Which Part Of ‘Fabregas Is Not For Sale’ Don’t You Understand?

Ollie Irish

19th, July 2010

29 Comments

By Ollie Irish

“Make them stop, dear God.”

It’s okay to hate Barcelona – divine, mystical, untouchable, godlike Barcelona. It’s okay now because they’re weaselly c**ts who act without class, shame or respect for other clubs.

With regard to the blatant and relentless courting – tapping up, in effect – of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, I believe Barca have brought the game into disrepute. Plain and simple. Except, of course the Catalans are above the law (they’re better than everyone else, remember), apparently, and well used to preferential treatment. If angry Gunners are waiting for Uefa to have a quiet word in Sandro Rosell’s ear, they’re in for a very long wait. Barcelona can do what they want, simply because they’re Barcelona, gatekeepers of the Beautiful Game.

Naturally, it’s been down to Arsenal fans to speak up about the harassment of Fabregas by Barcelona’s players, many of whom share a dressing room with Fabregas in the Spain national team; many of whom call Cesc a friend. But all of us should speak up – it could be your club next.

This will not stand, man.

At first, I’m sure Fabregas was flattered by Barca’s fluttered lashes. When the hottest girl in the room makes an effort to talk to you, how do think it feels? Of late though, it’s gone from flirting to flat-out stalking. When Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique forced Fabregas to pull on a Barcelona shirt, I cringed. I’m sure Cesc cringed too, inside (“Shit, this won’t look good”) – on the outside he grinned, ever the diplomat, but what the hell was he supposed to do? Twas a lowdown, ill-timed stunt.

As a Tottenham fan, this should be fun, of course. And I’m sure that for a lot of Spurs fans, it is a lot of fun. Watching your biggest rival subjected to drip-drip torture all summer long, constantly reminded that they could lose one of the best players in the world – what more could you ask for?! But Barcelona have crossed a line in their pursuit of Fabregas, to the extent that I have some sympathy with the Gunners.

At the end of last week, Arsene Wenger said enough is enough. But, Terminator like, Barcelona will not stop. Ever, it seems. Even today, Pep Guardiola talked of his desire to sign Fabregas, even though the player is blatantly NOT FOR SALE.

“I think bringing in Cesc will cost a lot… We want him to come, but if Arsenal don’t want to negotiate, he won’t come,” Guardiola said earlier today, in what appeared to be one final effort to prise Arsenal’s captain away from north London.

I don’t know which part of that Barcelona doesn’t understand. Just as I don’t know which part of Barcelona’s behaviour here doesn’t constitute disrepute.

It’s as if Barcelona actually believe that if they keep on picking away at this scab of a rumour, Arsenal will eventually give in, like a parent of the spoiled only child who wants an ice cream: “Okay, okay!! F**king take him already. Jesus, anything to shut you up for one minute.”

This will not stand.

Posted in Arsenal, Barcelona, Featured, Opinion

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29 Comments

  1. spectator says:

    they seem to believe that deep down everyone wants to play for them. every day brings a new reason to become increasingly jaded about the way the game is run.

  2. Chris says:

    Well said Ollie. I wholeheartedly agree with every sentiment – Barca have an unprecedented (and unwarranted) air of self-entitlement that has really come to the fore (in England at least) since this whole Fabregas debacle began to gather real momentum last season.

  3. PhilandoTorres says:

    There’s no doubt Barca are taking the piss now, but it’s hard to bring the game into disrepute these days by virtue of the fact that it’s no longer very reputable.

    You only have to look at good O’l ‘Arry Redknapp’s conduct after England’s inevitable failure. He went on national radio and basically talked Capello out of the job, and himself into it. And if not him, some generic English tactical genius, yet to be discovered.

    The Barca-Fabregas saga is just another example of how little the on the pitch stuff seems to matter. And while there are column inches to be filled and advertising revenues to be generated, this shit will go on and on.

  4. Josh Arsenal Fan says:

    This is a really well written article, you can really feel the passion and hatered towards Barcalona that most of the premier league share throughout this piece, they go about there signing of players totally the wrong way and im disguisted with the little stunt pique and puyol pulled.

  5. Anonymous says:

    How about the player’s will in all of this, imagine he wants to stop being a migrant and wants to go home have a stable life near his family???

  6. mizman says:

    Brilliant take on what barca have been doing for the past couple of season, not just in the case of Fabregas. I think the same applies to Real Madrid who also seem to think that they will sign everyone they take a slight intrest in and can bully other clubs by talking about players in public, and most probably behind clubs backs aswell.

  7. Miguel says:

    ” weaselly c**ts who act without class, shame or respect for other clubs” – Dude, that’s Man U and Chelsea!
    You guys are funny…the dude was the first one that said “i’d love to go there…i am just not sure if they’ll want me”. He wants to leave…he has said it time after time.

    Oh poor English football…self pity…who’s going to save english football now that Capello sucked, you realized that the best EPL players come from abroad, and now, just like Cesc, they want to leave to actually play beautiful football and WIN something.

