Give the Flamster His Due

Its hard to believe the Eyties are offering Matty £80k odd a week but if it is indeed true then the club need to bite the bullet and pay the man whatever it takes to keep him here. I doubt they need to match the Inter package, as I feel sure he wouldn't pack his bags for just "a few bucks" but you could hardly blame him jumping ship if there are big bucks involved in the comparative difference between the two offers (which I assume, accoring to the media, must be the case at the minute)

Surely we should have long since learned our lesson on this front, as whatever it takes to keep Flamini at the club, it's going to be a lot cheaper than having to replace him.

What's more we can hardly blame Matty, as it must be very tempting to take the Italian moolah, knowing he could go on cruise control over there, compared to the amount of graft he has to put in covering so much ground for the Gunners. Moreover the club need to factor in the fact that he has probably been paid "bubkas" up until now and from the player's point of view, considering how marvelously he has made up for in industry and endeavour, what he patently lacks in flair, in all honesty how many better seasons is he going to have than the one we've just witnessed?

In light of their relatively short proffessional careers, Matty has absolutely no choice but to maximise his earnings while his star is at its zenith, as he'd be a fool not to. Especially when we've witnessed in the past the club's own preparedness to throw players out with the dirty shirts, when they've done with them. Loyalty is a two way street and considering the way in which the club attempted (albeit that they failed) to put such a contemptible squeeze on Dennis only a couple of years back, with an utterly embarrassing "pay as you play" extension, we can only expect from Flamini, what he knows he's going to get from the Gunners in return, who have only ever looked out for No. 1 !

So in my humble opinion they should simpy pay the man, as even if Matty is never again to have such an influential season, Arsène is going to have to go a long way to find a player of similar experience, with both the versatility and preparedness to put himself on the line all over the pitch. Moreover and perhaps most important of all, with such a young squad, where leadership qualities are hardly in abundance, it would be absolute madness to write off the one player who, for the majority of this season, has come closest to looking anything like a traditional captain out on the park.

While a recalcitrant Willie was keeping schtum, it was Flamini who was most often seen urging his team mates on (I often think Arsène only gave Gallas the captaincy according to the logic that if he was made guv'nor he'd have no one to barney with but himself?) and with so few players in the dressing room with sufficient presence to make themselves heard, surely it's senseless to forsake the Flamster for the sake of a few quid?

TTFN
Bernard

PS. I was delighted to see Ade achieve a hat-trick last night, giving it back in spades to all those Rams fans who were taunting the Togonator with that racist chant (you kind of expect such low life behaviour at White Hart Lane but I didn't think this disgusting drivel would follow him all over the country!). Besides which, what's wrong with being an elephant washer? It seems to me that these racist Neanderthals are also offending the proud folk who ply this trade across the planet with their derogatory remarks. I for one would be quite proud if my old man was charged with taking care of these magnificent creatures :-)

Moreoever I adored the two Manny's goal celebrations, as his post-match comments suggested these were inspired, or a piss-take even on Earnshaw's over the top efforts. I almost felt sorry for poor Earnshaw, as you got the sense that he'd had been practising his own celebration all season long and having finally got his long awaited and probably his single only chance to produce his routine before a live Premiership audience, we were going to get the 12" version whether we liked it or not!