Sorry about the late post today, but I was working on a different article and chose to scrap it because the dot com announced today that Ade has officially signed for City. So, instead of some self-important BS or pointless transfer rumoring I have decided to invite everyone to post their favorite memory of Adebayor as a farewell. You can say anything you want, but a really classy fan, someone who respects what he did for us and not how he left, would try to post their favorite memory.
Ironically, I have been accused of being a “hater” in the comments, but that’s about as far from the truth as possible. I am angry about the way he left, I am angry about the corrupting influence of insane amounts of money that some football teams have, and I am sad that his Arsenal career ended this way. But I can still find something good to say about the guy. Everyone talks about what a classy club Arsenal are, so let’s show them.
Wenger kicks this off with his remarks:
Firstly, we must thank Emmanuel for his contribution to the Club. Whenever he was on the pitch, he always gave absolutely everything to the team and since joining us in January 2006, he produced a number of match-winning performances. Emmanuel leaves with our best wishes and we now look forward continuing our preparations for next season.
Me? I’ll never forget the second goal against Charlton at Highbury. Totally inconsequential game to everyone except me. It was my first trip to London, my one and only trip to Highbury, and here’s this lanky guy that has just recently transferred in from Monaco working till his heart is nearly bursting alongside Arsenal greats like Pires and Henry. It was on that blisteringly cold spring day, as the sun was setting on the final season at the hallowed old ground, and the final season for many of those Unbeatable players, that Adebayor netted his first ever home goal for Arsenal. It was what would later become a staple of Adebayor’s goal scoring: he used his muscle and pace to steal the ball from Hreidarsson and then side-footed into the net with cool grace.
Ha! Let’s hope he doesn’t have too many more of those now that he’s sleeping with the enemy!
Anyway, enough about me, I want to hear your story, get some closure on this saga and post your memories below.
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My memories of Adebayor would be a few great goals (Spurs away, Newcastle away, Villareal away), a hundred interviews where every answer started with “Of course, of course”, and a thousand offsides. I’ll also remember wondering how a player, whom the fans wanted to support, ended up turning the fans against himself through his own stupidity.
Too many good memories of Ade to list, a “special player” who will not be easily replaced. I loved him from the beginning to the end of his time with us.
Apart from his offside propensity I have no complaints about Ade least of at his effort and work rate. The “lazy” tag is simply undeserved. He has always been committed IMO but not always effective. Then again who has been effective lat season? RVP our top scorer with a grand total of 20, after an injury free season? I remember how woeful he was at the beginning of the season in particular, he missed bucket loads, most of them were not even on target. Ade in contrast had a lot of good efforts saved. I would be shocked if RVP had a better shot on target ratio than Adebayor.
It annoys me when I read people talking about Ade “ego” and “arrogance,” etc. I ask; do any of you know Ade? have you even met him once? Yet you claim to know the type of person he is.
Again I ask; is your judgement of his character based on knowlege gleaned from a personal relationship with him or rather from a media fuelled sterotyped image that you would rather believe.
Ade flirted with Milan and Barcelona supposedly, to get a better contract, so what?! If you were on 25,000 and someone is offering you 100,000 would you not play what ever card you need to play to get your club to pay you what you are worth? I would. Ade and his agent could have played it a lot better and come out with far more statements to appease the fans. However instead the media was full with contradiction as the things Ade actually did say was shrouded by things that he did not say and quotes taken out of context.
Ade has not deserved the treatment he has received from his detractors, truth is that there were a lot of fans always looking for an excuse to critise Ade even when when there wasn’t a good one the same goes for Eboue and Toure too of late. I remember reading a fair amount of derogatory comments even during Ade’s 30 goal season.
Walcott however can play however consistently inconsistent as he likes and you hear the Emirates singing his name “Theo, Theo, Theo”. Ade’s good work is ignored and his less than stella performaces are magnified.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:06 am
@arthur3sheds, Very true.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:34 am
@ctpa, Thanks ctpa. Shame about Nasri, this is the first I heard about it, I wanted to see him break out this season. Lets pray that we don’t get anymore injuries
July 21st, 2009 at 3:28 pm
@arthur3sheds,
Let me assure you that there are more egomaniac pratts in the premiership than Ade was. No one is begrudging him for seizing an opportunity to tripple his pay. Unless you are biazed yourself, can you honestly tell me, or any serious football fan, that Ade was an epitome of application and industry on the football pitch last season? I know that his agent is as much to blame for Ade’s stupidity.
Common, look at how RVP got his pay rise just a few weeks ago. Were the press not sniffing around? You bet they were. Did RVP or his agent give stupid interviews to fuel any raucous rumours upon which the press may drool? Of course not. They handled the whole thing professionally without offending anyone.
Even after all the accrimony at the start of last season, he could have endeared himself to the Arsenal fans by putting in a lot of effort; that was all that was required. But he did not. He acted as if he did not care. That’s not good enough. At least Theo puts in a great effort, albeit not as consistent as you like; even Eboue puts in a magnificent effort every single time he wears the Arsenal shirt. That’s more than anyone can say for Ade.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:52 pm
“That’s more than anyone can say Ade.” That anyone does not include me. I have never watched a game and I watched around 95% where I would say Ade lacked effort in contradiction to the rest of the team.
Nothing to do with bias but rather I am not jumping on the wagon and therefore beginning to see what I was looking for.
This is for all you clowns wishing bad things to happen to Adebayor-
Narsi has broken his fibula and will be out for 2-3 months. Karma is a funny thing and you clowns have been messing with it.