Farewell Petr – And Mislintat Too?
Jan 15th, 2019 by 'holic
A Tuesday morning in January with no midweek fixture to write about. The bloggers curse. And yet wait. All of a sudden it becomes a big Arsenal news day. Petr Cech caught a few out with his announcement that he would be retiring at the end of the season. Including, possibly, the club?
“This is my 20th season as a professional player and it has been 20 years since I signed my first professional contract, so it feels like the right time to announce that I will retire at the end of this season. Having played 15 years in the Premier League and won every single trophy possible, I feel like I have achieved everything I set out to achieve. I will continue to work hard at Arsenal to hopefully win one more trophy this season, then I am looking forward to seeing what life holds for me off the pitch.”
There has been an avalanche of tributes from former team-mates, and supporters on social media sites. That will surprise nobody for this outstanding goalkeeper is also respected as a wonderful human as well as a footballer.
I don’t mind admitting I was wrong about him last season when I thought his career had hit the buffers. A pre-season of hard work enabled him to hold off the challenge of the expensive Bernd Leno and while he was trying to adjust to a new system of distribution from the back the standard of his goalkeeping was outstanding again. Only injury robbed him of being first choice and personally I would have reinstated him by now.
I will be sorry to see him go. I hope after his last appearance for the club he lifts the Europa League trophy high above his head.
The Rumour Mill In Overdrive
One bombshell would have sufficed. The other was less of a surprise. Rumours of Sven Mislintat departing the club this month have been circulating for a couple of days now. Rather than spread Chinese whispers I just waited to see if the official announcement would follow.
It’s interesting that there has been no comment on the rumours from anyone of authority at the club, in the same way that the same people have let the media team and Arsenal Foundation people to to pay tributes to Cech on the official website.
Until it is confirmed it is best not to get caught up in the social media frenzy that has followed. It wouldn’t be the first time the club had allowed a leak to be spread so they can work out who the source might be. However the story quickly grew legs with Bayern Munich specifically being linked with an approach for his services. Again though, were these just a string of copycat tales? Let’s hope so.
Something seems amiss at the club right now. Communication problems are the physical manifestation of a sense of ‘not all is well’ surrounding our great club. It’s time for head of football Raul Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham to confirm or deny the story that clearly came from an internal source. That’s not the way we should be getting information about the club.
It did make for a lively Tuesday though!
48 Responses to “Farewell Petr – And Mislintat Too?”
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congratulations on the decision, petr, and thanks for all the great work. i surely wish we could have had you when you went to chelski, but am glad you were able to play under the arsenal crest.
happy belated, holic. hope it was paddling for fun and exercise…and many a hoisted pint. thinking of your dad these days, too.
if sven is gone, that’s a blow to emery’s rebuilding, perhaps even moreso than the lack of permanent funds this window. but maybe, just maybe, that’s why sven is out of here?
theresa may should follow, but she won’t. her mouth is currently stuffed with crow, or shoe, and she has to digest that first.
Agree with all you say about Petr Cech. If only we’d got him as a young man when Wenger nearly signed him from Rennes. He played a huge part in Chelsea’s success. I was sorry we didn’t play him in the Cup Final. He is several times better than Ospina and deserved the spot more.
As for Mislintat it seems likely that he will leave very soon. I’d love to really know why. If it is because he believes the job he was brought in to do doesn’t exist I wouldn’t be surprised but would be immensely sad. I’m afraid Raul and Vinai are striking me as an unconventional version of Laurel and Hardy. But they aren’t making many fans laugh. I’d be very interested in what Keswick does and how well he does it. Having met him I have a vague idea?
Evening H
Hope you and yours are all well,and a HNY to all in the Bar.
I have picked a time of upheaval on a lot of fronts,at both a political and Club level, to post my first contribution for quite a while,but hopefully now business commitments have eased somewhat,i can contribute my tuppence worth on a more regular basis.
The Club seems to have gone backwards while i have been away,with some decidedly average performances during Dec and the start of the new year.
When i think back to the stirring win over our friends down the road at the Ems in November,and to where we are now just few short weeks later,it just shows how fickle football can be.
