I wouldn’t trust his character as far as I’d throw it.

If it was another player maybe

Yes it's a tricky one isn't if Gunny?

His comments certainly don't help the Club as they try to build their fan base in China - nor do they help the PL as they build the world-wide brand of English football. Does he have a right to speak out? Undoubtedly as a man but should celebrities and public figures use their fame like this?

Seems to me that if the cause is important - and I agree this one is - anything that shines a light on such an outrageous disregard for human rights is fair enough.

With it looking like Arteta (37) thought I'd copy this list that Andy Kelly (@Gooner_AK) posted on twitter of ages of previous managers when they took over.

I dont think so. Özil is a toxic influence on all those around him and they need to cut him out. the longer he stays the more he will infect others.
being sacked I think it unlikely anyone would be rushing to buy him, nor paying a fraction of what he's on now. Maybe in Turkey or something but who else would want to be living and playing over there. Other players might act up like you say but stick them in the kids training for 9 months and don't play them at all and see if they're happy with it. Özil is so unprofessional that he doesn't care, nor does he seem to have any interest in playing football. I doubt other players are the same and most want to be on the pitch and playing. Real Madrid dumped him quick smart when he was supposedly in his prime. Germany wanted nothing to do with him. But under the tender mother hen wing of Wenger he crawled. Get rid of him.

You know absolutely nothing about him off the pitch.

I think some regimes are so odious that to not speak out would be the less moral course. Özil is a devout Muslim so him championing his co-religionists is not a surprise.

Having witnessed at close quarters just how poor this Arsenal team is on Sunday, I would imagine Arteta's first question to our contract cronies was how much money will I have to spend in January. As we need a centre half and centre mid as a minimum requirement immediately. Both built like brick s%*&houses preferably.

If he was told there is no money available he should run a mile.

apologies, thought the expletive would be obscured in my previous post

Edit - Fixed

Arseblog reporting Arsenal have agreement with Arteta, with just City release part of the deal to be agreed now.

I do

His attitude stinks

He’s a bit of a *%^@

And to quote Aaron Ramsey “he’s the worst trainer I’ve ever seen”

He’s a dick mate and on Sunday his petulance proved it. You have teenagers behaving more professionally

Someone get ridvpls

Imo Arteta will do no better than Freddie.......

Hope I'm wrong

I think anyone would struggle with this lot, regardless of age/experience. Worst Arsenal team I've seen for as long as I can remember.

This is interesting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/50784201

The part chairman says the club needs to make money as they are way behind clubs like arsenal

Made me think again about what I thought on Sunday. Arsenal are not a sporting institution. There’s no desire to do well

We have the worst midfield on any arsenal side I’ve witnessed.

Even the selley, morrow, hillier midfield put challenges in

I hope Arteta has the balls to rattle some cages.

I will be interested to see just how much power he is given, especially with respect to transfers.

Will be be allowed to shift out the bad eggs and bring in some players with passion and desire.

Arteta was quoted in 2014 as saying his philosophy as a future coach would be firstly to demand 120% from everyone, and if they don't then they don't play for him. He also said he is committed to a style of play that is attacking, entertaining and focuses on his team more than the opposition.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo now wading into the Uygur 'debate' backing Özil by name. This is turning into a real shit-storm with Özil and by association Arsenal becoming increasingly toxic in China.

There won't be much Arse merchandise sold in China until Özil is gone. Could be he knew what he was doing when he stirred all this up.

Kevin DeBruyne gives damning opinion on our strikers. This is a coaching issue as well.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... s-21106898

I like Arteta personally but I have to wonder what percentage of wanting him to be manager is the fact that he is assistant to a wildly successful side?

i just find his moral high ground hypocritical, his best man is a Fascist Dictator who has killed and imprisoned his political opponents and bombed the Kurds whilst suppressing any media outlet including Wikipedia or twitter that reports any of his morally bankrupt actions.

... then on a Sunday he stinks the place out. Last week was all so Özil.

