Morning all.
Well well. Arsenal are generating more money on match-days than any club in the world. They’ve even overtaken Chelsea as the top financial power in London for the first time in six years, according to figures released by Deloitte.
Not only Chelsea though as The Emirates Stadium, which became Arsenal’s home in 2006, earns the club more money than Europe’s biggest clubs each home game. Arsenal earned £101.84m last year, narrowly ahead of Real Madrid, who made £100.12m from matches at the Bernabeu, and Barcelona, with a total of £90.17m made from the Nou Camp.
Manchester United are next on the list, generating £87.96m from Old Trafford while Chelsea are sixth with £71.84m made from Stamford Bridge. Liverpool (£57.85m), Manchester City (£43.98m) and Tottenham (£41.83m) make it into the top 10 in eighth, ninth and 10th respectively.
Darn, those prawn sandwiches really are expensive aren’t they!
Seriously, that’s an enormous amount of money isn’t it and one does have to wonder where it all goes and it’s certainly not on signing players, not when only Petr Cech and Mohammed Elneny are the only two players signed over the last seven months at a rough cost of £15-£20 million at most.
Ah, but what about players wages?
Well, searching the internet gives different figures for the amount players are paid. Some suggest Theo Walcott earns £140,00 a week, others state it’s just a mere £110,000 so my guess is that none are 100% true. Even if I take the lowest figure given for the players salaries, the total amount is well over the money earned each year from the home matches and no website takes into consideration the Academy players wages, nor the manager’s or his coaching staff so as much as the £101.84m sounds like an awful lot of money, it’s soon gobbled up isn’t it?
But of course, there are other ways each football club makes many more millions each year and perhaps even more than they make whilst opening their doors on match day. Sponsorships, the club shops both on and offline, television payments etc etc etc and the list goes on so there’s no need to feel sorry for Arsenal.
Mind you, when the total of Arsenal’s earnings is calculated, they sit a distance away from the likes of Barcelona, Real, Utd but they aren’t far off from City, all of whom spend more on players than Arsenal do and probably in wages too.
Rumour has it that £200m plus sits idle in the bank so the club are doing ok aren’t they….?
But considering Arsenal fans are earning the club £101.84m a season, are we getting value for money on the pitch?
That’s today’s question.
Have a good day guys…
5.30am, ye Gods, I was just turning over.
Morning All
First off to read the post
Should try fucking spending some of it….
My thoughts entirely Lee..
Morning again all…
Great post Rico eye opener and all. I feel bad for guys like Adam kev Lee et al who pay through their noses to watch the arsenal live. Can’t believe we make more money on match days than bloody Madrid!!!! Someone needs to be held accountable.
Morning all
Question is how come we are stuck with flamini as our back up DM if we make some much money on match days??
Anyway on a more lighter side lecoq is back in training. So is welbeck. Am super chuffed for danny. Don’t care what anyone says but we ve really missed him.
Certainly food for thought goonster….
And we are way ahead of Bayern I think..
And I bet their outgoings are far greater than ours though, certainly on players… 🙁
Good news re Coquelin and Welbeck, the latter should be chomping at the bit to get back playing…
Morning Rico…
Interesting post.
Plenty of profits to assist with The Rams move to Los Angeles…
When asked if he expected the remainder of the January transfer window to be busy, he told reporters:
“You will certainly over the next ten days have some work to do, but not especially with Arsenal.
“We are always open to the exceptional cases. At the moment I expect our last ten days [of the transfer window] to be quiet.”
Just Elneny it is then…. 🙁
Questions needs to be asked rico. When is the next AST meeting? Kroenke needs to be drilled. We can’t be asking fans to pay that much yet not delivering on the pitch. I even heard it from the grapevine that arsene is done with this window. Once again I was right. Bummer.
Morning Kev. You’d like to think not wouldn’t you, however…..
Don’t know re the AST but can you imagine Old Chips and Kroenke addressing that question? No, me neither…
Mirror-
There was some good news for Arsenal fans however, as Wenger revealed his squad is approaching full health ahead of Sunday’s game with Chelsea.
