Vinnie Jones, hero or villain?

[Arsenal Tone]

Just been watching Piers Morgan's life stories on Vinnie Jones on ITV1.

I was a big fan when I was a kid, his autobiography was a good read and he is still one of my heroes.

What do you make of Vinnie Jones? He seems a bit like marmite - you either love him or hate him.

What do you make of him, hero or villain?

[Fordy]

Hero

[Goose]

Legendary Hero

[Briggsy]

I think of late he is alright but the pass the guy was a bloody arsehole! Biting people's noses whats that about? Slide tackling a little kid pure filth. He was a bully I noticed he never stepped up to a Adams or a Keown but to smaller men. In many ways he was just a tall Dennis Wise. When he made it into Acting I remember saying well he pulled of being a footballer for awhile

[Arsenal Tone]

I used to love the old crazy gang, that FA Cup final game against Liverpool etc. If I had a second top flight team it would have been them. Arsenal had a similar spirit in those days too, where everyone looked out for one-another. That is what is missing from our current squad. Vermaelen may be our hard man, but the team spirit still isn't what it was, I want a squad where they enjoy playing together so much that nobody wants to leave. Instead all of our squad seem to see the club as a stepping stone rather than seeing it as home, seeing eachother as family.

[Arsenal Tone]

I remember a game against Man Utd where Vinnie kicked Ince, Cantona and Keane in the first 20 mins and got sent off. Not sure who it was against but it was brilliant to watch, I was cheering like mad!

[Briggsy]

So team spirit means kicking lumps out of people? What the hell planet you on

[Arsenal Tone]

Did you not read the second half of my post? I know I go on a bit but...

Vermaelen may be our hard man, but the team spirit still isn't what it was, I want a squad where they enjoy playing together so much that nobody wants to leave. Instead all of our squad seem to see the club as a stepping stone rather than seeing it as home, seeing eachother as family.

[Briggsy]

Have you not read in recent weeks Clichy, Sagna, Eboue where all wanted by big european teams but they turned them down for the love of Arsenal. Not forgetting RvP signed a new contract! Cesc dismissing Real and Barca every time! Then you have players like Rosicky and Merida who's contracts are almost up begging for new deals! I think we have a great team spirit

[gzagee]

Boy done good. Not very talented at football or acting but has made a nice life for himself.
That, no-one can deny.

Coud easily have ended up like Gazza but somehow has made the right decisions at the right time.

[IMF]

F*ck sakes. 4 people saying he was a hero?? How f*cking old are you? do you even remember him playing and what he was like?

One of the biggest c*nts in football ever.

[Fordy]

[CynicalGooner]

He is one of my old school friends uncle. Never met him though.

I think he's funny and a bit of a knob, but not much more than that.

[Libertine]

Truth be told, he's a bit of a tit.
I can remember him when he had a great big curly perm and couldn't get in the Wealdstone team.

I don't begrudge him one penny of the money he's made though.
With very limited footballing and acting ability he's made a great life for himself, good for him.

The hard man is image is just that though, an image.....

[Arsenal Tone]

Re: Libertine

True, his hard man 'image' made interviews before and after games look a bit like WWF wrestling interviews and that made him seem a bit panto, but it made for good entertainment and when I was a kid that was fun to watch.

I also used to (and still do) like football to be played dirty. That is one of the things that attracted me to GG's Arsenal, they got stuck in and weren't affraid to play ugly.

Have you not read in recent weeks Clichy, Sagna, Eboue where all wanted by big european teams but they turned them down for the love of Arsenal. Not forgetting RvP signed a new contract! Cesc dismissing Real and Barca every time! Then you have players like Rosicky and Merida who's contracts are almost up begging for new deals! I think we have a great team spirit

Yes, but Van Persie only signed his contract after assurances that the club would match his ambitions and the likes of Hleb and Flamini both made comments about how good the team spirit was and how they'd stay at the club before moving on at the end of the season. They may say it, but at the moment I just don't believe it.

I think things are moving in the right direction, I think some of the moves this summer have had a positive effect on the squad, I just don't see the togetherness of the Adams, Bouldy etc. team of old. Maybe football has changed and the top clubs don't work like that anymore, but I still see it at other clubs and think we should be aiming for it.