Alert: Kim Källström on his time at Arsenal

DaPrince84 · Jul 29, 2016

Had no idea where to put it so I created a thread. He talks about his time at Arsenal. Really good read.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Gunners/comments/4v5yo5/interesting_quotes_from_arsenal_exloanee_kim/

There's a Swedish tradition to let famous Swedes do radio essays on public radio. Earlier this week, Arsenal Ex-Loanee Kim Källström did one. Here's a few interesting quotes re:Arsenal. Nota bene: I did quick translations, but I didn't check them twice.

"I look like a boy as I walk across the grass, with the ball under my arm. Well-groomed side-parting, a clean red shirt, white sleeves, and a golden cannon on my breast. I'm a man past thirty years of age, in a boy's dream. It's the semifinal of the English FA cup, against Wigan, with 82,000 people on the stands of Wembley Stadium, among which 50,000 root for us. They are loud and starving fans that hunger for a title. They haven't won anything for nine years, which is an eternity for a club that is considered one of the greatest in the World. They have the most loyal fans, gooners. By strange and unexpected detours, I've ended up at the top club Arsenal, in north London. With straight legs, I bend down and put the ball on the spot. I throw a quick glance at the keeper. I've already decided where to place it. I try not to smile. The moment is here. I'm here - in the middle of the latin motto of the club: Victoria Concordia Crescit. Victory grows through harmony. I can't help myself but smile slightly. I haven't even played half an hour for Arsenal. I debuted against Swansea, for eleven minutes, and now I was substituted on in extra time when it was to be decided. Fifteen minutes of a footballer's life, which changed my story."

"I got a call from my agent, Roger Ljung [World Cup bronze medalist in '94]. 'Do you want to be loaned out to a club in the Premier League?" "No." "Do you want to be loaned out to Arsenal?" "YES!"

"It was transfer day and a rumour of a new player had leaked. The training facilities were filled with supporters, journalists and tv was transmitting live. When we arrived at Heathrow, we had to drive to a field and switch cars so that no one would recognise the vehicle. Everyone was nice to me, and I get training clothes and number 29. I was sent to a team physician for the obligatory medical exam. While the physician is going through the tests, I'm sitting in the cafeteria, drinking a cup of washy English coffee. I'm dressed in the club colours, in the civilian outfit of the professional football player, meaning a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. Players pass by on the way to today's training. I knew a few of them, as they were French, and we small-talk a bit. The physician fetches me, and I'm driven quickly to a hospital for a X-ray exam. Something's wrong. We return to the training facilities. I'm put in a situation that reminds me of a talent show on tv. I'm standing in front of a jury, in Arsenal clothes, the cd with my X-ray images, and bad posture. In front of me sits the team physician, the sporting director, and the powerful manager Arsene Wenger, who has run the club with an iron fist and a low-key attitude for almost 20 years. The physician starts speaking. He understands that Arsenal is a big thing for me and that my hopes have been lit, but the back problem is too bad, and he's sorry. He lays down the facts. There are three cases of vertebral fractures, and I'm out for atleast 4-6 weeks. I'm shocked - disappointed, but I understood. Against the evidence of the X-ray images, neither boyhood dreams or arguments help. I understand. 'If you're injured, you're injured', I say, but in truth I was angry as hell. There's silence in the room. Wenger hasn't said anything. He hasn't even looked at his colleagues as they inform me of their logical verdicts. He thinks for himself. I wait for him to say something. He sighs, and says 'The transfer windows shuts in a few hours. It's impossible to find a replacement. Either I take you or no one.' Surprised, the others turn to the big boss. No one knows how he'll continue, but they know that his words are law. It's evident that he has not anchored his decision among the rest of the staff. Wenger decides. "You'll stay, heal, and train. I'll take you when you're fit."

"Now, the next circus starts. I could follow the events in real time, as the media started writing and friends contacted me. In spite of a time difference of four hours, and the Russian football association being closed, the transfer was done. The contract was signed in the last hour. I had left Spartak Moscow when everyone was asleep; I was just gone the next morning. I got a few good luck texts, but other than that, Russia was over for this time."

"I train like a mad man in England. I'm good at that. One day at the gym, Wenger stops by. When he enters a room, everybody sort of stops, as if they're waiting for a signal. He has that effect on people. I keep peddling on the exercise bike, as I'm trying to beat a certain time. Wenger is watching with his French, slightly casual, yet serious, gaze. We small-talk and we're on the right track. I felt like I was building confidence with the leader, without having kicked a ball yet. After five weeks of hard rehab, and the uncertainty whether my back would be restored, I'm suddenly back on the pitch. It was a long time since the club had won anything, and the British capital is boiling, with the tabloids as directors. We're favourites against Wigan in the semi-finals, but we only manage to achieve a draw at full-time. The clock ticks, without anyone ending it. I'm sitting on the bench without any personal expectation. There's seven minutes left and I'm suddenly substituted for an exhausted Aaron Ramsey. The ref blows the whistle. Now, one of the finalists must be decided by a penalty shootout. A simple and brutal way to end things. Now, understanding of the game, tactics, and physical prowess are meaningless. Now, there is only a confused mess of nerves and chance. Penalty shoot-outs in football crown kings, and always a scapegoat. You must score. All the pressure is on the taker. I hear Wenger shouting in French: "Kim, do you take penalties?" "Yeah, I'd be glad to take one." "Good. You're second." I decide early where to shoot it. When I walk alone to the spot, in a stadium with three times as many spectators as there are inhabitants of my hometown, Sandviken, I must suppress my smile. It's a long way to walk across the pitch. I'm relaxed - perhaps happy. I put the ball on the spot. Now, I just have to back up and find the right distance to the ball, run up, and strike the ball hard and high to the left. Just do what I usually do, what I know, and always have done. I've done it a thousand times before, and there's no nervousness. The keeper goes early, in the opposite direction of where I had decided to put it. When I watch the penalty on Youtube, the feelings return. The calm and the joy, but I'm surprised where the ball ended up. The ball ended up in the lower left corner, opposite of how I remembered it. I had decided to put it high to the left, but I remembered it as I actually put it low to the right. I'm confused, but the ball ended up in the net. We won the final and we're praised by over 200,000 supporters on the streets of London. Although my contribution was small in the 120-year history of the club, it was a highlight for me. The greatest fifteen minutes of my life, and it turns out I don't remember what happened. Where was I in that deciding moment? Trance, shock, delirium, coma, nervous breakdown, call it whatever you want. The only thing I know for sure is that sports and football are incomprehensible. That's why we love it. As long as that penalty continues to end up in the net, my experience is true. I'm sure of it."
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Twiggy · Jul 29, 2016

