One Last Time

I remember it just as if it were yesterday. It was just one of those days when  even  if you try very hard to, you won't forget. It was the day me,my father and my uncle flew to Mumbai from Bangalore to watch the greatest cricketer of all time play his last game

It all seemed like it was a dream. I had heard of crazy fans who travel all across the country to watch matches, but never did I think for a minute that I will be one of them. Sachin was consecrated very early in my family; so i guess I had no choice but to follow in their fanatic footsteps. When it was announced that Sachin's last game would be played in Mumbai, the race for tickets started. Call it luck, fate, magic or whatever you believe in, we somehow ended up with 4 tickets for the test match. I don't think even Charlie Bucket protected his Golden Ticket as much as we protected our own.

And so on November 13th 2013,my father, uncle and I set off to Mumbai to watch the Master bid adieu to the game. Let me make something clear to the reader before we proceed ; I am not a big cricket fan, I prefer the game involving twenty two men running after a ball to kick it into a net. But cricket was an important part of my education at home. I have watched Sachin's straight drive off Shoaib Akhtar ( you know the one I 'm talking about) innumerable times, and been told about its aesthetic beauty as many times. I liked cricket, but it didn't get my adrenaline pumping as football did. 

But, as we walked into Wankhede on the first day of the match, I felt an excitement that is difficult to explain. There was just something in the air; the feeling that all of us gathered here were going to be part of something much bigger than all of us. There was a buzz; a buzz that was quite ineffable. It was impossible not be pumped up for the occasion; I know I was. Hell, I think even Michael Jordan would have been . 

The noise in the stadium when 'he' walked out to bat was deafening. Now, I knew that it would be bedlam when he came out to bat, but this was beyond expectation. Every person in the stadium, right from the most phlegmatic to the most strident, screamed themselves hoarse. No words will do justice to this moment. It was a moment only mean to be felt, not written about.  It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Sachin said in his farewell speech, that 'Sachin, Sachin'! will reverberate in his ears forever; he isn't the only one.

Now this is a man who has scored hundreds in world cups, finals, test matches against the best bowling attacks in the world but, to me those thirty odd runs he scored against sub standard West Indian attack on Day 1 is the innings I will remember him by. Every one of the 40,000 people in the stadium once again fell in love with them man, who had stolen their hearts on countless occasions. I swear, in that one moment, all of us in the stadium felt as one. We were all united by the Little Man in the middle. The stage was set for him, and boy!, did he give in a performance that drove us all in a frenzy. 

With his score at 20, which included three of the most 'Sachin shots', I turned to Dad, and said, ' Now all we need is a classic straight drive, and then we would have seen it all'. God heard our prayers, and the very next ball played a straight drive reminiscent of the one I had watched on my TV so many times . I remember looking up at my father and we both just smiled, no words were needed

The Prodigal Son

 To be honest, the game was a bit of an anti climax, more vapid than rapid. It wasn't a game to remember, but it was a moment not to be forgotten. The prodigal son finally returned.

He played with a covering to protect his nose, or possibly to 'mask' his emotions. Just like the intensity of the game, the booing also progressively reduced as we approached  the ninety. The Arsenal zealots seemed to lose interest in him. But, in the 90th minute, when he was finally hooked off, and started to to make his way off the pitch he once called home, it happened. 

It started from the North Bank end and disseminated ; applause from all corners of the stadium. And he reciprocated.  It was a final ode to the precocious youngster from Catalunya. It certainly wasn't a preempted gesture but was definitely ineffable. We have clapped and cheered for him countless number of times, but I think this is the one round of applause that he is unlikely to forget. 

Watching the Spaniard in Blue wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was hard, but certainly wasn't as gut wrenching as some of the other departures. I guess one of the reasons for that might be the circuitous path he chose to reach West London; not many choose to go via Barcelona. We were lampooned greatly by other fans, and in my opinion, they embellished the  'betrayal' story, and made it seem a whole lot  worse than it actually was. They seemed to have forgotten, that we had prized another player away from Camp Nou that very summer, and he has left all of us sanguine about the future. As one Arsenal fan rightly noted, ' We have moved on, it's time the others do too' .

