Mesut Ozil, like any modern footballer, is a regular poster on social media. In the recent past he’s put up photos of him in training, has declared himself fit, has congratulated the team on winning a game he played no part in, been supportive in defeat, and then…He dropped a bombshell! A post so despicable in its cynicism, so patently damaging not just to the team, but also our club’s esteemed values. Like his insensitivity in accepting wages worthy of being the best No10 in the world when the club had no choice, his attempt to blackmail the club by declaring open war on Emery surely suggests that the club need to sort him out. The club can’t back down to this naked display of player power or else it will be anarchy.
He’s got a history of this sort of thing. Instead of knowing his place in the football world, he dared to openly challenge racist attacks on him for taking a photo with a person who is no longer the favourite of the Western world (not that they don’t do business with him, mind) Rather than accept he has to atone and prove his Germanness (Germanity?) again, and apologise for the disruption he caused in the team, he chose to highlight the unfairness, ridiculousness and subtle racism for what it is. But that was Germany, so what do we care.
Of course even with Arsenal he disrespected our legends. Pointing out how they go on national TV and betray the club with their negativity. This sort of unfiltered truth telling does no good to our reputation. The club is now trying to limit the damage by having a love in with media personality and pundit extraordinaire Ian Wright. You can blame Ozil for the fact that we are now subjected to images of Wrighty flying a dragon, or kissing a wall with the badge painted on it. These painfully cynical social media posts are the result of Ozil’s reckless behaviour.
And then we have the football. When it’s clear that we’re having an injury crisis in defense. When our first choice right back, who we don’t know if we’re supposed to like or not because of his pathetically honest views on AFTV but we’ll forgive him for now. Yeah so when this guy we’re ambivalent about gets injured and our whole attack falls apart, what is Mr Ozil doing? He’s not grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. He’s not even grabbing the coach by the scruff of the neck to tell him to play him. No. Why? Because he’s lazy. He put a gun to the club’s head and forced them to sign a deal at fair market value, and now he’s satisfied with that and no longer feels the need to play.
So instead of accepting that the club no longer panders to his pathetically high ambitions of winning and playing well, and just jumping ship like the honourable players of the past such as RVP, Cesc and Nasri, this player has the gall to post this…this vile.. subversive message to his millions of followers on social media. Ozil has committed blasphemy. He invoked God, and used that to send out the message that he has found his home at Arsenal. Such insurrection against this club cannot be tolerated. You know our club motto which says Victory through self-harming. Or the glorious statement of remember who you are, what you represent, and know your place. No player is bigger than the private corporate club. It won’t help our valuatio…errrr.. values.
Henceforth, only officially sanctioned communications vetted by our esteemed blog commissars will be allowed to be posted by Ozil. By order of King Raul the First.
Shard @ShardGooner
Positively Arsenal 
Thanks Shard, that is excellent stuff. I could not agree more.
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What’s so strange is the zeal and zest with which Billy Big Blagger is attacking Ozil’s PR sorry I mean Sports Communications yet they don’t comment on the fact that Raul couldn’t be arsed to make a statement to the fans for six months after he took over the running the club.
They also have refused to discuss the Ramsey and Ozil story over the months and you have to ask why would they completely undermine their own credibility so badly by ignoring the topic that has been the focus of almost all chat on the footy by Arsenal fans that I know at least. Or overhear even. Utterly uncredible.
I guess they must like Raul.
And significantly they like his “Values” even more.
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No… it wasn’t Özil who post that to his social-media accounts. Its his PR team to whom he has delegated it to with him having no input whatsoever. Its anyone guess whether he has even looked up from playing fortnite yet so someone can tell him what the hell is going on.
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Good lord. if i knew such a brilliant post was coming from Shard aka Rocksteady I would have held back mine. Anyways hope you guys have a chance to read and comment on my Letter to Stan. https://uniteforvar.com/?p=1747
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brilliant post, just missing the Bergkamp quote that Ozil tweeted to such outrage, which by the way showed up many of the bloggers, as despite Ozil crediting Bergkamp with the quote, many of them missed this and thought it was all Mesut’s own words. Says it all really, its total fake outrage, laughably if a guy like Guendouzi or Sokratis who are only here this season, came out with the same quote, it would be a cause for celebration.
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I’m no blasphemer, eduardo.
Thanks for posting this George. I’m chuffed enough to even put a smiley, but I shall refrain.
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
46m46 minutes ago
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the arsenal womens game is live here
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Can someone please explain to me how a Bergkamp quote urging to support the team can be directed at the manager and why it caused such uproar?
Or was it some other tweet?
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Real Madrid fans will be hoping Raul’s next brain sorry wallet storm will be to swap “I am Tony Kroos” with Mesut Ozil, at a loss for the Arsenal.