Quite why this has happened i am not sure, yes we have had injuries to key players,but that is no excuse for the insipid displays at Southampton,Brighton,Pool and West Ham,to name a few.
Losing is one thing,but not playing for the shirt is just non negotiable in my book.
I just wonder if the players are for the first time questioning Unai’s
constant tinkering with formations and personnel,which doesn’t offer much in the way of continuity on the pitch,and might well be causing rifts off it as well.
Mesut despite his inconsistency on the pitch,is still a well liked figure among the playing group,and unlike Alexis who they couldn’t stand,there doesn’t appear to be any animosity directed at him.
So i am sure they are just as bemused as we are that the one creative player we have, seems to be persona non grata.
Is Mesut paying the price for Unai’s failure at PSG,where he was neutered by Neymar the big star player,who basically humiliated him and ran the show. ??
Now there are concerns that Mislintat has been effectively sidelined,and the club have apparently approached Edu to be Technical Director.
It’s all a bit of a mess at the moment,and with Chelsea/Utd and City on the Horizon,it could be about to get a whole lot worse.
Short term pain for long term gain. ??
Only time will tell.
In the meantime i have adopted 3 new Clubs to follow,the M and N’s,
Monaco/Macclesfield and Nice,currently being managed by 3 legends of our great Club in TH14/Big Sol and Patrick.
All 3 have a hard road to hoe,and i will be following their fortunes with great interest.
Cheers
Clive, Great to see you back in the bar. Hope all is well.
welcome back, clive, and happy new year to you. glad all is ok, and it’s just business…
Clive, great to see you back sir. You have been sorely missed. ??
Clive,
Lovely to hear from you and as ever you make some very good points. Our great interest, the youngsters face S***s in the Youth Cup tomorrow. The U23s played a strong side yesterday and mashed Citeh 5-1 which indicated that Saka and Amaechi won’t be drafted in tomorrow but they both dazzled and it may be that our immediate future lies in youngsters like Willock, the two mentioned, Nketiah and ESR, with maybe a defender or two to be drafted in , in due course. Possibly Medley and Osei- Tutu might come through.
I’d happily stand behind a team of lads playing for the shirt especially some of these players who are very exciting but we really do need some clarity about the future and direction of the club. I’m not sure the current board is fit for purpose and I wonder when Kroenke will realise it
@3 Hello again!
Your post made me realise I’ve
been to Macclesfield but I’ve never
been to Monaco or Nice.
How sad is that.
On the bright side starting at
clubs in difficulty will be a great
experience for all three and more
or less the only way is up. The
best of luck to them all.
Hopefully the uncertainty (or undecided certainty) of SM going is why we’re only after loan players and it’s not about the purse strings after all.
I know, I have straw under my nails…
actually, very good point cynic, at least it wouldn’t be as dire, then.
This summer we need 3 or 4 new
players at least. Be nice to have a
couple of loans to weigh up before
then but if not then we still have to
have players Unai wants.
If Sven, Raul and Unai can’t
agree on players then it’s better
Sven goes.
Good that Mavropanos got a run
out for the U23s.
It’s good to hear from Clive. Welcome back sir.
As the Guvna observes, it would be great for Petr to lift another trophy before retirement.
As to the apparent shenanigans inside the club, Private Frazer sums it up nicely. The new era seems to be unravelling quickly.
Thanks Petr you have been the nice guy that you are, should have won the league with us the season Leicester won it and hopefully we will win something this season as a farewell( unlikely).
Sven leaving is a low blow. All the talk of diversifying tasks and letting it be handled by experts now seem hoarse. Various reports suggest Raul and Emery wanting their say on the transfers and new roles within the club, wasnt this supposed to be something the club has moved on? I am not saying what is right or wrong or even Sven leaving is a catastrophe, it is the timing and the reasoning that is worrying.
Football on the pitch seems to be lost, we have a 6 pointer against the chavs this weekend and with Mesut most likely to be in the gym or the video game room and Ramsey to make a guest appearance towards the end of the game, prayers and inspiration seems to be the only hope.
I misinformed yesterday when I suggested our Youth Cup tie against the Scum was tonight. It is tomorrow and thus Amaechi and Saka might be used. The suggestion is that they might be used as they played-devastatingly – on Monday against Citeh.