Every team he’s played for has said he’s a bit of a *%^@. At this point I think he’s trying anything to get arsenal to pay him off. This includes his little petulant kick when being subbed.

Except if we back him will earnt he respect of many as a club with real values. Instead of just money.

You really are a Grade A bullshyter aren't you? Real Madrid fans were raging when he was sold. He was a star at Real and admired and respected by players and fans. Mourinho wrote the forward to his biography and considers him a world class player and has said he admires him greatly.

Note he said except Martinelli.

The club itself had had it with him, he had a row with Germany too. He’s trouble

Few people seem to respect him and he has been *%^@ all season and we have to play him because we have no one else.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/a ... -1.4118327

This is what Mesut is protesting.

Don't know. Is it 62%?

" A club with real values " or a club that has completely lost it's marbles .

Backing a player who has just destroyed a 1. 3 billion population merchandise market , puts out so little on the pitch while pocketing by far the largest pay check .

Pompeo / America wouldn't have the slightest concern for the Uyghurs they just use any issue to try to embarrass China .

Players who enter the realm of politics ( Özil Bellerin) or religion (Folau) while they are with an employer should be able to be dealt with. You are correct about the chinese market. Instead of the moral outrage of some fans about the club distancing themselves from Özil remarks, they need to have a look in their own backyard for issues and ask if they want Arsenal players, who live a privileged life, making a comment about their area.

Mesut has had a good season

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Erdogan jails more journalists than any other nation — more than China, Russia and Egypt combined. Mesut loves him.

I'm skeptical about Arteta. I don't know to what degree is City's success owed to him. Another reason to hire him seems to be, well Pep thinks highly of him and City are fantastic, so he must be a good manager.

Ferguson had assistants who have become managers McClaren didn't set the word afire. Walter Smith as well. The highly regarded Queroz didn't do well either.

If we can get Rodgers in the summer, I'd prefer to wait for him and limp through the rest of the season. But if its Arteta, so it is. I will support him 100 percent and hope my fears are proven completely wrong.

Up the Arsenal.

The face of the NBA LeBron James supported the Chinese in the HK protests and has been under fire in Hong Kong.

Mixing sports and politics is delicate but I'd like to think Arsenal has enough morals to not stop someone from speaking out against oppression for the sake of money.

...Pompeo, in terms of his role as Sec State is abominable. But then again, its hard to find a rose in a pile of sh*t sycophants in the current regime.

Didn't look at the results and expected Liverpool to win no matter who they put out there and was shocked at the scoreline.

If Arteta takes over as is rumored and if its immediate, his first game will be at the club he's seen as a legend. Couldn't write a movie plot better.

So still no manager news I take it?

We've gone 9 league games without a clean sheet.......Man U have gone 12 league games without a clean sheet. I know we have seemingly much more glaring problems but surely there are some easy wins with this team on the training ground. When Wenger left I thought the next guy had an open goal in fixing so many problems; off the ball work, positioning, leaky defence, motivation, work rate because every single one comes out of the training ground rather than any natural talent or physical attribute like natural pace or height that can't really be changed. Emery made pretty much all of this worse.

The best start Arteta can do is watch the Everton match and the week's training and anyone not giving 100% is simply not in the squad for the next game. Then bring in younger players who will give 100%.

The next step is to drill in some basic off the ball work, anyone unwilling to do that work or who is unable to grasp it and improve is also not in the squad.

It feels like we're starting from rock bottom with this group of players and certain standards need to be set. Anyone who doesn't like it can leave as far as I'm concerned.

I also think we desperately need some fresh blood in January, find some funds from somewhere and bring in some hungry younger players who buy in to Arteta's methods and have shown they have pace, power, mobility, intelligence, desire, work rate.

Do all that and we'll be in an infinitely better place. It will take the rest of the season for Arteta to get across the principles of his way of playing, we can't 'write it off' as we're still in a precarious position in the league and still have the back door route in to the Champions League via Europa.

Quite frankly if I was Arteta I wouldn't take the job.