Arshavin

[supergeorgegraham]

We can all sit here and say that the Boss has made some bad signings in the last few years but Arshavin was different. On the TV there were reports of just how amazing this Russian was backed up by some great goals.
It was the player that wanted to leave but Zenit also helped this advert by seeming to want to keep him.
On that deadline day we were all over the moon like we had signed the next Bergkamp.
A few years on he conned us all and its the only time I can remember thinking how on Earth did this guy fool us all.
Dont blame Wenger for this at all. Just the rest of them lol

[markyp]

when i see Arshavin it makes me genuinely sad,another player ruined by Wenkers rule,i cant help thinking that if he was played in his favoured slot behind the front he could still give the same as what we saw in his first few months with us.what the hell happened to the player that scored 4 at anfield?i will be sad to see him go if only because Wenker ruined what could have been a great player for us

[DarylAFC]

Good player ruined by Wenger. Same will happen with Podolski if we keep playing him out of his true position.

[topgoon]

As much as players do have a favoured position, I can't help thinking a player will do his best in any position.

Anyone honestly going to tell me AA23 has put in a decent shift for us forthetime he's been with us.

He's a lazy f**ker,Advocaat thought the same thing.

We didn't get fooled, we just chose to keep replaying the first 4 games of Euro2008 in our heads and forgot the 5th were he was rendered anonymous and didn't put in shift for the tea. That's the AA23 we got. one whose head drops very quickly and ends up out of the game for long periods.

If he goes to Reading good luck to him and them. He's probably the little bit of class required for them in the mini-leagues btw 16th to 20th in the league.

[nexum5me]

some players will do better than others out of position, though. can you imagine if bergkamp had been stuck right wing from the off?

actually he could've played in goal and still been class

[QuartzGooner]

I cannot think that Arshavin was ruined by Wenger.

He was already a seasoned pro when we signed him.
He was up against Cesc, Nasri and Cazorla for the Number 10 role, all fair competition.

Yes he did not play his best position, but that did not stop him playing well the first season and shining against Liverpool from that left midfield berth.

I think he got depressed when Russia failed to qualify for the world cup, and somehow got un-motivated.

Piled on the weight, did not train hard, and it all tailed off for him.

[Barriecuda]

I cannot think that Arshavin was ruined by Wenger.

He was already a seasoned pro when we signed him.
He was up against Cesc, Nasri and Cazorla for the Number 10 role, all fair competition.

Yes he did not play his best position, but that did not stop him playing well the first season and shining against Liverpool from that left midfield berth.

I think he got depressed when Russia failed to qualify for the world cup, and somehow got un-motivated.

Piled on the weight, did not train hard, and it all tailed off for him.

This x100.

He has never been the same player since Russia failed to qualify and I think it's more than a coincidence.

he is a fantastically talented player, but his confidence is temperamental and it dramatically affects his game.

[northbank123]

Wenger shoddily mismanaged him and failed to get the best out of him in our patented "round holes, square pegs" formation. But it takes a player of extreme laziness and apathy to behave like he has.

[oboe123]

he has ability but is bone idol.we have to many of that type at the club.get rid.

[falkirk goon]

Lazy little kent such a shame cos he has more talent in his left bollock than almost everyone at the club or should i say in the league arsole has to take a fair bit of the blame though.if he had landed up at old toilet things wouldnt have panned out like they have here..Auld jakey would have 1) played him in his strongest position and 2) booted his arse right out the door if he had shown his club bad attitude.

[I Hate Hleb]

Went from being one of my favourite players to one that I ended up despising - and all because of his attitude and lack of effort. What a waste of talent.

[Old Rosie]

He had the talent to be one of the very best players in the world so you have to ask why he never went to one of the truly 'big' clubs.

Shit attitude fulstop in my opinion.

He made all the wrong noises as soon as he got here, tax, women, food etc. It was clear we was never really his preferred destination.

Just wish the fat dwarf lump had got snowed into the hotel that wintery January 31st.

[SteveO 35]

A real shame this one because as said elsewhere, unlike some of the garbage Wenger has bought recently, this fella definitely does have the talent. His attitude for the past couple of years has been disgusting though, epitomised when he came on against the Mancs for the Ox and deciding that making a tackle and tracking back to help his full back was beneath him

I don't subscribe to the view that he's been mistreated by Wenger. I remember wanting him out of the team for ages when he was a regular because he was consistently doing absolutely fuck all in games apart from trying to backheel and flick everything off the side of his boot, needlessly conceding possession and breaking down our moves

Having said all of that the fella still shows little glimpses of what he can be about when he's in possession - but he needs to move on and get a new club. The fact he's better than Gervinho counts for nothing - I'd rather have Gnabry or Rosicky in the team ahead of that useless fucker.

All a bit of a shame - wasted his prime years being a lazy arse

[g88ner]

I certainly don't subscribe to this view that Wenger ruined Arshavin by playing him out of position. He showed in his first year at the club that he was more than capable of excelling at left midfield. In fact, I was convinced we'd FINALLY gone some way to replacing Pires.

However, I do wonder if Arshavin was handled correctly. It still annoys me now to think back to that Wembley FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea when Wenger inexplicably dropped Arshavin , and when quized on that strange decision afterwards, came out with one of the most remarkable load of self indulgent bullshit I've ever heard... Arshavin was dropped to prove to the other players that they could win without him! ... which of course, we didn't. Thanks, Arsene. - the fact Arshavin was in the form of his life, and scored 4 at Anfield 3 days later, highlighted what a suicidal decision it was to drop him for such an important game.

I lost a huge amount of respect for Wenger that day, and sadly it's gone south from there.

All that said, Arshavin only has himself to blame for losing motivation, losing fitness and basically pissing away all his talent. You hear about this happening to players (often as a warning to encourage talented young players to keep working) and sadly we've got a prime example to refer to forever more.
- sadly, we've also got numerous examples of the folly of underpaying your key players in order to over reward players who have yet to earn it... who could possible have thought that ingenious idea would backfire...? ... nice one, Arsene.

[armchair]

Whatever you think about him. Whether hes super quality talented or as I believe - just a very slight notch better than Gerv is neither here nor there. The truth is that hes a fucking wee lazy bastard of a disgrace and the sooner he leaves never to return the better.

Phew I feel a little better now.