I GREW UP WITHOUT A FATHER, ARSENE HAS BEEN MY DAD

i ran into a great article last night from news of the world(www.notw.co.uk)
trying to calm myself after that horrible lost..(DAAAAAAAAAAMMNN!!!)
forget bout last night defeated, enjoy this touching and heart soothing article..

TWO hands, clasped in prayer and holding a rosary chain dangling a large cross are etched deep into Alex Song's left arm.

Underneath are simply inscribed the initials S.B.R. and the numbers 21.02.

The tattoo is a tribute to the memory of his late father Rigobert, who died on February 21, 1991 when Song was just three years old.

But it's the only memory the Arsenal star has of his tragic dad. Song was too young to remember him and, incredibly, still does not know how he died.

Growing up without a father was tough. Living in the same cramped house in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, with 17 sisters and 10 brothers was just as hard.

And living on your own in a hotel in a foreign country as a homesick 14-year-old while jealous football coaches starve you is exceptionally rough.

But the unsung (or unSong) hero of the Emirates has not trodden the usual path to the top. He admits he spent lonely nights crying in his room after joining the Gunners from Corsican club Bastia, but that Arsene Wenger helped him through and became the father he never had.

"When I arrived at Arsenal I didn't know anyone, could not speak a word of English and hated the food," said Song.

"My first two years here were very difficult. I would cry alone in my hotel room. When I finished training I would spend all my time on the phone with my friends in France. I ran up a huge phone bill.

"I was not very confident but Arsene helped me a lot and I want to give him my biggest thanks. He had faith in me, eased my worries and made me feel very welcome.

"The club found me a flat in Enfield - complete with French television channels - and that helped me settle!"

He was even happier when his student girlfriend Olivia flew over from France to join him. She could speak English, translated all his bills and cooked the food he loved.

They married in England and now have two young sons Nolan, 3 and Kaylian, 1.

Family is so important to Song that his sons' names and birthdates are also tattooed down each arm. His wife's name is inscribed on his right wrist while his right arm carries the names of some of his brothers and sisters but "it's not long enough to have them all."

And Song, 23, admits: "My life changed with the birth of my first son. Now I am so happy. I want to give everything for my sons because I never had a father.

"When I was at school all my friends were picked up by their dads. But I had nobody. That affected me a lot.

"I still don't know how Dad died. It was so difficult to come to terms with because I was so young. And I have never asked Mum about it, even to this day.

"All I know is that he died when I was three. Now, every time I walk off the Emirates pitch I look up to see my wife and sons it makes me so happy. My family come to every home game. They are my motivation."

As a youngster growing up in poverty-torn Africa, his only motivation was football.

His mother Catherine tried to stop him playing because she wanted him to focus on his education. But as Song confesses: "School was not my favourite subject. I only wanted to play football."

He admits he doesn't remember much about his life in Cameroon, growing up with his father's 27 offspring from different wives.

But when he was eight, his mother and an aunt took him and two of his brothers to carve out a new life in Paris.

Destiny

While his mother worked as a cleaner, they all lived in a cramped one-bed apartment in Paris before moving to a slightly bigger place in Seine-Saint Denis. It was the move that would launch his career. From his front door, the young Song could almost touch the famous Red Star stadium - home to the club founded by World Cup creator Jules Rimet and where fellow Gunners team-mate Abou Diaby started out.

"When I realised I was living opposite the stadium I thought football would be my destiny," says Song.

He asked one of the coaches if he could play "but when I told Mum I needed my papers to play for Red Star she said: 'No chance.' However, the manager persuaded her to let me play."

Now 13, Song starred in the youth team wearing a pair of cheap boots he had bought from the market near his home.

He played there for seven months until a woman agent phoned him after one tournament to offer him a place at Michael Essien's former club, Bastia in Corsica.

"Mum didn't want me to go," recalls Song. "And my first three months there were very difficult. I was living on my own in a hotel. I was just 14, homesick and thought: 'I can't stay here.'

