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Scottish Premiership - Kilmarnock v Aberdeen

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Posted

Copied from Mad (I believe this has been typed up by the OP rather than copied so please excuse the layout, spelling etc)

 

Interview by Bryan Cooney.

Kari Arnason's interpretation of paradise was spending two years on Americas west coast, where he maintained wine, woman and Pink Flyd songs. Attending Gonzaga University studying for a buisness degree, he and four other aspirational hedonists shared a house in which reality was rarely confronted. A mirror image of Jason Biggs comes graphically to mind hearabouts.

An exaggeration? Not according to Kari " Yeah, we're talking American Pie here. When you look at films they have made about college life in America its actually like that. So yeah, i have lived the life, no regrets.

Regrettably its time to bid bye bye to American Pie and say hello to Pittodrie pot pourri. Almost a decade later, 29 year old Arnason occupies the unforgiving world of professional football and is the subject of an intriguing political battle that is rippling through the corridors of Aberdeen F.C.

To summerise, the Dons have travelled to their fiscal extremities to accomodate his desires. They have offered him £2,400 a week- a salary only previously enjoyed by Paul Hartley and Zander Diamond- plus a living allowance and the gold dust of a three year contract.

Now, we know Arnason has rejected this deal. We also know that those delegated to influence his fortunes, in their naivety published wage demands of £5,000 a week,together with his curricula vitae, on the internet.

What is not known until now , is that an innovative plan has been formulated by management to have the player sponsored for approx £2,000 a week by one of many local companies-those it should be pointed out, that continue to defy the trend of the countries economy.

The targets?. One of the oil conglomerates perhaps. Then, perhaps even more logically, theres Aberdeen Asset Management. Apart from having two directors on the football club board(Martin Gilbert and Hugh Little) , the financial behemoth already has extensive sponsorship portfolio, including golfers Colin Montgomerie. The hope is that Arnason will fill an ambassadorial role for the proposed benefactor. You might think that such enterprise should be applauded, for there is precious little of it available in this raw corner of the nort-east. However, it is claimed some members of the boardroom are offering robust resistance to the suggestion.

Apparently they feel sponsorship should apply to the team rather than an individual; they also fear this would set a precedent and engender disharmony in the dressing room. But is it realistic in this age to dedicate yourself to the theory that all men are equal? And wouldn't it provide an incentive for other squad members? What would prevent them seeking individual sponsorship if their ability merited it?

So lets discuss this Arnason meritocracy in more detail. Manager Brown views him as an all purpose player who has the ability to score spectacular goals and make defenders quiver with his ability to throw the ball further than many can kick it.

" I try to have a good training regime Arnason concedes. "When you are not naturally the quickest, you have got to do something extra. Drink?, yeah, i like a glass of red wine, but i am not by means what the British would call a heavy drinker. The manager predicts a long career for his employee. He says the player will eventually take a logical step backwards to centre half, where he has the capability to play until he is forty. He will become in essence another Davie Weir. This confidence surprises Arnason, but notfor long. " I'm not sure if i can, but if he thinks it who am i to argue.

An application of psychology brings him nicely to the boil each game".Is there a better player in that team than you, Brown whispers in his ear, if there is i have yet to see him.

The mantra will doubtless be repeated in the Hampden dressing room on April 14th. Whatever the outcome of that encounter you can sympathise with his financial pursuit. Aberdeen have at last begun to deliver an impression of progress. They dare not regress now because the fans are still sceptical of the clubs ambition and,as evidence of their dwindling crowds, are not willing to forgive the horrendous past anytime soon.

In Arnason, they have not only a cult hero but a player who thrives on long odds " I honestly believe you can go into any game and win it. You have just got to b

e organised and then you can beat any team in the world.

" Can they be restored to former greatness. Yeah, i think the time is now, actually. Rangers are in administration and Celtic are not as good as they Were a few years ago, so the time is now for Aberdeen to gamble a bit. We have a great manager, he is an old fox- and we have actually got a great squad. We've been unlucky with injuries. We need a little bit extra. If they coul secure that i think we could be up there.

The things said in the media about my contract have been blown out of proportion. Its been frustrating. I have been thinking about it a lot lately and its been quite a burden on me lately, cos obviously you care what the fans think. I only hope they Don't think i'm a greedy bastard. Those looking for negativity about the player do not reuire explicit direction; like all gifted players, there is a whiff of arrogance about Arnason. Even people close to him claim he has an occasional tendency to look down on lesser mortals;they vouch that he can be supercilious at times.

This is only a precis of the article.

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Posted
Arnason keeping his Aberdeen FC options open

Agent says there’s still hope of deal

 

By Charlie Allan :wave:

 

Published: 07/04/2012

 

KARI Arnason still has his sights set on securing a new deal with Aberdeen FC.

 

It looked as if the chances of the Icelandic international still being at Pittodrie beyond the summer had died when he rejected the new contract offered to him by Aberdeen FC in January.

 

But Arnason’s agent – former Aberdeen defender David Winnie – today insisted the 29-year-old is still hanging on to the hope they can come to some agreement with the club.

Posted

At the roadshow Brown basically said Arnie's wage doesn't exist anymore for next season and has already been spent/reallocated.  He suggested he should get a part time job like Anderson to supplement his pay packet.

 

Fair enough really. As it stands, I hope he stays but it has to be on our terms.

Posted

No one player should be bigger than the club or hold us to ransom.

 

Would still love him to stay though as we need players like him to make progress thats for sure.

 

He's got one helluva thunderbolt of a shot on him and from distance ana which is quality.Nae a bad throw in taker ana,up there wi David Robertson almost!!

Posted

At the roadshow Brown basically said Arnie's wage doesn't exist anymore for next season and has already been spent/reallocated.  He suggested he should get a part time job like Anderson to supplement his pay packet.

 

Whaaaaaa? Where's he working?

 

On that note, not only would football be better if it was only semi-pro, the players not earning a billion ££s a week would be better off too as they'd learn a real trade for the last two thirds of their working lives.

Posted

Whaaaaaa? Where's he working?

 

On that note, not only would football be better if it was only semi-pro, the players not earning a billion ££s a week would be better off too as they'd learn a real trade for the last two thirds of their working lives.

He's a qualified financial advisor and works in the afternoons after training.

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