Book Review: The French Connection
Book Review: The French Connection:
A book that is long overdue and one that needed to be written by a Francophile. Fred Atkins is that man. For GCR books, it is a brave tome upon which to launch themselves as publishers in their own right alongside the outstanding collection of reprints.
The club, as the author points out, owes a great deal to their French manager. The second Golden Age came at the hands – or mind – of Arsene Wenger and the feet of a veritable army of players from across the channel. They all get their moment in Atkins interesting angle on the modern history of Arsenal.
Of course we might like to forget the contribution of some of them. Did I really want to learn more about Squillaci or Silvestre? Actually theirs are two chapters which shed more light on their careers, diverting attention away from the pitch and telling us more about the men. There is the other end of the spectrum with players such as Sunu, whose career barely registered on the Arsenal radar, whilst Coquelin might well be included in Volume 2 should Mr Atkins be so inclined.
It is to his credit that the successes are celebrated as much as the failures. The tribulations endured on the Anelka and Gallas trails are not ignored, acknowledged for their contributions with the same focus on their distractions. As much as we may view them as fools, both provided watershed moments for the clubs, Anelka the funding for the training facilities at Shenley whilst Gallas proved that the manager’s view of captaincy was not misplaced as far as his compatriots were concerned. A harsh lesson to learn.
Where the book succeeds is in providing interesting information about those whose careers have been – and continue to be – covered in great depth. It takes hard work to offer a new perspective on the likes of Pires and Henry; Atkins manages to do so as well as keeping the reader interested in the more familiar and well-known aspects of their Arsenal days.
Of course we might wish to know more about careers post-Arsenal but that may stray too far down a path away from their influence at the club. It is often used as a stick with which to beat the manager yet time will show us the healthy influence of this French Foreign Legion. Perhaps Atkins book will be a stepping stone in that direction.
A book that is long overdue and one that needed to be written by a Francophile. Fred Atkins is that man. For GCR books, it is a brave tome upon which to launch themselves as publishers in their own right alongside the outstanding collection of reprints.
The club, as the author points out, owes a great deal to their French manager. The second Golden Age came at the hands – or mind – of Arsene Wenger and the feet of a veritable army of players from across the channel. They all get their moment in Atkins interesting angle on the modern history of Arsenal.
Of course we might like to forget the contribution of some of them. Did I really want to learn more about Squillaci or Silvestre? Actually theirs are two chapters which shed more light on their careers, diverting attention away from the pitch and telling us more about the men. There is the other end of the spectrum with players such as Sunu, whose career barely registered on the Arsenal radar, whilst Coquelin might well be included in Volume 2 should Mr Atkins be so inclined.
It is to his credit that the successes are celebrated as much as the failures. The tribulations endured on the Anelka and Gallas trails are not ignored, acknowledged for their contributions with the same focus on their distractions. As much as we may view them as fools, both provided watershed moments for the clubs, Anelka the funding for the training facilities at Shenley whilst Gallas proved that the manager’s view of captaincy was not misplaced as far as his compatriots were concerned. A harsh lesson to learn.
Where the book succeeds is in providing interesting information about those whose careers have been – and continue to be – covered in great depth. It takes hard work to offer a new perspective on the likes of Pires and Henry; Atkins manages to do so as well as keeping the reader interested in the more familiar and well-known aspects of their Arsenal days.
Of course we might wish to know more about careers post-Arsenal but that may stray too far down a path away from their influence at the club. It is often used as a stick with which to beat the manager yet time will show us the healthy influence of this French Foreign Legion. Perhaps Atkins book will be a stepping stone in that direction.