“We have no big problems,” Wenger added. “[Mesut] Ozil will be available.
“[Alexis] Sanchez has the next two days to prove [his fitness] but I think this time he will be available.
“[Francis] Coquelin’s back in full training today, ahead of schedule. [Danny] Welbeck will be in full training next week.”
Maybe the amount of money invested in playing staffs equates with European Cups won?
So Man City are bound to win the European Cup before Arsenal I guess?
Just saying…
So am guessing it ll be well rehearsed then. Questions ll be sent days before the meeting. No impromptu question I guess. My God even the gestapo weren’t this rigid.
Rico/Stan, that is great news re: Coq and Welbeck…
The thing with AW is you need to read between the lines Rico…
So it wouldn’t surprise me to ses another signing, but not until the last knockings of the TW…
I’m off out for a few hours so catch up later…
Good point Kev, fingers crossed eh…
Yes, chuffed for them both and amazing Coquelin is back training already…
Later…
I doubt anyone ll be coming in kev. Not with tr7 and coquelin coming back in weeks. With elneny we have a cover not just for coquelin but Rambo and Wilshire too. We re done.
Have a good one rico.
Maybe Stan, I did read that Rosicky is playing for the U21’s tomorrow…
Kev knowing wenger no one else is coming in this window. Maybe in the summer when flamini arteta and tr7 leaves. Maybe that’s why xhaka is being touted to replace one of them but I doubt if we ll see another body at the Emirates this window.
Your probably right Stan.
Trust me kev i know arsene. I know how his mind works 😀
Lecoq is back! Lecoq is back!! Lecoq is back!!! Look out barcnutulona we are coming for you 😀
Lecoq and elneny patrolling the midfield like high powered robots covering every blade of grass. Closing down opponents before they can fart and sniffing out every opportunity before it presents itself. Freeing up ozster Sanchez and walcot to wreck havoc at the other end.My God we re going to kill them 😀
Come on you gunners. Add xhaka Rambo and bender to throw equation and ahhhhhh Kreaming 😀
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.
the sun is shining. Even on the AFC accounts as well.
New signings?? let me see!!!! Ahhhhh got it.
Following the capture of Elneny AW has signed the following new players who seem like a new signing. Alexis, Coquelin, Welbeck, Rosicky and is indeep discussions with Cazorla and Wilshere to sign them both in the immediate future.
That is a hell lot of a number of players signed. Very unlike AW.
I recall somewhere Gazidis (or wat it Wenger) explaining the high ticket prices. We have the highest number of wardens who make The Emirates the best pitch on the planet. These guys command a high wage since we are in the capital, compared to say wages being paid in the upcountry of merseyside. Maintaining our grounds and the world class training facilities make the club hit the fans with the high ticket prices- on that front I think it’s worth it.
Problem is it should be re-invested back into the squad.
Afternoon guys..
I see the FA have changed our fixture away at Everton to a Saturday lunchtime kick off… 😳
Afternoon all. “Coquelin is back in full training today and he is ahead of schedule. He has still a few steps to go through”
That covers any need for further reinforcements so we don’t need to spend! But leaves it open for “He’s a bit short” for another month or two.
🙂 Andrew, you old cynic… lol
Old yes, in fact older every day. Cynic? Following Arsenal for nearly 50 years and hearing Wenger for 20, has made me VERY cynical 🙂
Me too… 🙂
Count me in on that too. Cynicism comes in large dollops I’m afraid
Evening Rico and chaps.
We’ll have no cynicism here! 🙂
Sorry Adam but here comes another one! Cynical? Yes. Me too, also!
I’m a fully paid up member of the “Wenger talks bollox” club.
Judge me in May!
Evening Adam.
Wavy, surely that’s one step too far…. 😉
Night all, a bottle of Prossecco needs opening 😉 😉
Catch up tomorrow….
Enjoy it Rico. Night.
