Sunday 15 January 2012

Age of the veteran


Age of the veteran
Hayward: welcomes duo back
The problem that I have with these older players coming back - for Scholes as well as Henry - is that it papers over the cracks.
John Cross
Quotes of the week
Paul Scholes and Thierry Henry may have a combined age of 71 but they are proving that experience counts in the Premier League, according to Paul Hayward.
Henry, 34, made a goal-scoring return for Arsenal this week as he struck the winner in the Gunners' 1-0 FA Cup third-round clash against Leeds.
Manchester United midfielder Scholes, 37, made it an even better week for veteran by scoring the first in the Red Devils' 3-0 win over Bolton.
Far from seeing the duo's return as an indictment of the level of young talent coming into the Premier League, The Daily Telegraph's Hayward told the Sunday Supplement that the return of the 'golden oldies' was a credit to the league.
"It would be hard to call it bad for the game because any day where you see Paul Scholes on a football pitch is a good one, as far as I'm concerned, and likewise the Thierry Henry 'cameo' was hugely entertaining," he said.
"What you are seeing is two clubs under pressure from Spurs and Manchester City, turning back to experience. Scholes, who gave the ball away a lot yesterday and looked like he needed an oxygen mask in that Man City game after about 15 minutes, brings that composure, authority and experience to the middle of Manchester United's midfield where they've got personnel shortages.
"Likewise Thierry Henry, 20 minutes from the end of a game, knows where to be, knows where to go, will terrify defenders - particularly when they are tired. So I see them as assets and I can't see the downside."

Problem

Fellow Sunday Supplement guest John Cross, of the Daily Mirror said Henry's fairy-tale winner would stick long in the memory but warned that the Frenchman's comeback is a sign that all is not well at Arsenal.
"I think it was probably the best atmosphere and the best reaction for a single goal that I've seen since Arsenal moved to the Emirates," he said.
"It was remarkable and I have to say that, at that stage of the game with Robin van Persie taking a well-earned break, there was only Henry on that pitch that could have scored that goal.
"It was a difficult ball to control but he took it in his stride, opened up his body and despatched it in the far corner - it was classic Henry.
"The problem that I have with these older players coming back - for Scholes as well as Henry - is that it papers over the cracks almost.
"Yes, every fan would love to see them back; of course it's a step back in time, it's wonderful to re-enjoy that piece of the glory days but what does it say about Manchester United's failure to attract a top-class central midfield player last summer?
"What does it say about Arsenal's failure to sign a top-name striker in this transfer window? I think it is papering over the cracks and I think that both clubs will probably be found out eventually.
"Will it be enough to get Arsenal into the top four? Will it be enough for Man Utd to make do with Scholes - and it is a make-do because he's not the player he was - to win the title?"
 Composure
Hayward agreed that Henry's return highlighted an apparent shift in the footballing philosophy of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
"It's quite a conversion by Wenger," he said. "This is the guy who venerated the 23-year-old home-grown player and he realised over the summer and during this autumn that experience counts for an awful lot.
"He bought Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun and it has made a dramatic difference to the Arsenal squad in terms of winning games, in finding out how to win tight games. These people know how to do it.
"I think it is slightly different with United because Nathan Cleverly hasn't been around much, Anderson has been in and out, Darren Fletcher has got an illness problem; in those circumstances, Scholes is one of those players who can calm things down a bit and add some composure."

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