Arteta the player

BomberBrownFan

Well-Known Member
I’m looking forward to welcoming him back to Ibrox in July but it got me thinking today about his contribution as a player.

Obviously he will always have a place in our history for that goal but his phoning it in the season after and all the home sickness chaff did leave a sour taste.

What are your thoughts?
 
Remember meeting him in the sunbeds on great western road back in the day.

Said hello and walked away thinking he’s never going to like our weather.

Was a good player but was too young and fergie was bossing the midfield.

Always remember that pen though
 
Arteta was a technically gifted player. Sometimes he wasn’t appreciated by our support because he didn’t half someone or win a pile of headers.

I was annoyed he pushed a move through because of “homesickness” & then he ended up @ Everton 6/12 months later. As mentioned though you don’t know what Bain was up too either...total fool of a man.

I’ll remember M.Arteta’s time fondly especially that peno...B-D
 
I think he forced our hand in the sale with a few porkies.
Maybe I am wrong.
I enjoyed his contribution to fifty, but I felt that he sold us short.
Overall he remains a Ranger but not one who would excite the legions by his return to the fold.
He said he was homesick so we sold him cheaply to Sociedad. He then turned up at Everton about 6 montus later.
 
The amount of money we lost on him was absolutely ludicrous, leaves squire a sour taste but he played a big part in that season.

Albeit his penalty didn’t actually mean anything, but he was still a very good player that season and was probably one of the most unluckiest Spanish players ever.

Penalty against Dundee took baws.
 
He was different class in his first season, especially given his age. Sure plenty will never really forgive him for the homesick bullshit, which is fair enough.

Took stones to hit that pressure penalty, he ended up on penalty duty after Barry blew 2 in one game up at Dundee (or was it Inverness).
 
I wish him no ill will at all, he was a great player and hopefully he makes it as a manager but for me, he couldn't get away quick enough. He has my best wishes and that's it.
 
His girlfriend, now his wife(I think)forced his hand. Come back to Spain or else. Next minute you know they are in Liverpool.

With the same token, he must have been wondering what this place was about. Goes for a game of bowling and comes back out and his car is practically up on bricks.
 
He was fucking sensational for his first few months. A wee dip but then on top again. A great first season.

There was then too much/he didn’t cope with the pressure the following season. And ultimately he didn’t have the heart for it.

It’s probably the worst transfer dealing we’ve ever had to lose money on him. Astounding really. Baldy prick, that Bain cúnt.
 
I think he forced our hand in the sale with a few porkies.
Maybe I am wrong.
I enjoyed his contribution to fifty, but I felt that he sold us short.
Overall he remains a Ranger but not one who would excite the legions by his return to the fold.
Nailed it
 
He played very well beside Barry. When Barry left I reckon the the idea was that Arteta would boss the midfield - but he didn't do it. So he moved to Sociedad. Seems he was supposed to play beside Xabi Alonso there but Alonso left and Arteta could hardly get a game, so he went on loan to Everton.
 
Loved him as a player, like van Bronckhurst in that you knew he would probably go on to bigger things, and he did. He just didn't stay long enough to establish himself as a great Rangers player.

There are the players who make their mark on football and wear the Rangers jersey at one point in their career. I put Gattuso and Arteta in this category. Some of them are remembered at Ibrox more fondly than others. I think Gattuso is remembered far more fondly than Arteta, even though he contributed less.

Then there are the players who make their mark on Rangers. Laudrup, Gazza, Barry Ferguson, McCoist, Hateley, Gough, Goram ...
 
He contributed to winning 50, however with the form Ferguson and RDB were in that season you could have put me in that midfield and I’d have looked half decent ! Fair play to him for a couple of high pressure penalties he hit towards the end of that season though.

In 03/04 we sold Ferguson and RDB missed most of the season through injury. We really needed Arteta to step up and be the main driving force in the heart of the team and, to be blunt, he wasn’t up to it. He was still only around 21/22 at the time, so perhaps we were asking too much too soon and to be fair the whole team was a shambles that season.
 
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Loved him as a player, like van Bronckhurst in that you knew he would probably go on to bigger things, and he did. He just didn't stay long enough to establish himself as a great Rangers player.

There are the players who make their mark on football and wear the Rangers jersey at one point in their career. I put Gattuso and Arteta in this category. Some of them are remembered at Ibrox more fondly than others. I think Gattuso is remembered far more fondly than Arteta, even though he contributed less.

Then there are the players who make their mark on Rangers. Laudrup, Gazza, Barry Ferguson, McCoist, Hateley, Gough, Goram ...

