Scott Arfield

[DeRo_Is_King]

4 minutes ago, Matro25 said:

Why is he retiring at the most important period for our national team? These next 2 windows are make it or break it for Canada and our midfield options are limited. He still had something in the tank to give but chose to call it a day.

   

It is extremely disappointing, but he isn't going to change his mind right now. In my view, it is a really crappy time to announce his retirement and you can argue it is self-centered, but we need to look at our options to replace him. That has to be our focus now. 

[The Real Marc]

18 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

It pains me to be still reading this thread after the announcement. 

Just because we need to move on, and we have to take on this window right now without him, better to get it past us ASAP. 

If we are all national team members in disguise, then I think you have a point about misplaced focus. But as long as we're all just keyboard warrior fans, none of us will see the pitch or the dressing room. I think it's ok to try to understand and work through why he did what he did.

[Matro25]

6 minutes ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

It is extremely disappointing, but he isn't going to change his mind right now. In my view, it is a really crappy time to announce his retirement and you can argue it is self-centered, but we need to look at our options to replace him. That has to be our focus now. 

I agree, I just didn't like seeing the revisionist history going on in this thread about how this guy was here when nobody wasn't. Apparently Atiba is an afterthought now. 

 

[Obinna]

I don't know how or why we got on to comparing Hutchinson and Arfield, but for what it's worth Atiba played 11 matches for us in the same timeframe Scott played 19.

[Moldy9]

It seems kind of premature to retire at 33 and miss out at a World Cup. Isn’t that every players dream? Like why close the doors on being called to a final roster? What if he played in the World Cup, used the stage to get himself a better contract? 
 

Oh well. I won’t speculate but it is quite odd. What did Junior call him out on exactly?

[Bison44]

Again just for comparison, when Atiba skipped camps and nursed injuries over the last 3-4 years and a lot of speculated whether he was done or not, he didnt make any decisions eh?  No announcements, he was quiet, came back next camp or next season in turkey after seemingly bathing in the fountain of youth and continued to contribute.  It doesnt make sense Arfield would out of the blue slam the door shut on his INT journey right before Canada hits its highest high in 35 years?? He could have just kept quiet, tried to stay fit and on form and maybe just maybe, he would get called to the WC.  

 

[johnyb]

11 hours ago, Matro25 said:

Is he the only player with these issues? What about Atiba & Larin who have to travel from Turkey every window?

I will be uncomfortable seeing him take anyone's spot who has contributed to our World Cup qualification journey. If he didn't get picked is one thing, but to decide on your own whim to retire and then magically unretire next November is just a slap in the face to anyone who gets cut for him to have a spot in Qatar. 

I wouldn't call it a slap in the face if our team gets decimated by Covid (Yes, Covid will still be a thing in November) a week before WC and Herdman picks up the phone.

[Bison44]

15 minutes ago, johnyb said:

I wouldn't call it a slap in the face if our team gets decimated by Covid (Yes, Covid will still be a thing in November) a week before WC and Herdman picks up the phone.

Hell, that could happen right now.  With Davies, Hoilett, Wotherspoon and Atiba out, if Kaye or Eustaq or Osorio twist an ankle all of a sudden arent we wishing Arfield is answering his phone??  

[Obinna]

42 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

Again just for comparison, when Atiba skipped camps and nursed injuries over the last 3-4 years and a lot of speculated whether he was done or not, he didnt make any decisions eh?  No announcements, he was quiet, came back next camp or next season in turkey after seemingly bathing in the fountain of youth and continued to contribute.  It doesnt make sense Arfield would out of the blue slam the door shut on his INT journey right before Canada hits its highest high in 35 years?? He could have just kept quiet, tried to stay fit and on form and maybe just maybe, he would get called to the WC.  

 

Sure it does. Arfield, at age 33, doesn't want to the commitment of playing for Canada anymore. It's disappointing, but not unreasonable. Just because Hutchinson was willing to march on doesn't mean that's what Arfield wants to do, or has to do.

Sure, he could of kept quiet, tried to stay fit, etc., but if he wasn't prepared to commit to accepting Herdman's call ups right now, then stepping aside was the right call for all parties. We know Herdman wants players to be in or out at this stage.

I am saddened by it, but I kind of get it.

[CanadaFan123]

43 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Sure it does. Arfield, at age 33, doesn't want to the commitment of playing for Canada anymore. It's disappointing, but not unreasonable. Just because Hutchinson was willing to march on doesn't mean that's what Arfield wants to do, or has to do.

