After his comments yesterday about finding his situation at Arsenal ‘not funny‘ we have, thanks to @martykantor, a full transcript of Tomas Rosicky’s interview.
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Regarding the missing out in the FA Cup final – “It was a huge disappointment.”
How would you explain that? – “I don’t know what to say. Since the coach activated the option (to extend the contract), I haven’t even been on the bench.”
From outside this doesn’t make any sense. – “Well, It doesn’t make any sense to me either.”
It must be frustrating. – “Of course it is. Do you think I like it?”
Surely not. And that’s why it is so admirable that you are still keeping in shape. You lead the national team to the championship. Where do you look for motivation in Arsenal though? – “First of all, I am a professional so I should behave like a professional footballer. Second of all, even though you sometimes fall from the team selection, you have to stay ready. You never know when it might turn around. If you are not ready and don’t seize your chance when finally appearing on the pitch, then it is truly over. I cannot afford to take my foot off the pedal.”
This is easier said than done. – “It sure is. I don’t have any other special drive to push me further.”
Except for the national team. Not only coach Vrba is pleasantly surprised how in-form you are even with your lack of playing time (workload?). – “Playing for my national team has a big influence. I want to be successfull there. I am the captain of the boys and have to lead them.”
But you have to solve your current situation at Arsenal. Do you know how? – “Manager Wenger told me in March he wouldn’t let me leave. My plan right now? I will start the pre-season at Arsenal.
Could you go on loan in the summer? – “I won’t speculate what may or may not happen. I will start pre-season at Arsenal and that’s it.”
Has Sparta (Prague) already negotiated with you? – “There is a long-term interest but right now it doesn’t matter. I am focusing on my success with the national team. European championship is coming next year.”
So the Euros 2016 are on your horizon? – “Currently not only regarding the national team. Euros are the thing I am clinging on for a long time. That speaks for itself.”
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So there you go, some context to his comments and it’s even more clear he’s not contended at the club right now.
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A quick note for other blogs/websites, please feel free to use the quotes but if you could mention the source that’d be great.
Very sad situation … my 2nd best player at Arsenal 🙁 I remember the day when he joined, I was so happy !! I do think he has been treated poorly not just because all players being fit there was no way to accomodate him. I mean, he couldn’t have played the WBA game? or even come on as a sub in the Swansea game when we were desperate? He has always provided something special and energy which goes lacking sometimes. Also, he can play wide sometimes too. Anyways, as much as I would LOVE for him to stay a… Read more »
he’s my fav. please make him happy, Arsene
TR7 doesn’t deserve this poor treatment and management from wenger. I fear the worst for next season as wenger will not pick the right players at the right moments and ultimately cost us the tittle again despite having a full squad to choose from.
Tittle-tattle!
Very cunty @martykantor pushing for controversial aswers with what are obviously very leading questions!
Figured he wasn’t happy. When he wasn’t on the bench for the FA cup final, it was pretty evident something was up. Not a nice way of handling a dedicated player there, Arsene. Hopefully if Tomas leaves (which I certainly hope he doesn’t), Wenger can make it on amicable terms, and not taint the long term relationship of Rosicky and The Arsenal. He’s been nothing but class and dedication from day one. He deserves it.
He’s too valuable a player to be let go like that. We need guys like him, Arteta and Mertesacker to show what intelligent football is.
He is a model professional as well.
Journalist: “So how do you manage to train and work so hard, even though you know you’re not playing matches?”
Rosicky: “It’s my fucking job.”
A great Player he is. I love TR7!!!
Tommy is sad, I am sad, we are all sad 🙁
Oh Tom 🙁 I don’t want things to end under a cloud.
He seems pretty pissed off in that interview or from what I interperated anyway,I think he’s days at arsenal are numbered,it’ll be sad to him leave but I’d prefer to see him play weekly rather that once every couple of of months
I thought his interview was professional and dignified. No such thing as throwing a hissy fit like some other players might have – top player, top man.
