Forget Ozil – Let’s talk about the real problem at Arsenal

Ozil or the Kroenke’s – where should our attention and anger be focused? by Terry Barry

I have just listened to two well known bloggers and heard how they both interpret and discuss the Ozil drama. The discussion was all about whose side are you on – Ozil or Emery – whether Ozil is worth the money – is he a problem to manage – what about his latest tweet etc etc. I think this perspective is too narrow and shallow and because of these shortcomings it complete fails to see what’s really going on here and what needs to be addressed.

The treatment of Ozil is symptomatic of the malaise which is affecting the entire Club from top to bottom. It’s the obvious tip of the iceberg and where all the media’s attention is focused. There is little attention paid to the fact that the Club is now a US style Corporation – owned by very unsavoury people – engaged in a money making product which just happens to be football. The objective of this Corporation is wholly concerned with money and has very little to do with football. Therefore continuing to discuss the Ozil situation solely in footballing terms is wholly inadequate and inappropriate and can only lead to erroneous conclusions. You have to look deeper to understand what’s happening with Ozil.

As the highly regarded BBC journalist David Ornstein pointed out in a recent excellent Arseblogger Arsecast the Club are seeking to make life as uncomfortable as possible for Ozil in order that they can get rid of him. This is the instruction that has come down from on high!

Just as in a different way the Club has got rid of Ramsey from the payroll they are now seeking to get rid of Ozil. Why are they doing this? Is it because they are not good enough footballers or is it because the Club is seeking to cut costs? In short it’s called asset stripping.

You have to answer this fundamental question in order to understand what is really going on here. You have to ‘get’ that Arsenal is now a multinational Corporation – it’s not just a football club any more. A multi national Corporation is not concerned with football. It is only concerned with money. As Ian Wright pointed out a couple of years back when he saw this coming :“When Arsene Wenger leaves – who in the Club is going to speak up about football and represent its interest.” He was completely right. Who in the Club today is standing up for the interest of our football now that he has gone? Nobody!

So what I am saying is the so called Club is not really interested in football – it is only interested in money-making for the Kroenke’s – we first saw this with the brand promoting and money-making preseason tours to far flung parts of the globe – why else would we accept money from the oppressive regime of Rwanda – why else would the Kroenke’s take money – £2M – out of the Club as ‘consultancy fees’ – why else would we not have money for transfers in January – why else would a preseason dictate be sent to all departments telling them to make cuts – why else would they want to get good players like Ozil and Ramsey off the pay roll – what has happened to all Arsenal’s activities in the wider Community – is money for these activities being cut back? Arsenal is now all about money-making and money-making for the Kroenke’s – remember these people gave $1M to support the oppressive regime of Trump! And there’s also what they did to the St Louis Rams in the States…

I believe that continuing to discuss Ozil or anything going on in the Club solely in football terms completely misses the point because by ignoring the influence of the Kroenke’s, their money men executives who run the Club and the particular model of US style Corporation we have become – you start with a completely inadequate and misguided perspective and hence end up with a wholly erroneous interpretation of events.

Ozil and Ramsey are not going or being pushed to go because they are ineffective footballers or they don’t fit in with the managers style of football (if so surely we would hear that as an explanation or if we did hear that, surely we would then seriously question the managers ability to understand football) – no, they are going simply because the Club seeks to cut costs. Money has been and is increasingly going to be sucked out of the Club – it’s disinvestment for the benefit of the Kroenke’s and not as we all hoped investment into the Club in order to make us European Cup contenders as we are told is the owners vision for the Club. What a load of bollox – do they really think we are so stupid?

I do wish people would stop contextualising and seeking to explain and evaluate everything within the very narrow and limited confines of Mesut Ozil and the playing of football – whether his attitude or body language is right or how many games he has started etc etc. – needless to say with rarely an acknowledgement of how the way the Club is treating him or, more accurately, completely ***king him about might affect his performances or referencing his PR Machine, or what a cynic might say about his latest tweet.

To adopt this narrow and critical of Ozil’s perspective I believe is completely misguided and serves only to distract our attention from the true villains here – the Kroenke’s and what they are doing to the Arsenal. This is where we need our journalists to be digging if we are to properly understand what is happening at the Arsenal. Only when we do this will people begin to wake up as to what is really going on at ‘our’ Club!

