The Best of Ex-Gunners

As we go into the New Year sitting pretty on top of the league table, lets take a moment to commemorate the fallen heroes along the way. The ‘heroes’ who have played a part in the evolution of the team to the current one and who were sold or left us in good or bad terms. Which ones of them (currently still actively playing) will form a strong enough ex-Arsenal team that can still challenge for the premier league title?

Assuming we play a traditional 4-4-2 formation, let’s start from the back. If Jens already left us, he will be a sure no 1 for me. However, at the moment, his future is not decided as yet. With the long tenure of Seaman and Lukic before Jens, there was a lack of outstanding goalies coming through at Arsenal. Between Alex Manninger, Graham Stack and Stuart Taylor, my choice is Manninger. Manninger is cool and very confident with his catch. However, he was just at Arsenal at a wrong time with Seaman playing particularly well. Manninger is playing at Siena currently and has a great chance to represent Austria in Euro 2008.

For my back four, Cashly “Judas” Cole is the undisputed left back. Much as I hate the way he left us, he is really a very good player and is currently performing very well for Chelski. There is really no other choice for this position.

The current batch of right backs are one of the strongest in our history with Justin Hoyte, Eboue, Bakary and Kerrea Gilbert all fighting for a place to start. A great tribute to the legacy left behind by Mr Arsenal right back: Lee Dixon. My selection of ex-Arsenal right backs is filtered down to either Lauren (Pompey) or Moritz Volz (Fulham). Lauren, the ever reliable and solid defender has build a strong reputation with his commitment and tough tackling. In contrast, the fleet-footed and always running Volz was youthful and committed and have developed himself to a first choice regular at Fulham. Choice: Lauren by a whisker due to his age. If he was younger, he will beat Volz by a mile.

For my centerbacks, the first ‘hero’ that comes to mine is Matthew Upson. The ex-Arsenal man is the Captain for West Ham and just recently scored his first goal for his club. The icing on the cake is that his first goal condemned our bitter rivals, man u to a defeat and open up the way for us to regain the lead in the league. Partnering him in defence will be Big Sol. After doing the unthinkable by crossing over to us from Spurs, Sol Campbell served Arsenal for a long and successful period. Although Wenger finally let him go to Pompey, Sol has shown that his ability to preserve clean sheets is still intact. In fact, he and his defensive partners prevented us from scoring in the recent meeting between the Gunners and Pompey.

In midfield, I have a huge array of choices of players which I firmly believe that they still could have made an impact with us. It is just that our current midfield quartet is so magnificent (and our bench includes the Brazilian captain and a French International) that we do not miss them at all. To name a few, Bentley, Pennant, Vieira, Sidwell, Larsson, Pires, Edu, Ljungberg and Reyes. Who will be choice to start in midfield for ex-Arsenal players still actively playing?

In the center of the park, Patrick Vieira will undoubtedly be my midfield general. He will also be my captain with his big display of heart, power and finesse coupled with his determination and leadership. The choice of his partner is a tough choice between Sidwell and Edu. The final vote goes to Edu for his stability and strong partnership with Vieira while Sidwell only really managed to blossom when he went to Reading.

On the wings, Bentley has been in fiery form recently. He has been scoring goals consistently and sending in great crosses for his Blackburn strikers to convert. His form has also led to discussions that he might be the next winger for England. With my other options also being great crossers or dribblers of the ball, it is a really tough decision to firm up the 2 wingers. With no disrespect to the others, my choice will be Bentley for his form and maturity and Reyes for his skills and acceleration. As much as I dislike the crybaby Spanish, he is indeed a talented winger that ever graced the wings of my team. A small note to the Mrs for leaving out Freddie.

Upfront, there can only be a King and no prizes for guessing who the King is. Although his departure was abrupt and heartbreaking, I guess the writing was on the wall for us to part our ways. Although he is at his prime and may even be the top scorer in the upcoming Euro 08, he seems to be jaded after so many years with us. It’s great to see him having a new lease of life at Barcelona and I reckon he is still a force to be feared. Who among the many heroes can be his perfect partner? Henry has once declared that Bergkamp is the one, but as Bergkamp has retired, he cannot be chosen in this team.

Members of the former Arsenal strikers club includes Francis ‘The Joke’ Jeffers, Sylvain Wiltord, Kanu, Anelka, Aliadiere and Julio “The Beast” Baptista. In my opinion, we are easily forget about The Beast and The Joke. Although Kanu is enjoying an Indian summer with Portsmouth, he and Wiltord are too old to make a strong claim for the other berth. Aliadiere is still an unfinished product. Hence, the logical choice would be Anelka. With his new found maturity and wide experience, he will have a great striking partnership with Henry. In fact, Raymond Domenech is considering the two of them to be his first choice pair for France.

On my bench, I will sit Graham Stack, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Kanu and Volz to balance out the needs of the team. The ex-gunners club will need a manager and who better at that then Mr George Graham. With this squad, I am pretty sure we can be in the top 6 of the BPL with no problem at all. Go Ex-Gunners!