Barnet game as captain & as Wenger said he is the most experienced man on the field besides Gilberto despite it being only his 2nd game
ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THAT? AFTER ALL, ONLY A COUPLE OF MINUTES PREVIOUS TO WRITING THE ABOVE, YOU WROTE THIS ON ANOTHER THREAD:
dvbrisgooner1 wrote:What utter bollocks. For someone who claims to know a lot about football your arguments sound remarkably similar to the idiots we all work with who get their "knowledge" from listening to Andy Gray and reading The Sun....
Wenger actually said that at the beginning of the season when they decided on the captaincy, that as gilberto was not captain or vice captain then it would be better not to be involved at all during anytime of the season, even if it was carling cup and gallas + toure were not playing..
Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva was not awarded the captain's armband for the evening, instead it went to keeper Lukasz Fabianski - a move which drew some attention. However, Wenger insisted that there was nothing to be made of the decision, explaining that it was Gilberto's idea to hand the armband to a youngster. "Because I didn't involve him from the start of the season, and he said 'okay give a chance to the younger players to get into that role You could see that the real leader on the field was Gilberto again. He leads the young players well. In the end who has the armband doesn't matter too much. What raises my eyebrows is that people want to create problems where there are no problems. I would like to help you and say that there is a problem, but we don't have one on that front. I can insist this. I cannot help you."
Arsene is such a kind man, he really wants the poor press to be happy