All the best

Terry Barry

59 Comments

  1. That’s right, any good fortune happening to us is “despite Kroenke” and anything bad is “because of Kroenke”, just like the UK with Brexit

  2. Wow Terry!! I kept clapping after reading your article, pointing out how everyone is focused on Ozil and making it look like he’s the problem. I appreciate folks like you who choose to view everything before judging and not just jumping on the bandwagon and saying shíts about our players…

    “Ozil and Ramsey are not going or being pushed to go because they are ineffective footballers or they don’t fit in with the managers style of football (if so surely we would hear that as an explanation or if we did hear that, surely we would then seriously question the managers ability to understand football) – no, they are going simply because the Club seeks to cut costs.”

    Again, wow!
    At least I know not everyone is dumb enough to just hate on two of our better players especially Ozil.
    In the article where I posted the full interview Ornstein had and all he exposed including this very fact that you wrote up here, I questioned why will Emery help the club achieve this nonsense at the detriment of his own image?
    why is he being a puppet already in his first season?
    But most people on here ignored that fact but kept on calling Ozil names and stuffs as if he’s being g pushed out because of his footballing abilities.
    These folks because of some anger deep inside them, see nothing good out of him, he plays or not, these folks will call him out and rain all sorts of insults.
    I was left wondering why after the truth that Ornstein revealed bout the club wanting to frustrate Ozil so he leaves, why did they turned blind eyes towards that fact? I only saw a few two to three folks on here questioning why is it all bout the money for club?
    Again the answer is some anger deep inside, some sense of trying to make themselves feel alright, good and smile just to say they are right and to satiate their useless ego.

    I also mentioned how Emery pointed out Ramsey, Ozil to be important parts of his plan to take this club forward, but months later the board chose to cut these two players off and EMERY DID NOTHING TO TRY AND ATOP IT, INSTEAD IS ALREADY A YES SIR MAN!!
    why didn’t he tried to get the club to tie Ramsey down?
    Or does it mean he’s a dumb man who never knew Ramsey and Ozil weren’t good before he came out to say they were important??
    This is the only problem I’ve had with Emery alongside his tactics.
    His handling of players and handling of the squad is pissful poor, he’s helping the board put their selfish interest first.
    This is a man that should be questioned!!
    Why is he helping the club make himself look bad?!!

    1. Ummmmm, Eddie food for thought. But Ozil will only leave the club on his own term. He is not stupid to allow Arsenal Football Club win in all ways. (1) destroy his beautiful career, (2) label him a lazy player, (3) reduce his playing status, (4) take money from him. It will cost them more money to have their wish come through over him because of course he has a team of people managing him and his career. So I guess there can only be one winner (Ozil) and there can only be one loser we the fans. But there is also a solution to that (seek my fun elsewhere).

      1. Pat I don’t really know if Ozil will choose to spend his remaining two years on the bench.. I don’t know if it’s possible, but then again, he’s in the stronger position. There’s nothing Arsenal can do about it if he chooses to sit and just earn his money

        1. Eddie
          The board whether wrong or right, has made a strategic decesion to get rid of Ozil. Emery, who is an employee and is middle management, has no place to challenge or question a decision that has already been made at the top level. His is to implement what the board wants. If he starts criticizing the board he will be following Ozil out the door. This goes for every manager, the latest one being Mourinho.

          1. QD I understand you, but why should he help them knowing it’ll affect his own plans? I believe that’s the question most people have been asking, why did he take the job if he knew our board and how shítty they are?
            Is it lack of ambition?
            What’s exactly was his motivation behind getting a job with so much mess knowing he’s not going to have millions to spend.

          2. That is stupid strategic decision by a by a club that put making money first above everything. That is 1.5m freely into Ozils bank account without doing anything. Was Ramsey case strategic too. Letting him go for free in January will save us close to 2m in wages but it is strategically viable for us to have him here till season with or without playing him. Strategically, we are wasting the money we tell the whole world we don’t have.

    2. Thanks for your comments Eddy.

      Like you I’m astonished that there hasn’t been a reaction to the Ornstein revelations about what they are doing to Ozil. Arseblog seems to be in a state of denial about it.

