Controversial Old Master Back On Display
Jan 12th, 2010 by 'holic
The lid is off the can. An iconic image of the past is being put on display again. Once the undisputed master of his art, and a controversial figure at the run-down studio in N17 where he was created, Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell would appear to be attempting to re-invent himself in N5.
That’s a tad dramatic perhaps, but Arsenal have a perceived lack of depth in the centre of the defence, Sol Campbell is available, and he seems to have made an impression whilst being allowed to train with the squad since departing Notts County in September after just one appearance. The final details of a six month deal have to be nailed down, but it looks like the big man could be available as cover for the remainder of the season.
Not surprisingly the web and radio phone-ins have gone into meltdown. Sol didn’t leave Arsenal under the best of circumstances. His much-publicised departure halfway through a Premier League fixture against West Ham was followed by a request to leave the club ‘to play abroad’. He turned up at Portsmouth!
Ironically, as I type, Sol has just been substituted after forty-six minutes of the reserve team fixture at West Ham, possibly the final test before a contract is offered? Is he being saved for stiffer tests to come, or is he feeling the strain a bit after a long absence? We’ll know soon enough.
Arsene Wenger will know well that there will be many cynics ready to make their voices heard if this move backfires. He’ll also know many will give the former England international a little leeway as earned in the first four of his five years in an Arsenal shirt.
We welcomed him gleefully when he turned up at Highbury after letting his contract at the little club in North London run down. We celebrated with him as he landed the double in his first season in red and white. He was an invincible in 2004 and either side of the unbeaten season he was an FA Cup winner. Even as he made what we suspected would be his farewell appearance he scored the goal that took the ten-man Gunners within thirteen minutes of the European Cup against Barcelona.
Nobody will know better than Wenger the mental and physical state of the big man. If he has decided that Sol can do a job, if required, in the second-half of the season then I think we have to accept his assessment of the situation.
He won’t hinder the progress of the younger defenders who are probably just short of where they need to be right now. He is vastly experienced, a quality that many have said we have lacked in the last couple of years, and even if his stamina is not what it was, I suspect he will still be the best defender in the air we have.
And it saves any available money in the transfer kitty to be spent on other areas where our need could just be for someone more likely to be required in the side rather than on the bench.
I may not be as convinced as I am trying to sound, but picture with me, if you will, Madrid in May. We are strolling out of the Santiago Bernabeu, deliriously singing…
‘Double double double, Sol Campbell has won a double, AGAIN!’
A boy can dream, can’t he?
46 Responses to “Controversial Old Master Back On Display”
Well said holic, nice to have the sol man back – but sad to see senderos say he wants out – that boy has never been in wengers good books since drogba took him to the cleaners! Lets hope titi wants a final hurrah hey………………………..
The way that other blogs are harping on about this, you’d seem to think that we were in a dogfight for relegation.
Campbell is a solid signing for cover. He is streets better than Silvestre, so now I feel slightly more comfortable.
And what about the flamster too while we’re at it.
LOL Sol makes his comeback against West Ham and disappears at half-time. Who’s writing this script?
We need to trust Arsene on this one. He’s obviously weighed Sol’s form and fitness in training against the potential options available in an overpriced January market and decided he’s worth a go. This is as much a vote of confidence for Djourou (and arguably Nordveit) as anything. I now expect Senderos to go in the next couple of weeks and frankly it will leave the squad looking stronger for the rest of the season. It’s a better bit of business than signing Michael Owen anyway…
Lol, Seeing Sol back in an Arsenal shirt against West Ham makes me feel as if I’ve been stuck in a time warp. Could be a decent back up though and its only for 6 months, so probably a shrewd move.
If he can come on late in the game against Chelsea and kick the shit out of someone or go mental and get in someones face a la Keown I’ll count him as an excellent signing.
In all honesty we’ll need a little more than that from him, hmmm. If he doesn’t affect morale in any way, and gets on with Gallas and Vermaelen, this could just be a masterstroke.
*crosses fingers and toes*
If Wenger thinks Sol still has something to offer, then let’s give him that chance. If, as some have said elsewhere, he is looking trimmer and leaner in the flesh than he has for a long time, then maybe he has put his six months in the footballing wilderness to gain his fitness and get his head back together. Here’s hoping, eh?
Just an Espresso from the new coffee perc, please ‘holic.
Gets two thumbs up from me as a very able back-up to the established fairy tale duo of Big Willie and Tiny Tom.
Expect we’ll see him on the bench in every game and, when cruising against the lower order (Manure, Chelski etc), he’ll get a run out for the last 20 minutes while Willie has a bathe.
