We’ve got the Jack, Jack, Jack
by Walter Broeckx
Some people who like a bit of hard rock will now where I have got this line from. It is the chorus of an ACDC song which is mostly sung out loud by visitors of their concerts.
As I haven’t been in the Emirates ever when Jack Wilshere has played for us I don’t know if there is a chant for him. If there is none, I would suggest the title of this article. As in the song it can be song a few times and if the whole stadium shouts Jack, Jack, Jack it really should do him some good. Even just the thought of it brings me shivers.
I think it must have been some 2 years ago when I saw Jack Wilshere for the first time. I was so excited I even wrote an article on him on the Benelux website. I called it: Jack, he Will. And I still think he will become one of the great players of the future.
If we all try to look back a few years, let’s say some 5 years we might then remember the then fragile looking Cesc Fabregas of those days. You could see he had something special. But he was still very young and when you look at the Cesc 5 years later you see a completely different player. Cesc has grown in every possible way. Physical, mental, scoring goals, creating goals… Cesc has turned the complete footballer last year. The money Barceloanus offered us was totally ridiculous.
When I see Jack Wilshere these days he reminds me of the Cesc of five years ago. And if I try to imagine I think it is impossible to even have any idea on how good Wilshere will be when he is 23 years old. If Wilshere keeps up his work and his ability to learn he could be one of the best players from the next generation.
Some people said it was stupid of Wenger to have him start at Liverpool. Now we have seen in him being impressive in pre-season. We have seen him play a number of games at Bolton last season. We have seen him in CL games, we have seen him in Carling cup games, we have seen him in FA cup games. I think it was about time that he got his first start in the EPL. And the mark of a great player is that he can perform anytime, anywhere, anyplace.
If you think I don’t see his mistakes I must tell you that I actually do see them. I even mentioned his name in my match review and his involvement in losing the ball which lead to the Liverpool goal. So I am well aware that he made a mistake and that in the coming years he will make more mistakes. Just name me one footballer who never makes mistakes.
But what I did see in the game was that he has learned from his former games he played for us before his loan spell. In those days he wanted to take them all one and dribble his way past them. On occasion he still is doing this and I would say, “Jack don’t stop doing it”. You’ve got the skill to do it and to run past people and trough defenders. Just keep doing it.
What I also liked about Jack is that he has that bit of venom in him that we sometimes miss in some players. He was facing a midfield with Gerrard, Mascherano and Kuyt and those are three full internationals for their country. Kuyt even reached the world cup final this summer. So you cannot say that they are bad players. And Jack didn’t look out of place against them. He fought with them and battled with them. He even came in with a tackle I don’t like to see but this is just showing the fact that he is fighting for his place in the team.
I also noticed that he didn’t play in the position he usually plays and which is very much upfront where he can be at his most dangerous with his dribbling or with his nice passing of the ball. And what I was most impressed about was the fact that in the first half he was always well aware of his position and the position of the rest of the team. When Diaby ran forward, he held back a bit to give some protection to the back four.
I think to have a 18 year old in the team who can think in that way is great. Most young players at that age run around like headless chickens but Jack was trying to read the game and the position of this teammates.
In the second half Jack was substituted after almost one hour of playing time. He didn’t set the world on fire with this game by scoring some goals or providing some assists. But he did show that he, at 18 years old, has what it takes to become a really good player for Arsenal.
So it has been an eventful week for Jack. Making his England debut, making his EPL debut for Arsenal at Anfield of all places. And he has done very well for an 18 year old youth product. So I will be looking forward to seeing more of Jack. Which makes me think of Aaron Ramsey. Last season he was at the same point in his career. And during the season you could see him getting stronger and better. Cesc said that Ramsey looked better than he was at the same age. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few months the same can be said of Wilshere. Being better than Cesc at that age. Can you say something nicer about a player?
So my last problem is with whom can you compare Wilshere? Is it with Brady, the left footer with his great vision and passes? Is it with Bergkamp for the way he picks out players and for the way he has curled in a few goals in the past for the reserves? Is it with Cesc because his potential of becoming on of the best midfielders of Arsenal and thus of the world? Or will he be pushed out on the right side of the attack to play some kind of Messi role?
I’m sure that if Jack keeps his head down, keeps on working, keeps on fighting like he is doing we will have a midfield to dream about. Can you imagine, Cesc the stayer, a fully recovered Ramsey and we’ve got the Jack, Jack, Jack in midfield playing for us. I must say they could be better than Xavi-Iniesta-Messi from Barceloanus. Now only hoping some “not that kind of player” wants to stick it up to him in the next years. God let that not happen.