      I’m finding it hard to get enthusiastic about supporting the team and going to the Emirates for games. I was a great Arsene Wenger fan but since he’s gone the heart seems to have been taken out of the place and I get angry when I learn that Ramsey is leaving and that Ozil is left out of the team! To watch these quality players is why I went to games – I find I’m losing the desire to go and fear I will stop completely at the end of the season when it comes to season ticket renewal decision.

      Good to hear from you Eddy – solidarity – Terry Barry

      1. Ornstein has contradicted himself if this is true, which I’m sure it must be. Ornstein is the one who told us that Ozil was not on board with the new training program, and only a month or so back, he said Ozil was starting to get on board with it.

    3. To get the job emery must have agreed to certsin conditions like many other managers,for example working within a certain budget,aiming for top 4,playing attractive football……he must have known what he was getting himself into no?

  3. Why should our anger be aimed at ozil?hes not been playing ,let him play before we start blaming him for our crap results .his treatment as been nothing short of embarrassing.
    Let’s not forget if his contract was to have run out like both his and Sanchez was going to there would have been uproar on here ,but I suppose little things like that on here are forgotten easy .to have then had to buy a replacement would have cost 70mil plus for someone with his I’ll and experience.
    The problem seems to be all about money not about what he’s actually paid to do ,which then shows how our club is headed .
    I thought we were a super club with the spending power of any world club team and to be fair 350 grand a week is peanuts to some other clubs .
    So all in all I would say fans should maybe be looking at Stan and Ivan and what lies they sold us on .

  4. Arsenal are behaving like a big club now, as what Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Man United did when they axed their managers and players

    When a player doesn’t fit into his manager’s system or the club’s business model, he should be put into the transfer list.

    It is unethical from a standpoint, but that is how big corporations work and lay off the ineffective workers (due to their wages or functions). Arsenal is not a football association like Barcelona, but a company

    1. SMH the way you view things can be funny, “Like a big club now”
      Another fella who won’t get off Ozil’s back but will keep talking like he’s the reason the club is in this position

    2. Gotanidea am a little confused reading your comment. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Man United, these are Clubs with massive investment in players and managers. Run with purpose, vision and great investments. How does Arsenal compare to any of them. We didn’t invest in players for a very long time, we just had a second manger in twenty something years, we are looking at not investing massively in the club and we are not even thinking of competing at the highest level. Man united kept Ronaldo against all odds won champions league, Barcelona wins laliga at will, Chelsea, Man U. I think Arsenal is more like Everton than any other team. Remember Everton sells their big players, change mangers at will and are not looking for lots of investment in players, not looking to win anything soon.

    3. Except that those club you mentioned got huge amount of money for those players while we are getting nothing or peanuts for ours.

  5. I don’t rate the Krankies at all like I don’t want any one person owning our club but be fair eh, is it their fault we are playing shite football? Is it their fault we have a manager who can’t see the glaring mistakes he’s making but we all can? Is it their fault our defence is pooh? Is it their fault Iwobi beats two defenders and then runs it out of play or blasts it into row Z? Is it their fault Ozil isn’t playing? No, none of it. Oh they took out a couple of milllion pounds two years ago, big deal! And you mentioned what they did to the Rams? Didn’t they turn them into a Super Bowl team? We haven’t bashed Bould for a while, let’s have a go at him while we’re at it.

    1. I totally agree – we all stay away and see how they like it. We need to publicise what this Club is up to and get fans to take action against the owners.

  6. Admittedly, Kroenke is not an ideal owner but Arsenal has always been run on this self sustaining business model even before he came into the picture. Back then the model was going by the name Arsenal principles and values. We were competing well. Then came the billionaires and then further a string of bad decesions from our incompetent, borderline-negligent management, that all combined to put us where we are today.

    Even if we blame Kroenke for taking out £2M from the club, is that enough to put a dent on our transfer warchest? Ever since we fulfilled our payment commitments for the Emirates Stadium the management has been steadily releasing funds. It’s just that the money has been consistently wasted on panic buys, bad buys and ridiculously generous contracts for undeserving players.

