Why Wenger let Thierry Henry go (23/6)

[gooner.ed]

usual thread starter... it's my belief that wenger made the decision rather than thierry henry. our number 14's words are in that case a face saving exercise. never underestimate the ruthless streak in le boss...

[MK Gould]

Well said. This transfer can only have gone ahead with Wengers blessing - & he is a good judge of timing. Otherwise we could have just said NO. The fact that we didn't go down the bidding route says that it wasn't purely for the money. Your summary of Henry last season was also spot on.

I refuse to believe that we haven't already got someone lined up to come in. Owens? Injury prone, but otherwise great striker. Babel? Inexperienced, but good prospect (haven't we already got a squad of good prospects?) - but who else??

[Eboue Can't Defend]

Yes, but will that same ruthlessness also show itself when Wenger refuses to sign a new contract after next season - leaving us in the lurch?

I admire your faith that Thierry's transfer was instigated by us and that Wenger has a cunning plan to surprise us with. I really do.

However, for now I can't help feeling that we are going backwards quickly. And what will the club do if/when Wenger leaves? Do you really trust that bunch of upper-class buffons to make the right decisions?

I hope they do but I have to say, you have more faith then I do! Mind you, I have always been one of lifes pessimists. That way, if things go bad you are prepared. And if things go well, that's a bonus!! (It's sad but true!)

[proudtosaythatname]

I think ed has it spot on. Henry could never have lived with the indignity of losing the captaincy - it took TH14 ages, and a lot of Gooner crowd support to reassure him, to get over not being voted the Best Player in the World (which at the time he certainly was). If it is a face-saving exercise, a possibility I'd endorse, then it's not a bad one. However, we can't afford another disastrous season, otherwise we'll slip even further and the trickle could turn into a flood. Bring on Fernando Torres! One parting thought - will Reyes want to return now Henry's gone, seeing as the two never saw eye to eye?

[Sammy Mooner]

Spot on Gooner Ed.

I loved TiTi to death, still do, but shit happens and life goes on. We'll greaty miss Henry's skill, speed, scoring ability and the brown trouser effect he has on opponents.

But on the plus side we will get a much better captain and we will become more of a team

The captaincy question will be interesting. It has to be Gilberto immediately I feel, who will hopefully hold the job until Kolo and then Cesc takes it over. Please not Gallas.

If Van Persie can stay fit I reckon it could be HIS season. I bet that right now he's absolutely champing at the bit

[IDOLX]

I agree. Titi was not captain material and the problems he brought were outweighing the solutions. The fact that Gilberto filled in perfectly and that we have a few other players who can be better captains helps fill that void.

And that Thierry had a few serious injuries and a few long term niggling ones can help assuage the idea that he's going.

With him leaving we can promote the other players to see what they are made of, we can get other players in with the funds, we can appoint a proper team captain, we can maybe even get Reyes back who played wonderfully when he filled in for Thierry up front.

Don't get me wrong, it is a very sad day and I love Thierry to bits but it is time for him to move on both for Arsenal and him as a player.

Good luck Thierry you will always be a gooner.

[GIJ]

I loved Thierry Henry. He was a showman. He was a hero. He was superb. And what's more the spurs scum hated him because he was just brilliant. He has been the symbol of Arsenal's superb attacking brilliance for many years and for these reasons we owe him our appreciation forever. I dont care if he moved for money or because we are currently failing, his time to go has come, and regardless of why we owe him one almighty IOU.

Regardless of all this, it would have nice for him to not say things such as
"I've never played in Spain and never will. This is my last contract. " when he signed a mega deal offer from us. He has destroyed my faith in all players. Now loyalty declared thousands of times over obviously means nothing....

Still, we need to thank Thierry. We will get a new captain, who probably will be better, and im certain Arsene has a striker with his best years to give us, just as Thierry did.

It's just a shame really that we never got to say our last goodbye...

[Basil is a Gooner]

I agree GIJ. It would have been good to give TH14 a farewell. There is only one Thierry Henry, for his brilliance, ultimate class, his moods and his ego. Why he had to go will be debated for a long time.
It very sad that he is leaving through such controversial circumstances, as he is a man who loves postive attention. I agree with proudtosaythatname who said that Thierry could not stay if he were not the captain, but he did not consistently play as if he was one.
DB10 day was amazing whereas Thierry is leaving under a cloud of negative emotions from the fans.