Quite surprising how far Senderos has fallen out of favour isn’t it?
arsene is a nice guy. sometimes he should learn to say no. he never says a definite NO and as far as i can remember thats how teenagers get pregnant. i mean how hard is it:
sol: mr arsene am sol from notts c, remember me?
arsene: no,
sol: can i train with the lads a little?
arsene: HELL NO
SIMPLE
on the bright side we are adding experience to the young team. now lets get in hatem Trabelsi and lizzarazu and we’ll have a new look back four with sol and sylvestre and i need pascal cygunner back as back up
ps holic dont serve what am taking
ps holic dont serve what am taking
Looks like some Cat A shit to me, ol 😉
BtM, you disappoint me. I set up the soup puns blatantly. I was expecting you to describe him as the consomme-te professional.
He could cover for either of the others if they injured their muligat or knee.
I know Arsene is taking a bit of a bisque on this one, but chowder you think the Spurs fans will feel when he windsor medal or two?
Cat A shit on the rocks
If he is really fit could he come in stright away allowing us to move Vamanator into Midfield for a month or Gallas? Till Song arives back?
Could someone tell me what Sulzeer stands for? What a name and what is it’s origin please?
No, no, and thrice no. Vermaelen is a defender, and a fucking good one.
Let’s go with what we have in midfield, if Denilson is fit, or buy a holding player, if he isn’t.
We could do with a “Big Soup” to assist the “Condensed Soup” majority of the current team. If this works out, his “Stock” will rise.
I’ll settle for some Calvados please as a nice night cap.
holic, you got all kinds of Cambell’s up there, which one are we really getting? hmmm….Do you mean we will find out after the reserves tonight? Is that a full (fool???) moon out there? Wenger is going against his own rules. Fun, I guess he is not an arrogant French that we were always told he was. I like it, I do. Do you think the FA would charge him for bringing the game into desripute? I hope he doesn’t end up in a sling.
The kids like him, the Arse that is, and that’s just good enough for me!
Is it a done deal yet? Or like Merida it’s a likely move that will never materialize?
I’m very disappointed by the entire Senderos saga. The guy is good, we know it: we’ve seen him play at top level for years. He’s only 24 like Vermy and has many good years of progression in front of him. I totally understand he wants to play as he fully deserves it and it’s only fair to let him go since we don’t give him any play time. Unfortunately for us hiring Sol is far from an improvement over Big Phil… And considering the fixture congestion and the propensity of our players to get injured, it’s a big a risk to take. The policy of never rotating the central defenders is suboptimal IMHO, because in the end whether it’s Sol or Big Phil, whoever will have to deputize in the crucial games against european big teams will be in a very tough situation, rusty yet having to perform at the best level in Europe. Very unfair for the player and very risky for the team.
On a similar topic, anyone seen the rumours on Flamini heading to Spuds? That one made me laugh big time.
Not sure it is a done deal just yet but the media would have you believe it is. He has been training with us for about 8 weeks now and I guess Le Boss has seen enough of him to make his mind up. A short term deal seems sensible to me. It would be funny if he does sign. I mean, one of the best players that the Spuds have ever had. Now the most hated man in Spud land. Signs for the mighty Gunners not once, but twice. There must be some mileage in that????
I agree completely with Anonymarse @4 re this being a vote of confidence in Djourou and Nordveit. If he was not sure about them, then it would have had to have been a big money deal.
Not quite sure what Senderos has done to piss AW off that much. Personally I am disappinted. I know when he came to the club there was massive hopes for him I remember Martin Keown saying how good he was when he was a teenager. It just does not seem to have happened for him. For me his reading of the game and decision making is just not sharp enough. Would that improve with a decent run of games? Who knows.
We have also been linked in the press today with Saha. I have heard several times that Everton are interested in Senderos. There may just be something in that somwhere????
Keep the faith.
#14, Surely you’re not serious?
I’m not quite sure how I feel about the whole Sol situation, he was a legend in his day, but I remember watching him being left for dead playing for Pompey, he didn’t seem to have any pace anymore.
I totally agree that we need cover for WG and TV, but is getting someone just because he’s “cheap” really the best option. I know that some will say that he brings experience to a young squad, but wasn’t that what Silvestre was supposed to be for?
If it’s just a short term stop gap, then maybe it’ll be O.K although I can’t imagine that he could last the pace if god forbid some serious injury should occur. Still, I’d prefer him over Silvestre.
A quick night cap please barman.
Cheers
On the face of it, this might not be a bad deal. We will be getting an experienced, if elderly, defender as cover for the remainder of the season, for relatively little cost if he plays on a Play and pay basis. He might even be persuaded to do a little defensive coaching while he`s at it. My reservation is that Arsene may see Campbell as a short-term expedient to save him buying a quality defender this month.
Hmm…I like this I really do. It’s illogical. It’s a contradiction. And yet it’s classic Arsene. Exactly the opposite to what you expect. I did chuckle at the irony of his run out against the ‘Ammers’ and only 45 odd mins 🙂
Anyhow the missus is complaining about my tippy tappy keyboard noise on iPhone – gawd bless er.
