The Curious Case Of Sol Campbell
ByWho would have thunk it?
Not more than a few short months ago, the veteran England defender and former Arsenal vice-captain was getting accustomed to the reality of plying his trade in the 4th tier of the English football hierarchy.
Playing in front of a measly crowd of 6400 fans (and that’s 1200 if you get anal about just the ones who can sit) at Christie Park when Morecambe hosted his retirement club Notts County, was a far cry from the glory days that Campbell enjoyed at the top echelons of English football.
Many eyebrows were raised when Campbell sought a retirement package with the Magpies following the deceptive lure of his former England manager Sven Goran Erikson. The footballing world was left even more baffled when Campbell walked out of Meadow Lane into the reservation after only a few games, bringing his League 2 adventure to a premature end.
What people least expected was that Campbell would be playing in the Champions League again, not least for Arsenal. The distance between Meadow Lane and the Nou Camp isn’t just a literal one, it’s a journey never been travelled before and never likely to be travelled ever again.
The decision Sol Campbell took of returning to familiar surroundings in a bid to keep fit while on gardening leave was the start of a chain of events of such a remarkable revival. I was pleased about Wenger’s decision to grant Campbell’s request to train with the Arsenal team at London Colney to keep his fitness in check.
I never thought in a million years that the Arsenal manager would turn to the veteran defender to play a crucial role in the second half of Arsenal’s season. Besides, Wenger doesn’t do re-signings; well, at least that was his M.O up to that point.
I don’t doubt though that from a physical and mental point of view, Arsenal would have never called upon the services of Campbell if the staff at London Colney as well as the other Arsenal first teamers didn’t feel he was up to the job.
The fact that he’s still playing, albeit as cover for injured players, is a testament to him as a consummate professional and role model to many young players, not least in the Arsenal squad and academy.
I‘ll go as far as saying that the more games that Campbell has played, the better and sharper he has become. What he lacks in pace, he compensates with intelligence, and you really can’t ask for any more. I think it’s fair to say that Campbell has been Arsenal’s best player in April.
So what is it about this 35 year old veteran who refuses to go away with a whimper.
Recent reports suggest that Campbell is angling for a contract extension at Arsenal. In January, I would have questioned the wisdom of even contemplating giving Campbell more than a 5 month run out, but now, I think extending his contract for one year will be one of the best moves Arsene Wenger can make.
There’s just something about Sol that is infectious and my sense is that this young Arsenal squad needs to develop and nurture this characteristic. It’s a mental strength and fighting spirit that is different from what most of the young team have experienced, and it’s a determination to earn the right to wear the Arsenal shirt.
I don’t expect that Campbell would play many games in the new season, and I fully expect that Arsenal will sign a defender (maybe 2 if Gallas and Silvestre leave), but I would suggest that keeping Campbell in the squad will be one of the best moves Wenger can make to improve the squad.
I would also suggest that there is a level of respect that Campbell has earned by his endeavours these past few months and this stands him in good stead with his colleagues and Arsenal training staff. From this point of view, I would be very supportive of Campbell’s role at Arsenal evolving into a player/coach function and that he continues to influence the squad even if he is not on the pitch.
Wenger clearly trusts the veteran and I hope he can use him to bridge the gap between Arsenal’s reality and aspiration. What Sol has achieved in his few months back at Arsenal has in no way harmed his chances of continuing a long relationship with the club and extending his legendary status.
Coaching to me seems a natural progression for the 35 year old defender and where better to start this than at Arsenal. We couldn’t do any worse than having him impart his leadership skills, quality and fighting spirit to the team. Thomas Vermaelen for example, has already expressed his appreciation and acknowledgement of what Campbell brings to the team, and the fact that he is learning a great deal from the former England defender.
Meanwhile, there’s a small matter of a world cup a few weeks away. I’m shopping for a good price already because the hottest ticket in the book making industry will be the one holding the odds for Sol Campbell to be recalled to the England squad for the world cup.
