It has been a few weeks now since the Dein / Usmanov story broke but I still can’t quite believe what David Dein has done to our club. It would be easy to dismiss Dein as an opportunist or a man desperate to regain the affections of his life’s love but that would be to miss the point completely. Dein’s behaviour since leaving Arsenal has been shameful - he is acting purely in his own interests. Arsenal’s early season form must have really p*ssed him off as it shows that the key man is the ever loyal Arsène Wenger. How many other fans were nearly sick when they read that Dein even tried to claim credit for Arsène signing his contract extension??

I’m deeply concerned about the way that football is selling its soul and the more I see of it, the less I can identify with the manner in which rich men operate. Is there ever a time when they think “enough’s enough – I’m set for life so I’ll give something back to the people a little less fortunate than me”?

In last weekend's Sunday Times was a story entitled Arsenal tycoon in 'fraud' row. The story concerns a deal carried out by Mr Usmanov concerning ownership of the Grib Pipe diamond mine in the Archangelsk region of Northern Russia. Discovered in 1996, Grib Pipe has a potential value of £4.5billion – enough to get even a corpulent Russian oligarch salivating at the thought of more wealth, power and influence.

Archangel Diamond Corporation has filed papers in a court in Denver, Colorado alleging that Usmanov and other Russian interests “engaged in fraud in order to deceive” it over an agreement ADC says entitled ADC to a 40% stake in the mine. How appropriate that this case will be heard in Colorado, the home of the Colorado Rapids, owned by David Dein’s other best mate Stan Kroenke!

We can add this lurid story to the ever increasing bad press Usmanov is attracting; Six years in a Russian labour camp in the 1980’s (although to avoid an email from the lawyers, we should state he was later pardoned for the relevant misdemeanours - Legal Department), along with allegations of a variety of serious crimes. His slick PR man’s assertion that “Mr Usmanov refutes and rejects any allegations of fraud or other wrongdoing” and “Mr Usmanov was fully pardoned by Mikhail Gorbachev” doesn’t describe the sort of man that we want anywhere near Arsenal.

Having seen the dog’s dinner Abramovich has made at Chelsea, I am really fearful for what Usmanov could do to Arsenal. Mourinho was a controversial character but he knows football inside out and like Don Revie or George Graham, he will always bring success to a club. What can Avram Grant offer apart from being the owner’s mate?

Last week Usmanov and his PR flunkies launched a charm offensive by inviting several British journalists to Moscow and setting out their side of the story. I wonder if he had his fingers crossed when he said “I’m not a whipping boy, I expect to be treated with the same respect that I show other people”. Maybe I’m just more sceptical than most but that sounds very much like a threat to me.

It’s a shame his charm offensive wasn’t something like paying for every Arsenal fan to attend the Sunderland match (£3million – not much for a billionaire) or financing every one of the loyal 1,000 fans who travelled to Bucharest. That he chose to ignore real fans and woo several journalists speaks volumes about his intentions.

Over the next few months, the future of our club will be decided. AISA, AST and REDaction are already working closely together on this issue so please look out for anything arranged by them to deter Usmanov from trying to profit from Arsène’s excellent work. Usmanov is meeting the Arsenal board next month to discuss his plans, which I have no doubt involve a desire for a complete takeover with Dein as a figurehead chairman. I hope the Board share our strong feelings against Dein and Usmanov and I hope they remain firm in their long-term commitment to Arsenal Football Club.