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Great post. I hope someone does not misunderstand what you are really saying as I started to before I realised.
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Rich
Nevermind some hack what about an entire nation! Though I can understand the appeal to the PL in trading a football club for bombs, Picasso would know more about such things then me.
Considering the track record to date, that MBS will already go down in history as the anti-Midas, not in doubt, then fingers crossed the PL help to ease through his purchase of their darling Utd!
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I see many in all this Emery/Ozil debate and also the debate about what time and how many transfer windows Emery needs to be successful, ignore that last summer we were told Emery is not Club manager as all before him had been, no he is a Head Coach, and it is no longer the job of the manger to decide on new signings, or departures, yes he will have an input, but its our execs whatever the actual titles they hold, and the recruitment department, plus the contract guys who will decide on all this. Emery is meant to be here to work with what he has and what he is given, he is Head Coach, he is meant to coach his way to success.
So the talk about how many transfer windows he will need is moot as is the notion that he can be the only winner in any battle with star players. Jose who not only had won stuff for utd, but everywhere he went, found out to his cost in his row with Pogba, that players have lots of power.
Emery is head coach, the only things he is in full control over is Team selection, team tactics, team systems, squad training. Who is provided for him to select, impart tactics, and systems to and train is not his sole preserve, this continental set up is as we know, designed so Head Coaches are interchangeable or just changeable
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Top work Shard. Fins will know what I mean when I say I enjoyed watching Gower more than Gooch.
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Tim,I felt the same about Barry Richards and Boycott
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I felt the same about Tendulkar and Dravid…
Oh who am I kidding, I loved watching Rahul Dravid. Especially his cover drive.
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Something about that stance at the crease just looked so awkward, and you can see that Alistair Cook had picked up a little of his mentor’s style.
I preferred Thorpe (yuck Chelsea yuck) to Cook but my god Cook is probably the best most talented English batsman I’ll ever see, precocious from the start. A special talent and we’re lucky to have seen him.
Mentor’s. Boot rooms. We don’t have to go far, to overtax the old disappearing brain cells in order to find simple easy examples of their value & worth in Sport. Though this is a simple ageless consideration apparently waaaaay above the cognitive ability of the Billy Big Blaggers. That or they value Raul’s values over those of Arsenal Football Club
(people will find, if they check, that GG was sacked before AW arrived!)
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Haha Shard I see what you did there.
Can’t imagine an Indian selector who dropped both would last very long without getting lynched. Yet still the Billy Big Blagger will try and pretend that’s not the issue for most AFC followers.
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fins
Indian selectors have sometimes made very strange decisions and survived. They are more political appointees though, and everyone accepts that fact. Not sure how we can justify our selection panel’s decisions of late.
I honestly didn’t intend to do that. Dravid was just the most defensive batsman I could think of, but what a player he was. And a generous man. I met him once, at/outside his house when I was a kid. He’d missed out on being selected for one day matches because of his reputation as a slow scorer. Had great work ethic. He was home for lunch when I caught him, and he was generous enough to spend a few minutes beyond just a quick autograph.
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Sniper
@clockendsniper
2h2 hours ago
With Wolves making the FA Cup q/f it means Arsenal will have over a two week break from 14th March till 1st April if we get past BATE. If we don’t it’ll probably be a three week break from 10th March till 1st April unless they move the Wolves away game fwd to 13th March.
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Nice one Shard.
Hero or villain, lots of opinions out there. Personally, whatever their differences, I wish they would just kiss and make up for the sake of the team until at least the end of the season for the good of all. Perhaps it has gone beyond that.
If it is just personal, horrendous situation, Ozil could just sit tight and nothing moves should he chose. And a manager should be bigger than that, and if he isn’t, he should be bought to account, but no sign of that.
If Emery wants Özil to do something he isn’t doing, providing it is reasonable,hope they can find a way.
If Özil is in some way misbehaving, in a post Germany/Emery funk, or fallen out of love with the game, tragic for such a talent, but not unique.
If it is purely financial, I fear Özil won’t be the last, worth remembering Stan and Josh would have been involved in signing his contract off. What has changed financially?
Of the creatives, Ramsey is in and out, Ozil, well, ESR loaned out, we are completely relying on full backs come wingers for creativity, a very dicey policy from the manager, one that suggests he is either a genius setting something we cannot yet understand in motion, barking mad, extremely stubborn, or in a very secure place with those above. Perhaps those above are allowing him a free season, as should be his right
I am sure this is an issue that can be solved, if they want to.
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Mandy I really don’t get this whole he is entitled to a “free season”, no way, he is here to get us CL football, and I’m sure if we were now 10pts off top 4 and out of the EL he could very well have already lost his job. but he is 1pt off top 4 and still in EL, so we are still very much in the fight for a CL place next season. If things go tits up before end of the season we could see one of the other six who interviewed for the Head Coach job last summer, come in this summer.
