Jack back but knackered and off Arteta’s xmas card list

October 2, 2012

First up, apologies for the blog silence yesterday. Sometimes real life just gets in the way. And I know what you’re thinking. Hang on a second. Wasn’t yesterday Jack Wilshere’s big comeback from injury? Surely he’s not..? I mean Marble couldn’t possibly be..? Could he?

Well that is not the sort of rumour I want to encourage. What kind of loser would be so desperate to make their little Arsenal blog appear more glamourous than it was and attempt to drive up its readership with such a pathetic ploy? Anyway, we should move on. I can’t type for long this morning. I’m absolutely shattered. All my muscles are aching. Can’t say why. Sorry.

So yeah. West Brom’s U-21s suddenly found themselves the focal point of the footballing press yesterday as the boy Wilshere finally made his way back on to the pitch after 14 months of kicking his heels (or trying really hard not to kick his heels) on the sidelines. He managed 63 minutes of action in the 1-0 defeat despite according to all reports looking like he was struggling a little bit to keep the pace. That’s to be expected of course. No training conditions can replicate matchday levels and it’s the reason why he’ll need a good two or three more games at this level before being considered for the first team bench.

The good news is he showed signs of his old self even if he looks markedly different to the callow youth who blazed onto the scene a couple of seasons ago. All that time spent not kicking footballs has clearly been spent doing gymwork instead and his legs look like they’ve been inflated with a bicycle pump in the dressing room. Hopefully it all just makes him that much stronger and more difficult to knock off the ball but I do worry whether it might affect his speed of movement and footwork. Not to mention the risk of chafing. It could be as precarious as a fat girl wearing hotpants.

But my worries about the rawness of his inner thighs aside it’s a truly exciting piece of news. And well timed. With Diaby facing yet more time on the treatment table we will need Jack and if he can get back to his former glories then the prospect of a Wilshere, Cazorla, Arteta midfield makes my palms sweat and my heart go a bit fluttery.

Emmanuel Frimpong, himself making another important step on the road to fitness in yesterday’s match, has found himself acting as Jack’s own private cheerleader. Speaking after the game he said:

 After 14 months out he did very, very well. He can be pleased with his performance today. When you have been out for so long it’s only natural that you’re going to be tired.

He needs more games to get back fit playing again and I think the England and Arsenal fans should be excited to see him back playing again. I’m happy to see him back with a smile on his face.

If I was making my comeback from a long term injury I’d be pretty miffed to have to answer a load of questions about somebody else’s return to the fray. But Frimmy’s clearly as excited as any of us to have Jack back and maybe he’s just a bit more dench when it comes to other people’s careers than I would be. But then again dench is as dench does, as my grandma used to say.

Apparently Wilshere’s been no less than full-blooded in his tackling during training sessions, even hitting Arteta so hard at one stage that the Spaniard came after him. Frimpong has said that Jack has asked to be hit and he’s been more than happy to oblige:

I’ve given him a few testers. When you’re training with me every day, you’re always going to come back with a few knocks.

Oh God. I’m sure it’s all like a necessary part of the rehabilitation process and what have you but is there any chance that instead of hitting each other hard in training we could all kind of…not? Maybe Frimpong could come charging in at Jack, snarling like a beast and then at the last minute sort of stop it and then explain what would have happened over a cup of tea and a biscuit later on. I’m not sure I can cope with any more sleepless nights. It’s bad enough worrying what the likes of Sam Allardyce’s West Ham will do to us next week without having to worry about what we’ll do each other.

The man himself had far fewer words about his comeback. When asked how he was feeling he replied that he was ‘shattered’ but that he felt good.

Good news. Now is not the time for talking. And besides, I expect he had other things to get done. I heard whispers that he enjoys writing down his thoughts on the goings on at the club in a light-hearted, accessible way.

Obviously I can’t confirm that though.

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