His performance on the BBC oozed style and cool. Is there an ex player that makes you more proud to be an Arsenal fan? It's not just because he is a living embodiment of our not so recent swash buckling dominant years but its also the fact that he is universally loved (unless you're Irish ofcourse). From the way he dresses, his cool demeanor, insightful punditry to the way he effortlessly swats away the wuming from likes of Savage. What a man. I really wish he gets a coaching or a Vieira type ambassador role at Arsenal once he's done with playing.
Classy player, stylish and intelligent. Should be used as an inspiration and role model for Arsenal's youth players. Emmanuel Thomas should have followed Thierry's example when he was there at Arsenal. If he had, I am sure he would be playing at a much higher level than Bristol City.
He would be perfect if he hadn't tarnished his career with that handball. And you don't have to be Irish to recognise it as cheating, just as you don't have to be Ghanaian to recognise Suarez as a cheat.
Tarnished? What a load of b*llocks. Of course it was cheating but you could pick out about ten deliberate fouls per player, per game be it nudges, kicks, tugs or whatever*. If anything, the Irish indignation made me find it quite amusing considering their dodgy win against Georgia which they ignored. *generalisation but you get my point.
I think most other players would possibly have done the same given the importance of that particular match
Yeah strangely I was never unduly bothered by Suarez's action and reaction there as it's probably something I'd have done in all honesty! I know it's wrong and I was heart-broken for Ghana who'd been brilliant but it was an instinctive act which didn't physically affect anyone. Bit different from subsequent racist/biting activities which I can happily report that I've never done either on or off the pitch. I'm classy like that.
Cheating happens all game every game. Deliberate fouls, diving, feigning injury, deliberate handballs, time wasting... I couldn't care less that Henry did that. Almost every world class player ever has cheated at some point or other.
There's a difference between fouling and cheating. I know a lot of people would like to refer to every time a player goes down easily in the box as "cheating", but comparing that to what Henry or Suarez did is like comparing stealing something to stabbing someone. Henry, Suarez, Maradona ... they're cheats. They'll always be remembered as being cheats. Doesn't mean they weren't great footballers, but they only have themselves to blame for their reputation. Even Gary Lineker was ribbing Henry about his cheating on MOTD the other day. It'll never be forgotten.
I've already said what Suarez did was not blatant cheating.What he did was a natural reaction that any other player would have done.
Even if you want to call it a natural reaction ... it's still cheating. You're just saying it's a natural reaction for a player to cheat. Besides, there's been hundreds of clearances and attempted clearances off the line in desperate situations where the guy on the line hasn't cheated. Suarez did. I don't buy it.
Urgh. Cheating is cheating. A dive is cheating, a tug on a shirt is cheating and a body check is cheating and these are done on purpose 99% of the time. Hell, I see commentators complimenting people in "taking a card for the team". The difference to me is that it was done in a high profile match and so has got more coverage. I couldn't care less about Henry's handball, nor do I think of him as a cheat.
Think back to the Chelsea away game last season and what Chamberlain did even though the ball was going wide
Henry's handball was blatant to be fair but he's not the first player to do it and he won't be the last.
That's like saying "crime is crime". There's degrees of seriousness. Doing a Zidane is obviously a more serious foul than accidentally going in late on someone. I didn't say Chamberlain was justified either. He (attempted to) cheat as well.