Sometimes one web site is all you need
Sometimes you need a bit more
Sometimes you need the book
Jack will be a great player… my questions is.. will he stay with us when he does or will Sir Alex come in and put 40mm on the table and we will sell him?
That is the problem with our youth policy. We create the players then sell them off, and in the meantime we don’t win anything.
I want the youth policy to work, but so far we have not reapt the rewards, and i don’t care what anybody says.
I am a Wenger fan and he is the right man for the job, but he is not perfect. What is the reason we have not won a single trophy in 5 years? im waiting for your answers…
Did Arsenal sell Fabregas?
Crap!
I should pay more attention to the funny papers.
Walter.he is good ,but please, to compare him to,or even consider,Dennis Bergkamp is a bit much.Still we live in hope.
Timmy,If you look at some of the previous on Untold you will have your answer
Timmy, he wont sell like our stars like that anymore. What he did this summer with fabregas, is going to happen in 2016 and he will use the same words “It was never about the money”.
And i think Ramsey will recover quickly from the accident. He will be fine and a superstar It happend with abou, nasri and they recovered well. He wont go down the path that eduardo did. His age was higher and he had stopped developing physically ages ago.
Good thing about Jack is in 5 years time there’ll be no Wenger to sell him off for once. I’d bet my house that Steve Bould would win more trophies than Wenger over any given 5 years. And again unbelievably, though not really, he’s about to sign another old, Silvestre type, French CB!! I mean really, WTF???
Pat. I think you have come here by accident.Trust me,it is not the place for you.
yeah pat get lost
He reminds me of Paul Scoles..very aware, great passer of the ball, fearless but sometimes a bit wreckless in the challenge…but he’s going to be better!!!!!
Timmy, I can see your frustration, but if Liverpool can sign & keep top players there must be hope for Arsenal.
Jack has great potential to be an Arsenal legend. He is nearly a local aswell. In time, people won’t compare Jack to player X. Player X will be compared to Jack. Ramsey, Jack and Gibbs will be regulars very soon I think. Gibbs has grown immenesly the last year.
i have one side topic question to ask.
if wenger wants a player. for example right now mark for which a bid is rejected. 2nd bid is also apparently rejected. so when wenger tells board he wants a player does he have a say in the finance on how to bid? yeah we all say wenger loves a good bargin… but do we say that because he makes the call on the money in buying? yeah for selling he will always rate a player high? but does he have a say in buying also?
i would be really shocked if its like board say we will give 5mil for mark.. and wenger says no.. 2mil it is.. then bid gets rejected… and wenger himself looses a good player because of his assesment on a players value.
but if its not that.. if the board has its own way of valuing a player and they get all stingy then its the baords fault for not giving wenger the player he wants… but saying that i would like someone to tell this. who has a say? i hope its not mutual shit! i mean comeon.. wenger wants a player he should get it. he said so many times he has the financial backing with the likes of citeh and chelsea pre season.
so how is the deal done? wenger or the board ?
Walter
To me, Jackie boy (as I think of him, I had an Uncle Jack and my Grandmother always used to call him Jackie boy) is the living embodiment of the Liam Brady I used to watch and idolise from the North Bank in the 70s. That cultured left foot (copyright a certain blog) that incredible balance, that slight edginess to his play (Brady wasn’t afraid to leave a foot in and nor is Jackie boy). To me, the only risk is that he catches Pennant/Bentley/Cole disease and thinks that he is better than he is, gets impatient and engineers a move. Jackie boy please have the patience to not play every game this year, to grow into your pomp. You are Arsenal through and through (Stevenage born, joined from Luton at the age of 9) and, if you can just be patient for two years will end up having a great Arsenal team built around you and Aaron Ramsey.
Munawar – it would be AW’s call, as it should be. The board simple tell AW how much money is available and after that it is, and always should be, up to the manager to determine how much he is willing to pay for a player.
If the manager feels Schwarzer is worth only 2million, then that is how much he should pay. Not a penny more. It is ridiculous how people say “well, he should up his bid by another couple of million to get the player. It is only 2million after all!!!!”.
If you were looking for a house and you saw a great one that you wanted but saw that the price was double what you thought it should be worth, would you pay the extra money? Especially if you knew that in the years to come the value of that house would go down and not up (as is the case with a 37 year old goalkeeper or a 30 year old central defender)?
It is easy to say “spend, spend, spend” when it isnt your money.
