Thierry Henry- The Swollen headed egomaniac.
Posted by Sports Snob on September 14, 2006
Not one footballer in the world gets under my skin as Thierry ‘Titi’ Henry. Yes, he is a big Tit. The prodigiously talented footballer is probably the biggest egotist you will find. Never too busy to toot his own horn, Henry more often than not likes to talk up his own game at the expense of his compatriots’. Arsenal fans would like mention the significant contribution he has made to their club, but why does a man, who represents a club and a generation of ‘joga bonita’ football behave in the most condescending and hypocritcal way. I don’t read too much into his celebrations, but his post match interviews often reek of arrogance and pettiness. If he isn’t making gratuitous comments about referees, he is whining about the fixture schedule and spouting several conspiracy theories about why the powers that be are against Arsenal. Yeah, right! This drivel Henry has been dishing out for years is not news worthy anymore. It doesn’t even strike us as out of character any longer.
Arse Fans are enraged when people say that Henry is (for want of a better word), A Choker. Well, he has scored a few goals but I have seen several occasions where he has let his team down in the final third of matches- In the Champions League and countless times for France. Zidane was the fall guy for Titi’s performances. ‘You need to keep Titi as the focus’ they say. But I do recall Titi having only a cursory influence during Zidane’s absence in 2002 WC.
The Famous Rant in Paris:
Z and I were watching the Champions League final together and for the first time we thought that Henry would make us eat our words. Three minutes later, He put paid to those thoughts. He may never play for Barcelona but he certainly did his bit for the Catalans. But the bone of contention is not so much his footballing skill, admirable as it is, but his unfailing ability to carp and whine. His post match rant after the Barca game still rings in my ear because it was shockingly unprofessional (“I didn’t see Ronaldinho or Eto’o today”) and sexist (“Only women go down”). What Titi conveniently overlooked was the fact that he had cost his side the top prize in club football. He had missed two gilt-edged chances in Regulation time. Oddly enough, a month later in the World Cup in a match between France and Spain, Titi fell to the ground holding his face, writhing in pain, when replays should that Puyol had made no contact with that area. Puyol denied ever hitting his face but Henry claimed innocence. Oui, zee replays are lying. This is what the person, who is the emblem of Arsenal FC is capable of. But I was happy in a way since it exposed him for what he is – a whingeing hypocrite.
Only time will tell if Henry can someday live up to his billing and win the top prize for HIS club . Or else, he will join the pantheon of greats to have never won the Champions League!
Anonymous
Tecnorati Tags: Arsenal+FC Thierry+Henry Champions+League
Critics Corner. 
Panchos said
Am not that great a fan of Arsenal either, the primary reason being the existence of Thierry Henry. A Choker in big game situations. God on the field to some but only in games which would’nt earn cup cakes..
V said
Panchos,
its been a while since u visited. Yes, i agree with you and anon. 🙂
Vijaikrishna said
True .. and he has inherited the whining skills of Arsene Wenger …
Mihir said
You really are a Arsenal hater rnt u ?? But guess what, “Screw you”. As far as missing chances in the champ league final are concerned, yes Henry did miss them, but then so do a lot of people in a lot of matches. And before calling him a choker, i hope u go and see the virtuoso goal he scored against the other spanish “giant” during the knockout stages.
And if u r talking about France, his goal scoring record for france is not bad at all, though slightly lesser than his record for the gunners. The primary reason being the difference in how both the teams play. Arsenal play a high tempo game in which Henry can use his express pace to run at the defence, while France with Zidane played a slow buildup game which is ill suited to Henry’s game. And if u talk about the WC 2002, France’s problems were in the midfield where they lacked creativity, and Henry didnt really have a free role like he does in arsenal where he can come back to the midfield and go to the wings whenever he likes to.
Ravi said
i admire henry for his footballing talents. but thats where it ends. like all greats he carries a touch of arrogance. an arrogance emboldened by his holier-than-thou attitude. which is plain hypocrisy in the face of his antics in the world cup. these double standards are something even arsene wenger is guilty of. we all appreciate the slick football he has introduced at arsenal. but after the most blatant dive ever by pires, when he went out if his way to ensure contact with a pompey player to trip himself and gain a penalty, the fairplay attitude just stinks.
Sportsnob said
@ Ravi, Yes the chap has the feeling of self-importance all over him. Arsene and Henry make you laugh after a loss. From blaming the sprinklers to the linesman, they cover every inch of the pitch for their excuses.
WEnger does play very slick football but ten years, and three league titles is not the most enviable record, The transfer budget notwithstanding.