"But the manager Francois Ciccolini took me to his house, gave me food and bought me new clothes.

"Then one day, the academy coaches had a meeting about which one of us would be good enough to play in the first team.

"Francois pointed at me and said: 'Only him.' After that the other coaches would say: 'Don't give him food.' They tried to starve me to make their players look better."

But when Ciccolini was promoted to first team manager, Song - still only 16 - made his debut.

He still remembers his first wage packet and recalls: "It was 3,000 euros. I had never seen so much money. I celebrated by going shopping. I was used to bartering for clothes in the markets - now I was going to top fashion stores."

"I spent all the money very quickly because it was my first money from football.

"But I wasn't concerned about having a good life from football, I just wanted to play."

Then, at 17, he got the phone call from a coach at Bastia that would catapult him to Arsenal and a dream meeting with his hero Thierry Henry and the rest of the Arsenal Invincibles.

"He told me Arsene Wenger wanted me to come to Arsenal," says Song. But I didn't believe him. For me, Arsenal was THE team. Everyone at Bastia wanted to play for Arsenal. Not Barcelona, nor Real Madrid, nor Manchester United.

"To play with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira. But when I got the call I thought it was a joke.

"It was only when we arrived at London Colney and I saw the Arsenal training ground that I believed him.

"Then I met Arsene Wenger. He told me he had seen me play for Bastia and wanted me at Arsenal.

"Then Thierry embraced me and said, in French: 'Welcome to Arsenal.'

"I couldn't believe it. I was 17. Then Dennis tried to talk to me, but I couldn't speak English.

"I was in awe of them. I went on the pre-seaon tour to Austria and I remember thinking: 'If Arsenal let me go now I will still go home happy. When I got back to the hotel on that first day I rung my friends and all they asked was: 'Get Thierry's shirt for me!' After the Austria trip I went back to Bastia and didn't hear anything for three weeks. I thought I had done something wrong.

"But then Arsene phoned me and said: 'I want you to come to Arsenal.'"

Fast forward five years and Song is now the driving force in Arsenal's midfield with three Premier League man-of-the- match bottles of bubbly sitting in his Radlett home.

Injury forced him to miss Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Spurs which virtually ended the Gunners' title bid this season.

But Song is desperate to win silverware to repay the debt he owes Wenger.

As he prepared for today's trip to Wigan, Song added: "Arsene is the best manager in the world and I look upon him as a father, my new dad. He puts his trust in young players like no other.

He works very hard every single day to make us better and we want to win something for him.

"Of course, it is important to win trophies but, remember, we are still a very young team.

"We know our fans want a trophy and we are very close to winning something.

"My message to our fans is: 'Believe in us. This team will get better.'

"I am at the right club. Forget Barcelona, Arsenal is the best club.

"Arsenal have given me everything and I love this place. If I had to leave I would break down and cry. It's still my dream to win the league here."

And if Arsenal do eventually win the title, Song has just enough space on his left arm for a Premier League trophy tattoo...

pic of Song while "playing" for Bastia in Corsica

OoOo Song..you really inspired me..

p/s Song is my second favourite player after Marc Overmars

Get Well Soon Aaron

this may come late and u guys may already know that Aaron Ramsey split his Tibia and fibula in the same area..Yes.. i Mean it, the same area of TIBIA and FIBULA



i got goosebumps seeing this photo.. man! that so photographic

he got a challenge from Ryan Shawcross (ironically, now in England team for Egypt Exhibition) on a 50/50 ball.. not to blame Shawcross, he also got a shock after the incident, seeing him crying while been escort out the field..



but my point is..
after the match, the team huddle in the field .. after fighting a battle that capitalize one of their man with broken leg..it was a a show of mental strength, team unity and spirit....furthermore that we mean business.. we strong than ever

GO GUNNERS!