But on that Sunday evening in the Emirates, we put all our animosity aside and stood up to applaud the Spanish midfielder. That gesture wasn't us welcoming back our ex-captain, it was us saying goodbye to him. We hadn't had a chance to properly do so four years ago. 

He left the stadium with his head held high, a tear in his eye and, a jersey of the player who replaced him at Arsenal wrapped around his shoulders. 

The Theo Conundrum

Theo Walcott has become something of a forgotten man at Arsenal, what with Arsenal playing some mind boggling football and turning defenses into ballad dancers, you can't say that the Gunners have been missing the speedster. 

  Why can't Theo make the starting XI?

   Unlike previous seasons, Walcott is no longer a vital cog in the Arsenal machine, what with Alexis, Welbeck and Chamberlain in Wenger's ranks, the Frenchman has been spolit for choice. Welbeck's arrival in the summer was the first indication that Wenger was planning for life without Theo. Welbeck has been deployed largely on the wings for the Gunners this season, and only very rarely has he been played through the middle. Granted that Welbeck may not offer the same speed as Theo does, but he more than makes up for it with his physical demeanor, his heading prowess and his surprisingly good link up play. He offers more to the team than Walcott does, and has also developed a good understanding with Alexis and co.
 Walcott has definitely fallen behind in the pecking order at Arsenal, and this was made evident when Ramsey was started on the right against Liverpool; a baffling decision considering that Ramsey is completely inept on the wings ( for reference, see Ars. vs QPR 2013). But the Welshman has reveled in his  new role, and with the midfield well settled and looking un displace- able, Ramsey looks set for a long run on the wing( pun intended) Theo isnt't the most flexible of footballers; unlike a Cazorla or Rooney he can't be played anywhere on the field. Very rarely does he drift towards the center of the park,and take part in the build up play or help out in defense. Inter changing of positions in the middle of the park has been one of the characteristics of the Arsenal midfield, with Ozil, Cazorla , Ramsey all trading positions throughout the game and waltzing through defences. Wenger won't risk hankering this trio, and bring in a player, whose style of play,to put it bluntly is very 'linear' and disrupt this Arsenal juggernaut.  But to be fair to Theo, he hasn't been bad since his return from injury, getting on the score sheet thrice, in only 5 starts in 13 appearances, but it's just that his
teamates have been better.


  Whats's the situation on the contract?

 Wenger seems quite up beat about the whole situation, stating that talks are on between him and  Walcott's embassy( Theo's agents), and he expects the negotiations to carry on for a while. There  have also been rumours of a reported falling out between player and manager, although both parties  have strongly denied such claims. It can be said that the Wenger- Walcott relationship hasn't always  been merry, and will be put through the wringer this summer when some tough decisions will have  to be made . No clarification has been made if it is the contact impasse  that has caused Walcott's   prolonged presence on the bench, but it seems unlikely that Wenger will put a personal issue above the needs of the team.
 Will it make sense to keep a player who is demanding a salary north of 90,000 , but is peripheral to the team's plans, and is struggling to make it to the starting XI?
With only one year on his contract left, Arsenal can risk losing Walcott for free next year; unlike last time, the contract discussions with Theo will have to be made quickly.

Will he, or won't he?

 Is Sterling the replacement?

Talks of a Raheem Sterling move to Arsenal are gathering fuel, and in the process has send ripples of excitement across the Arsenal communtity, In fact , 56% of Gooners said they will be prefer Sterling over Walcott, an online poll indicated. It can't be denied that the wiry Englishman, will give Arsenal an extra dimension and only make us stronger, but another attacker isn't the Gunners's most immediate requirement, and Sterling might be gratuitous for Arsenal's  future plans.

For now, it seems that Walcott will be stuck to the bench for a while, as it seems unlikely Wenger will want to make any big changes to his team, especially in the business part of the season. The summer could result in yet another Arsenal star leaving the Emirates, but this time, not too many Gunners might be cut up about it.