Fair enough, he’s a quality player who deserves to be starting regularly. The way he answers those leading questions honestly and succinctly shows real class, unlike so many others who bugger about talking about ‘suffering’ or with agents making stupid ultimatums. If he’s not at Arsenal next season I think we’ll always regret not having seen him at his full potential but respect his decision to move
As strong and deep as the squad is now this is going to be an ongoing problem for Wenger and the team with players of great quality not even making the bench for matches. It is going to take a number of long term injuries for Rosicky to see any time this upcoming year as there are so many in front of him and that doesn’t include any potential transfers this Summer. I love Rosicky and never want to see him leave from my selfish standpoint, but I hope for his sake Wenger can sell him to a team that… Read more »
Some perspective would be nice. If Tom tried to play fifty games in a season, his chances of finishing the season in one piece are pretty low. On his day he’s still a brilliant player (and because of all the time he’s spent injured he’s in better shape than he ought to be) but he’s not a player you can rely on like Ramsey or Cazorla. We can understand his frustrations at not playing, he has that admirable attitude of just wanting to play (rather than pick up a paycheque) but he should realise that unless he goes to a… Read more »
He’s every right to be pissed off, when a guy who’s missed so much football through injury is then forced to miss it through whatever reasons the maanager can come up with, it’s got to hurt.
Honestly for me, still a better option than most ahead of him in the squad. I just wonder why on Earth the maanager might keep Diaby when a player such as Rosicky can’t get a look in.
Well, it’s not like our manager play Diaby ahead of Rosicky.
I had the very good fortune of being in the Emirates Box for the West Brom game and stayed for some time afterwards just looking out at the pitch and enjoying the view. Rosicky was the last player left on the pitch and was walking round very slowly with his wife and child. He cut a pretty forlorn figure in the Arsenal tracksuit and it seemed like he could quite easily have been pondering his future with us. At this point he had just signed his extension but didn’t even make the bench for the game so perhaps that was… Read more »
Sad sad times.
What’s the box like though? I can always see them from my scrub seat.
The box is ruddy lovely. The only reason I got it is because I had air miles with Emirates and you can redeem them at Arsenal games for free box seats or tier seats. It helps to be an Arsenal fan as well 🙂 The box is on the upper middle tier directly on the halfway line opposite the players. Unfortunately I had to squint to make out who I believe was Thierry across the stadium. Before the game I was praying I’d be near him to tax and autograph but it wasn’t meant to be. The seats are bigger,… Read more »
There’s been a load of old guff posted on here about Rosicky in recent weeks. Of course he’s a fantastic player on his day and clearly a nice lad but for years we’ve been asking for a more competitive and deeper squad and now that we have it somebody had to miss out on the cup final. I’m sure Arteta and Debuchy weren’t thrilled at missing out either but that’s the way it goes at a top club. Not everyone can play every week and, at 34, maybe Wenger thought that it was a risk having him involved for game… Read more »
I agree. While obviously upset at the situation he’s also said he’s a professional and will be ready if needed. Some people seem to be more interested in what’s good for Tomas instead of what’s good for Arsenal, and their certainly entitled to their opinion. Personally, if the extra year on the contract makes Arsenal an additional 2 or 3 million down the line then fair play to Arsenal, who as you say, have been very good to the player.
You make a good point about the potential for a 120 minute final. At the same time, he would have only come on as a sub, so might not have had to play 120 minutes. Also, a counterpoint could be that he would have been an excellent, mature substitute for a 120 minute final which would have been very tough (look at what happened with Ox against Monaco. Great goal, but his youthful exuberance trumped sense, and he lost the ball which led to the tie being over). There is a good question in there too: if he is so… Read more »
Absolutely, Rosicky is one of my favourite players and there’s no one quite like him when he’s in-form and taking the game to teams – his winner at SHL last season was alone worth every penny we’ve spent on him. To me it’s great that our players are getting feisty about a lack of playing time, this is what competition should produce. A few weeks ago it was Ramsey complaining about a lack of time in the middle – this is a good problem and exactly the dilemma we want Wenger to have every week because it means we have… Read more »
he wasn’t out with a long-term injury this season
My opinion is, that interview showed a man of real class
I’m not sad because we won the cup 🙂 Love TR7 though
even when the team struggled with injuries and TR was fit he still reluctantly refused to play him maybe he should of read something into that from AW, im sure he opted for the year extension to get a few bob back on him. Depending on summer transfers if no one is available to better the squad then he will keep him but will be again in cameo roles, a shame top class player model pro but blighted by injuries, to have the option in the contract favours the club more than the player but then again we did pay… Read more »
Maybe we can keep him around til the emirates cup or community shield so we can give him the proper send off he deserves
He had a number of good performances this season, but he also had a few stinkers too, notably when he started, such as the Carling Cup game against Southampton, although the whole team was shite that day. This is coming from a big fan of his. He still has a lot to offer the team, in my opinion, but people claiming he should be a starter for this Arsenal side are crazy.