SONG

im pretty bored today, without any things to do, and the Chinese New Year to come[surely my whole body will go flat in soft cushion mattress], "memg cuti2 Malaysia la".
past two weeks, its been frustrating and happy 'GO' Away Manyoo and Chelski Fan, congrats for this 2 team, nice and efficient play.. to coupe with my feeling, i stuble with an article that i found quite interesting. with all the JOHN TERRY OUTSIDE THE FIELD STORY's ... A story contrast to JT a.k.a Chelsea Skipper a.k.a ex-England Skipper(Capello send him DOWN,DOWN,DOWN..ahahaha) a.k.a The Playboy Dad...

SORRY CHELSEA DIE HARD FAN..let SONG play the Music..

Alexandre Song hits the right note for resurgent Arsenal

HE HAS walked into an interview room at Arsenal’s training centre. Aged 22, born in Cameroon, raised in France, nurtured by Arsène Wenger, he creates a first impression that will last. It comes from the clothes, classy and stylish but not loud. With its stripes of different and dark hues, it is the jacket that strikes you and it sits on him as if it belongs. It welcomes you to the world of Alexandre Song.

It is not just the gear. There is openness and an absence of suspicion not often encountered at this level of football. But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Three years ago he spent half a season on loan at Charlton Athletic when Alan Pardew was manager. “I am certain he’s one of the most popular guys in the Arsenal dressing room,” said Pardew recently, “because he’s that kind of bloke. People naturally take to him.”

There is something there, for sure. He played his first Premier League game for Arsenal 10 days after turning 18 and though he was well built and energetic, he didn’t look an Arsenal player and didn’t seem first cousin to a Wenger player. No left foot, an indelicate touch and without anything that could be mistaken for creativity. When he tackled, which he did often, you thought Bolton might pay £2m for him.

Yet, remarkably, he has come through. Last season he became an Arsenal player. This season he has been a good Arsenal player. He is now the team’s defender in midfield, a role made for his broad shoulders and lack of ego: who better to move the piano to where Fabregas can play it? Cool at the beginning, Arsenal’s fans have warmed to him: “One Song, we’ve only got one Song,” they regularly sing.

As he begins the story of his young life, Alexandre Song shows you what Pardew saw. He smiles when reminded of his extraordinary family. “Yeah,” he says, “I have 17 sisters and 10 brothers and we are very close. If I need something, I just have to call a brother or a sister and they come immediately. I’m lucky to be part of a family like that, you know.” He was born in Douala, Cameroon’s commercial capital, and his life hinged on the death of his father when he was three and the decision of his mother Catrine to move with her younger children to Paris when he was eight. She wanted the opportunities France would offer and believed education would liberate her children.

Alex was a particular case. She knew he struggled without his father because of the questions and his crying. “It was little things,” he recalls. “At school in Paris, my friend’s dad would come to pick him up and I didn’t have that. Because I had no dad, I had nothing. When I asked my mum, ‘Why is it like this?’ she just wanted to protect me and not tell me anything.”

Catrine tried to get him to give up football and concentrate on his studies. She might just as well have asked him to stop breathing. At 13 he was noticed by François Ciccolini, a youth team coach from the Corsican club Bastia, who offered the teenager a place in his club’s academy. The boy was keen, his mother less so. Eventually, Catrine was persuaded.

“It was a difficult change for me, I stayed in the house they had for academy players but after training, François collected me and we did things together. In the first month, I missed my family and wanted to return but he persuaded me to stay,” says Song. “We are still in touch, he calls all the time and comes to see me play for Arsenal. I just want to say to him, ‘Thank you.’ I miss my dad, but he has been another one.”

The hurt of his father’s passing almost 20 years ago has not gone away. I ask his dad’s first name and he bows his head, places his right hand over his eyes and rubs away tears. After about a minute he says: “I can’t speak anymore of my dad because it makes me too sad. I am sorry. It is very difficult for me.” In the summer of 2005, he agreed to a season on loan at Arsenal.

