Morning Gooners,
Bit of gossip from the newspapers:
West Ham want to take Chamakh on loan in January, a move I am sure would be welcomed by all Arsenal fans and Chelsea are reported to be front-runners in the chase for Theo Walcott. Toulouse right back Serge Aurier has been added to Arsene’s wanted list, the 19 year old right back is seen as the replacement for Bacary Sagna should he depart soon.
Wenger is also reported to be ready to go head to head with Alex Ferguson to sign £15 million Raheem Sterling. Well if that is true, there’s only one winner in my book.
Finally, nearly every newspaper links us with a goalkeeper and not all the same one either so that’s exciting isn’t it..
Talking of newspapers, I wouldn’t read any if I were you, every man and his dog has something to say about our club, most of which is not good….
Onto today’s post:
Never a day goes by without a story in one of the morning papers.
Good news, bad news or indifferent news and all about Arsenal football club. Websites are abound with the latest news, bloggers are searching for something to write about the latest happenings both on and off the field. Ex players, current players or those who look like the next ones to leave all seem to have something to say in order to make headline news. I’m sure it’s the same for every other club out there too but for obvious reasons, I am drawn to the ones relating only to Arsenal.
Most football clubs go through tough times but very seldom would you know it by reading the papers, they seem to like making sure that Arsenal doom and gloom outdoes the rest and usually they succeed.
What makes Arsenal so different from the rest? Who knows and who really cares. But!!
Anyway, our fine stadium holds 60,000 supporters, on top of that, the club have a waiting list of around 35,000 who are all desperate to get a season ticket. I’m sure there are thousands more but the cost puts pay to that, but we are still talking around having one hundred thousand fans who either go to The Emirates each home game, or can’t wait to. So if the Emirates held 100,000 they would probably fill every seat.
When you look at figures like that and you were a newspaper editor, you would not be doing your job right if you didn’t try and catch those fans attention for 40 pence to a pound for a newspaper and you can be sure you would have made your days money without too much effort.
Whether the stories are accurate or not doesn’t appear to be that important as they can easily change the same story the next day.
Arsenal Football Club work with similar principles, every Arsenal Season ticket holder can, if they want to, get the latest news report sent to them. It’s a simple e-mail from club which tells them about the last fixture and the one coming up next. It includes the thoughts of the manager and if the result has been a bad one they don’t dwell on it! They focus on the good side of the club, as they want you to turn up at the next home game and the next, so they try and give you positive reports. Like the journalists, their income depends on it.
Seven seasons without a trophy is not exactly welcoming news to the supporter but let’s face it we are not stupid. We can see that things on the pitch are not going well, nor are things off it if we are to believe all that is written. But we do hear good news, sadly though that is usually about how good our finances are, how well the board are running the club and how well the manager they have appointed has done to keep us qualified for Europe every season.
We can see that if the players don’t start to play better or the manager doesn’t try something different etc, things aren’t going to get any better are they.
If supporters keep filling those 60,000 seats every other week, the owners will believe that everything is ok and money is coming into the club. Apparently £3 million is the estimated amount that every home game generates!
All the time that kind of revenue is going into the club, there appears to be no reason to change things does there?
If Arsenal were to sign top players for every position and that resulted in Arsenal winning trophies they would still only be able to seat 60,000. The cost of a ticket is probably at the highest price it can right now so they can’t look to earn extra in that department, so I have deduced that when Ivan Gazidis states that winning games is not that important, I start to realise that perhaps he is right and the only way we will start winning depends on the turnstiles.
Supporters feel they are helpless to do anything about Arsenals pat the moment but they are the answer to Arsenals slump. Show the Newspapers that you mean business and don’t go to The Emirates. We all know they will be only to happy to inform the world that the turnstiles are not moving they will happily spread the news that supporter power has made up its mind on the direction they want Arsenal owners to proceed.
But again I stress, its down to the supporters, so far you have blamed everybody bar yourselves.
Written by Steve Palmer
morning Steve – good point on the supports and you can understand it, look how many on the net jump to all kinds of defences rather than face facts – Arsenal will post the same numbers week after week, how many of those seats actually have people in them is another things but if they’ve paid their season ticket, they won’t care. As for Chamakh, one of a long list of bad decisions and wasted monies
Morning all…
Good read Sp but I’m kind of torn here.
I’m not a season ticket holder so I’ve not just spent over a thousand pounds but had I done so, I’m not sure that I could just give up going. The club will have already had my money and I’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face really.
