I REALISE there is lots of speculation about my future at the moment. But, rest assured, the only thing in my mind right now is to get Arsenal Football Club back on track and finish the season strong. I'm just thinking about Arsenal right now and nobody else. I'm thinking about the here and now. I'm thinking about beating Tottenham at home. I'm thinking about a top-four finish to ensure there is Champions League football for Arsenal yet again next season. That would be great. And I'm thinking about an early goal against Milan and trying to pull off the improbable. That would be incredible. I'm thinking about how the Arsenal fans would love that. How they'd deserve that after a really difficult season. So I hope that makes things crystal clear. It's only about Arsenal Football Club. A great football club with a great history, great traditions and huge expectations. I honestly believe this team has quality and can finish strong. We have come back so strongly after a disappointing start. Believe me, that took massive strength of character. That needed a real belief that we could fight back and be up there for the final run-in... and we are. Now we need to do exactly the same again. I am sure we can. There's definitely no point looking back. What's done is done, nothing can be changed now. But we can do something about the future. We can make sure we finish the season in true Arsenal style to do ourselves justice and give the fans a real thrill. There's no time to waste, though. We need to start right now and we have the very, very best of incentives. It's Tottenham at the Emirates and it doesn't come any better than that. As players, we also need to look within ourselves for the solutions, knowing we can individually and collectively produce performances that can tear any team. We owe it to our manager and â even more â to our fans. It hurts that Arsene Wenger has had to suffer the criticism he has. It's a collective sport and there are many reasons why we have not produced the results. The last couple of games have just not been good enough. And I personally feel responsible for this as the captain of the team. We won't look for excuses at all. We know where we stand and what we want and will do everything in our power to improve our game and keep winning matches. This game against Tottenham is probably the biggest game of the season for us and the supporters. We have amazing fans. It was unbelievable again to see all these fans from across the country and abroad supporting us at Sunderland after a bad loss three days earlier. I honestly think we have the best supporters. They are there through thick and thin. Arsenal in full flow are a match for anyone. If Arsenal aren't playing to that high standard, with the flair, pace, excitement and passion we are renowned for, we all feel it. We want to win and play great football at the same time. A win against Spurs would protect our position in fourth and keep us ahead of those chasing. Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle have all had similar seasons to us. Inconsistent. Some great wins, disappointing draws and defeats. So why shouldn't it be Arsenal who take charge at this crucial point of the season? If we can play at our best, I still think we can finish with a flourish. OK, we have to be realistic. The Premier League title is beyond us and, maybe, second place too. But while fourth would be good, I haven't given up on third place. Why not? This is football, after all. Follow Robin Van Persie on Facebook on http://www.facebook.com/RobinvanPersie and Twitter:
Some of our fans should take a leaf out of his book - we've got too many lily livered defeatists for my liking. Time to show some fight boys
Great and inspirational speech from Robin. I know he has his feet firmly planted on the ground. Funny I cannot remember anything like this when Fabregas was captain of Arsenal. I guess RVP is a true motivator and an Arsenal legend. This afternoons game will define our season, and maybe the next one too. If we win, we will hav momentum to carry us through the difficult run-in and into a rebuilding phase. If we lose, we could collapse leading to the loss of key players and goodness knows where from there. These are not either-or possibilities. But I feel so much hinges on todays game. It really is like a cup final. The future starts now. Gunner til I die. COYG!!!
Just want to point out that NOTHING he has said here points to the fact he is going to or even wants to be with us next season. There is absoutley nothing new to what he has already said. No CL football and I maintain that he will be off.
I know I will be slated but in my honest opinion NO PLAYER loves a club...any club. Not a single player at any club. Money is their first second and third love.....then its trophies.....If united were cack Giggs scholes and Co would never have spent their entire careers there. Look at fabregas and Henry .... If yiu were winning the champions league and league titles wiuld they have left? Look at the players at spurs...modric wanted to go....if we dobt get champions league then bale, modric and Co will all leg it. Only fans are loyal to clubs...but then again I am an old git!
I know I will be slated but in my honest opinion NO PLAYER loves a club...any club. Not a single player at any club. Money is their first second and third love.....then its trophies.....If united were cack Giggs scholes and Co would never have spent their entire careers there. Look at fabregas and Henry .... If yiu were winning the champions league and league titles wiuld they have left? Look at the players at spurs...modric wanted to go....if we dobt get champions league then bale, modric and Co will all leg it. Only fans are loyal to clubs...but then again I am an old git!
I know I will be slated but in my honest opinion NO PLAYER loves a club...any club. Not a single player at any club. Money is their first second and third love.....then its trophies.....If united were cack Giggs scholes and Co would never have spent their entire careers there. Look at fabregas and Henry .... If yiu were winning the champions league and league titles wiuld they have left? Look at the players at spurs...modric wanted to go....if we dobt get champions league then bale, modric and Co will all leg it. Only fans are loyal to clubs...but then again I am an old git!
Regardless of whether he leaves, I thought his post match interview and conduct was superb today. All season he has been our shining light, and his refusal to accept the MOTM award, telling Walcott to keep it was captain material.
Model Professional. There isn't a striker in the world better than him at the moment, unless you count Messi and Ronaldo as Strikers but they aren't really. The youngsters in the world that have the potential to be better than Van Persie? Can't see many. Neymar maybe but Van Persie's made his mark on world football.
Come again ? I said that we need some more fight from the fans - that's exactly what those of us who were there did today even when we went 0-2 down.
I'll come right out and say that I don't think van Persie will leave. He is settled in England and an Arsenal fan all his life. He has been injured a lot and the club has stood by him. The only clubs that really have more potential for winning trophies than Arsenal, are Barcelona and Manchester City. Both have enough Strikers already. He has to look at the future and not the past. I think he will want to go on and be a legend at the club like Henry. He has 3 good top years left and I think that there is no chance that he will not be spending them at Arsenal. He will be thinking that winning a PL or CL trophy in one of those 3 years will make his career and earn him a meal ticket for life in North London. He is a very smart man and he will realize that if he moves, and Arsenal win without him, he will regret it for the rest of his life, even if he wins trophies somewhere else.
C'mon guys, be realistic - for RVP to state that he is not leaving is to loose at least 30 grand a week on his new contract. Robin wants to be in the best possible position when the negotiations start and this is perfectly understandable. The guy knows very well that the board will only give him the money he deserves if there is a real possibility of him leaving. He would be really stupid to state his unconditional loyalty to Arsenal now, and I do not think Robin is stupid. But he needs to bargain hard and make them pay. Paradoxically it is good for the club as the board will probably need to get rid of some overpaid deadwood and change the current salary structure to give Robin £140 -£150 thousand a week.
I remember a player we had once who said the same... Get him a massive contract asap for your own sakes.