    You guys are usually funny, but this self pity is just plain sad.
    Liverpool Sucks! Arsenal plays well but hasn’t won anything in 5 years (where are the english players? or watep?) Chelsea is a team full of cunts that no one really likes and Drogba is their best player. Man U…again, besides Choke Master Rooney, WATEP?!!!!

  8. Miguel says:

    Oh, and btw, 6 and 5 years ago…Cesc and Fran Merida were wearing Barca shirts…until Mr Wenger, using a loophole, lured then away. Cesc has grown as a player, too bad his trophy case doesn’t look like this: http://www.blaugranas.com/media/galeria/25/0/4/4/5/n_f_c_barcelona_la_historia-865440.jpg

    And please, I am dying for your incoherent answer.

  9. Jelly Bean says:

    Thanks Ollie, it’s nice to hear that even Spurs fans think that this situation is beyond ridiculous. And you’re right – there will be no punishment for Barca… the game needs a good shake up, and these underhand tactics need to be got rid of asap.

  10. Zedie says:

    Miguel – I, along with the rest of the EPL am patiently waiting for the day that Barca / Real declare they

  11. Zedie says:

    …..are bankrupt and the rest of the world can pick at their rotten carcass taking all their best players for bargains.

    The only reason Barca havent got Cesc is becuase they are broke and they cant afford to pay AFC what he’s worth. They’re just doing this so by the opening of the transfer market next season, they think there wont be as much of a fight to keep him.

    They did it with Theirry, Overmars, Petit and Hleb and look what happened to all of them, they never hit the heights that they thought they would.

  12. Miguel says:

    Zedie, are you serious?
    I know Real and Barca have massive debts, but the EPL, as a whole, is in worse conditions. Man U owes about 900 million, who knows about Liverpool (the team sucks anyways), Even Chelsea, with Abramovich at the head, still has a massive debt. Arsenal is in better shape, but they still owe for more than half the emirates (stadium), and they have a beautiful empty case of trophies to show for it.
    At least Barcelona has the best youth system in the world, so they can afford to not bring anyone in and still be very competitive. This is what Barca players mean when they say “he has the Barca DNA”…you learn to play a certain way when you are 11, 12, 13…not when someone/wenger “discovers” you when you are 17 or 18.
    The main issue with English football is that there is no style of play, there is no youth system.
    You talk about bulling…how about Hargreaves? How about Essien? How about Drogba? How about Mickel? How about “taking” Cesc (and Merida) when he was 16? (you do know Barcelona has a clause in his contract, right?)
    Man City is not bankrupt just because they don’t belong to the fans or to an English owner.
    At least FC Barcelona and their members/fans have a say in what goes on in their team…something that does not happen in any of the big teams in the EPL because they are privately owned.
    Again, Cesc is the one that wants to go to Barcelona…he has said it on TV, radio, print media…but still, Barcelona is the bully.
    As i said, Pies is way better when they stick to the funny stuff and not when they become “informative” without any objectivity.

  13. Culé español says:

    Respect for Arsenal club and fans but, He’s quitting, ha can´t miss this chance that he’s been waitong for so long. Accept it and try to find other player to remplace him. Best regards from Spain.

  14. Culé español says:

    What the hell means “Tottenham”? And “Arsenal”? Are they football clubs? In a b-league, i guess. Learn playing foot from Spain, and maybe you’ll enjoy two or three match a year. No, what i really mean is that Arsenal is the only team that can “make” some football in the island, and they’ve a long, long way to heaven. But you try, and it’s good. Anyway, goodluck from the World Champion’s land.
    P.S. Make Modric play, por dios!

  15. haha says:

    barca are cunts who exploit children at the age of 10-12 when they were supposed to be getting education.

  16. Karl says:

    ” Miguel says:
    July 19, 2010 at 4:47 pm

    Oh, and btw, 6 and 5 years ago…Cesc and Fran Merida were wearing Barca shirts…until Mr Wenger, using a loophole, lured then away.”

    Barcelona does the same thing as ALL OTHER clubs, incl. Arsenal. Most youth players at the bigger clubs come from other clubs.

    Puyol, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro, Busquets, etc. were all “lured” to Barcelona when they were schoolboys. Fabregas was a schoolboy at Barcelona when he joined for Arsenal. Stop being such a hypocrite.

  17. WXM says:

    I havnt heard Cesc say i want to leave Arsenal . He just said he would like to for Barca (at what time he did not mention)which everybody already knows . but it does not make it right for PIQUE , XAVI (broken record), PUYOL , PEP , INIESTA , MESSI , SERGIO etc to keep saying he MUST join Barca (before Armageddon 2012)and Arsenal are villains for making Cesc sign a contract till 2015 at gun point . and the want him for free cuz he is copyright barca product . i used to really like barca before this . now i fucking hate them cuz of this tapping up . i was the Arsenal chairman i would give them Cesc for free (Charity). there will be more Cesc coming from Arsenal and we wont even have to wait long . i doubt Arsenal will sell him this season even if Barca payed 80 mil . the cheap cunts

  18. Lennox B says:

    To all Barca supporters – Cesc only last year signed an extension to a 5 year contract, do you understand what a contract is? A legal binding agreement be two parties. Just admit it Barca many buy trophies but they have no integrity, class or honour. You play is a league that is dishonest and fixed….can’t wait to see Real Madrid kick your sorry ass.