@Mihir,
You may quote as many stats as you want. Henry missed the CLE, and guess what? we weren’t surprised. I think Arsene Wenger and Henry need to come up with more plausible excuses for their defeats.
and yes, many players miss chances, but only few blame the sprinklers for them.
Henry is a great player, but what is greatness without humilty.
@Vijikrishnan,
Yeah, It seems the case. He has become a bigger whiner as the years pass. No doubt the effect of Ze whining Professor.
Ravi said
its that obsession with the slick football that ironically has been their downfall as well. and wenger has patented the post-match comment “i couldnt see it from where i was standing”
Sports Snob said
@ Ravi,
Very true. They love to walk the ball into the net and more often than not, atleast in the league, that has been their undoing.
titilover said
you’re a fat jealous bunch of <beep>. titi is a man who justifies his arrogance with his exceptional ability.
Mark said
No, he doesn’t. Very good yes, but a million miles off the techinical ability of Zidane, who didn’t have any arrogance.
You don’t need to be a twat to be good.
Ravisuckshisdadoffnightly said
Keep patting yourselves on the back. You’ve all done a sterling job of writing off one of the finest footballing talents the 21st Century has to offer. Bravo. I hope you all feel much better.
oasisboy said
He is talented, NO doubt. But he’s also a massive hypocrite. I almost threw up when he got Puyol sent off. The big bald girl.
Anyway, I’m glad Gerrard has already lifted football’s holy grail. And you can’t understate his influence in big games (proof: UCL FINAL 2005 – just an example :p)
Henry, on the other hand…
Sports Snob said
@titlover,
Exceptional ability? no doubts about that. Barcelona is indebted to his footballing skill.
@raviXXXXXXX,
Actually i do feel a lot better. I’m waiting for Henry to prove me wrong. Watford doesn’t count….
@oasisboy,
Yeah. I agree. Big bald girl is an accurate description.
Panchos said
Yeah its been a while, thanks to my busy schedule.. good to be back to an interesting post.
@all Henry fans,
For the sake of constructive criticism, could you argue with facts rather than showering the blog with obscenities..
A true great player is as humble in defeat as in victory unlike henry who is as arrogant on the field as he is off it… All the great football players have proven themselves in crunch time situations, wonder what henry has done so far in this regard.. a good player no doubt, but touted way beyond his abilities…
Mark said
Perfectly put.
Boz said
What a load of shit! Henry is a great ambassador for the game. He’s also a loyal servant to one of the finest Clubs in the world. Don’t confuse confidence with arrogance. He is very knowledgeable about the game he loves and plays so well. A choker? He has scored big goals in big games – Roma, Inter, Real, Juventus etc. He’s also scored some screamers against top English sides, including a good few against Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool.
As for his comments after the CL final, in which he played very well depsite missing a couple of chances, it seems to me that despite his obvious disappointment he was quite lucid. Arsenal didn’t deserve to lose the match. Given that Barça had been on all year about how Henry was going to sign for them after the match, it was a statement of committment to Arsenal and a dismissal of the arrogance being shown by the Catalan side.
Henry is without question one of the top three players in world football (unlike Gerrard, mentioned in other posts). His personality is likeable and open. Of course, you can’t please everyone, and the untermensch on this blog obviously are not happy. Poor things.
Vignesh Girishankar said
Laughing so hard that the sides of my stomach hurt.
This is nothing but a one man crusade against Arsenal FC.Why hate mission?? Is this bitterness that he didnt join a certain so-so club in catalunya? I think so…
And please dont say you got Eidur Gudjonsen and make me laugh even harder.
Vignesh Girishankar said
And go on name one player who is not a choker by ur definition.. Go on , i dare u
Mark said
Zidane. Can’t argue with that.
Random said
Indians who write about football are gay.
arseblogger said
Sports Nob. Perfect.
Dublin Gooner said
Obiously writen by someone who doesnt live in the UK and has probably never even been to a game in England.
It does win the prize for the most inaccurate and delusional ‘article’ I’ve seen in the last few months.
Well done!
Mark said
I live in England, have been to games and the article is spot-on.
Ravi said
@ravixxxxxxx, u forgot to read the very first line of my comment. shame that. let me point out that not once have you responded to the pires incident and the subsequent behaviour. i support man utd and am not ashmed of it. they are no saints either. i can point out deficiencies for them as well. so its pointless arguing which club is holier than the other. what saddens me is your insistence on profanities and then dubbing it as a tirade against arsenal. try arguing with some logic and leave your obscenities where they should be, in a school playground, the next time who engage urself in a public forum.
