QPR is my only true (footballing) love but I have a lotta time for Arsenal. Most of my friends and fam who aren't blue and white through and through are diehard Gooners so I'd be a bit of a stick-in-the-mud not to have a soft spot for the Arsenal. So, it has saddened me to see Arsenal captain Robin van Persie leave for the north London club's top four rivals Manchester United.
Before yesterday, Van Pizzle really did strike as a fairly principled guy who genuinely wanted to re-pay gaffer Arsene Wenger's admirable faith in him (remember when he was a l w a y s injured?) by spearheading Arsenal to some silverware in coming years. The fact that both Van P's parents are artists led me to believe that he wasn't brought up to be motivated principally by money (all artists other than Damien Hirst hate money, right?). It led me to believe he was a good guy, a throwback to a time when footballers weren't all tosspots.
And let's get one thing straight - Van P's move to the Red Devils' Theatre of Dreams (*voms in mouth*) must be primarily motivated by cash given that United really are no shoo-in to finish above Arsenal this term. Let's not forget their Ji Sung Park-less midfield of 47-year-old Scholes and A.N. Other is powder-puff stuff. I refer you back to how Yaya Toure and others have waltzed right through the middle of it in recent seasons.
Yup, until RVP made his shocking decision to pack his bags for Old Trafford, he didn't come across as yet another mercenary footballer. However, sadly, it turns out the lanky Dutch striker with that sweet left peg (and no right) is just the latest in a long line of insincere badge-kissers whose eyes are trained firmly on the dollar sign. Let's not forget he said this as recently as Feb. 2011:
"I’m sure I could win things at another team in another country, but would it feel like our trophy, my trophy? I’m not sure it would. Anything we win here will come from the heart and that’s what I want. It’s my dream and I see no point in speaking about other teams when I have these dreams. I think other people know that about me; I’m just hungry to win with Arsenal and that’s it."
Van Persie's move oop norf has pretty much convinced me that there are no loyal, one-club footballers left in the game. It wasn't always this way. Ridiculously, I actually still believe that none of Marc Bircham, Kevin Gallen and Lee Cook would have have left Ian Holloway's QPR side even if Barca or Real had come calling (admittedly unlikely at the time).
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