    Now, knowing fully well we operate on a self sustaining model which substantially relies on champions league money which we have missed out on for 2 years (and possibly 3 years counting next season), we need to cut costs. If less money is coming in then less money has to go out, it’s just the way you do business.

    Personally from what I’ve seen in real life, cost cutting starts from the top earners. It start with them and ends with the lower earners. It doesn’t make sense we are playing Europa league for possibly 3 years yet have a £350K player on the wage bill. Ozil is simply a victim of the club’s recent poor performances. He should pray hard we get back into the champions league otherwise the Ozil bloodlust will simply never stop.

    Sorry guys, I know that was a long comment from me, I just had to let it all out.

  7. I fully agree with what you just said on the article about Kronkies but still Ozil need to go now he is not offering us anything even when Wenger was still a manager but he decided to tie down player like him on a long and lucrative contract,for me I still blame both Wenger and Gazidis for the mess they left us with.

  8. EVEN WENGER HIMSELF ADMITTING ABOUT HIS MISTAKE REGARDING MESUT OZIL SITUATION,PLEASE READ WHAT WENGER SAID.

    MY MISTAKE Mesut Ozil: Arsenal midfielder may be in his ‘comfort zone’ due to big-money contract, Arsene Wenger says
    Ozil penned a fresh three-and-a-half year deal last January when Wenger was still Arsenal manager, but he has found himself in and out of the team under Unai Emery

    By talkSPORT
    19th February 2019, 9:55 am
    Mesut Ozil may not be putting in the required effort at Arsenal as he has entered his ‘comfort zone’, Arsene Wenger suggests.

    Ozil penned fresh terms with the Gunners last January while Wenger was still in charge at the Emirates Stadium, with a big-money deal keeping the German playmaker in north London until summer 2021.

    Ozil was a key played under Wenger but has fallen out of favour during Unai Emery’s tenure

    2
    Ozil was a key played under Wenger but has fallen out of favour during Unai Emery’s tenure
    However, he has been in and out of the team under Unai Emery, Wenger’s successor, starting just 13 Premier League matches this season and featuring only 18 times in all competitions.

    There were suggestions he could be sold or loaned out throughout the January transfer window, but Ozil remained at the Emirates – though questions remain over his future.

    And Wenger, the man who signed off on Ozil’s big-money deal last year, suggested the 30-year-old may not be giving 100 per cent due to the safety of his new contract.

    “I feel that the length of the contract has nothing to do normally with the selection of the team,” Wenger said, after being honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards. “But sometimes there are special cases.

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    “Most of the time now we think when we sign a player for five years we have a good player for five years. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they practice, they play their best. Because they might be in their comfort zone.

    “He has a contract but the problem is that if you want to buy a player like him you have to spend £100million.

    “And to maintain the value of the player, beyond the Ozil case, it is more about the way football is structured.

    Ozil has had to deal with playing a reduced role at the Emirates this season

    2
    Ozil has had to deal with playing a reduced role at the Emirates this season
    “To buy players of top, top quality you need £100million. So the decision you have to make is whether you re-sign the player, who costs us nothing, or do we have the money to buy a new player?”

    Ozil has played just twice since the turn of the year and he was not named in Emery’s squad for Arsenal’s previous two matches, a Premier League defeat of Huddersfield and last week’s Europa League loss at BATE.

  9. Getting rid of Ozil needs to be a priority

    Ozil had loads of opportunity to prove he’s worth £300,000+ per week. And he blew it. Incredibly inconsistent at playing well. Doesn’t perform against the top teams. Lazy as Feck!

    We aren’t a rich club to afford such luxuries if you can call him a luxury

    I criticized Emery for not playing him enough but I’ve changed my mind now.
    Nothing would have changed if he had played the last few months. Nothing.

    We need to get him off the books. perhaps that’s Emery’s strategy. Piss him off so that he will leave. Because we can spend the money on a quality creative midfielder

    1. Pissing someone off by not playing them and/or treating them badly to get them to leave is extremely unprofessional and unethical behavior, never mind that it is an exceptionally stupid strategy.

      It has more chance of backfiring than having the desired effect for several reasons.

      Firstly, doing that lowers his value because he’s not playing and showing his skill and value for another club to be interested.

