James Baker

If you think I’m sad enough to spend my Saturday evening watching a 25 year old Bond film which I’ve seen dozens of times then you’re absolutely right. #GoldenEye

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC So there were options but they weren’t considered palatable for the club from a playing and financial perspective? We got there in the end. 🤝

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC 1) Suspend him they need a reason. He passed a safeguarding test. 2) Silent banning can’t guarantee to work. 3) Can’t loan or sell him without declaring it. 4) Can’t out him as 29 year old International player.

Question for @TheAthleticFC journalists De Zerbi was asked for comments on Mason Greenwood. For things that happened when he was not his Manager. Has Arteta ever been asked to explain his comments on Partey? All of which happened whilst a Woolwich player, under Arteta?

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC theguardian.com/football/2025/…

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC No you keep thinking they do without using any logic. The first thing the club would ask their legal advisors is what can they do.

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC You’re suggesting Arsenal didn’t have any choice but the reality is they did. They chose to keep playing him and also suggesting he was somehow a victim in all of this.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC And I really don’t think you understand how not playing him would make it more obvious it was him. Which would help to breach the court order that he couldn’t be named. And could have lead to the case either being dropped or compromised.

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Silent ban, loan to another club, say he’s injured - they had plenty of options that weren’t playing him consistently and lauding him that wouldn’t have suggested guilt or innocence. They chose to ignore it all because he was an important player.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC So your main argument is that Arsenal should have just silently banned him. And then what? Just ignore everything else. Ignore media questions, ignore his national team. That wouldn’t have been an option when they sought legal advice.

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC I’m sure they don’t but that’s a completely separate issue to how Arsenal chose to handle the Partey case. And if he doesn’t want to be put in a difficult situation maybe he should behave a bit better?

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Look at Jamaica still wanting to call up Greenwood despite everything that happened. Some National teams just don’t care. Portugal didn’t care Ronaldo paid a settlement.

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC I’ve explained the numerous options they had so don’t see there is much to be gained by going over them again. Without knowing his bail conditions it’s hard to know how feasible all of the options would’ve been but they had choices around handling and chose to do nothing.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Safeguarding tests use a UK standard. And again how differently couldn’t they have handled it that 1) didn’t point to him being the player accused. And 2) that the player had to obey. While 3) Obeying both the bail and court orders. And to not compromise the case.

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC I get that from a legal point of view the club didn’t do anything wrong - my argument is that their handling of it from a moral and ethical perspective is perhaps not surprising but is predictably disappointing. That safeguarding test clearly isn’t up to much.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Which part of the club took legal consultation and followed that advice don’t you get. You also keep ignoring be passed a safeguarding test. Had he failed then the club could suspend him.

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC I know this is going to shock you but I have very little sympathy for him if that were the case. Again, the player can cite injuries and personal reasons not to play and if they choose to then they have to deal with the consequences and questions.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Again why would he? He is already missing out on performance bonus money by not playing. And now you want him to do it for International football. Which players? Name them please

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC The national team can call the player up but he just sticks to the line that he’s injured to ensure consistency. I’m aware of several cases where international footballers served silent bans and it wasn’t a reason not to enforce it.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC What?! Who told you that? It is up to the National FA’s doctors to say who is injured or not. That is a FIFA rule. 🤦‍♂️

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC The silent ban applies across all forms of the game doesn’t it? If the line is that the player is ‘injured’ then that applies for club football as well as internationals. Why would the media have a field day with that?

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Again not true. The media would have a field day with it. “where is Partey?”, “Why isn’t Partey playing?”. And as I pointed out before the National Manager won’t care that Arsenal has “silently banned” him. If he calls him it draws even more attention.

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Again, injuries to other players isn’t a justification for playing him from a moral standpoint. And if he was serving a silent ban (plenty of players have done) then there wouldn’t be any suspicion because as far the wider public knows he’s just injured.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC I feel you don’t Arsenal at all. We literally only had two CDM/ CMs. Him and Xhaka. So you don’t think people would suspicious that we don’t play him or call upon when Xhaka was injured or suspended?

