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Disc 1 - Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis has been with us quite a few years now and we are still extremely proud to chant ‘We've got Dennis Bergkamp'. It took him seven matches to open his account and at the time the rag tops and brain dead rival fans were beginning to bleat about him being a waste of money. Not so the Highbury faithful, we who watched him every week knew that class oozed out of his every pore, any goals he scored would just be a bonus. His first against the Saints was from a Helder cross, a controlled volley that he hit back past the keeper and made look easy. Maybe it wasn't the most difficult goal he'd ever scored but we were all both relieved and delighted to see him get off the mark. His second in the same match showed us what he was all about and had us cooing at the class, speed, control, skill and ability as this one was powered from outside the box into the top corner off the post. Any unsure Gooners were now convinced our new number ten was the man, a new era at Arsenal had begun. A great goal at White Hart Lane showed us there was no doubting his attitude and that he already understood the magnitude of our local derby. His tenth was his first headed goal and by his thirteen he was nutmegging the keeper. Dennis' 16th goal, against Bolton, was worth a UEFA Cup place for the Club and his first milestone as an Arsenal man that goal showed us his determination to be a winner.
The Gunners changed with Bergkamp's arrival, Arsenal's managers now had no problems persuading other star players about our Club's ambition. Dennis wasn't a poseur he was a master craftsman and he was here to ply his trade to the best of his ability and that also happened to mean for our total enjoyment. The post Graham years had arrived and there was a new man pulling the strings out on the pitch. Dennis has always been a lot more than just a player who scores goals but that doesn't prevent the goals being a joy to watch.
Watching one hundred goals in one sitting should I suppose show some sort of pattern to Dennis' finishing but there are no limitations to the type of goals he scores. There's the volley, the half volley, the left foot, the more usual right foot, the shot taken on the run, the numerous shots from distance, the chips, the clipped chips, the stabs and the passes past the keeper. He uses the inside of the foot, the outside of the foot, the toe if necessary, power drives straight through the laces and even treats us to the occasional header. Almost invariably as the ball hits the net Dennis has made the act of scoring look easy. What is apparent to anyone who's played the game however is the thousands of hours spent practising that enables him to make it so.
He once took the penalties and used to take our free kicks, both of which would find the net. He's happy to flick over the keeper at pace, hit volleys received from the left, slam volleys received from the right, he'll take the rare scrambled goal and even nutmeg the keeper now and again. He does the cool, calm collected goal, which is his norm, but he's capable of getting narked enough to slam home the odd aggressive power play goal. His trademark strike is to cut in from the left and clip it with the inside of his boot so that the ball curls perfectly into the top corner out of the keeper's reach.
One thing that is common to most of his goals is the exquisite first touch. That first touch might be a volley or half volley that finds the net instantly. However Dennis also enjoys making space with his first touch and thus setting himself up for the chance. This is often accomplished whilst at the same time leaving any defenders in the vicinity for dead, one of his early goals against Tottenham, for example, gave him great pleasure because he knew what he wanted to do and executed the plan to perfection. Whenever you think you've seen it all he'll pull something off like his third goal in the game at Leicester, which was an object lesson in control and pure poetry to boot.
What was noticeable for me about the Bergkamp ton was just how many were planted in the perfect position just inside the post. Many are low but he also loves the top corner, but corner is the operative word. It's almost as if there are only two of the eight yards of goal line he aims at. The only exceptions are when he has just the keeper to beat and then he likes the keeper to commit before slipping it under or chipping it over. On these one on one goal attempts the centre of the net, it seems, is permissible. Likewise the centre of the goal is ok on those rare occasions when he has an empty net to aim at.
Just when you reckon there is nothing new he can do he comes up with something absolutely memorable, the sort of goal that will still be appreciated in fifty years time. Like at St. James's Park for example, where he seemed to defy gravity and the law of physics by going in the opposite direction to the ball whilst spinning and yet still being in total control. From the very high third tier at the other end of the ground it was virtually impossible to understand how he did it. Only the TV replays are capable of showing the true brilliance, which for me is as good a reason as any to own the DVD.
Dennis gives his 1st 2nd and 3rd choices for his favourite Arsenal goals on the disc but I'll let him tell you about that when you watch it. Great isn't it? We've still got Dennis Bergkamp and just when some are claiming that he's getting past it he runs from the halfway line and scores against Birmingham.