      This in turn reduces the target market for his services because a club might be interested in picking him up as a bargain, but not at his wages.

      In those circumstances, “getting rid” of him might well include a free transfer, maybe even cost more money to settle his contract.

      The chances are also good that he just decides to stay put and take his wages as stipulated in his contract – you know, the one the club signed with him.

      It also has an adverse effect on other players, especially if the targeted player is popular with his teammates, which Ozil is.

      I don’t know if that is actually what the club is up to, but if it is, it is as bad a strategy or decision as any we’ve seen so far, and they will see their posterior’s without a mirror in that case.

      Blustering on a discussion group is easy, especially when you’re not dealing with the actual people involved or are directly affected by the financial outcomes.

      1. It is refreshing to actually read from someone who is sensible and have a good idea of Ozil’s situation. You don’t have to be his fan to know the club is dealing with his issue wrongly. Thanks for post.

      2. Great comments MikeSA, extremely sensible writing.
        As for people who keep banging on that Ozil is lazy, they don’t know diddly squat as his stats for distance run, passes made and involvement are second to none. He has a languid style that the likes of Bergkamp had and even Charlie George and George Graham had back in the day and also got branded as lazy. GG’s nickname was Stroller for a reason!

        1. Yes, he was named Stroller because he TOO WAS LAZY.I saw 98 % of all games he played for us. What makes Ozil worse is that Graham though a very decent player at his best was not fit, talentwise, to lick Ozils boots.

          1. That ridiculous laziness claim was just baseless rehash of trendy criticisms since Ozil was regularly covering TWICE the distance of Sanchez in his heyday, for example.
            Some people just were unable to go past the way Ozil LOOKS, like his eyes shape and general body language, as if it had any value or impact in the quality of a footballer’s output.

            1. I’ll just add that saying this doesn’t mean that Ozil can’t still improve on his defensive output, of course.
              This is just a reminder of how wrong can some fans can be when not going past the superficial.

            2. Well then, “some people”, if they even exist in the context you claim, do NOT include me. To seriously suggest that ANY Gooner is against Ozil because of his “eyes shape” or “looks” is not just grossly insulting ,it borders on paranoia. TO EVEN EQUATE PHYSICAL LOOKS WITH HIS BODY LANGUAGE AS A FOOTBALLER IS BEYOND SILLY. In fact, as silly as your plain wrong statement about his ground covering distance compared to Sanchez.

              1. His statement about distance covered is not wrong, it’s there for you to check in the independent Opta stats.

                Ozil is regularly in the top 5 of the team in distance covered when he’s on the pitch.

                Sanchez was regularly in the bottom section, just above the keeper and the centre backs.

                He made a lot of bluster and show, but in actual fact was not nearly as busy and hard working as he made out.

                That’s where fan “perceptions” tend to go very wrong, especially with the “body language” aspect, which has been brought up more than once by a few pundits and in the various comments.

                1. Precisely. And his answer not knowing this is a clear illustration of my initial point.
                  Although, to be fair, I had been surprised too by that comparison with Sanchez as the “perception” was that he never stopped running.

    2. Isn’t he still the record assist maker in the Premier League (or the 2nd)? You can’t blow it if you’re not given a run of games, which Emery didn’t offer him.
      Either it’s an order from the Board to force Ozil to demand a transfer request, in which case it’s stupid as we’re devaluing the market value of one of the players who should allow Arsenal to get a good transfer pot that could be reinjecting in the squad.
      Or it’s Emery’s call, potentially as he was burned at PSG by having his highest paid player destroying his authority -not something that seems in Ozil’s habit or character- and irrationally fear that happening again.
      Either way it is costing the club dearly at a financial and football level and the damage needs to immediately stop. Even if Ozil isn’t as good a fit in Emery’s system defensively, Unai already had half a season to coach him to do that work better and you can always set the team to accept to help him out so he can deliver again the unequalled attacking strength that Ozil has in our attacking midfield. That’s especially infuriating when we have the best centre forward pair for ages clicking so well. Let Ozil be the guy that allow them to score even more THEN sell him at a better price if has to go.