Sure, he could of kept quiet, tried to stay fit, etc., but if he wasn't prepared to commit to accepting Herdman's call ups right now, then stepping aside was the right call for all parties. We know Herdman wants players to be in or out at this stage.

I am saddened by it, but I kind of get it.

The only way it makes sense for Arfield is if he's keen on remaining at Rangers and they're pushing him toward this. If he had a contract until 2023+ I don't see him doing this. 

It does make sense from a Rangers perspective too. Why would they want to bring in a guy on his final contract if he's going to be busy all fall and then potentially gassed for the latter half of the season?

Edited January 18, 2022 by CanadaFan123

[Obinna]

10 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

The only way it makes sense for Arfield is if he's keen on remaining at Rangers and they're pushing him toward this. If he had a contract until 2023+ I don't see him doing this. 

It does make sense from a Rangers perspective too. Why would they want to bring in a guy on his final contract if he's going to be busy all fall and then potentially gassed for the latter half of the season?

I think that's very likely a major factor, but we also don't know the extent to which other factors played a role. Even if he were on a contract, he may have just wanted to focus on club football due to his aging body. This was the case under Gerrard, back when his contract wasn't near expiring.

Rakitic retired from international play at the age of 31. Some players have retired even younger. Victor Moses for example was 27 when he retired from Nigeria and here's what he had to say:

"I have experienced some of the best moments of my life wearing the Super Eagles shirt and have memories with me that will last a lifetime," he said.

"However, I feel that now is the right time to step away in order to be able to focus fully on my club career and young family, as well as to allow the next generation the opportunity to step up and to flourish.

There's a myriad of reasons why a player may step away. 

[GasPed]

13 hours ago, Matro25 said:

Can you elaborate on this please? I must be missing something here. Do other players not have a life outside of the national team? What makes his case special? 

 

I don't know his personal circumstances well enough to say they were special.  I do know from snippets of articles I've read that he places a lot of importance on his family.  Also there was something that happened in the latter part of 2019 that affected him quite significantly (interestingly, it happened around the time he was on his last international call-ups), and who knows - maybe this event was the source of his discomfort.

https://plzsoccer.com/latest-news/scott-arfield-reveals-personal-trauma-which-has-sharpened-his-hunger/

Nonetheless, while we could speculate about it forever, the fact is, his announcement was pure class, praised John Herdman and the team, and John responded in kind.  They leave it on very good terms, and I think we should too.

[Matro25]

42 minutes ago, GasPed said:

I don't know his personal circumstances well enough to say they were special.  I do know from snippets of articles I've read that he places a lot of importance on his family.  Also there was something that happened in the latter part of 2019 that affected him quite significantly (interestingly, it happened around the time he was on his last international call-ups), and who knows - maybe this event was the source of his discomfort.

https://plzsoccer.com/latest-news/scott-arfield-reveals-personal-trauma-which-has-sharpened-his-hunger/

Nonetheless, while we could speculate about it forever, the fact is, his announcement was pure class, praised John Herdman and the team, and John responded in kind.  They leave it on very good terms, and I think we should too.

Just a few months ago he had an interview where he said he's available to get picked so throw whatever happened in 2019 out the window. What has changed?

I don't care about his reason tbh, legit or not we needed him to be available for us these next 2 windows. If Herdman decides not to select him at least we know that Arfield was never the issue. But now I can only put the blame on the player. 

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

4 hours ago, The Real Marc said:

If we are all national team members in disguise, then I think you have a point about misplaced focus. But as long as we're all just keyboard warrior fans, none of us will see the pitch or the dressing room. I think it's ok to try to understand and work through why he did what he did.

Sure, I'd like to know, but right now I really want us to focus on the positives because we are going to Honduras without any of the preparation we'd planned, and these negative vibes are not good for us. We are going to a place where we get buggered as a sort of standard practice. 

We have to wipe all that shit off the slate, and go hellbent with what we've got.

[Califax]

16 minutes ago, Matro25 said:

Just a few months ago he had an interview where he said he's available to get picked so throw whatever happened in 2019 out the window. What has changed?

I don't care about his reason tbh, legit or not we needed him to be available for us these next 2 windows. If Herdman decides not to select him at least we know that Arfield was never the issue. But now I can only put the blame on the player. 

Maybe I missed it, but was it made explicitly clear that he was asked and turned down the call? 

I was under the impression it was still unknown from his post. 

I can't honestly figure out what's going on. 

