Jason Crowe has revealed the ruthless manner in which he was let go by Arsenal.

Jason Crowe spent eleven years on the books with Arsenal. Joining as a junior, the right-back was handed professional terms prior to the 1996/97 campaign.

However, Lee Dixon was well-established as the first-choice right-back, and Crowe struggled to break into the side.

Arsene Wenger did hand the youngster his debut for the Gunners, as he was brought on as a substitute in an EFL Cup clash against Birmingham City in October 1997.

What ought to have been a brilliant occasion for Crowe turned into a nightmare very quickly. He was sent off for a foul having been on the pitch for just 33 seconds. It was a record-breaking moment, going down as the fastest debut red card in the history of English football.

Crowe only represented the north London club on two further occasions, before he was let go in 1999.

The manner in which Arsenal cut Crowe from the roster was ruthless, to say the least.

As quoted by The Daily Star on the anniversary of his infamous debut, Crowe has recalled how his departure from Highbury unfolded.

He said, “I was on holiday with friends in Cyprus when I found out about my transfer listing by Arsenal. I saw it on television.”

“Honestly that’s how I found out! I was competing with Lee Dixon and Remi Garde at right-back. Arsene really liked his French players too, he looked after them.”

Times have changed

Football is a cut-throat business. Fortunately, Crowe was still able to carve out a decent career for himself in the game. The 45-year-old went on to represent Portsmouth, Northampton Town, and Leeds United, amongst other clubs.

The way players are treated in the game has changed. With a far greater appreciation of the importance of factors such as mental health, clubs have gradually adopted more considerate methods of breaking bad news.

It seems extremely unlikely that the modern Arsenal, under the watch of Mikel Arteta, and with Per Mertesacker heading up the academy, would allow a player to find out about their own departure in such a ruthless manner as Crowe did. 

The post Arsenal record-setter recalls his ruthless departure from the club appeared first on Arsenal Insider.