KARI Arnason

KARI Arnason on leaving Argyle

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By Les Payne Rotherham United
Published on Friday 26 October 2012 08:12

KARI Arnason may just have a rueful look as he glances across at tomorrow’s opponents Plymouth Argyle ahead of the clash at the New York Stadium.

Not that the Rotherham United midfielder has anything against any of the players. They weren’t the ones responsible for him getting unlawfully sacked at the West Country club simply for saying he wanted paying!

As he hadn’t been paid for six months at a time when the club was in financial meltdown in 2010/11 and eventually went into administration, Arnason declined to defer his wages once again - and the club sacked him in June 2011.

It was against Football League rules.

Arnason, who has a business degree, commented at the time: “You don’t expect to be fired for not signing a document saying you will not get paid.”

It meant Arnason became a free agent in the summer of 2011 leading to a season at Aberdeen and Rotherham boss Steve Evans, having already noted him from his time at Plymouth, kept tabs on him at Pittodrie last season.

It was a surprise to many when the current Icelandic international pitched up with the Millers and Evans was overjoyed with the signing.

Arnason’s value to Rotherham’s promotion push has been evident when he has played and is reflected in games played and missed.

His return last Saturday has been followed by two wins which means his nine appearances have featured just one defeat. The six games he has missed, due to international duty and including absence for an injury he picked up with Iceland, have seen four defeats.

Whether at the back or in his preferred midfield, Arnason has looked a class act and boss Evans has not been slow to eulogise over a player who can be regarded as his major signing of the summer.

No doubt Arnason, keen to bag his first goal for the Millers, would enjoy getting it tomorrow and help the Millers gain some momentum as they look to add to their two wins of the past week.

The Arnason partnership in central midfield with loan man Lee Frecklington has already looked a fruitful one and they complement each other nicely.

Plymouth went down 2-1 at Cheltenham in midweek but Evans says he expects a stiff test - “they have had some impressive results recently, including away,” he said.

Evans is likely to stick with the same side which beat Morecambe but said such a selection wasn’t guaranteed.

“Plymouth play differently to Morecambe and so we will look at that and we might decided on a change,” said Evans who looks unlikely to secure, ahead of the game, the striker he had inquired about this week.

Plymouth will be without ever-present midfielder Conor Hourihane who serves a one-match ban for five bookings. He is likely to be replaced by former Chesterfield midfielder Jamie Lowry. At left back is Scott Griffiths who was on loan with Rotherham late last season

Arnason was treated disgustingly. I said before it was Ridsdale and got told I had a grudge against him for anything as it was Guilfoyle who sacked him.

Ridsdale was the feckin chairman at the time so he sacked Arnason, not Brenda.

Good player. Maybe not Championship standard but a good player who was shat on by the club.

Specialised in wonder goals.

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Whilst if everyone did what he did we'd never have been able to carry on, I can't look at him any morally worse for wanting to be paid.

Bloody decent player too. Ref, Jock's last post I think he arguably did even better in our Championship season than he did in League One. Perhaps all the off field shit was affecting his play. Surprised he's only playing in League Two actually. One of many, many players we had at that time who were decent enough individually on ability but made an absolutely terrible whole. His long throws were so much better than Capaldi's and all.

I always thought he looked terrible whenever I saw him. A decent touch compared to the rest of the squad, but no heart whatsoever...whenever we were losing (which was often) he vacillated between ambivalence and insouciance. ( )

He'd be our best player these days though. I say that about quite a few of our former players.

Arnason to score first would be a good punt today.

No matter how well-paid someone is, to go without wages for the length of time ALL those players and staff did was inevitably going to take its toll. My only surprise at the time was that so many managed to go as long as they did without an income.
Every employee at the time was effectively subsidising P&A and Ridsdale (and let's not forget how much he leeched out of the club).

Arnason, and the others who eventually refused to play the game according to Gulifoyle and Ridsdale's rules should have the utmost respect of Argyle fans. They went without for months. Arnason did as much as he could to help save the club, as did they all. he should get our thanks, not our derision.

Greenjock wrote:

Ridsdale was the feckin chairman at the time so he sacked Arnason, not Brenda.

But of course, the policy of the puppets was always to blame Guilfoyle. No surprise there as they didn't want to upset the hard working gentleman.
As for Kari, he flattered to deceive and putting him at the back was a disaster. Another player, like Gow, that looked the part, but couldn't cut it effectively at CCC level.
However, he was treated appallingly as an employee, and it will always reflect badly on the club. No wonder few players want to come down here now. The treatment he received just confirms the way employment contracts are increasingly viewed in today's Britain.

Penzance wrote:

Greenjock wrote:

Ridsdale was the feckin chairman at the time so he sacked Arnason, not Brenda.

But of course, the policy of the puppets was always to blame Guilfoyle. No surprise there as they didn't want to upset the hard working gentleman.
As for Kari, he flattered to deceive and putting him at the back was a disaster. Another player, like Gow, that looked the part, but couldn't cut it effectively at CCC level.
However, he was treated appallingly as an employee, and it will always reflect badly on the club. No wonder few players want to come down here now. The treatment he received just confirms the way employment contracts are increasingly viewed in today's Britain.

I'm pretty sure a good union rep wouldn't have stood for a comrade being sacked after refusing to sign another wage deferral. There would have been an outcry from the union rep wouldn't there?

A union rep would have stood shoulder to shoulder with someone treated like that. They're men of principles, and women of course, even if they were offered some kind of inducement to turn a blind eye and go against everything they stand for.

Any union rep who didn't would lose all credibility and would have to keep a low profile. They wouldn't be able to carry on fighting for workers rights if the didn't support a comrade being unfairly treated.