However, I would certainly be giving consideration not to renew it next season if things stay as they are….
In the course of last week I read a comment by one African Gooner who requested those who are able to watch matches live from the emirates on a regular basis to consider themselves as key to sounding off a warning to the Arsenal Management, because effectively boycotting matches and make them lose revenues is going to signal to them the level of discontent which obviously they already know but will surely realise that time to take fans for granted is running out..I wish to echo those sentiments too so that they authorities change their style and consequently the anguish on arsenal supporters minds. here in Malawi we are ridculed so much by supporters of other teams. Remember the guy who lost his life in Kenya? An extreme reaction yes, but that says that fans are being hurt.
Spyder, I understand why fans would say that but is it all a bit ‘too easy’ for people who don’t pay for a ticket to suggest giving it up..
Me personally, I refuse to spend another penny of my money on anything Arsenal related, but had I already spent money, would I give that up…
I’m not sure I would…
I’d be surprised if United don’t take Theo – lets see
You could be right oz, but he could still sign on for us yet 😉
Off for an hour or less 😉
Scot might back me on this, when the TV (which is all we can go on here) scans our home games, the clearly empty seats are very evident now days – My mate a season ticket holder also confirms this regularly – I personally think the prices are a complete rip off for what they are offering in terms of playing reps and talent – fish and chips, coffee prices, snacks not just the price of the ticket either. We are pricing out the true die hards and that is disappointing and dangerous for the club.
Morning all..
A good post Sir Steve as always. As a man who found out he could now buy his season ticket in Iraq but gave up his season ticket 4 years ago I can totally understand what you are saying and I have always said that. But then again I have a lot of respect for people like Kev who go to almost every matchday and still do not go ‘Stewart Robson’ on this site. 😉
I agree that as Rico has said, it is difficult to give it up if you have already paid for your ticket. In my case I gave up my season ticket because I hardly ever used myself because of work commitments, however, what made we not renew by ticket was some telling news an employee of Smith & Williamson told me about our board.
OK we’ll bite, come on ts do tell lol
Never knew you felt that strongly Rico – good for you, we share a common feeling here obviously, they don’t get my hard earned dosh anymore either
although having said that, i did buy FM13 to manage Arsenal but only to show Wenger the errors of his cash hoarding ways hahaha
I posted some important facts last night about our value and revenue and why I believe if we love Arsenal above our dislike of AW then we will make sure our club remains as ‘semi-competitive’ as we are and stand by the team.
The facts areup to 8 years ago before Roman, Chelsi was valued at $250M whilst us and liverpool were valued at approximately £150M each. In the 7 years that most fans complain about the club has gone up by over 500% whilst the chavs have won everything but are now worth just over half of our value.
In the 5 years than Stan has become involved with us the value of the club has gone up by over $300M. Some may say the stadium is the main reason but I am not an expert in that field to comment…
What I am trying to say is that based on a very important financial publication by Deloitte and Swiss Ramble, Stan is very cash-shy and so there is no he is going to sell in the next 5 years at least. In fact he has not paid for most of his shares yet!
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis was at pains to emphasise the club’s self-sustaining model, claiming that the club “can and will forge its own path to success”, though he must be concerned about the continuing decline in operating profits, which have fallen from a £31 million peak in 2008/09 for the football business. In fact, excluding property development, the club actually reported an operating loss of £18 million last season, compared to the previous year’s £9 million operating profit. This £28 million turnaround was due to operating expenses (£38 million) rising much faster than revenue (£10 million).
So if we are making a loss with all the high revenue and our salry is almost £30M less than the 3rd highest salary payers then if we love this club as some claim they dowe will make sure we do not feed into this negativity because our fall from grace believe me will be faster than Liverpool if we are not careful.
And those saying AU wants to take over, why did he not come in initially like Roman did to takeover?
good morning and good news:
From Aw interview, Diaby will be fit in 2017!
Morning all. Looks like it’s down to silver and red members to not buy tickets match by match then. Season ticket holders only make up a percent of ticket sales. I agree that buying a season ticket then not going is daft. I agree the rest of us should miss just a couple of games as a shot across the bows.
And that doesn’t constitute not supporting the team and being bad fans. There’s a bigger picture than 2 games.
hahah Joaquim – great news three years earlier than i thought!!
males sense Bendt
@Oz most fans say the board and AW do not tell them the truth but as with this world we live in now, we should be lucky to get the half truths we get occasionally. I believe in piecing together the puzzle as that is the world we live in. Its very simple really.