Mines a shandy, strictly on the wagon.
Oooh spooky my last comment was Number 23! A good omen?
Then I will take no 25. Perhaps I will end up doing tv interviews in an Arsenal polo shirt 😉
You spotted that as well???? What the hell was that about?? Not sure how that will go down anywhere to be honest.
What exactly is the situation with Senderos and his inability to get any game time at all.. any rumours flying around? He’s not that bad that he couldn’t deputise occasionally, surely.
Guess Wenger knows what he is doing.. but at the same time I really feel bad for Senderos.
I was thinking the same thing holic, the last time he signed for us we won the double.
And I guess Wenger is the only manager on the planet who can sign a player twice for no fee!
im just worried what number will arshavin wear now. senderos left his soul with the italian ladies.
If only Arsene brought him on after half time.
think it’s a great piece of business. senderos wants game time, campbell is probably willing to sit on the bench at arsenal and to me, i think the 2 of them are about the same on ability, but campbell has more experience, so it’s looks just like a switch-around of personnel.
this also obviously shows, as many have pointed out, that senderos is not in arsenal’s plans anymore but djourou and nordveit is, thus the short-term bench solution in campbell. so it all works out…
I will welcome back Sol with some mulled wine, please, ‘holic.
I expected more soup puns, but you knorr best.
Great to have Sol back!
good article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/13/sol-campbell-arsenal-return
otherwise did anyone notice if sol dealt well with drogba when playing for Portsmouth?
Project Youth is getting closer to bring us silverware, hopefully this season. But one sure thing is that Arsene only has to snap fingers to get the most promising wonderkids in the world sign for us!
Both Zezinho and Galindo are both really impressive on video. Rosicki’s and Arshavin’s replacements have been found if you ask me…
Thanks Wahed Up, a good article on Sol really.
I’d like to raise a glass to Gabon, and here’s hoping that Zambia and Tunisia can get similar results against the Indomitable Lions so we can get our boy back “home”.
Sorry Mr Song, it’s only because we miss ya.
I’d like to rise a glass to Reading. Liverpool are now out of all cup competitions and 7th in the league, with 12 points to recover from their competitors if they want to clinch the 4th spot.
With a disastrous financial situation, no new stadium in sight and a tough competition from clubs with good managers and more money (much much more in the case of Citeh), Liverpool’s descent to hell is unraveling before us. The only questions are at which rate will they sink and towards which bottom?
Now I can’t wait for Manchester United to follow Liverpool’s example which I believe could happen in the next few months if their usual luck goes missing for a change.
They are still in the Europa League, but that’s probably only because they haven’t played any games yet. 😉
So just to make sure… has Campbell OFFICIALLY signed yet, or not? I don’t think it has ever been confirmed by AFC.
Schadenfreude – is it just me? Or is anyone else walking around with a huge grin? I mean, I know it will never come to that, but imagine if Manchester United actually had to resort to selling Messers Rooney and Co just to service their spiralling debt. Of course they will somehow find a way. They allways seem to land sunny side up.
Annoyingly there is allways someone who will fill those boots and unless Manchester City is underpinned with Monopoly money, I can see them being our next thorn for a long while.
Arsene calls it financial doping – but, it bugs me that Citeh think they can just buy the Prem. Shame their backers are not property investors from Dubai 😉
I wanna trophy, any trophy will do. But I want it the right way, the Arsene way. You know it’ll be so much sweeter.
@40 – I don’t think its gone through 100% officially yet, but the official site has had 4-5 small features on him. Would be a massive tease if it didn’t happen now (we’ve all had time to digest and form an opinion on it already). I assume it’s just a formality
@Sooth: 😉 Indeed it’s not the one or two games that they will play in the Europa League that will save their season. And with Torres out for almost 2 months with his knee surgery, they’ll need a miracle to clinch 4th spot now.
@AFC1974: that’s exactly it! Depending what you read United will have to either sell players (Shrek to RM?), Old Trafford (yesss please!) or the training ground at Carrington.
Soon we’re going to see what the “best manager in England” can do without the biggest budget in England. My take: he will leave soon after rather than be found out and use the 2012 olympic games as the excuse.
The Guardian has an excellent series of articles and blog posts about United’s disastrous financial situation here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchester-united
If they’re to be believed it’s the last year United will be competing for the league title in a long while…
Matt – Spot on. Manures model was/is never a viable one. I’m no accountant, but there is way too much debt there to be serviced. The ‘Brand’ itself has some residual value, but will drop if performance pitch side is not met. I agree, we will soon see what the best manager can do with a sustainable budget.
Will savour those Guardian articles for lunch – Yummy!
Cheers holic, just enjoyed listening to you sounding very youthful if I may say so. Sol’s always had plenty of pace and power and if his experience can make up for whatever he’s lost there and he can get his stamina high enough he’ll do well for us.