Match changes :- Arsenal v Leicester City
Sunday, February 14 (originally Saturday, February 13)
Kick-off: 12.00pm
Live on: SKY SPORTS
The Premier League usually seeks to give at least six weeks’ notice of changes to dates due to TV selections, however this is not always possible. We appreciate that this late fixture change will cause inconvenience to supporters but this decision is out of our control.
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
Saturday, March 5
Kick-off: 12.45pm (originally 3.00pm)
Live on: BT SPORT
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion*
Saturday, March 12
Kick-off: 5.30pm (originally 3.00pm)
Live on: SKY SPORTS
* This fixture will be subject to any FA Cup commitments for either team
Everton v Arsenal
Saturday, March 19
Kick-off: 12.45pm (originally 3.00pm)
Now live on: BT SPORT
3 out of 4 at our bogey kick off times and 12.00 noon on Valentines day , that’ll go don well.
Coquelin, Rosicky, Welbeck, Alexis, Elneny, that’s quite a decent quintet of players we’ve got coming back at just the right time…
Lee’s big favourite, Jack Wilshere won’t be far behind, cue celebrations in deepest Essex…
And Wenger could still bring in another new face, we’ve got 10 days or so to go…
But why hasn’t Chelsea, Man City, Man Ure and Scum been throwing money at new signings?
It’s quiet right across the league…
As far as SKY and BT are concerned, I’m afraid that this is what happens when you sell your soul to pay television…
Who talks about boxing anymore?
Formula 1 is another that’s losing widespread interest quicker that a pit-stop.
Golf, cricket, rugby, all of them have gained the SKY silver, but who cares anymore?
Footie is the only sport that has grown, thanks to pay tv, but then all SKY did was tap into what was always there, but the BBC and ITV were too stupid to exploit fully when they had their penny-pinching monopoly…
It’s scary stuff, what’s next, indoor bowling !
I couldn’t give a flying fluck what time we play as long as we’re top of the league, we’ll probably be outta the champions league before we get through half of those fixtures anyway.
As for Leicester, the Tinker-man will be telling his lads they’ve only got 16 games left this season to focus on if they wanna win the league, no other distractions for them, one thing for sure they won’t finish above us.
Potter, you trying to give tsgh an asthma attack, I can just picture him reaching for his inhaler right now !!!
Nite Gooners, keep it real.
Really good job from chelsea blogger……
Every Arsenal preview I write here begins with this paragraph on Arsenal’s inherent Arsenalness:
Since the construction of the Emirates Stadium, there have been two kinds of Arsenal season. The first, which we will call Type A, sees them challenge for top spot in the Premier League until February or March, when a combination of injuries, bad luck and mental fragility leads to a complete collapse and an eventual fourth-placed finish. The second, Type B, sees a combination of injuries, bad luck and mental fragility lead to a complete collapse which means they are out of the title race by October. In the second half of the season, however, they have a sustained spell of good form which suggests their eventual fourth-placed finish will become a challenge for honours in the next campaign.
2015-16 has seen the emergence of what looks like a Type C: a season in which every other regular title challenger is so bad, for whatever reason, that Arsenal win the league despite doing everything they normally do. Raft of injuries? Check. Bad luck? Check, although admittedly much more so in the Champions League than the Premier League. Mental fragility? Ditto, although there’s plenty of time. Just past the halfway stage, Arsenal are widely and correctly seen as the favourites in a two-horse race with Manchester City.
The Season Ahead
Two inevitable maulings at the hands of a preposterously dominant Barcelona aside, there’s no reason for Arsenal fans to look at the next few months with anything other than gleeful anticipation. Serial Twitter-poll-winner Alexis Sánchez will return from injury this weekend, Mesut Özil is at his absolute peak and Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud have found their shooting boots again.
Arsène Wenger has even signed a defensive midfielder, Mohamed Elneny, which suggests that 1. Arsenal might not be as flimsy in the middle for much longer and 2. The Gunners manager may now do something about other long-term weaknesses in his team. Not that such weaknesses necessarily need to be addressed now: with Chelsea and Liverpool so bad, Man Utd and Man City so flaky and Leicester almost certain to drop off, a first title win since 2004 is definitely on the cards. Ooh to be a Gooner.