      1. I clearly remember Hector Bellerin being criticised because of the look of his hair by the same people now claiming to be indignant that physical and footballing abilities should be compared.

        MikeSa, there are some people who obviously don’t bother to check facts and stats, believing that they mean nothing compared to their own biased opinions.

        I must add that the last paragraph is not aimed at any one particular person, but the first paragraph must certainly awake someone’s conscience at least!

  10. Arsenal are FINALLY getting rid of the deadwood…so what’s the problem with that?

    Ramsey has had one top quality season in 11, two at a push. Ozil has had one class season in six! Getting those two off the wage bill, amongst others, allows for better reinvestment. Arsenal are acting within the self sustainable model.

    I hate Kroenke, and only time will tell if things get even worse, now he has full control, but for me, it looks like the new regime are doing what previous regime didn’t. Which is being more sensible with the wages, generating more funds via player sales, and identifying the weak links, instead of ignoring them. It’s fantastic to see in my opinion, because Arsenal have been a joke for years to everyone within the footballing community. It’s looks like the free ride is over. We’re playing tough, we’ll be ruthless, and start acting like a EVERY OTHER club…finally!

    1. Agree as to the part not involving Kroenke. HE IS STILL THE MAIN PROBLEM WE ALWAYS HAVE THOUGH. But the new regime asre far more in touch with reality and that means getting rid of ALL players who won’t earn their corn.

  11. Things will not get any better until the current regime is gone, I totally agree with Terry the Ozil Emery thing is smoke screening the real issues at the club we have been slold out by the Board of directors that got Kroenke involved in the first place and now we are being sold out by Kroenke himself. The only way we will get rid is to stop going, he is money mad and I am convinced the Wenger would not have got the push if there was’nt empty seats .
    Stop going until he is gone!!!

  12. Stop going, stop supporting the team, oh dear, smh.
    I urge whoever can go, get along Thursday with lots of tickets at £22, we need to beat Bate and get on a roll. #support the team. #playozil.

  13. Terry, congrats on getting to the heart of the REAL problem and spelling it out so well. I say this despite being one of a minority , though not an inconsequential one, of fans who want Ozil out of Arsenal, which I see happening, thankfully, this coming summer. However as you say , Ozil and Ramsey and ALL individual players, even the manager, are side issues by comparison with the Kroenke cancer that is killing us as a top level club. No business can ever survive long term when the owner is directly at polar odds with the business suppporters(us fans). Currently the Marxist controlled Labour party is finding this out in clear terms . And deservedly. Foolishly the once proud and people concerned former Labour party allowed itself to be hijacked by the enemy of the British nation and his “out of touch with life reality” cohorts. In exactly the same way, our former honourable club sold its soul to the devil back in 2007 and that was in many ways the end of the club we all loved. Had Arsene Wenger left in around 2008, as I always sought, we might now be even further down the road of commercial cancer than we are. I could always see and realise the huge difference between Wenger the humane, decent and wise man and Wenger the corporate protector who, perhaps unwittingly, sold his soul for their corporate shilling. What he REALLY clung to was not, mostly, the enormous salary he continued to receive, BUT the mistaken notion that only he alone could save our club. This important distinction is at the heart of myriad fan battles on here and throughout the Arsenal fan world. Arsene was worldly wise and knew full well what a poor human being Kroenke is but his,( Wengers) real damage was done by his misguided conceit and a strong sense of loyalty to the club he undoubtedly loved with a passion. He still does and though I constantly slaughtered him as a sub par manager, since Kroenke came and esp since Dein was shafted and left, like myriad other thousands, I never lost my respect for Wenger the human, as distinct from Wenger the manager.

    Even Wenger though, is now a side issue as we look to the present and future knowing full well (VIRTUALLY ALL of us) how the Kroenke poison is steadily killing us as a top level club. Our ultimate choice is simple and stark. It is this: Either we wage a nuclear war on Kroenke and all he represents OR we are guilty by being complicit with the poisonous strategy that is killing us. It means a huge and regular boycott of matches, merchandise, even TV football sport financial packages. I have never believed in excuses, half truths or evasions. It is NOT how I am made. This is in part, why so many on here do NOT like what I say , as I will always tell it directly as it is. Rather like climate change deniers, including the Trump creature, supported by KROENKE, unless we are ruthlessly self honest, then we face catastrophe. It need not be like that IF we love our club enough to put it above our own addiction and take the ONLY action that will work to save it. Our personal choice . All of us!

