Football and Music

Mixed fortunes for two ex-Gooner’s since leaving the club.

The first one still at the top of his game, the other now playing Sunday leag…err I mean… in the MLS.

Back in 1996 the new boss at the Arsenal asked that they buy this player who was languishing in the Milan reserves. There were puzzled looks at first at Wenger’s insistence on spending £3.5 million on an unknown.

As we now know Patrick Viera was the bargain of the century and some still say (do they ?) that they never replaced him.

In his 9 years at the club he won three League titles and two FA Cups, as well as being a part of the European and World Cup winning France teams.

Back up the Arse though Patrick grew frustrated that despite winning all that domestic silverwear, the Champions League medal was one missing from his collection.

Eventually he moved on to Juvé and now at Inter, where he’s won the Italian Super Cup but he’s still looking for that Champions League honour.

– The Arsenal Arsenal Away Boyz created an interesting… different… Well have a listen yourself to this reworded cover version of a Bob Marley classic:

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The other ex Highbury regular was also another astute Wenger buy. Freddie Ljungberg was signed after Arsène watched him on telly (never actually saw him playing live before this) in a Sweden v England match in which Freddie ran the England team ragged and this convinced him that Ljungberg could easily adapt to the English game.

[insert cliché here] The super Swede had a part-time job too – go on I dare you to a Google (image search) for him. Pretty boy Freddie was an underwear model for Calvin Klein.

In his time at the club Freddie also collected some medals – 2 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cups.

In the last couple of years he was blighted with injuries and eventually he left for West Ham in 2007, but his time there wasn’t entirely a happy one. It took him 7 months to score his first goal for the club, Freddie didn’t seem to fit in with the Hammers and in August 2008 both sides agreed on cancelling his contract.

So where to go…? What to do…? The 31 year-old Freddie decided to go into semi-retirement and signed up with a brand new Major League Soccer team – the Seattle Sounders (partly owned by Drew Carey) who will play their first games beginning in March this year.

– The Away Boyz created a (covered) song that came from a chant. Wikipedia sez:

…He endeared himself to Arsenal supporters by having a bright red stripe in his hair. (A popular chant spawned from this to the tune of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: “We love you Freddie, because you’ve got red hair, we love you Freddie because you’re everywhere, we love you Freddie, you’re Arsenal through and through” Later when he shaved his head this was updated to “We love you Freddie, because you’ve got no hair”).

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And now the songs the Away Boyz were ‘inspired’ by…

» Bob Marley & The Wailers – Buffalo Soldier

The next one is a lounge music version of the Frankie Valli song which I found via WFMU’s Beware of the Blog, which is a fantastic site I recommend you bookmark and explore. It posts some weird and wonderful stuff.

This cover was done in the 60’s in Scottsdale Arizona by Dick and Libby:

» Dick and Libby Haleman – Can’t Take My Eyes Of You