Tactics
The chief criticism of Arsenal has always been that their tactics are predictable, if they’ve even had tactics at all. Chelsea fans in particular have delighted in the sight of the Gunners turning up for big games, walking straight into the opposition’s counter-attacking trap and going home with nil points. Noted Louis Van Gaal fan Paul Scholes memorably summed up Arsenal’s approach as “A few nice one-twos, nice tippy-tappy football – but don’t bother running back” – more than slightly reductive, of course, but not inaccurate.
The last couple of seasons have seen Wenger’s ideas diversified. Arsenal still hog the ball – they have the second highest average possession figure and the highest pass completion rates in the division – but the tempo and intensity of their play have increased significantly and they’re far less picky about how they score. No side has created more chances with through-balls, only two teams with crosses and only two have had more headed shots. This is not a side you could accuse of “trying to walk it in”.
The biggest reason for this is the change in the type of attacker they have had: Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil are not just on another level to those that have played in their positions for the last decade, they also have completely different profiles. Both are far better in direct or counter-attacking systems than the typically slow, methodical structures which led to Arsenal’s famously sterile domination.
It’s also worth crediting Olivier Giroud, a far better and more complete forward than he gets credit for, regardless of his infamous profligacy – without Giroud up front, the players behind wouldn’t be as effective and Arsenal’s tactical diversification wouldn’t have been possible.
Additionally, Arsenal are now one of the Premier League’s best teams at protecting a lead, despite their recent and painfully predictable late concession at Anfield. The sight of the Gunners bedding in and defending their box, bringing on Kieran Gibbs to play as a second left-back and playing on the counter is increasingly familiar.
Strengths
Their biggest strength is that they’re frighteningly good in attack. Not just in an über-talented sense, but in terms of output and efficiency too. Arsenal’s average of 15.2 total shots per game is bettered only by Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham. However, the Gunners take shots from much better positions than those teams: only 4.1 from outside the box (17 Premier League teams take more per game) compared to 7.1 for City, 7.4 for Liverpool and 7.5 for Tottenham, who lead the pack in this regard. This means that Arsenal take the most shots per game from inside the box (9.5) and from inside the six-yard box (1.5). In short: no team creates as many good chances as Arsenal.
They create these opportunities due to their almost unrivalled blend of pace and skill: Arsenal have produced the second highest number of dribbles in the league and, as previously stated, their chance creation statistics show good they are at reliably finding solutions in the final third. Against a defence as easily stretched and habitually unprotected as Chelsea’s, Arsenal’s front four, inevitably and ably supported by Aaron Ramsey, will surely enjoy themselves.
They’re also pretty good defensively, though not in any really eye-catching way: as many good teams have been in football history, Arsenal are a good team that protects itself simply by being a good team and playing well.
Weaknesses
That’s not to say they’re without weaknesses: their midfield remains poorly configured and incapable of truly dominating games; on its off-days the attack can be horribly stodgy and narrow; the defence has a glass jaw and remains prone to individual errors at big moments. At times Arsenal will, for seemingly no reason at all, leave themselves wide open in the middle of the park or do something unfathomably stupid at the back. All of this is a mealy-mouthed way of saying “they’re still Arsenal” – they’re not as classically Arsenal as they were, but they’re still most definitely Arsenal.
In that regard, Petr Čech has been predictably decisive: his current save rate of 80.2% is the second highest in the Premier League, and the titanic Czech looks to have been worth the extra 12-15 points that John Terry anticipated. He has arguably won Arsenal three points against Newcastle and one against Stoke in January 2016 alone.
In terms of glaring weaknesses which Chelsea can and should focus on, the creaking Mathieu Flamini is utterly out of his depth at this level and Arsenal do a surprisingly good job of repeatedly leaving him exposed and overworked in the centre of the pitch. One reason for this is that Aaron Ramsey has decided he wants to be the new Steven Gerrard and now abandons his station in midfield at every single opportunity.