Confusing? PHW has always said we have money for AW to spend but then in the same statement tell you we will never spend £50M on a single player. But the fact is if you buy a decent player for say £20M and pay him £100k p/w for 4 years you are looking at nearly £46M on a single player over his contract duration. If that player is bought at 26 years old does that fit into the boards financial model?
IG has always said previously that we would become competitive when we signed our next sponsorship deal. Yes, we did a few weeks ago but then 2 months ago he said based on their plan we will be very competitive with the RM and Manures of this world in 2 years time. Why did nobody at the AGM pull him up on moving the goal post? As they say the devil is in the detail!
IG tells the media some of the money will be available to AW but then AW states that we got the deal because sponsors believe the club does things in the right way.
The question is what is the right way they are talking about?
Additionally, IG mentioned 2 months ago at the AGM that 10 years ago a lot of clubs were not spending £10M on a player because it was big money. Hmm, didn’t Buffon, Wooney and Rio go for more than that amount not even talking about the Kaka and Zidane transfers here.
Most fans Mahdi AU stated in his July letter that the club will be in long term debt because of the terms of the loans used for the stadium and that it is up to AW to pay the installments and not the board. Really? Why is that the case at a football club of all places. As an example will a Prime Minister or President and his cabinet of any nation tell a General or Chief of Staff of the country’s army to manage the budget of that country?
AW has periodically stated that when he finds the right player the club will be support him. However, all the players he looks at are valued at £16M or less. The occasions such as Gotze and Hazard that bids had been made we have lost out on the payment terms. In Gotze’s case Dr. Reinhard Raubal admitted publically that a £15M upfront fee plus the other 10 to 15M in installments was not acceptable for a player of that quality.
So AW may have lost his tactical ability but is he stupid to the level that he will publicly say that we can not expect to be a big club if we lost Cesc and Nasri but then Stan visits London just before both players are sold?
I have pieced together the puzzle I see and read and my picture though it might be wrong makes more sense to me than what most journo’s or pundits tell me. And I am very confident in my ability as an analyst given to me in one of the forts in Hampshire by one of the top 5 agencies in the world
The question we as fans have to ask ourselves is why did the original board members sign up to Stan’s crap when he was not even paying them straight away? Additionally, which other manager has a plan B in football because the last time I check Pep or Mauren had none either.
Season ticket holders I know would love to loan them out for a year or perhaps two. If you let them go then perhaps you won’t get them back. At the moment the torture and the tedium never stops.
A proper legend in my eyes..
Keown pointed to the 1998 season when Arsenal almost suffered a similar fate in the FA Cup to Port Vale, as an example of how hard times can be character building.
He wrote,
“It is in times of adversity that Wenger will learn the most about his players and the players will learn most about each other.
We nearly went out of the FA Cup against Port Vale in 1998, only scraping through on penalties. We raised our game after that and won the Double that season.”
Whilst I have my doubts that Arsenal can replicate their 1998 double this season, I do think Keown makes some great points. Give the manager and the team some time to turn it around. As the banners at the Emirates read, “in Arsene we trust” – now, more than ever, the manager needs the fans to honour that pledge.
Good morning all,
I’m not a season ticket holder, I have never had a season ticket and I don’t envisage buying one in the future. If I was lucky enough to have a season ticket I certainly would not even consider not turning up.
As to the red and silver members not buying tickets, on a one off basis, those tickets will be sold to the tourists who turn up in large numbers at most home games.
It is commonly held to be that “the fans” are unhappy with a) the team, b) the manager, c) the board. In reality it is probably a tiny minority of supporters who feel this way. A vociferous few make a lot of noise on the terraces, a few more post their complaints on web-sites. The vast majority stay silent.
The press try to stir up unrest for the simple reason that it helps to sell their newspapers, the same goes for radio and TV stations, the more contentious the content of their programmes the better their advertisers like it.
Arsenal are a easy target at the moment. A poor season so far, only seventh in the league, a massive two points off fourth place, only managed to get to the quarter finals of the Capital One cup, only just in the FA Cup, Oh! and through to the Champions League knockout stage.
Arsenal have an owner who knows nothing about football, so he leaves the running of the club to professionals who do know something about football. He leaves the running of the team to a manager and does not interfere in which players the manager buys or which style of play that manager adopts.
