Metro Sport ReporterSaturday 16 Feb 2019 10:20 amShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link1.9kShares Advertisement Advertisement Mesut Ozil has only played 102 minutes of football under Unai Emery in 2019 (Picture: Getty)Arsenal stars past and present have come out in support of Mesut Ozil after the midfielder was dropped again by Unai Emery.Ozil was not included in Emery’s squads for Arsenal’s trips to Huddersfield and BATE Borisov and was an unused substitute as the Gunners were put to the sword by Manchester City at the beginning of the month.The 30-year-old has only played 102 minutes of first-team football since the turn of the year, but reports suggest he’s refusing to leave the club and wants to honour the £350,000-a-week contract he signed last year.Ozil shared a cryptic Instagram post on Friday evening in which he quoted Arsenal legend Denis Bergkamp following his most recent omission for the side’s humiliating defeat to BATE.AdvertisementAdvertisementADVERTISEMENTMore: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man CityIn the post, Ozil underlined that he still ‘belongs’ at the club despite Emery appearing to believe otherwise.Arsenal fans even began suspecting a mutiny inside the camp as several first-team players began ‘liking’ and commenting on the post. Is Emery beginning to lose the dressing room, perhaps?‘When you start supporting a football club, you don’t support it because of the trophies, or a player, or history, you support it because you found yourself somewhere there; found a place where you belong,’ Ozil said in the message.Alex Iwobi, Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac all ‘liked’ Ozil’s post and former team-mates, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, also came out in support of the German.Bergkamp, whose words Ozil used for the post, was among the many others who responded with praise for the World Cup-winning playmaker.Paul Merson has slammed Emery for refusing to play Ozil, stressing that Arsenal are not a good enough side to leave the German out.‘You play your best players and then your work around them,’ the former Arsenal midfielder told Sky Sports. ‘He’s there best player and he doesn’t play… It beats me. He must sit at home and watch them and think, “how do I not get in this team?”‘You play him and you go from there. I scratch my head everyweek.’More: FootballBruno Fernandes responds to Man Utd bust-up rumours with Ole Gunnar SolskjaerNew Manchester United signing Facundo Pellistri responds to Edinson Cavani praiseArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesMerson added: ‘I don’t think he’s that influential to build a team round him,’ he added.‘But I still think you put him in the team and you sacrifice something.‘Maybe you have to bring out another attacking player and put another defensive midfield player in. For me he has to play, he’s their best player.‘Play this man. He gets on the ball, he makes things happen. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but you have to stick with him. Arsenal aren’t good enough for him not to be in the team.’ Comment Emery after defeat to BATE: ‘We deserved to win’To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Play VideoLoaded: 0%0:00Progress: 0%PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration Time 0:46FullscreenEmery after defeat to BATE: ‘We deserved to win’https://metro.co.uk/video/emery-defeat-bate-deserved-win-1863852/This is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.MORE: Arsenal want to name Monchi or Marc Overmars as director of football immediately Mutiny? Arsenal stars respond to Mesut Ozil’s post after he’s axed by Unai Emery
By J.M. HallasENNIS, Texas (Sept. 24) – Brothers Dean and Jeffrey Abbey were both $1,000 feature winners Saturday as drivers from all over central and north Texas converged on 85 Speedway for the second annual Bryan Mize Memorial.Dean Abbey raced to the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified checkers and put his name on the ballot for the 2017 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Jeffrey Abbey paced the Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod show.Dean got by early Modified leader Robbie Daniels, who stayed close and was joined by Josh McGaha in pursuit of the leader. Greg Dinsmore got by both on a late restart but didn’t have enough laps left to challenge Abbey.Fresh off his IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s victory, Jeffrey continued his run by scoring the 20-lap Southern SportMod win. He beat Michael Martin to turn one as the green waved then went wire to wire for the win.Mize was the setup guru for Kevin Sustaire and passed in 2015. Mize, nicknamed the ‘Setuperachaun,’ ran Bryan Mize Chassis Tuning and Fabrication in the north Texas area, helping many local area racers.The race, a vision of Kevin Rogers Promotion, raises funds for his children’s education. Many of the drivers pledged some or all of their winnings, track photographer Sandy Ramsey offered her profits from any pictures sold that night and donations were received from fans throughout the stands.50/50 drawing money raised approximately $750 for the education fund.Feature ResultsModifieds – 1. Dean Abbey; 2. Greg Dinsmore; 3. Marvin Skinner; 4. Josh McGaha; 5. Archie Witt; 6. P.J. Egbert; 7. Fred Wojtek; 8. William Gould; 9. Robbie Daniels; 10. Mike McCarthy; 11. Justin McCoy; 12. Hardy Henderson; 13. Blaine Shives; 14. Raymond McSpadden; 15. Kevin Rutherford; 16. Michael Jackson; 17. Dillon Pike; 18. Kevin Green; 19. Matt Martin; 20. Tommy Fain.Southern SportMods – 1. Jeffrey Abbey; 2. Cody Smith; 3. Jacob Pirkle; 4. Kyle Wisdom; 5. Michael Martin; 6. Jeff Sheppard; 7. Kevin Rowland; 8. Jake Upchurch; 9. J.C. Howell; 10. Jimmy Day; 11. Bo Day; 12. Billy Brutchen; 13. Tommy Davis Jr.; 14. Joe Browning; 15. Michael Newhard; 16. Walter Hamilton; 17. Sid Kiphen; 18. Kevin Simpson; 19. Albert McCall; 20. Allen Montgomery.