Disc 2 - Thierry Henry
I'm prepared to put good money on the fact that there will eventually be a Thierry Henry DVD that features his first two-hundred goals for Arsenal, but as that could be a couple of seasons into the future I'm delighted that his first hundred are now readily available now to enjoy. My belief is that Arsenal fans are a pretty astute bunch. Great players never take long to get their own song and Henry's came early on. Also with Henry we've found he responds to our support with endeavour. It's also possible to lift Henry when things are not quite going his way. Whilst Dennis arrived as pretty well the complete package Henry has learnt his trade on the job, so to speak. Arsene felt he might be a great goal scorer and was prepared to convert him back into the position where he played as a youngster. Did Arsene really know quite how good he would prove to be though?
Those who've watched Henry carefully will be aware how he's improved the timing of his runs, his ability to find space and utilise it. He was two footed when he arrived but his left has for my money improved beyond measure, as has his ability in the air. Tracking back was maybe a tad alien in concept, as was the approval of the crowd for attempting to do so. Confidence is everything, self-belief is hard to acquire and just as with Dennis you know that this has been worked at. As someone once said, I think it was a golfer ‘The harder I work the luckier I get'.
Hands up anyone who thought that Thierry was a natural goalscorer when he arrived. Ok Arsene there had to be one I suppose. The more you study his goals though the more you will come to believe it, it's just that Henry is not an natural old style centre forward. He is unique and scores goals in a unique way. As Henry tells us on the disc, sure he has the speed but the speed is no use to anyone without the control of the ball. Watch carefully and you'll see that his control at speed is phenomenal.
As with the Bergkamp disc you'll learn things about Henry when you see all his 100 goals in one sitting. First his touch is even better than you thought it was despite the fact that you knew it to be superb. Just like Dennis he spends a minimal time on the ball but makes that time pay. He makes space with his first touch, which often means taking the ball on in a controlled manner but with his turbo overdrive fully employed. With great players around him Thierry has an advantage against defenders in that his team-mates can anticipate a run and find him. His team mates also have an advantage in that they know any race involving Henry should be handicapped but on a football pitch that just makes him an odds on favourite to win any 50/50 sprint.
Henry likes to hit a ball low, he likes to run with the ball low. He scores brilliant goals and goals that are made to look easy by the sheer quality of his first touch at speed. His ability to turn on a sixpence is quite staggering as well, especially when you consider Henry probably wouldn't know what a sixpence was. But THAT goal against Manchester United into the Clock End when Grimandi rolled it into his feet with Dennis Irwin hanging onto his shirt was the ultimate turn and shoot. The fact that his control was perfect and his shot was meant still sends shivers down my spine at every viewing.
The only disappointment for me about Henry is his played down goal celebrations. After having Wrighty at the Club for so long giving it large we'd come to enjoy those variable lunatic expressions of delight whenever he netted. Henry used to celebrate with the corner flag and generally plays down his goal scoring feats although just occasionally he goes ape shit as with THAT goal against Tottenham where he readily admits on this disc that he ‘wanted the celebrations to carry on all day'. Unlike Wrighty however he seems just as happy when others score, as when Pires hit our fifth against Inter.
There is only one area where Henry can improve in front of goal and that's the number of headers he scores. His 45th goal was against Spartak from an out-swinging Cole corner, it saw Henry leap like a salmon and head down past the keeper. This was a header worthy of John Radford but we've never seen it repeated. When you consider the number of unproductive corners we register this seems to be almost criminal negligence on Arsenal's part. Like I said earlier though Henry is a one off and even he can't look to score very type of goal. I haven't mentioned his assists but maybe that will be worthy of another DVD. This one was a joy to watch and his goals are often a bit special. Henry also chooses his first, second and third favourites on this disc but I won't spoil your pleasure, even though you can probably guess two of them.
If you didn't already know what you wanted for Christmas maybe you do now.
Arsenal Centurions
100 goals each from Bergkamp & Henry
Double DVD set
Granada AFCDVD2
Price £19.99 (Or obviously cheaper if you shop around)
At the time of writing I can find no details of a video being available and no details of the DVD being available on Arsenal's official website.