Oh Brother, What An Attitude
Nov 19th, 2007 by 'holic
Not for the first time this season Justin Hoyte has come out and said he is intending to remain with Arsenal and fight for his place. The England (yes, England!) U-21 international could be forgiven for seeking a way out given the depth of talent ahead of him at the Grove.
You may be surprised by the fact that this season he passed fifty appearances for the Gunners, and there is little doubt it is his versatility that makes him so important to the squad. Justin can play (indeed has played) in all of the back four roles.
In an era when so many players are quick to issue threats and demand moves it is refreshing to read Justin’s thoughts. “I want to be an Arsenal player. You never know what can happen in football but I know I am going to knuckle down, train hard, work hard and perform when I get my chance.”
Possibly part of the pull of Arsenal could be the fact that his younger brother, Gavin, is following in his footsteps. The two appeared together on the teamsheet for the Carling Cup ties with Newcastle and Sheffield United, although the England (yes, England!) U-17 international did not make it off the bench.
Hoyte junior is very highly regarded by Arsene Wenger and the coaching staff. I hope he has watched and learned from the example being set by Justin. I’m quite looking forward to seeing them start a match together.
That is an opportunity that Hoyte the elder has certainly earned.
4 Responses to “Oh Brother, What An Attitude”
It’s very refreshing to hear a player with such a professional attitude. Justin could easily get regular football with a lesser team, but at Arsenal he will continue to develop under the best manager and get to be part of what is an excellent squad. I thought he played well at centre-back against Sheffield and defenders tend to mature later so he has plenty of time on his side before he needs to think about moving elsewhere and like he says, who knows what might happen?
Definitely great to hear. There’s been some nice things said by the Arsenal players and it’s really great to hear as a fan. I know things are going well at the moment but even the more negative comments of Diaby and Diarra can be seen to be positive because even though they are up against it they’re willing to be patient as well.
Justin Hoyte did get a non-Carling Cup start at right back against Sparta Prague in the second leg of the Champions League Qualifier; Aresnal won 3-0 at home and he played very well. Sagna had been injured in the previous game against Man City by Flamini, so Justin got his chance and took it. But right after that, Arsenal signed Lassana Diarra, and the next game against Portsmouth, Arsene used Flamini at right back, who also played very well. It’s tough for Justin to get a game right now, so it is a surprise to hear him say he’s planning to stick around. Maybe he’s confident in himself and thinks it’s just a matter of time until Wenger sees that he’s too good to leave out.
Hoyte is good enough to start as 1st choice RB in a few other clubs in the Premiership. So its pleasing to see this kind of attitude from a youngster. What I do not understand is playing Diarra as RB – yes, the kid is quality, but I would prefer to see Hoyte as 2nd choice RB behind Sagna.