Saw that earlier as well. Indeed a good read and an interesting peak into the mind of a footballer during an intense moment

ArsenalJake · Jul 29, 2016

Kim Kallstrom, glad to know we're all human . . . every single one of us.

daedalus · Jul 29, 2016

i really liked him as a player, in what little i saw of him - sort of what i see xhaka as. i wish we'd managed to get him when he was younger and, y'know, not broken.

crazy150 · Jul 30, 2016

Very nice...bit of a glance behind the curtain at Oz. well written too. Surprised Wenger didn't know who was good at penalties and had to ask the player--what's he going to say?

cantona94 · Jul 31, 2016

crazy150 said: ↑

Very nice...bit of a glance behind the curtain at Oz. well written too. Surprised Wenger didn't know who was good at penalties and had to ask the player--what's he going to say?
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That stood out to me also. Good read.

Twiggy · Jul 31, 2016

I think the penalty lineup thing might be getting overblown. I'm sure general lineups are made but substitutions can throw a wrench at that since they're rarely made with PKs in mind (and we've recently seen what can still happen when they are....).

Podolski was subbed out, surely he would have taken one (Giroud, who replaced him, did). Ramsay may have also been on the list but he was the one who made way for Kallstrom. Santi and Arteta were obviously going to be included. I wonder who would've taken the 5th out of who was still on the field though... Vermaelen? Ox? Sanogo? I suspect Wenger was familiar with how those 3 are in shootouts but wanted to see if Kallstrom was confident before dipping that low into the barrel

Wasn't there also a situation at the Euros where CRonaldo had to decide who was going to take penalties (by way of telling a certain player "You're taking one" when they didn't want to)? Some teams may keep them pretty fluid based on who's in and who's feeling confident

daedalus · Jul 31, 2016

Twiggy said: ↑

I think the penalty lineup thing might be getting overblown. I'm sure general lineups are made but substitutions can throw a wrench at that since they're rarely made with PKs in mind (and we've recently seen what can still happen when they are....).

Podolski was subbed out, surely he would have taken one (Giroud, who replaced him, did). Ramsay may have also been on the list but he was the one who made way for Kallstrom. Santi and Arteta were obviously going to be included. I wonder who would've taken the 5th out of who was still on the field though... Vermaelen? Ox? Sanogo? I suspect Wenger was familiar with how those 3 are in shootouts but wanted to see if Kallstrom was confident before dipping that low into the barrel

Wasn't there also a situation at the Euros where CRonaldo had to decide who was going to take penalties (by way of telling a certain player "You're taking one" when they didn't want to)? Some teams may keep them pretty fluid based on who's in and who's feeling confident
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based on how we treat corners and free kicks, i have no doubt that our penalty lineup is . . . loose. teams that are actually organised on offensive set piece actually have an idea who takes corners and, generally speaking, free kicks. our take tends to be . . . whoever wants to and is closest. once ozil arrived, our corner taker have been more consistently him but if he's not on the pitch, it's . . . raggedy.

crazy150 · Jul 31, 2016

Twiggy said: ↑

I think the penalty lineup thing might be getting overblown. I'm sure general lineups are made but substitutions can throw a wrench at that since they're rarely made with PKs in mind (and we've recently seen what can still happen when they are....).

Podolski was subbed out, surely he would have taken one (Giroud, who replaced him, did). Ramsay may have also been on the list but he was the one who made way for Kallstrom. Santi and Arteta were obviously going to be included. I wonder who would've taken the 5th out of who was still on the field though... Vermaelen? Ox? Sanogo? I suspect Wenger was familiar with how those 3 are in shootouts but wanted to see if Kallstrom was confident before dipping that low into the barrel

Wasn't there also a situation at the Euros where CRonaldo had to decide who was going to take penalties (by way of telling a certain player "You're taking one" when they didn't want to)? Some teams may keep them pretty fluid based on who's in and who's feeling confident
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Maybe. It just seems too ad hoc to me. not so much that the pnealty lineup had shifted due to subs, but that the guy had been training with the squad for months and Wenger basically had to ask him if he's good with penalties. This is made worse by the fact that we just scouted this guy and it should be relatively fresh in his mind.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it. On my team, the assistant coach had the responsibility to prepare for that kind of situation and would be modifying the penalty order as the clock ticked down in extra time. He would suggest a sub if we had a good penalty taker in the bench. Remember when van gaal subbed the keeper for,the penalties?

The last few years have definitely taken the shine off arsenes penny in my mind. He's definitely the Roy Williams of footy. Great recruiter, has a great "system" but is a mediocre game day manager and pretty poor at modifying his team to combat specific opponents and is stubborn as fcuk.