It’s not just his form and dependability, Fabio Capello hasn’t been blind to the revival of the veteran and who would argue that Campbell’s form is not better than some of the inexperienced names being touted for defence duty for the 3 Lions.
Campbell’s fitness for example, is more of a certainty than that of the England captain Rio Ferdinand.
Wouldn’t it be great to see him complete the revival from Meadow Lane in the throes of the 4th tier of English football, to taking part in England’s bid for the ’Coupe du Monde’? Dare I even say crown it with a freak opportunity to captain the 3 Lions.
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Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund
I agree. Something else though, I have seen him chase down forwards in the last few games. Pace? Or are they pychologically scared of the Old Man? I think he has got pace but over a short diistance. You can’t question his fitness, he still goes up for every corner.
Perhaps Silvestre’s improvement might be related to Sol’s presence too. Even if he can’t stand the thought of an even older centre back putting him in the shade. Literally in this case. The man is huge.
If Sol played for England I might be able to raise a cheer.
CB…it is always funny looking at Arsenal line up in the tunnel when Sol is in the team. He dwarfs our other players and makes you wonder how the team has survived thus far without the so called ‘big men’ so touted in the EPL.
It’s almost like size is a prerequisite of playin in the EPL at the moment as so much emphasis is put on the ‘big men’ mentality. You only have to look at teams like Stoke and Wigan and you wonder what Chapter 1 the instruction manual for scouts looks like.
Chapter 1 is more like “Forget skill, we need huge fuckers to deal with the rough and tumble of the EPL. If they can play football, fine, but let’s get the priorities right”.
Vermaelen in a lot of respects is the antithesis of the huge “I’m built like a brick shit house” central defender, though as his team-mate Kieran Gibbs says, “Thomas is amazing, he leaps like a salmon”.
I’m not sure about great long odd’s but i’ve had a £5 on sol being in the world cup squad since the day he signed his contract with us. It would be a great move. I know i’m slightly biased, but who better.
And yes I would also love another year of vintage sol. He’s looking great and as Bob says, he isn’t exactly slow. He’s lost some pace however he used to have that in spades. He can still get shoulder to shoulder with people.
I cant wait until he scores in the semis… but then it will be disallowed seconds later.
I’ve watched all his games since he came back and he’s got PLENTY of pace.
Interesting.
If he gets into the 3 lions squad, I for one will support England-ish.
When Wenger was talking about reflexes re: Song, I think he was referring to something Sol has in spades, the-get-in-your-face-spoil-your-shooting-chance-by-any-means kind of play. He has those in abundance.
Some sweet move was when Bellamy was trying to break, where Sol half kicked him, half kicked the ball, half kicked space… okay too many halves… hope you get the drift…
Regarding Sol Campbell’s pace, I recall seeing a set of Castrol rankings from August 2009 that ranked the fastest players in the Premier League over the two preceding seasons. Theo Walcott came first, but Sol came second, ahead of Drogba and Torres.
Now, you can question Castrol’s methodology, but even if their system of measurement is up for debate, there’s no question that Sol is “fast” in the generic sense. Even if Torres and Drogba were marginally faster, few would put Sol anywhere near their category. But the objective evidence seems to suggest otherwise, and we’ve seen some of that borne out in games this past month.
As for the “you’ve got to be a big man to play defence”, as you eloquently pointed out Darius, Vermaelen puts paid to that idea. It is not that size is not a relevant factor, but I would think that the ability to read the game, good decision-making, and calm attitude would be attributes more important to a defender than size. That Sol puts them all together is much the better for us.
Cheers,
Jon
I’ve tried looking for Castrol rankings on pace and passes and all that sort of stat, but I cant find anything. Can anybody tell me where to go for things like this?
Would love to be able to compare our current stats to the bar that is the invincibles. As I’m sure we all know that technically this team is as good as the invincibles. I think it’s the things that Castrol can’t mark that we are coming unstuck with us