Alan Shearer: RVP may take my record – but Arsenal must not lose him

ROBIN VAN PERSIE will take one of my records away from me before the end of the month.

I'm pretty sure of that and I'll be the first to congratulate him.

He will beat my total of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year — a record, by the way, I was unaware of until it was mentioned to me on Match of the Day at the weekend.

I set that mark back in 1995, when I was with Blackburn.

But records are there to be broken and I can think of no better striker than the Dutchman to write his name in the history books.

He has answered a lot of questions over the last 12 months with 33 goals in 32 Premier League games — and not just as his team's main striker but as Arsenal captain.

He has shouldered both of those responsibilities and replied to his critics by doing the hardest job in football, putting the ball in the net on a regular basis.

People have argued with me that strikers don't make good captains because it is hard to influence the team when you are leading the line.

I don't go along with that. I managed it OK.

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