    1. Well Jon Fox – there’s an interesting response to my piece. Thank you for taking the bother to respond.

      There are significant areas of agreement between us as well as some major differences. Where to start – the points of agreement first. We both deplore what the Kroenkes are and what their intentions are for the Club. We both agree that this should be the focus of fans attention and their ire. I presume we are in favour of the fans pushing back with direct action – boycotting matches and encouraging fans to join in? How do we get that off the ground? As Marx said “philosophers have sought to interpret the world – the point however is to change it.”

      Staying with Marx – I note that you use the word in a rather derogatory way which is unfortunate – given he was one of the greatest thinkers in history. I personally would not describe myself as a Marxist partly because I’m not entirely sure what that means but I’m educated enough to not ignore one his most valuable gifts to the world – to see events in terms of a dialectic involving the conflict of the inherent conflict of interest that exists between Labour and Capital.

      I find this particularly useful in viewing the dramatic changes that have occurred in the world and particularly in Britain post the WW2. After this war we had a new deal between Labour and Capital which saw Labour make huge advances in terms of its quality of life with the establishment of the NHS, the Welfare State to look after the vulnerable in society and huge public investments in Housing, Transport and Education. This is the golden age – the 50’s and 60’s – a period I grew up with huge advances in the lives of ordinary folk like my family.

      All this came to an abrupt end with the emergence of Neoliberalism ushered in by Thatched and Reagan. Over the next 40 years balance between Capital and Labour was transformed in favour of Capital as the policies of derugulation, globalisation and privatisation ran amok creating huge social, economic and regional inequalities.

      These policies were ruthlessly applied by the Tories and the Labour Party under Blair and Brown. Until a relatively unknown back bencher rekbowned for his activism in opposing Apartheid and the Iraq War put his hat into the Leadershil race and won. Despite constant attacks from within his Oarty and from the Establishment, the entire Nedia and the malign interventions by foreign powers he oversaw the production of a magnificent Labour Manifesto for the 2017 GE and despite having started the short campaign
      period some 25 points behindand more than 2 years and of constant smearing he achieved the highest Labour Volte since 1945. So, please don’t talk of interventionist when referring to Corbyn – it is the Blairites who highjacked the Labour Party a la Milton Keynes He managed his electoral success not by adopting Marxism but by producing a counter to Neoliberalism in its entirety. The policies set out on the Manifesto are regarded as centre ground and quite normal in Scandinavian countries – they simple seek to haul back in the progress of Neoliberalism and our an end to odious and damaging policies like Austerity.

      I see what is going on at the Arsenal as the outcome of Neoliberalism just like Brexit and Trump should be seen in the same way. Neoliberalism is the enemy here – globalisation, deregulation and privatisation at its worse – no democracy no fans having a say – a dictatorship run by the Kroenkes – the financialisation of football and the Arsenal.

      The solution to the damaging workings of Neoliberalism is to oppose it whenever you can whether it’s in the political arena or the football/Arsenal terraces. Corbyns Manifesto is quite moderate in its ambitions but it includes the recognition of the problems experience by fans and the will to increase democracy and accountability in the English game.

      So you, me and Corbyn should be on the same side in this battle with the Kroenkes – I’ve met JC many times and I’m confident that he would see the problems at the Club in the way that we do. Of course there are the little challenges ahead of winning a GE and tackling Climate Change before he can turn his focus on football at the Emirates but there’s no need to wait — we need to think as Marx suggests how we can change things for the better at the Arsenal.

      Let’s unite behind that cause.

      Terry ps I loved Arsene Wenger as a human being and as a man who always doight to entertain us in a Saturday afternoon with attacking beautiful football but sadly didn’t get the resources to match our rivals as the tide of Neoliberalism swept over English football and clubs like the Manchester’s, Chelsea and even Kicerpool massively out invested us in players.