[Ruby]

Oh God we're all going to die we're doomed the dark days are coming, its time to crack open our heads and feast on the goo inside. Agh Woa is me thou I walk in the valley of death Oh shit. Oh well lets see what happens hey easy come easy go.

[sebasvard]

It's the best thing that could have happened this summer, given the circumstances. Last summer TH was pretty clear about his intentions despite the rumours; this summer he has been anything but. I loved the Arsene 'steel fist in a velvet glove' analogy, this is so true. Arsene just does not piss about when players are reaching a certain stage in their career and/or state of mind. Whether we get £16m, £20m or whatever, for a 30yo who has an ego bigger than the rest of the team put together, it's good sense from both a team spirit and a financial POV.

I won't miss Thierry, simply because he has given us as fans more than our wildest dreams could ever have imagined. The reality is he will start to slow down in the next year or two, and it won't be the same. We will be saving £110k a week, we will be free of a potentially destabilising influence within the team both on and off the pitch, and (which is extremely important for me) Thierry hasn't damaged his relationship with us too badly. We are left with glorious memories of a beautiful player who loves our club still I'm certain, and I will still enjoy watching him even if playing for Barca.

[Gunnerz4life]

Personally i dont think he gave more to the club than the club gave him. He came to Arsenal after being a huge flop at Juve. I neither have any good wishes or any grudge for Thierry. The usual concerns are there, theres a bit of anger and theres a bit of anger about us fans being played for a fool over the last season or so about this issue. But i refuse to believe Henry would have won us the title next season and we cant win without him. I have full faith in the boss and we will face the future together, the fans and the players. God bless Arsenal.

[Perryashburtongroves]

Although Henry was our best player in the modern era, I am undecided as to whether it's all doom and gloom in N5. I think we can look at the situation in two ways. Firstly, you could say that Arsenal have once again sold a brilliant player for a pittance and really should have demanded more money for one of the greatest players of the last 50 years. The club could have lost one of the few players that substantiate their claims to be a world-wide club and have lost all the money in replica sales and tv interest. Additionally, they haven't really helped themselves get away from the reputation they seem to have as a selling club to 'bigger' European teams and won't, until they hold out.
On the other hand, we can say that Arsenal and the board have actually pulled off a great bit of business, as they did with Petit, Anelka and Vieira. They have once again got best use of a player, paid less than they sold him for and off-loaded him for an above-market-value fee. My feeling is that Mr. Henry will never fully recover from the injuries he picked up last season and will be blighted by injuries in coming years. We may well have wanted a higher figure for him but would we really have got more for a 29yr old, injury-prone forward who is run into the ground by the French Federation all season long?
I may well be kicking the cat, come Novemeber and December when we miss even more tap-ins that usual, but I think we can live well without TH. I think now is the time for us all to get behind Theo, Ady and Nic Bendtner. We may well have let three strikers leave in the last month, but we've said it before and need to again: "In Arsene we trust." At least for now!!!

[into the red]

Henry at his peak was a genius. Quicksilver sorcery and magic feet. But we have seen the best of him. Little noticed at the time was his outburst at the press conference at the time of the notorious Spurs game, when Arsene dropped him. He said "Look at what this game has done to me!" (or similar), referring to his injury prone body, and his real fear that his body was now the subject of the wear and tear of playing at an absolutely phenomenal level for eight years. He will provide Barca with flashes of the old Henry magic, but I don't think he is capable of the feats and consistency we have seen in the past. Actually it is quite tragic. If you read his comments on the Arsenal site, I don't doubt for a second his hearfelt comments (apart, that is, from the slightly confected excuses about Dein and Wenger) about Arsenal and the fans - everybody should read them. In years to come we will remember the incredible exploits of Henry and that team of Pires, Viera, Bergkamp as something truly extraordinary. He will always be an Arsenal legend.

[MK Gould]

I think the Sunday Mirror must be reading the onlinegooner. Their (excellent) report today could have been lifted from comments made on this thread yesterday:
http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/sport/foo ... -19348034/

[Owamyaskip]

Great Article - Keep 'em coming.