One: I don’t think anyone (including a big fan like me) expects him to be a starter. However, when I see Flamini on the bench ahead of him, regardless of him being a supposed “DM”, ticks me off. I would argue that he merits coming on in cases where things are tight and we need the drive. Two: Everyone has stinkers. However, the games he has done well shows us what he can bring to the table. (Winner against Brighton?, that delicious pass to Ozil where he looked one way and passed the other – oof!! ) Currently, we only… Read more »
Completely agree with pretty much everything you said.
If you love football, you have to feel sad for Rosicky. He is the captain of the Czech national team and not even a sub at Arsenal? Something fishy dont you think?
Perhaps if he gave up playing for his country at the age of 34 after getting injured countless times while playing for them and then having to recuperate and miss Arsenal games while we, the fans, pay his wages, then he might be worthy of sympathy. He’s done very well out of Arsenal but given his injury record, giving up international football in order to ensure longevity at club level and pay all the DNS back might be something to consider before giving “poor me” media interviews.
The days of Arsenal being dicked around by players are over. Good.
Shameful behaviour from the club. Shameful!
What’s shameful about?
We should definitely do right by him and let him leave while he’s got quality years left. It’s pretty clear he doesn’t have a place anymore at the club when everyone is healthy, not because he’s not one of the top 18 players at the club but because we need the space for players like Wilshere, Ox, and Welbeck who are (hopefully) still developing. It’s mostly a waste having a 34-year-old blocking a youngster’s path to the first team unless he’s in the XI all the time. At this point we should just let him go where he wants while… Read more »
I think most people are in agreement that Rosicky shouldn’t be starting every game, but there’s no doubt that he should’ve been involved more. In the first half of the season when we were sucking up, he hardly had an appearance. As many of you have already said he brings a directness and drive that few players have and he has the pace to do it. He said he was in the top 5 fastest players at the club earlier in the season when he wasn’t happy. You can’t argue that we rotated players a lot more and in an… Read more »
He sure doesn’t sound like a happy bunny… Hopefully his situation will be resolved somehow soon. Such a shame to have a player like him going to waste.
I’ve said this before. Rosicky is likely to leave (be let go) Contract extension means nothing beyond the fact that we can add some monetary value by avoiding a free transfer. Ditto Arteta. Likely, if we find a strong player to come into central midfield to add going forward and cover DM, Arteta will be released (call it Captain’s curse) Flamini will be kept for utility if that’s the case. his versatility and slight age advantage is a plus over Arteta at the moment and contrary to popular opinion, he is a very decent player. Podolski will leave too. These… Read more »
Arsene and his bloody economics.
If we keep treating our long time players like shit, what difference does this make btn us and Chelshit? If we do not need Thomas, why extend hos contract. Such a decent, committed player!
Wha are you talking about! How many games has he missed through injury while season ticket holders pay for his lifestyle? And we should feel sorry for him?
First world problems……..
Diaby? Diaby?
In his 9 seasons at Arsenal, Tommy has never started more than 22 league games. Averaged 11 starts per season…
My point is that he is one of those players who the longer he doesn’t play, the better he becomes. I like Tommy, he gives us a different dynamic, but he is not the future.
For me, would like to see him, Podolski, Flamini, Campbell, Jenko & probably Sanogo moved on, & bring in two top, top players. Preference would be Kondogbia & probably the Porto CF.
Cech? Get him in & ship Ospina…..
Tomas Rosicky is an Arsenal legend. Who can forget him running that cunt twat Danny Rose off the pitch?
I still love Rosicky. He’s been my favourite player for a long time. I think he can still be useful for us, especially in the cups and when we need a bit of extra drive, but at his age he’s just not going to get so much playing time. Look at Gerrard and Lampard. They just got phased out as substitutes. It’s unfortunately just what happens in the twilight years of a players career. Especially at a top club. The difference with Rosicky, though, is he has always looked quite fresh when he’s played. He could still do a job… Read more »
The difference is Gerrard and Lampard both gave up playing for their country to ensure club level longevity. And that’s after playing hundreds of games more for their clubs than Rosicky as they didn’t suffer season long mystery injuries.