“Coming to Arsenal at the age of 17 was more difficult than going to Corsica at 13. There, I had someone; when I came here I didn’t have anybody, I didn’t understand the language, the food was very different and I had no confidence.

“I lived in a hotel and when training ended I would go to my room and spend all of my time on the phone. To leave everybody you know in France and come to a new country, that is not easy. But it got better because I realised I had the boss [Wenger]. He would speak to me all the time at training and that gave me motivation.”

England improved once Olivia, his Cameroonian girlfriend, moved from Paris to be with him in London. “I moved from the hotel to a flat, I still couldn’t speak English, didn’t know how to pay bills but Olivia knew so much more than me and her English was much better than mine. She is now my wife and she has been very good for me.”

They had their first son when Alex was 19, and since then there has been a second son. He wants his boys to have what he missed and they have given meaning to his football life. “Everytime I come on the pitch at Arsenal, I look up to the stands and see my son [three-year-old Nolan] and that tells me I have something to do on the pitch.” His performances have certainly not suffered by starting family so early.

“People say to me, ‘You are too young for this, you are 22, you have a wife and two children’. And I say, ‘It is my life, I am very happy with it and I don’t want anything else. Before my son goes to pre-school in the morning, he plays with a football in the kitchen because this kid, he really loves football.

“And he says, ‘Daddy, daddy, come and play’. I’m tired in the morning but if I say no, he will start crying, so I don’t say no. He has so much energy, he can play non-stop, all day, and if I can help to make him happy, that makes me happy. I know what I missed when I was a boy and that is what I want to give him.”

Pardew believes he was always going to get there: “We had a tremendous run with him in 2007, his ability to break up play, to switch things. The last game Charlton played in the Premier League was at Anfield, a 2-2 draw. Liverpool had [Steven] Gerrard and [Javier] Mascherano in midfield and Alex was the best player on the pitch. After he went back to Arsenal, I felt he was kept too long in the background because they were playing [Mathieu] Flamini in midfield.

“As a kid, you couldn’t help but like him. Nothing he would do could offend you. He had a cheeky way, well mannered and very amicable. He would be even better if training began at 12 o’clock because he likes his bed, does Alex.”

Song played on the same French youth team as Samir Nasri and was then named in a Cameroon national squad. Ciccolini advised him to stick with France but he chose to play for the country of his birth. “It was just my heart. If my head makes the decision, it is France, but my heart spoke to me and I said yes to Cameroon.” The Lions play their home matches at the Omnisports Stadium in Yaoundé. “Every time I’m there, I say, ‘Thank you, God’, because my life was saved. People in Africa don’t have opportunity. There are a lot of very good players who never get the chance.”

When he went to Charlton, many felt it would be the prelude to a permanent departure. But not the player himself: “I believed my future was at Arsenal because the boss made it clear that he believed in me.

“He would say, ‘I told you to come here because I watched you play and I know what you can do’. I have improved working with him. Now he will say to me, ‘Remember when you first came here, your first touch?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, boss, I remember’.”

Though he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations only last week, Song’s importance to his club is likely to be reflected in an immediate recall to the midfield for this afternoon’s encounter with Manchester United at the Emirates stadium.

His value comes from his physicality, his ability to win possession and the accuracy of his passing. He doesn’t try to be what he is not. You ask him if he’s ever going to get other Arsenal midfielders to commit to the defensive effort and, diplomatically, he pretends not to have heard the question.

“My role is important because I am the protector of the back four and I am first to take the ball from the back five. When I started in this position, I watched Claude Makelele on television because he’s a very clever player, always in the right position.

“If I hold my position, the other midfielders can go forward, and if the other team attacks, my job is to slow things down to allow the others to get back.”

What of his left foot? Does he find any use for it? He laughs. “Hey, I improve a lot, the left foot. Now I can give a pass with the left, I use it and I’m sure I will be using it more in the future.”

After having to listen to and read about the low life antics of John Terry and his family, how refreshing to read about someone who has honest values..made my weeks.