For us Gooners, it’s all about Jack Wilshere 10

Super Jacky Wilshere

In Plato’s dialogue Philebus, Socrates tussles with the concept of desire:

Socrates: We commonly talk, do we not, of a man “having thirst”? Meaning that he is becoming empty…. Then is his thirst a desire?

Protarchus: Yes, a desire for drink.

Socrates: For drink, or for replenishment with drink?

Protarchus: For replenishment with drink, I should think.

Socrates: When one becomes empty then, apparently he desires the opposite of what he is experiencing; being emptied, he longs to be filled.

So for Socrates, desire is an attempt at filling a void or emptiness within ourselves. There might yet be a Socratic element about Arsenal’s love for Jack Wilshere. What Gooners have missed – more than anything (but a trophy) is a character of Wilshere’s mould. In an age of premature shirt-swapping and giggles in the tunnel, Gooners have been crying out for a nasty figure who will have words with the Welsh Messi, or who will awkwardly stand face-to-belly with the humongous Jonas Olsson. No longer will the North London faithful remain sceptical when their best player claims he loves the club, no longer will they retain their adulation in fear of losing it to chromosomal homes or little boys in heads. Arsenal FC finally have their hero, and with Wilshere in the ranks, you just have to feel that everything will be just fine.

3 Games that endeared Jack Wilshere to Arsenal fans.

Tottenham (CC Third Roundl): One way to endear yourself to Arsenal fans is to pronounce yourself in the North London Derby. It’s why Arsenal fans still fondly remember Lauren, and why Thierry Henry’s cast in bronze the way he is. In 2010/11, the jury was still out on Wilshere as a consistent starter for Arsenal. The youngster put the inquisition to bed in his quarter-final performance vs. Spurs. Jack played two wonderful assists as Arsenal pulled away from Tottenham in extra time and won 4-1.

Sweet victory over the old enemy in Carling Cup

Barcelona (home and away): This was the match where Wilshere ran the world’s best ragged. On that special night at the Emirates, Arsenal’s very own sparkled. Ask any Gooner and they’ll tell you he kept Messi in his back pocket, made a fool of both Xavi and Iniesta and stung Valdes’ fingers. We won’t comment on speculation.

Birmingham (CC Final): By February, Wenger’s men were still competitive for four trophies. The first was going to be the League Cup. En face, were a physical, Alex McLeish poisoned Birmingham side drowning in the relegation deep end. Wilshere was by far the best player on the pitch. He was everywhere, rarely put a foot wrong, but the best part of his performance had nothing to do with football. His passion oozed in those 90 minutes. With every stride he took, it was clear how badly he wanted to win a trophy for Arsenal. After 90 minutes, we fans had nothing to show for it. Our new defender and new goalkeeper had produced a spectacular blunder that would onset a series of failures which would ultimately conclude our season. But then we saw Jack Wilshere crying. It made us happy – probably not because we’re sadists, but because in those few minutes, we saw how much ending the trophy drought meant to him.

After Birmingham defeat – It meant everything to our Jacky

On the day, Arsenal lost the cup, but gained a true gunner, and the value of a club legend is priceless.