[Obinna]

4 minutes ago, Matro25 said:

Just a few months ago he had an interview where he said he's available to get picked so throw whatever happened in 2019 out the window. What has changed?

I don't care about his reason tbh, legit or not we needed him to be available for us these next 2 windows. If Herdman decides not to select him at least we know that Arfield was never the issue. But now I can only put the blame on the player. 

 

But even then, it wasn't straight forward. It was more like "I am always available for selection, but I would miss club games in January, so if not then, perhaps March, etc.".

I think his availability was conditional and this was previously okay. Herdman is on record saying that Scott (and Atiba) would only be available for the big games.

But we're now at a stage of the qualifying competition where Herdman needs more commitment. You're in or your out. Arfield obviously cannot give that commitment for a variety of reasons. Atiba is clearly willing to give it. I don't think that makes Arfield a villain, but I am okay with it making Atiba a hero!

They probably had a chat about it and decide to amicably go their own ways. 

[Matro25]

17 minutes ago, Califax said:

Maybe I missed it, but was it made explicitly clear that he was asked and turned down the call? 

I was under the impression it was still unknown from his post. 

I can't honestly figure out what's going on. 

This sounds like a guy who wanted to play.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Matro25

[GasPed]

1 hour ago, Matro25 said:

This sounds like a guy who wanted to play.

Totally agree - it sounded like he was eager to come.  But there's also caveats in there, and then clearly something happened that led him to this decision.  Maybe it was Herdman: "Come in January or you're out of the squad".  Maybe it was his manager: "If you can't play Old Firm, you can't play ever".  Or maybe it was the injury he got, or the toll that international travel takes on his family, or they're expecting another baby, or his father has Covid.  Who knows?  One thing that's true - Arfield tends to be pretty closed-mouthed about this kind of thing, so we may never know... 

[LeoH037]

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Sure, I'd like to know, but right now I really want us to focus on the positives because we are going to Honduras without any of the preparation we'd planned, and these negative vibes are not good for us. We are going to a place where we get buggered as a sort of standard practice. 

We have to wipe all that shit off the slate, and go hellbent with what we've got.

This... we've been so focused on the USA that it almost feels like folk on here are overlooking the fact we start this window against Honduras in San Pedro Sula, in the hellish Estadio Olimpico. Arfield is gone. O well, we got bigger things to worry about right now.

[Shway]

Didn’t appear in the team at all today, maybe he’s injured/sick reason why he couldn’t make it - so Herdman said eff it “you’re done”. 

[yomurphy1]

Maybe Herdman and Arfield were lovers. Maybe their love burnt fast and hard and they were never able to rekindle the fire of the 2-0 win over the USA so we're left to watch it fall to ashes.

Methinks this is plausible. 

[Cheeta]

34 minutes ago, yomurphy1 said:

Maybe Herdman and Arfield were lovers. Maybe their love burnt fast and hard and they were never able to rekindle the fire of the 2-0 win over the USA so we're left to watch it fall to ashes.

Methinks this is plausible. 

Which begs the asking of that eternal question.

Which is better?  Make-up sex or break-up sex?

Discuss!

[Matro25]

4 hours ago, GasPed said:

Totally agree - it sounded like he was eager to come.  But there's also caveats in there, and then clearly something happened that led him to this decision.  Maybe it was Herdman: "Come in January or you're out of the squad".  Maybe it was his manager: "If you can't play Old Firm, you can't play ever".  Or maybe it was the injury he got, or the toll that international travel takes on his family, or they're expecting another baby, or his father has Covid.  Who knows?  One thing that's true - Arfield tends to be pretty closed-mouthed about this kind of thing, so we may never know... 

It still begs the question; why retire now as opposed to right after Qatar? he's still playing at a top level, he stated that the World Cup was his goal. Now that we're at the toughest stretch of games with multiple MIAs this window he's decided to use the retirement card? Colour me dissapointed.

 

[johnyb]

14 hours ago, Matro25 said:

It still begs the question; why retire now as opposed to right after Qatar? he's still playing at a top level, he stated that the World Cup was his goal. Now that we're at the toughest stretch of games with multiple MIAs this window he's decided to use the retirement card? Colour me dissapointed.

 

He can't make the January window, Herdman says you've been dodging long enough and we need you, so it's now or never. Scott says I guess it's never then, I'll retire. I can always un-retire if I choose, Mohammed Ali did it like 8 times!

[trc2014]

Anyone else read this as him not coming in was in part due to a player team decision?