We are now the same as all the other clubs, we will have no qualms about being a merry go round club.
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But that’s my point Eduardo, if he is under same threats as other managers, and under pressure to get in the ECL, which I sincerely hope he does, then why is he doing things in such a counter intuitive and apparently self harming way?
The last thing this club needs is a series of manager merry go rounds.
I hope we don’t find out what happens if he doesn’t make the CL
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Mandy maybe he is doing it for the same reason every manager does things, they think they are right. A manager has to believe in what he is doing, or there is no chance the players will, and I think one trait that most managers have is a certain amount of stubbornness
I very much doubt the rumors of it being a power play by Emery, i think its much more simple, he thinks others are delivering in the system better than Ozil has this season or is likely to.
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just noticed that Lichsteiner has played a game more than Ozil this season in all competitions, 15+4 for SL, compared to 14+4 for MO,
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Again I would remind everyone Unai is head coach and I’m not sure any of us really knows how much or little power he has. So I don’t think this is a Unai/ Mesut thing but maybe more about the clubs new dynamic.
As we have experienced over the last 15 years it’s very difficult to find out the truth of what’s happening inside ARSENAL and most statements are just assumptions just as they were under Arsene.
We all know le grove isn’t an ARSENAL supporter and arseblog is just clickbait so nothing should suprise us there and true fans should just ignore them. Even she wore just wants to sell merchandise even though he’s against commercialism, I know you couldn’t write it.
Basically the club hasn’t has the smooth transition we all wanted but it’s not broken apart so we just need to sit tight be abit patient and see where we go.
The social media fuckwits are a disease deep inside the club following and however wrong they are I think our club is stuck with them.
If I had my ARSENAL back then all these parasites would be gone.
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Nice one, Shard. As I have already expressed to many of you on Twitter, if this impasse keeps up I just really want Mesut to find a new club in the summer. Not because I think he’s done anything wrong or because he doesn’t deserve the wages that the club agreed to give him or because I don’t think we need him. No, for me it’s because I can’t stand to see him treated this way. He deserves better and he deserves to be somewhere his talents are used and appreciated. It’s looking increasingly like that isn’t with Arsenal. If he leaves we will be worse off, but I think he will be better off. I felt the same about Ramsey. And I just want them both to be happy. I just hope there’s some kind of dramatic turn around before the summer.
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take your mind off the football, and rock down to the Yorkie Show, you might even love the awful puns
https://www.spreaker.com/user/cavanonlineradio/the-yorkie-show-18th-february-2019
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I think I’m coming around to your view ‘Bama…If Kroenke & Son Inc. are determined to go in this direction, then why should Mesut suffer for it. The club will stand on its decision of abandoning its appeal to values, and live with the consequences or rewards that brings. Ozil should find a financial and footballing environment he’s happy in. Arsenal better be prepared to take a big hit to get him to leave though. No way is anyone paying a large transfer fee and covering those wages, unless he decides to go to China or something. Which I think is unlikely.
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David Moyes arrives at Utd.
Awards a semi-retired Rooney a £300K+ contract in 2014, after he’d already been publicly dropped by the previous manager who had the strength of character to tell people exactly why he’d dropped his key man (poor/non-training, too many pies).
Moyes did his job!
Rooney contract probably still being paid off by Utd, he was subsidised for the rest of his career.
Similar to many other players from City and & Chelsea etc.
Raul’s Sports Communications wars are in play here and you can clearly see which “values” Billy Big Blagger supports.
I would never, ever, describe the man who spent £40M on Paulinho as “shrewd”.
That would be stupid,
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I loved that Shard, even if I no longer follow the daily machinations of the AFC world and can only imagine what you are referring too, I love Ozil because he is a joy to watch.
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Thanks GP. And good for you. I’m like Michael Corleone.
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Talk of Zidane demanding that he will only consider Chelsea if they keep Hazard and give him 200 mill to spend.
Not harming my beliefs that : money is king in football/ football management; proper judgement of managers relies extremely heavily on finances/resources; most big managers chase highest possible budget (and very unwilling to accept cuts); alas, most big managers, judged as modern greats, are in position to move from one mega budget to another, and so their work is hard to fully judge.
Rafa seems one of few modern exceptions to me in being willing to tough it out and move down significantly in budget terms. Enrique gone into international management. Rijkaard dropped out of management after couple of brief and I’m guessing unsuccessful stints after doing well as Barca manager. Blanc not returned to management since leaving PSG in 2016.
Intrigued to see what Mourinho does. Going to great lengths to try keep his face in the media, presumably to try alter the narrative- will any mega budget club really take him on again though? Surely he won’t risk anything else, but boy I would love it if he does (though not in UK of course).