I'm not sure winning one FA cup with Arsenal can really be considered "bigger and better" than winning a treble with us. In some people's eyes maybe I suppose.

Arteta was a good player, no doubt about it, but his career doesn't even begin to compare with Van Bronckhorst's and Gattuso's.

Van Bronckhorst won the EPL with Arsenal, 2 La Liga titles and the UCL with Barcelona, and has 107 caps for Holland and became their captain.

Gattuso won 2 Champion's Leagues, 2 Serie A titles with Milan and won the World Cup with Italy and was capped 73 times.

Arteta was never even in the Spain squad and won 1 FA cup with Arsenal.
 
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Extremely talented player BUT he never had the winning attitude that could have seen him be a great. He never really took the game by the scruff of the neck enough for me. Someone like Gerrard who inspired others to greater performances. Always liked him though and look forward to seeing him in July.
 
I'm not sure winning an FA cup with Arsenal can really be considered "bigger and better" than winning titles with us. In some people's eyes maybe I suppose.

Arteta was a good player, no doubt about it, but his career doesn't even begin to compare with Van Bronckhorst's and Gattuso's.

Van Bronckhorst won the EPL with Arsenal, 2 La Liga titles and the UCL with Barcelona, and has 107 caps for Holland and became their captain.

Gattuso won 2 Champion's Leagues, 2 Serie A titles with Milan and won the World Cup with Italy and was capped 73 times.

Arteta was never even in the Spain squad and won 1 FA cup with Arsenal.
Fair points about his overall achievements. I meant that he went on to be a top player at a top club in one of the best leagues in the world, but you're right that he didn't achieve at anything like the level of the other two.
 
I remember him being great against us for PSG and I was over the moon when he came. A great player on his day and along with Klos, Amo, Barry and RdB, he was instrumental in winning us the title. I was gutted that he left but he probably knew he was too good to be playing against the likes of Livi and St Mirren in the Scottish winter.
Although England isn’t much better weather wise the football and money certainly is.
 
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His first season was an undoubted triumph but then I think most players would have looked great in a midfield with that seasons Barry Ferguson. Second season was a disaster ( as Tommy would say) we sold the family silverware and replaced it with plastic. I remember an old firm game second season and Stephen Pearson was gliding past him it was like two different players.
 
People forget he was absolutely outstanding for the first 8 games or so in the second season. He pretty much drove us on on his own against Man Utd at Ibrox and clearly relished the responsibility.

Then it all went to shit. McLeish did nothing to help him. He was surrounded with utter dross and no discernible tactic.

The homesick thing is overplayed as well. He left home as a teenager and then got an offer from a club where he grew up in San Sebastian. It wasn't working for him in terms of style in Spanish football so he ended up at Everton.
 
I put him in my list of overrated Rangers players. Never felt he could control a game or take a game by the scruff. But if you were a couple goals up he was good.
 
I thought he was a good player and we were going to make a shed load of money selling him back to Barcelona. It was the Bain era so I suppose that was never going to happen.
I did not believe the homesick theory as he ended up at Everton.
Have never read any articles of him stating he enjoyed his time at Ibrox.
 
Sums up the Martin Bain era.

Bought for £6m from Barca.

Sold for £2.8m

Goes on to have a glittering career in the EPL.

That c*nt cost us a fortune.
It does totally sum up how badly we were being run. Arteta had his whole career ahead of him at the highest level.

Homesick or not we should have been managing the situation and selling him for double what we paid.
 
His first goal for Rangers was a beauty at East End Park, stumbled a bit, got up and rolled the ball forward with his studs, curled it in from about 25 yards. Peach
 
Arteta's celebration after scoring a very crucial penalty in the 6 v 1 defeat of Dunfermline in the league decider in 2003 at Ibrox will remain implanted in my memory.

After scoring, the way Arteta just ran smiling with arms aloft and both hands waving and shaking like he was dancing on stage. It was the most bizarre of celebrations but perversely I loved it for the relevance of such an important goal. I just think he didn't know how to celebrate such an important goal and made something up on the spot!

Caveat: I hope that was the goal and celebration that gives that barsteward Sutton nightmares after his cheating accusations.

 
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He was different class in his first season, especially given his age. Sure plenty will never really forgive him for the homesick bullshit, which is fair enough.

Took stones to hit that pressure penalty, he ended up on penalty duty after Barry blew 2 in one game up at Dundee (or was it Inverness).
Dundee , I was at Dens that day and thought we had blew it
 
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