P said
its amazing. I thought Anon made it clear that Henry is a bloody talented footballer but goes on to mention his irritating habit of whining. And there are CLEAR examples of the same. Nobody is calling him a Darren Fletcher or a Titus Bramble! Just equating him to Moaning Sam or Whining Wenger.
Lena said
I think many people still consider Arsenal a one man team.
Jonny B said
Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy. Taking into account the number of goals that TH14 has scored for Arsenal and France, I’m quite sure that he doesn’t give a shite what you think. I’d be inclined to agree with him.
Sports Snob said
OMG. we certainly seem to be taking a lot of heat from the arses. So let me respond
@Boz,
Yes he has scored a lot of goals, but do stats tell you the whole story. His performances for both club and country during crunch time have been awful. He is also the perennial bridesmaid. Finishing second in the World Player of the year, Champions League, million times in the league and to top it all in the World Cup.
However, the post wasn’t to question his talent, its abundant. but his mental make-up. He is a hypocrite and a whiner. Nothing can take away that fact.
@Vignesh,
Yes, so many have failed in the big occasion but few have with the unfailing regularity of Le Tit.
@Random,
Thanks for the incisive commentary.
Sports Snob said
@arseblogger, Dublin Blogger,
By your statement, people who have not been to England have no rights to talk about the game. Bravo. This is the most resounding argument i have heard thus far.
@Ravi,
I think its best to ignore cowards, who respond to arguments with profanities. No doubt their colorful language was steeled in the streets of London and Dublin and backed up by the IQ of a rodent.
Sports Snob said
@P,
Thanks for pointing it out. All the venom in their posts probably stems from their frsutrations- their inability to argue. I was hoping for more convincing arguments than Indians who write about football are gay.
@Lena,
Yeah, May be so. I’m just waiting to see which Henry turns up against Manutd(i dont know if he wil be fit for it) .
Sports Snob said
@Johnny B
He may not give a shite. but you certainly do. IF not, Why would you come here to defend Le Tit.
my2cents said
Fabulously witty puns aside (“Le Tit” – just so clever), would it be so hard for the likes of Sports Snob & Ravi to recognise the positive sides of Henry’s public profile? Such as his anti-racism work (using his fame for the good), a cracking Renault ad (I jest), or his unflagging loyalty to a football team he genuinely loves – the fact that he spurned more money and probably, let’s face it, more trophies, is a refreshing stance for a modern footballer to take. Even more so given today’s money-grabbing football climate, personified by the likes of Ashley Cole. He’s also a pretty articulate, intelligent bloke by footballing standards. Don’t you just get tired of Sky and the Beeb carting out players in front of the camera who do nothing more than regurgitate the blandest footballing cliches (not Gael Cliche Mr Pleat). “All credit to the lads” kind of bunkum delivered in a gruff monotone. I’m not saying he’s Oscar Wilde, but he’s more illumqinating than most.
And after all he is a human being prone to fail under pressure and scrutiny, not a goal-machine (something Shevchenko’s been saying lately about himself). I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t fancy being in Thierry’s boots in a major cup final; boss, fans, press, and teammates all expecting you to score, including the opposition manager who’s posted an extra man to mark you and give you a good kicking while he’s at it. This is why it’s so thrilling to see players like Gerrard producing their best moments when cups are up for grabs. And “all credit to him”. And yeah, Henry probably is a bit hypocritical when it comes to the Puyol incident; he claims he was fed-up of the referee letting Puyol knock him around without judicial consequence, so went down to get a free-kick. Pretty cheap behaviour you could say. It’s not unreasonable though, I feel, to see this as born out of frustration, and not in fact exemplary of his customary conduct. He’s not in the Robben/Ronaldo joint-honours class of diving, maybe more a Joe Cole sort of level. Pundits and fans are so quick to condemn diving as utterly appalling, but I think they forget too easily that it is them who place players under intense pressure to win win win at all costs. Take a tumble in the box and you just might win your team those vital three points. It all comes down to money inevitably.
I do not agree in any way with the notion that “Henry more often than not likes to talk up his own game at the expense of his compatriots.” He is always the first to deflect praise onto his team’s performance rather than accept it for himself in press conferences, like after victory at Real Madrid. The reason why you may have failed to notice this is that, as you point out, it is not really newsworthy. A paper would much rather splurge a story about Mourinho claiming to be the next Messiah because this is what people find entertaining. And yet I’m fairly certain that he hasn’t scored over 200 career goals to-date. Anyway, that’s what I think. It’s just one man’s opinion. He’s not perfect but I like him.