  19. Anonymous says:

    According to an estimate in the Spanish media, the combined debt of Spanish clubs is about 3 billion euros ($3.8 billion), compared with some 3 billion pounds ($4.51 billion) in the English Premier League.

    Whilst the total debt is greater in English football it’s not by as great an amount as you think. The top clubs in each divsion will always be able to finance big money signings simply because of greater revenues which offer more scope for financing such deals.

    Miguel, you’re clearly a wind up merchant. Personally, I have absolutely no time for Barcelona, their gamesmanship (as champions especially) puts every other club in Europe to shame. Success often comes on a cyclical basis, now is Barca’s (and Spain’s) time at the highest level. Enjoy it while it lasts.

  20. Deckard says:

    @Lennox B
    You’re so far off the mark it isn’t funny. Barca have probably the best youth academy in the world, so much for your claim they simply buy trophies like Real Madrid does. Only thing Barca wants is to bring a prodigal son home. They’re playing it this way cos that’s how it goes these days, don’t stick your head in the sand. If Cesc really wants to join Barca then Arsenal shouldn’t stand in the way. You can’t really blame him cos Wenger’s fuck ups have seen Arsenal go 5 yrs trophyless. So much for a top side.

  21. Wasim says:

    barca are just running because of Jose Mourinho , even pep wanted a break till Jose was off

  22. Miguel says:

    there are songs about Wenger “luring” “boys” into arsenal…not that i agree with them, but being a hypocrite does not apply here.
    Wenger was able to put a great team together a few years ago, but his views didn’t allow him to change the paying scale, hence he lost many great players for his system. Flamini, sucks in milan but great for arsenal, is case and point. Everyone that plays for barcelona (sans Ibra) plays there because they can fit into a system that has been developed since the late 80’s. Guardiol, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, play this way…Iniesta came to Barca when he was 12, Messi 13 (no one wanted to pay his medical bills…and Barca did), Xavi 11, Puyol 16, Busquets came because his dad played in Barcelona, Bojan 9, Jonathan Dos Santos (the next Xavi) 11, etc, etc. Cesc was an European U16 winner (best player) when he came to arsenal…so he wasn’t a unknown player.
    It is funny to read Arsenal fans calling any other team “a sorry ass team”. Last I saw, FC Barcelona gave Arsenal the football schooling lesson of its life. A half time that many ex players (from all over the world) considered the best half played by any team ever. At least 7 players that came from the youth system started those two games.
    Clearly, in that game, the sorry ass team was Arsenal.
    And Madrid…FC Barcelona has beaten them 4 straight times…is that how many times Chelsea has beaten arsenal in games that matter?
    Arsenal fans should realize the coach who has been great for many years, can not provide them with anymore titles because he doesn’t want to get his head out of his ass.

  23. wxm says:

    didnt barca lure messi out of argentina ? or is he just xavi+puyol bastard son ?

  24. alex says:

    pedro joined barca when he was 17 from CD San Isidro L U R E D perhaps

  25. wasim says:

    @ wxm
    @ alex

    lol i doubt that the catalan cunts would see it that way .

  26. kellen says:

    Respect to you cause you’re a Spurs fan saying this. RESPECT.

  27. […] for villainous Barca, I hope some of their legs fall […]

  28. Zedie says:

    To the bell ends = Miguel and co that tried to compare my thoughts on Barcas brokearsedness to the rest of the prem…

    I was simply pointing out that Barca had to take a £150m loan just to pay their current players for the season but they still want to think they have a god given right to try and sign Cesc on a discount? This isnt a Frickin pound store! As a gooner, i dont give a shit about Man U and the financial hole they put themselves in.

    In regards to the luring of potential talent to Arsenal, Barca probably entice more underage boys through their gates than Sepp Blatter does when its his turn to host peado night!

    Ultimately, Barca are broke, but want to pay below market value for a player they ‘highly’ rate, but dont think is worth anymore than £30m? What does that say about their finances or how much they rate Cesc?

    Wenger could go crazy and spunk money like Barca do every year, but Arsenal do not have the public tax payer to fall back on so would end up like Portsmouth or Valencia or even Man U/Barca in a few years.

    If you ask Portsmouth fans whether they would swap that FA cup win for avoiding the humiliation of administration, i bet all of them would say yes in a heart beat.

    Im silently hoping that this happens to Barca in a few years (which is a real possibility the way they spunk money) and i live to see the rest of the world pick at the bloated carcass that is Barcelona.

    Rant over.

    At the end of the day, Barca are trying to

  29. Laura says:

    It is well known that Cesc has been waiting patiently and respectfully for his move back home to Barcelona.

    In the meantime, he has played well as Arsenal’s captain but his mind is very clearly made up about where he wants to be.

    He wants to be playing with Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, back home winning trophies and thriving on success, rather than failing miserable to carry this Arsenal team to success or any form of silverware for six years.

    Wenger is unfortunately fighting a losing battle, and one that he knows deep down he will lose.

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