In Praise of Pat Rice

This weekend when Arsenal leave the pitch after playing Norwich, it will likely be the last time any supporter sees Pat Rice sitting next to Arsene Wenger at the Emirates.  After staying on a year longer than he had originally planned, Pat will retire and take his leave from a team he has had a role of some form since 1966.
Some people will argue that changing the number is long overdue and could be part of the reason why the team has gone stale these last 7 years. You won’t find any of that here. This is no longer the time to have that discussion. Pat is leaving of his own accord and frankly its time to praise for such loyal and steadfast service to this club.
Rice joined Arsenal in 1964 as an apprentice and signed a professional contract in 1966. The first time Arsenal fans would see Pat play for the first team was in 1967 in a league c...