Likely XIs
Arsenal will presumably play their strongest available eleven, with Alexis Sánchez a possible selection on the left with Theo Walcott shifting across to the right. Key midfielder Francis Coquelin (yes, those words really belong together) has resumed full training but it seems unlikely that he will be rushed back. It seems equally unlikely that Mohamed Elneny will be selected in such a big game so soon after arriving, so Operation Run At Flamini should be a goer for Chelsea.
As for Guus Hiddink’s team, the most logical thing to do would be to reprise the tried-and-tested sit-back-absorb-pressure-and-counter plan which has worked so many times on this ground before. Playing Arsenal at their own game is a stupid idea and will only end in disaster. Just ask Manchester United.
I thought all chav supporters were knuckle dragging fucktards……
Lee, he’s an Arsenal fan in disguise, surely 🙂
Morning mate.
Morning Scott…. what a cracking piece?
Yes, it was Lee.
Bloody well written, and seemingly written without prejudice.
I’ve just read that too. Really good and very honest piece, without being disrespectful too. Good to see Coquelin being given a shout by a Chelsea fan too…
Morning all…
Hiya Rico.
Great to see some positive comments on Giroud, as well.
Still, we are top of the League, yet inches away from being a truly world class squad.
More to come this month??
Frosty on the A12..?
Morning Scott. Agree re Giroud, I’d rather him than the thug that is Costa..
Would be nice to see one more in wouldn’t it and as Kev said yesterday, you never know with AW…
Hands up time, I not so long ago would of swapped Giroud for Costa plus cash in a heartbeat…… how wrong was I?
Cue the Aussie giving me shit about the Welsh wizard! 🙂
🙂 Lee…
Nah Lee……we all accept Ramsey is a terrific player and I’m glad…..though he does need to be a little more disciplined at times.
Same as Giroud.
Then, I said Gervinho would make it so nobodies perfect Hahahahahaha
Rico, Costa is one of very few footballers around the world that, if Signed by Arsenal, would have me stop watching games.
I could not stand to see him wearing the shirt.
Well, I’d think about not watching, at least lol
Interesting piece by the Chav..,
Uncomfortably too close to the truth..
There’s always a chance AW could have changed his attitude Scott, although somehow I doubt it. Certain footballers, as people all over, just can’t be changed, they are a thug from the inside out. Balotelli is another, not that he’s a thug but he just has a huge chip on his shoulder imo and one which very few managers have been able to deal with, if any….
Morning Rico and all. Very groggy this morning.
Someone said the other day that Costa is 4yrs younger than Chicharito…..
Ignore that I just googled it and they are both 27………never let the truth stand in the way of a good story!
Well costa’s face surely like annoying grudge grandpa.
Costa is 19, Lee 🙂
Rico, I think some managers send their hitmen out to do a job, but yes, guys like Costa can’t be controlled.
Morning Adam.
Scott, I’m sure you are right there…
Orf, Costa has a face which just welcomes a slap….
I wonder if AW will play Gabriel on Sunday, I sure hope he does…..
Unbelievable catch by Taylor there.
Hands, knees, ankles….
The way he followed the shot was very very brave.
Sure was.
Rico, I can’t wait to see Gabriel start this week.
Costa was scared of him, of that, I’m positive.
I’m equally positive it’s a big reason Wemger signed him.
It’ll be interesting to see if Costa starts Scott, there are a few stories which suggest he’s injured and Hiddink isn’t one to lie like his predecessor….
I hope Gabriel starts either way, Rico.
Merts is hot and cold of late…and he is not alone.
I struggle to understand why he’s not playing more Scott…
Agreed.
He’s quicker, more dangerous at set pieces, better defending set pieces and more consistent than Merts.
Then, maybe he is keeping him fresh for the second half of the season.
I hope that’s the case.
New post up now..
Maybe it’s the language barrier Scott?