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Why would there be suspicions if it’s a silent ban? The whole point is to avoid suspicion. You say the player has a vague injury (usually a back issue as that’s hard to prove either way) and wait it out. Shortages in midfield isn’t a good enough justification I’m afraid.

@JEBaker83 @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC And legally would have to disclose to the other team. The investigation. We don’t know the conditions of his bail. That while he could travel abroad living abroad would be different. Again can’t do a silent ban without brining suspicions. Especially due to shortages in midfield

@Jaycen_solo @JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @TheAthleticFC Could’ve loaned him? Silent ban. I think the point here is there were options for Arsenal to handle the matter differently rather than keep playing Partey and talking about what a tough time he was apparently having. Legally OK, morally horrendous.

@JerseySpur5 @bbqbobs @JEBaker83 @TheAthleticFC Again you can’t. The moment you suspend him you are technically naming him. You can’t just use the lie of he is injured as then all it would take is National Team to call him to prove the lie.

@HotspurLane Really good player - loads of potential. Was really good at the start of the season and like lots of others he was inexplicably dropped by Frank and hardly played for months despite the injury crisis. Very useful player, think De Zerbi will like him.

What are your thoughts on Pape Matar Sarr? 🤔🇸🇳 I saw someone say he’s been at the club for 4 years and hasn’t improved. I think that’s quite harsh. I’ve always been quite a fan of Pape. I think his ceiling is really high. It’s crazy that he’s still only 23 years old. I believe there is a genuinely quality player in there but I think #THFC fans are quite split on him….🤷‍♂️ Let me know what you think. 💭

@donotfollow1882 @_Pedro83 Weirdly football is one of the few industries where people are much less interested in the views of the CEO than they are with the manager, usually because the manager is nearly always a higher profile individual.

@_Pedro83 @JEBaker83 Plenty have issue with both of them and they’re entitled to that opinion.

Keep seeing this clip on my timeline, who even is this joker? He does not seem to have a clue on how the fans feel - defo not a split in the fanbase either, a very small % cried about his appointment but were silent about Vinai, so the fake selected outrage can be ignored 💯

@_Pedro83 @donotfollow1882 I think the club and De Zerbi have done the right thing by addressing his comments about Greenwood straight away, they’ve tried to manage it as best they can and I thought his initial club interview was very good.

@donotfollow1882 @JEBaker83 Who was? But he’s come out and done his PR piece when he joined, so that’s it squashed for me. Where’s Vinai’s comments about the cover up job he did at Arsenal? This is what is jarring - why aren’t fingers being pointed at Vinai? Why are the tears for just De Zerbi?

@donotfollow1882 @_Pedro83 He’s upset I pointed out there is a divide in the fanbase about this issue. It’s had national media coverage so I assumed he’d be aware but clearly not.

@JEBaker83 @_Pedro83 I don’t get what he’s on about at all tbh 😂

@_Pedro83 The opinion you presented as a statement/fact was wrong though - and you just deciding what you think people are allowed to be upset about isn’t a sensible argument. There is a divide amongst the fanbase about this issue whether you like it or not. Much love x

@JEBaker83 I “started” nothing… I merely made my opinion on the matter clear, you’ve come in with a differing opinion. I’ve cleared up the fact that if you’re not consistent with your outrage it can be discounted… and that’s what you have an issue with it seems 😂 “Hope this helps” 😂

@_Pedro83 You started this by saying (incorrectly) that there wasn’t a divide amongst the fanbase so you don’t always have a problem with taking a selective approach. Expecting consistency from football fans is a bit like expecting Spurs to win every week - possible but highly unlikely.

@JEBaker83 The point I’ve made throughout is that selective outrage is wrong - if you’re going to kick off about one subject, have the gumption and bollocks 2be consistent and kick off about them all. Why is what De Zerbi said worse than what Vinai did (over a much greater time period too)