Interesting point made by Philippe Auclair that the reason we were able to retain many of our

[Monty91]

foreign imports in the first decade of Wenger’s reign was because of the English backbone that gave the club a strong identity and made these players want to become a part of a culture and ethos that was alien but intriguing to them.

Now we are just an amorphous mass of interchanging players from around the world and there is nothing at the club - other than Arsene Wenger - that they could not find elsewhere.

http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/ohwell.gif

[redgunamo]

[Monty91]

for more money than they could possibly have been earning at Arsenal.

It wasn't the Benjamins. It was the freedom to lounge around in street-side independent coffee shops in Hampstead Village drinking capuccinos and only occasionally being interrupted by effete Jewish blokes politely asking for a photo.

And Ray Parlour's jokes, natch.

[Herbette Chapman - aged 15]

English football.

[redgunamo]

[Monty91]

[the splendor of antigone]

[redgunamo]

[redgunamo]

for a player's choice of club to come down to which club he likes or supports, or which town his favourite cafe happens to be in.

[Monty91]

captivated by these strange English people with their funny accents and their prediliction for a booze-up while still being able to win football matches.

But more than captivated, they became assimilated beyond their wildest dreams, helped of course by the fact they still had their little Hampstead sanctuaries where they could gather and speak French and smoke unbothered by press or fans.

Listen to Henry when he speaks now. His speech is littered with estuary English. This is because, to a degree, he BECAME English.

I don't think our club today can have this same effect on players. We don't have the identity anymore.

[Peter]

During which petit, anelka and overmars were 'not retained'

[Luis Anaconda]

[redgunamo]

Well, we The Arsenal, may not but London certainly does, which could of course amount to the same thing.

The social side is overstated anyway. All countries have this element. Wenger's comments on English boozing are within the context of professional teams/sportsmen and His very specific position as manager of our football club.

The foreign-ness itself is the attraction, from both sides. He is not nearly so well though of in His homeland as He is by the likes of you and I. If this Auclair fellow were English he would merely be another lazy, drunken English journo. I speak fluent French but not even my worst enemy would describe me as a Frenchman. And so on.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

[Monty91]

[redgunamo]

worse things to be than a former Wenger Arsenal player who had actually won trophies with us.

[Ashberto]

[redgunamo]

Many happy returns, M.

[Bergkamp's Brain]