      1. Terry, Thank you too for YOUR detailed reply which is rare nectar on here among all the soundbites and from those who are not capable of writing more fully then that. I have clearly and unintentionally hit a nerve on Marx , so will keep out of further political discussion, since I only used todays Labour Party as an example of what can happen when the leader and the followers views collide. The Tories have similar problems and I could just as well have used them instead. A deeper political discussion though is not appropriate on a Just Arsenal site, I suggest. Suffice to say that I can never support Corbyn nor what he represents. I leave the politics there and will go no further on that whatever you may reply (if indeed you do). As to Kroenke we , the Arsenal suppporting family, are almost 100% as one, which is a start at least. You are clearly a deep thinker and a good communicator, therefore I look forward to many more debates with you on Arsenal matters. I did find your political thoughts fascinating and worthwhile though but this site is not the place for them. Unfortunately for us both. I am curious as to which country you are from; I assume Britain but may well be wrong? I live In London and am from there.

        1. I am British, a Londoner – both south and north – but born in Scotland of an Irish mother and half Irish father. I’m 73 years old and spend most of my time at my girl friends place in Finsbury Park. I’m in the process of selling my house and downsizing to a flat between Finsbury Park and Tufnell Park – where my eldest daughter and her 2 young kids live. I’ve got a season ticket at the Emirates.

          That’s a very nice response from you Jon. I don’t agree about abstracting politics from sport – I think that from our discussion about the Kroenkes and the Arsenal that politics and economics are interwoven with the game. The Kroenkes wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Neoliberalism.

          It’s a shame that you don’t like Corbyn. Getting him into Number 10 has risen up the hierarchy of things to do on my list of chores. After the damage done by 40 years of Neoliberalism, including the last nearly 10 years of Austerity which have sired Trump and Brexit and the demise of the Arsenal, I see Corbyn as a unique opportunity of getting a decent government that cares about people’s lives and welfare and wants to do some merging about it – just like my parents generation did in 1945 – invest in the country and build a better Britain for our kids and grand kids.

          On that cheery note I will say good evening and good to hear from you again. Terry

          1. Terry, although I don’t believe politics should be discussed on this site, it was jon fox who raised the issue. Your post in response, was relevant to the current Arsenal and world situation facing the threat of neoliberalism and unrestrained capitalism and one of the best I have read on justarsenal. Well done Sir.

            1. Thank you Ozzie gunner.

              Got to get Jezza elected and start to push back on Neoliberalism wherever it is – and where better to start than at the Emirates and the Kroenkes.

  14. Of course its to cut costs! But the reason why they’re trying to cut costs is because of FFP. If FFP didn’t exist Ramsey would’ve gotten his new contract and Ozil may or may not be in the squad. His performances are up and down and the fact that everyone is debating about his performances already says that he’s not world class otherwise nobody would debate his performances and more nobody would give a flying monkey what wages he’s on.

  15. Getting Stan out of our club is the only thing that matters. And our manager must be supporting this treatment of Ozil if it’s cost cutting and if he is then I don’t want Emery at out club

    Oppressive regime of Trump!??? MAGA

  16. I would’ve liked it if you had wrote up the question put to Ornstein and then his exact words. I looked at the article twice but I couldn’t find them. I remember reading the piece in here a while back and it was an interesting read, I even mentioned that there was more than one article in that piece. Interpretation, people interpret things differently, or did he actually call it asset stripping himself, and did he genuinely say that the orders came from the top to make life uncomfortable for Ozil. We have been asset stripping over the last decade so to speak, even longer, even the good old days we lost allot of big players. Other teams have fallen foul to the bosman rule. We didn’t want to give Ramsey his 200k to 250k a week, that’s how I interpret the Ramsey scenario. The Ozil one is not so clear cut, one thing which does look clear about it is that we want him off our books.

  17. Excellent article, which fingers the real culprit.
    Ozil is a world-class player, yet is being pushed out.

    1. Thank you Martin.

      I agree with your rating of Mesut Ozil. It’s to watch his moments of magic that I go to the Emirates – in the tradition of Pires, Henry, Fabregas, and Cazorla – Ozil is a magician.

      I am increasingly falling out of love with Arsenal since the Kroenkes got rid of the one man who could stand up to them and am tempted to give up my ticket but maybe a better option would be to stay and fight them?

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