Quote ="magic piano"All players are replaceable - to brand a player as "irreplaceable" labels them bigger than the club which they fundamentally cannot be (although arguably some where in the PC era, or at least thought they were). Yes it would be disappointing were some to leave or retire & they will leave big holes to fill, but the nature of sport is that players are replaced.
Sean Long irreplaceable at Saints? Ask Kyle Eastmond. Sam Burgess irreplaceable at Bulls? Well Nick Scruton seems to be answering that pretty well this season. Adrian Morley retires & Mike Cooper will step up to the mark. Lee Briers goes & he will be replaced. Ben Westwood leaving will allow Lee Mitchell or Tyrone McCarthy to prove thier worth.'"
You could apply the same thinking to Arsenal. Patrick Vieira leaves...Alex Song steps up, Thierry Henry leaves, gives Niklas Bendtner a chance to show what he can do. Ashley Cole leaves, Gael Clichy gets his chance. Doesn't mean that they are going to be anywhere near as good.
To brand a player as irreplaceable doesn't brand them bigger than the club, it brands them better than any other player that club could realistically sign, or have in their own academy ranks, if they leave.