Ravi said
@my2cents, i have always maintained my admiration for henry’s footballing talents. his loyalty to arsenal also deserves kudos in a time of mercenaries of ashley coles likes.
“boss, fans, press, and teammates all expecting you to score, including the opposition manager who’……” – thats part n parcel of professional sport. all top players are subject to this and not henry alone.
again its an opinion, but i am not henrys biggest fan for whatever reasons. as i always do, lets to agree to disagree on this one.
V said
@ my2 cents.
Finally a gooner who hasn’t resorted to empty abuses. I guess i have to second Ravi, We will never agree on this.
blue champion said
Sports Snob!
I second you! Henry has this arrogance which makes me not like him as much I like his footballing skills. The prime display of his arrogance would be in his goal celebrations as many have recognised already. I do like Jose Mourinho’s arrogance but he is a manager an there is a big difference there. And yes, Henry is a choker, I repeat, Henry is a choker. A big big percentage of his goals were scored in Highbury and he is only half-effective away from home. The next four opponents for Arsenal are Sheffield, Watford, Reading & Charlton. Surely Henry would two or three in these matches and he would be trated like God. And talking such things about Henry is considered as blasphemy in the Arsenal sites and I just hate that.
Sports Snob said
Yes, i agree but you are never going to convince gooners about this. I want to see what Henry does this year in the Champions League
Arsenalkid said
henry is going to impress u very much this year his plans are big for the team
Sportsnob said
Well, the jury is out on henry until he does something extraordinary in the CLE. and not end up the bridesmaid, yet again. 😦
pani said
Fabregas,the best!
Sport snob said
Thanks for your very pertinent comment!
Lucas said
Impressive post…well and truly spoken….Henry is a dickhead, an egomaniac. Ashley Cole himself has said that with Henry around, no one else in the Gunners squad get the credit they duly deserve. His comments after the CL final loss shows he is a whiner, his actions in the World Cup shows he is a hyprocrite. No doubt, he is a great player, but he is definitely not the greatest as he thinks he is. He would do well if he develops some humility.
V said
Yep, He’s at it again following the defeat to Scotland. Somebody should shut him up. He choked in the end…….again.
Cyrus Poncha said
he is still a force to recon with and unlike becky and ronaldno who are bound for retirement in the USA phootball league
ozz said
Honours:
With the French national team:
* FIFA World Cup
o Appearances: 1998, 2002, 2006
o Winner: 1998 o Runner-Up: 2006
* European Championship
o Winner: 2000
o Appearances: 2000, 2004
* Confederations Cup: 2003
With Monaco:
* Ligue 1: 1996-97
* French Super Cup: 1997
With Arsenal:
* FA Premier League: 2001-02, 2003-04
* FA Cup: 2002, 2003, 2005
* FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004
* UEFA Champions League Runner Up : 2006
* UEFA Cup Runner Up : 2000
Personal Honours:
* European Golden Boot: 2004, 2005
* FA Premier League Top Scorer: 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06
* Onze d’Or: 2003
* PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 2002-03, 2003-04
* FWA Footballer Of The Year: 2002-03, 2003-04, 2005-06
* FIFPro World XI Striker: 2006
===================
Choke on that!
Mark said
However never FIFA world player of the year, nor anything other than poor in almost all those big games.
ozz said
yea, there’s so many cup cakes in that. Leaving aside all the countless personal honours and stuff he had achieved.
ozz said
Perhaps you should consider renaming your blog to Sports Noob or Sports Knob. Get a gripe!
X said
wow! what a totally irrelevant comment..Kudos to you ozzzzzz!
And what a lovely play on the word sportsnob..
Critics Corner » Blog Archive » Top 5 football moments of the 2006 said
[…] Jens Lehman and Almunia and the downright pathetic from Thierry Henry – 2 guilt edged chances and 1 blubbering rant. All in all, a Fantastic match to cap off a great tournament. Here’s hoping that Champions […]
Desert Gooner said
What a load of shite.
aka said
Pure nonsense
Arse said
Absolute fucking Bullocks mate. I have met the man and he is down to earth – yes arrogant, but he is the King. Fucking King, mate, has every right to be. If you were an Arsenal supporter maybe you’d understand what he brought to this godforsaken Island. I think YOU, yes YOU mate, are a fucking TIT.
Cricket Bats said
This is the man who cheated his way to a world cup final. His delibrate hand ball is up there with the “hand of god”!!
Gretchen said
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