Apparently it is all-ticket and fans are being segregated . They are top of the league and must be slight favourites as we have injuries. But they can’t choose Harry Kane.
COYG!
David Ornstein article on Sven suggests an orderly exit is being arranged.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46886457
It’s good to be back H.
I haven’t the time to back read previous posts,so hopefully i haven’t missed anything too startling while i have been absent.
Just read an excellent interview Unai has just had with Sky Sports.
Compelling reading into the mindset and philosophy of our new manager.
He’ll do me.
TTG,
I notice the under 21’s have gone though a pretty bad spell recently,slipped to mid table,not helped by injuries,so the win over City was most welcome.
Per’s under 18’s as you point out,are doing much better,should be a cracking Cup tie against the neighbors.
The Ladies team is also struggling a bit with injuries to key players,and the defeat at home to Chelsea at the w/end has damaged their hopes of winning the league,although my money is still on them to prevail,and could go the last game of the season at home to City.
Osakamatt,
I am the reverse,having visited Monaco and Nice in my misspent youth,but never got around to Macclesfield for some reason. !!
Scruzgooner
Thnks for the kind words,hope all is well with you and yours.
Ned/Bath
Good to be back among friends.
Clive, It’s a bit surprising that part about Macclesfield being as it is just the other side of St. Tropez doncha know. 🙂
Very droll bt8
Levity in the bar very welcome given the current malaise within the Club.
If there’s no money available in January is there any suggestion that money may be available in the Summer?
If there’s no money to buy players anytime then a head of recruitment would appear to be somewhat redundant.
I’m waiting for Arsene’s book to explain it all for me.
In the meantime, please stop tinkering with formations and players out of position and simply play your best available team for a run of games to develop some continuity and consistency. Thanks.
UTA.
Emery has given the club a refreshing feel and done quite well. He is trying different things and needs time but has a good head and experiences he is drawing on. Everything indicates he was a good appointment but the summer will be more indicative of the direction he plans to move the club.
The guy is cool
bt8@18
🙂
I think it’s just the other side of
St. Helens, which is easily confused
with St. Tropez
OM
I’ve been to all three but I have to say( not surprisingly) that Macclesfield is by some distance third in the list in terms of glamour, weather and facilities as well as lovely ladies . Sorry ladies of Macclesfield it wasn’t great weather when I was there
Well, I was kind of expecting so TTG
🙂
I plan to move to France in a few
years so I’ll see for myself if they
can match the well hidden charms
of Macc
Djourou has just become a free
agent – he, Licht, Kos and Nacho
could be our oldest ever back 4
Sorry for being a cynic.
I am not totally convinced that Cech will not be playing soccer next season, as long as there is a team that can pay him a Million +. It’s not easy to forgo a Million+ salary.
But what do I know about human beings?
Tapera,
My understanding is that he has been approached by Chelsea to be part of their coaching team. I suspect he already has a fair idea of what he will be doing.
He could easily play on and find a club probably a PL club to pay him but he is a proud man…and a rich man already and he may have coaching aspirations. I fear you judge him too harshly TD!
Losing 2-1 at half-time in the Youth Cup to the Totts.
Just as we were in the PL in December. Can we expect a big turnaround?
All joking aside
c’mon Patrick
c’mon Thierry
c’mon Sol
We love you all.
TTG
cracking cup tie.
Saka equalises, 2-2.
We are the better side in the 2nd half,but extra time and penalties beckon unless either side can find a winner.
4-2 up now
History repeating itself?
Final score 5-2 to the Arsenal and the Totts are unbeaten in the league this season ! There is a lot to think about in bringing in Saka and Amaechi with Nelson returning next year. We don’t need to look for exciting wing talent, we already have it . With Bundesliga clubs queuing up to sign bright young British talent we need a plan for boys of this quality
That’s very encouraging news TTG after a week or so of dispiriting performances, results and off-field developments.
TTG, on #27, I pour some cool water to my harsh judgement. Time will tell.
Mertesacker out.
The day someone employed by the club chooses basketball over his club’s match, Spurs or not, semi-final or run of the mill game, he should be gone.
Priorities are all wrong with too many people at this club.