I agree with Gus Caesar. While obviously upset at the situation he’s also said he’s a professional and will be ready if needed. Some people seem to be more interested in what’s good for Tomas instead of what’s good for Arsenal, and their certainly entitled to their opinion. Personally, if the extra year on the contract makes Arsenal an additional 2 or 3 million down the line or means Arsenal have an experienced player available if needed then fair play to them. To me that’s the manager doing what’s best for the club and has been mentioned already Arsenal have… Read more »
The interviewer clearly had an agenda there…The entire line of questions was to provoke Rosicky into saying something negative about the club. Fair play to Rosicky for giving thoroughly professional answers. And as far as us letting him leave is concerned, I am completely in favour of making him stay for this season. We should make him the captain of the league cup team this season (an honour he completely deserves),and also have him on the bench for premier league ggames. If there are other youngsters who are in better form and he doesn’t even make it to the bench… Read more »
I kept trying to post a comment, but now I give up.
(chrome imac 2013 macos 10.10.3, in case someone at the backend sees this)
Now we have a consummate professional finally expressing discontent. You told Giroud you have not forgotten what he has done for the team, how about a little loyalty to Rosicky? Not even on the bench for the FA cup final? Ruthlessness is all well and good, but I don’t think this is Arsene being ruthless. Just myopic and having a blind spot. I believe Rosicky is technically and physically good enough to be part of a well rotated side (no drop off in quality), starting a game a month and definitely (depending on the situation) getting good minutes off the… Read more »
If Rosicky is unhappy then he’s free to put in a transfer request if he wants to.
This was the first half of my post (sorry I’ve now become obsessed with posting this): At the beginning of the season, when we were dicked with injuries, and dicking around with the 4-1-4-1, Rosicky did not get a game. I called bullshit then. Wenger was completely obsessed with getting Ramsey and Wilshere into the team, and just didn’t seem to give a fuck about results. Season ended in the league (as far as challenging for the title is concerned) right there. This is a muddled post, bear with me. I know the major injury issues were at the back.… Read more »
Well Wilshere and Ramsey are both a lot younger than Tomas so it makes sense that the two of them would get more games that Rosicky. They both will potentially have more of a long term future here at Arsenal so it makes sense to get them playing together. And lets be honest, Rosicky has been partial to a lot of long term injuries. He cannot really be relied upon. Wenger could just have easily let him go for that reason, but has chosen to faithfully stick by him. As far your issue with Ozil starting on the Wing, it… Read more »
Wenger would have let Rosicky leave if he never intended to play him. His turn will come again when injuries hit as they surely will. At the moment the squad is almost fully fit which is why he missed out in the Cup Final.
This is the by-product of a strong squad. Some very good players will not get games as regularly as they’d like. I understand when fans and media types ask for new signings. As for players, I couldn’t understand it for the life of me. What if the club bring better players in your position? Now what? You’ll either have to leave or relegated to the bench. Or worse, confirmed to league cup matches
It’s a shame we didn’t give him a send-off in the FA Cup final. I can understand Wenger not using him consistently but he’s always played with passion for the club and deserves respect.
Maybe this is controversial but… I think he should stop being a whiny bitch. If he wants to leave I’m sure he could, if he forced it, but he didn’t play that much due to injury and yet he bitches about game time? Barely ever broke 25 PL games a season and consistency makes you great. Worthy mentions: 2007/8 PL appearances 18 2008/9 PL appearances 0 2012/13 PL apearances 10 You’re old mate, and I’ve paid you more money than you’ll ever be able to spend for doing very little. Plus YOU signed the contract. This is Sumit. His family… Read more »
if getting totally abusive and then making a ridiculous comparison with the tragedy in Nepal is controversial, then this is definitely controversial. You could consider his influence in the run to the fourth place in two consecutive seasons. Or the fact that he has never really created a scene in the press about playing time, or agitated for a transfer that would have destabilized the club, or that even now he has spoken quite honestly but without disrespect. The world has enough to eat, yet people starve, and to that extent you have a point, but that applies to everyone… Read more »
I’d love him to stay on. It’s about time one of our players had a testemonial.
Is Jack Wilshere honestly better than this guy? Why does everyone bring up potential? If we’re trying to win the league, shouldn’t we play the players who perform?
He was excellent when he got game time around Boxing Day. I don’t remember him having a below par game that was reason for him to be dropped.