Wolves’ manager may have to watch his back though. If nothing else materialises, working for Mendes’ club might be the final option.
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Should’ve added Van Gaal. Showed real appetite and ability, after wonders with Ajax before money came to dominate so much, and then his time at Barca, to take on job with AZ and earn remarkable title win.
Football didn’t impress me with Utd but, as he reportedly showed players once, he had some balls.
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Great stuff, Shard!
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I was of the mind that Ozil should have been moved on the other day. I just cannot see the point of him being in the team as it stands. Toxic situation in my view.
Ozil is the type of player I love to watch as I love subtlety in football. It’s not just about perceived effort but the small, soft touches and movement at the right time. Ozil epitomizes that for me. Think of Diaby gliding through the mid, faking out a defender with a slight dip of a shoulder only to make a simple but effective pass in the opposite direction. Love that type of football…like tall glass of coconut water on a sunny day.
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pauln71 @6.37pm Ozil can’t be ‘moved on’ if he doesn’t want to go. His Instagram post the other day was basically saying he has found his home at Arsenal and doesn’t want to leave. However, if the manager does not relent and continues to freeze him out for the rest of the season, he may decide that however much he wants to stay he has no choice but to leave. The ‘toxic’ situation is not down to the player, so why should he make it easy for the shady characters now running the show at AFC?
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
Looks like Southend goalkeeper Harry Seaden is training with Arsenal U18s, who have had to cope with injuries in that department recently.
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Passenal, I agree with everything you say. I just find it unfair and embarrassing overall. I never thought I would see this type of Drama around Arsenal. We can only hope this is worked out. It’s not like he being left out and we are setting the place on fire.
I rate Ozil big time. Its obvious that he genuinely loved the club. Recently we have lost all of our world class players and for one to not only want to come but stay (despite Wenger leaving) is quite refreshing. Big ups!
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LOVE’S the club
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Not sure if I told you all (don’t think so) but the little miss in my pic is my baby girl Rose. 14 months. A big surprise but a real blessing from The Lord!
I feel too old to have a 1 year old by the way.
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I expect she’s keeping you young Paul!
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Positives: I presumptuously decided to offer some advice to Stan and Josh. You may agree or disagree. Feel free to leave a comment as many of you did in my last blog. Was really appreciated. https://uniteforvar.com/?p=1761
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This article was excellent, so why don’t some more of you have a shot at doing one?
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Saw some quotes from Sokratis really bigging up Mavropanos and his potential. Good to hear and I’m sure every one of us is encouraged by what we’ve seen and hopeful he can be a real player for us.
Trouble is, we’re in must-win territory all the way for what’s left of season now so I’m not sure he’ll get a shot, barring injuries..
Hope he does, even just a few games. I also really like Ballard from youth team. Centre half and keeper might be toughest positions to get chances in though.
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https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2019/feb/19/david-squires-on-tottenhams-grand-designs-for-their-new-stadium
I hope AndyNic isn’t offended by Squire’s latest offering ripping into Levy’s project management genius and the awful Boris Johnson taxpayer subsidised public toilet being built in n17.
Safety issues you know. Hehe.
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It is confirmed then.
The manner in which Billy Big Blagger has gone after Ozil is EXACTLY the same as AFTV media going after Bellerin last season.
What a shower they are.
And they, clearly, don’t appear to like certain “values” relative to others. Glad that’s been cleared up then. In case there was ever any doubt. No wonder these venal people never once discussed the club’s now previous business policies as they prefer a club run by the likes of Raul. Clearly. That’s why they haven’t even mentioned to their audience that it took Raul, the person running the club, six months to even speak to the fans after taking charge. Very strange behaviour, unless you can accept that they have their own values too. Heh.
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Raul wouldn’t have come out to speak to us even then, if it weren’t for Ramsey.
We were led to believe the club was looking for a new CEO, and then quietly told that Raul would assume charge. That appearance with Vinai to talk about ‘smart contract management’ came primarily to limit the potential PR damage of a) letting an elite midfielder walk away for free, and b) what it says about his lack of understanding or care about Arsenal’s values.
This might even be the reason Ramsey’s leaving announcement was so perfunctory on the official website. Once fans called the club out on it, then the official account put up Ramsey as their header and went on a spree of videos and photos of him.
All I can say is, people have noticed this change in tack. How they react to it, I cannot predict despite my feeling that it will cost the club.
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paul.. Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl.
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Shard what about the Big Blaggers completely ignoring this change, only able to comment on the Ramsey situation by Xmas, only able to comment on the numbers and quality at the back in November this season having ignored all last season. Such plunditry on and off the pitch is fascinating. And illuminating.
–
I saw a recent tweet from one of the Big Blaggers.
Apparently he rates himself as the equivalent to sports journalism as Bergkamp and Ozil were or are in the football.
Which is properly amusing!
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