It seems quiet out there considering
it’s the Chavs this weekend.
A chance to lift the mood after a
mostly crap start to 2019.
I hope we can make a quick start
to get the supporters onside and
then go on to win 3-1. Two first
half goals, then our customary
clusterfuck to let them back in,
before Ozil seals it with the
third around the 80 minute mark.
Leno
Hector, Papa, Kos, Nacho
Torreira, Xhaka
Iwobi, Ozil, Auba
Laca
Cech, Kola, Mus, Guendouzi,
Ramsey, Nketiah, Sako
An XI that is suspect defensively
but we’re suspect at the back no
matter who we pick
Not only suspect defensively but going forward as well.
Interesting story in the Italian papers that AC Milan might want Ozil but it’s Gazidis who supposedly doesn’t want him.
Cheers Ivan.
Yes, the goals have dried up a bit
though we’re still 3rd top scorers.
Need to get Ozil playing again.
Preferably for someone else.
Cynic
I am appalled by Mertesacker ( who I envisaged as a possible future manager) choosing to go to some Micky mouse basketball match when his lads faced a pivotal challenge. It’s going to be hard for the young lads in the team to respect him in the same way.
My personal feedback on the game from one of the 974 who was there was that the forward play after halftime was sensational and we were much fitter than the Totts. He couldn’t choose between Saka and Amaechi as MOTM but also praised Daley- Campbell, Balogun and Cottrell. Three of those are pacey wingers and I hope they get a chance with the first team sooner rather than later.
I also have had two whispers that Overmars will become the Technical Director. Ajax develop great players and then sell them on at a profit but I hope he can help us develop a really stylish playing approach like the Dutch team at their best . Worth keeping an eye on as the two fellows are not bullshitters .
OM
We usually see eye to eye on the team but tomorrow I’d play Ramsey alongside Torreira and drop the wretched Xhaka. I hope Mavropanos comes back against Cardiff .
Interesting whispers TTG.
What exactly does a technical director do?
We seem to be growing administrative bodies faster than the NHS did in the 90’s! If that’s a model, such middle grade expansion does nothing for efficiency or quality at the sharp end but bulks up the organisation, magnifies cost, slows strategic decision making and obscures responsibility. It will mean there are lots of meetings because there are people who have no other function than to sit in meetings and chew the fat to no purpose.
TTG – I know it’s going to seem like a small beer thing for those who want to defend everything that happens at the club, but he should be sacked for that. It’s an appalling thing to do.
We haven’t done all that well out of German football have we.
Mustafi, Ozil, Mislintat being less than stellar and leaving anyway and now this.
Cynic
I think that Mertesacker has a contract with a German channel as a pundit. This was agreed upfront with Arsenal ( Wenger worked for BeiN Sports when he was our Manager) and usually involves Champions League games. For some reason he also comments on Basketball. If he has got the agreement of Arsenal to do this it’s difficult for them to object but he should still have realised there was a massive conflict of interest here. He’s detracted from the terrific effort by the young lads by becoming the story or one that the tabloids choose to highlight.
By the way you forgot Stefan Malz and Moritz Volz but our best German is Mad Jens!
It seems Suarez will be joining . We are paying a loan fee and have an option to buy but don’t have to at the end of the loan period if he doesn’t come up to snuff ( like Julio Baptista ) . Barca have extended his contract so they are not financially exposed if we choose not to buy him. I suspect he may be available for the Man Utd game
Bath,
That’s a great question. I think it means he is Mislintat’s boss which is the problem. Sanllehí is calling the shots and I suspect this will be like the Barca model where the TD defines our playing style , type of players we introduce and the way we coach. That leaves Emery to coach the first team! I don’t like the direction of travel , it seems to me we are trying to morph too quickly into a very different model ( and a confusing one to the external observer !) and reduces the manager to just a glorified coach. But he seems to have nine coaches of various sorts to assist him looking at the warm up versus Fulham!
Cynic, Per put in a full day at Shenley yesterday before heading for the O2. He isn’t the coach of the U18s, He is the head of the Academy responsible for the players from 8-15 at Hale End and providing the framework in which everyone can develop and do what is expected of them.
And now. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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