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Camden New Journal - CROW by RICHARD OSLEY and PIP WROE
Published: 4 June 2009

Talented Dutchman could be worth a Gunners Guus chase

THE season ended with Chelsea doing their best to celebrate the FA Cup as if it was the trophy they had been chasing all along.
In truth, it was a consolation prize. Ashley Cole waved around five fingers to suggest it was a more important milestone. This was a testament more to Arsenal’s cup success, as three of his five FA Cups were won with the Gunners.
He still waits to win a big one with Chelsea.
Whether new manager Carlo Ancelotti will be the man to help him do that remains to be seen. This is, after all, the man who cast around Europe for a new centre back at AC Milan and took Philippe Senderos on loan. And Ancelotti’s Milan were outwitted by Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.
Maybe Chelsea should have tried harder to keep Guus Hiddink in the manager’s chair, a personable character whose achievements are hard not to admire. He didn’t make Chelsea a more attractive team to watch. Note: not one Chelsea goal made it into the goal of the season contest – but he made them a tougher prospect than the side rolled over by Arsenal at the Bridge.
If the grumpy shareholders urging radical changes at Arsenal, the ones who forget how massively their stakes have increased in value under Arsene Wenger, were looking for a new man, Hiddink wouldn’t be a bad punt.
He’s no Wenger, but he’s one of the few that come close.

SO Manchester United have to console themselves with a measly treble, while Chelsea build the Guus Hiddink Stand because he was just the most fantastic, inspirational manager anyone could ever have.
Elsewhere, Arsenal can get stuck into the annual session of selling what experience they have left and scouring the streets of France for a 12-year-old clone of Ashley Cole.
This year European football is attempting to fill the void of a tournament-free summer with money – tons and tons of money.
Real Madrid are threatening to buy everybody and Man City are buying whoever is left at Europa League standard. The thought of Wayne Bridge and Gareth Barry working out how to spend their £100,000 a week wages is enough to make a grown man weep. Much like the prospect faced by Milan fans of selling Kaka and Pato and replacing them with Emmanuel Adebayor.
As this is the last column of the season, a special thankyou must go to Harry Redknapp for turning round such a tragic start to the campaign, and for bringing back Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe.
Final thanks go to Nicklas Bendtner for providing so much material this season – your unfounded arrogance was a constant inspiration.

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