One Last Chance Jack

Jack Wilshere is in the news once again. He has been pictured, cigarette in hand, surrounded by girls, partying with friends and pouring drinks down friends throats in a far off destination. Don’t get me wrong, players deserve a break once-in –awhile, but for a player who barely played 60mins in all of England's campaign in Brazil, this is not where Jack ought to be. Once again, it has led to criticism in many parts that he is wasting his talent. There is a special bond between Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere but why he doesn't seem to learn from Welshman is beyond me.

Arsenal as a club is changing, cash rich, mortgage paid off and self-sufficiently run is the new face at The Emirates. We are now able to attract some of the best legs in the world like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, Sami Khedira could be on his way. We have so much strength in the middle of the park that we were able to turn down AW’s lovechild Cesc Fabregas. It also means that we are now in a situation where Jack Wilshere is currently not good enough for our first 11; this is a player who as at 2011 was touted to be the next best thing in England since the British Bulldog, now questions marks are starting to be raised if we even need him in the squad. A senior colleague of mine who calls Jack “disable” said this morning “what will happen to disables development, if you buy Khedira?”  And that got me thinking of how Jack  seems to be going down the same route as many other talented Englishmen before him. A brilliant teenage talent, he has struggled to go from being a teenager to the man. Young Jack might just be on his last chance.

Yes, he has had injuries which have hampered his performances since his breakthrough season in 2010, but that was 4 years ago. His best performance in an Arsenal shirt was against Barcelona when he was 19. That was in 2011.

This season could be a defining one for Wilshere. He will be 23 on January 1st. We should no longer be talking about his potential, but about his actual talent. The older he becomes, the more younger players will be breaking through who are performing at a higher level. At an international level, Ross Barkley is 2 years younger and at Arsenal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is 18 months younger. Both of these are on the verge of overtaking Wilshere for club and country.

It is not far-fetched why young talents from in England most times crash even before they fly.  They are paid too much at such a young age, they thrust into celebrity lifestyle rather than concentrating on football, they become too concerned with tattoos, hairstyles, booze, birds and partying. I believe a mixture of all of these go into a mixing pot and create a footballer who is often content with becoming a millionaire, whilst not having to try too hard. English footballers are more interested in earning as much as possible, with as little work as possible and getting the girl. Meanwhile their foreign counterparts are driven by success. They want the Champions League, the World Cups, knowing that along the way, they will pick up the millions and the girl. A good example is Andreas Iniesta who had won it all and got married just two years ago (at 28); the average English “talent” has two kids and twenty tattoos by the time he is 18.

It is not a new thing. I read the memoirs of Paul Merson, and many others at Colney on how they trained, and went straight to the pub to party and were content. Meanwhile, the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry came across from the continent. They were first into training, and whilst the English lads left quickly to hit the pub or golf course, they would stay behind. It is often said that Cristiano Ronaldo trains more, and harder, than anyone else at Madrid; you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you why he is the best in the trade today. To become the best, you have to train better than the best. Natural talent only takes you so far.

This is an epidemic in English football. David Bentley never fulfilled his talent; he is not yet 30 and retired. Even Wayne Rooney, the bright hope of English football, has never really fulfilled his talent. Jack Wilshere, whilst not being as bad as David Bentley, is close to becoming the next Joe Cole, the next Wayne Rooney. Incredibly talented, but never really fulfilled it.

With our new found wealth, we can buy ready-made stars. We no longer have to look at a players potential and hope that they fulfill it. If they fail to do so, we can ship them out, buy in better. We no longer have to ‘make do’.

Yes, every player deserves a chance, and Aaron Ramsey showed the benefits of giving a player that chance. For me, Jack Wilshere is on his last chance. He needs to step up; otherwise he could find his Arsenal career sail away like the black pearl.

 COYG!!!