Countryman, then I think I have been standing somewhere beside you in 1979 and watching with mouth wide open at the Brady. Sometimes the ball sticked on his left foot like glue and then suddenly he passed the ball to a player no one has seen running.
I sometimes wonder if it was his magic that made an Arsenal fan in that game.
I think jack is a great player for his age, but for me Aaron is so much better physically, mentally. His awareness to pick out a pass just like cesc can do. I cant see jack being the man they look for someone to do something, spring a pass from nowhere.
Maybe somewhere in between Scholes and Gascoigne. His low centre of gravity, balance, desire to run past people and cockiness remind me of Gazza, but his precise passing and ability to make difficult football look easy remind me of Scholes. Hope he stays on the right track!
Jack is brilliant so for and there is no reason to believe he won’t continue to improve. But for me Ramsey is the main man and future captain of Arsenal. I just love watching him play. However, I am very exited by Jack and feel that we arsenal fans are so lucky to have players like Feb Ramsey Jack and Kieran. Thanks you very much Mr Wenger.
thanks for the insight,the boys are good but they cant out compete the roman marauders at the bridge, we need some experience if we are to put up challenge at the big stage. we have waited for so long to have the squad mature, why sale the young players? we need to also hold onto our playing staff if we are to keep the cohesion in the team.
Fast forward 2-3 seasons – add the number of years to the age listed in brackets. Still a pretty young team.
Szczesny (20)
Nordtveit (20), Koscielny (25), Vermaelen (25), Gibbs (21)
Fabregas (23), Song (23), Nasri (23)
Walcott (21), Bendtner (22), Vela (21)
We even have Ramsey (20, Wilshere (18), Frimpong (18), Djourou (23), Denilson (22), Mannone (22), Barazite (20), Eastmond (20), Lansbury (20), Jet (20), Coquelin (19), Afobe (17)
Lacking some cover at the back but for creative, attacking midfielders – we have ample numbers.
Arsene Wenger – the visionary has built us a squad capable of success now but with certainty 2-3 years down the road while moving to a new stadium, practically without debt. Even if we lose Cesc next year or the year after, Ramsey/Wilshere are ready for it.
i think will in the next 3 years be worth 45 million pounds if he take care of his fitness.he is future of both arsenal and england
T2T, YOU HAVE A GOOD IDEA,THE TEAM NEEDS TO HAVE SOME COVER IN STRATEGIC SECTIONS IE DEFENCE
And may I add to that list Wellington (17/18) who is having a bit of fun in the reserves for the moment. So it seems anyway.
I dont trully believe that Cesc Fabregas or Ramsey is actually from our youth Policy. They learnt their football from different places and came to Arsenal only to show how good they are. Our true Youth Policy shines is Jack Wilshere. Who has learnt his football in arsenal. Thats why we always have a fear that Cesc or Ramsey might depart to some other clubs later on. But in the case of Jack, it seems like he has a one man one club policy. He lives here and always wanted to play for Arsenal.
jack is gonna be fine..unless he got worst injury like eduardo..
im praying that we win over blackpool..not draw or lose..it can be happen..arsenal are always out of luck with this type of team..=(
ramsey,song, denilson,nasri….and many more to come;
now that’s what i call an “I WILL EVENTUALLY BREAKDOWN AND WILL BE OUT FOR SEASON” policy….
Morning, Walter.
Yes, yes, yes, let’s have a bit of AC/DC as an anthem for Jack.
The youth policy is working. For those that don’t see it yet and want to enter the transfer market for all and sundry, may I suggest AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap?
And for the team’s entry on the field, maybe The Stone’s number with the chorus that ends “you just might find, you get what yoou need”? After all, they don’t seem to realise that you can’t always get what you want.
T2T, i love the team you put out, but lets be realistic.
Cesc is going to leave us within 2 years. Wellington will occupy one of the wings, hence he has twice the skill and vision of your english loverboy Walcott.
Why are players leaving Arsenal? There is a simple answer and we all know it. Again i love the fact that we put our faith in the youth policy, but do you really think that all these young guys are happy just to sit on the bench and wait? If Gibbs does not get a starting role after this season, he will ask to leave aswell. And so will the other young guys..Only 11 can play at once, having 30 players waiting in the wings does not matter..
We are only 2-3 players away from winning the title. Everyone in the world knows we need more defensive cover and a keeper. We do not have to blow 100mm the 40mm we made from Kolo and Adebayor last year would be enough, to win titles and to keep our players from leaving.