Under Kroneke’s ownership the stadium debt is steadily being paid off, the foundations are being put in place to ensure that a historic football club is able to continue to build on that history for the foreseeable future. He is not prepared to spend outrageous sums of money for prima dona players and their wages, nor is he prepared to see the club go in the same manner as Portsmouth, Glasgow Rangers etc, that is into administration.
I’m not saying that we couldn’t have a better owner, nor am I saying that we couldn’t have a different manager, what I am saying is that we could be a whole lot worse off than we are now.
Seriously folks! Think about it!
JW. As someone who does have a season ticket and who goes week in, week out and as someone who speaks to other ST holders before during and after the game I have to tell you that your notion of a “tiny minority” being unhappy is way, way off the mark. Further evidence for this is the incredibly drab atmosphere at the games lately.
I am sure that, like me, most fans go, hoping for a sign that the team has rediscovered some form and some of the ” mental strength” that Arsene likes to refer to quite often. I am afraid that the unpalatable truth is that this is not forthcoming. The crowd are perceptive and recognise that, on the pitch, Arsenal are a team who have been in decline for quite a while. Sad but true. I don’t say that the future is bad but I think we have some way to go before the tide turns for the better. How this can be achieved is the thing that many disagree on.
Adam,
When I talk about a “tiny minority” I’m talking in the context of all Arsenal supporters, the season ticket holders are a minority, an important one, but a minority none the less.
Spot Adam, the atmosphere has been dour for ages and for good reason. It certainly is more than just a tiny minority. Even the travelling Arsenal fans have been expressing themselves and they generally tend to support through both good and bad periods.
I think it’s far more widespread than you realise JW.
BG,
I seem to remember that we used to play at The Highbury Library, wasn’t that at the time of Premiership titles and doubles?
Let’s face it the atmosphere has not been the same since Highbury was turned into an all seater stadium, with the move to The Emirates there is no heart to the supporters, no North Bank.
JW,
I’m talking about worse than Highbury the library, the air of discontent and grumbling that’s going on. That didn’t happen at Highbury during those glory years. Have you been to the Grove lately?
Arsenal has been in decline from where? Some say the 4th highest salary bill but didn’t MA08 have to take a pay cut to join us? What is the difference between our salary and the 3rd highest paying team?
A typical example is when people say the UK has the 2nd biggest economy behind Germany but then the difference is nearly 0.700 Trillion Euros annually. I diverge as always…
The Arsenal I know and supported from Steve Burtenshaw time have never ever been in a better position than now. Even the so called GG era was marked with the infamous poor buys and the tag Highbury library. And if GG was so good what did he achieve with spurs even though he outspent AW during that time.
I am still quite amazed that people who should know better cry out for players more like Henry, Vieira, Ljungburg. Are people’s memories so poor that they cannot remember that those three players were failures or non entities before they arrived at Arsenal?
Though recent signings have not produced AW is following the same pattern he has used since 1986. Chamakh was thought of very highly before he arrived and was very impressive for a time, Gervinho was one of the top marksmen in France, as was Giroud.
The fact is the DD’s and board thought the £45M for Toure and Adeba whore was good business but what they did not realise is by doing that they were making a team that was not yet glamorous, attractive for the future.
Enough said because I guess opinions can never be changed in certain instances and this is one of those….
Players come and go but we the fans will be left with the carcass if we do not get behind this team because believe it or not people. The facts show that once you fall out of the CL spot that is it…
… That didn’t happen at Highbury during those glory years. You said it all Mr Bg. 😉
BG,
Of course the grumbling didn’t go non during the “glory years” there was nothing to grumble about.
Perhaps today’s attendees are just spoilt, they have no memory of the dire years before Bertie Mee won us the double.
I have only ever been to The Emirates once, that was a few years ago, prior to that I had not been to a game since 1974. I have, however, been a supporter since 1950 and can remember far worse times than the present day.
Let those who have eyes see.
Hi JW… I think sometimes some fans are comparing horses to donkeys to be honest.
The fact is we are about forth or 5th in terms of finances
and that is where they end up in the league or we over achieve in most cases.
If Theo turns his nose up at £75,000 a week offer it just shows me that many players are not only overpaid but over valued. Not forgetting that the same fans shouting that Arsenal should give Theo want he wants are the same so called fans who were asking in March against Chelsea why Theo was stilll on the pitch in the 1st half.
The same way Arab money changed horse racing the same way football is being changed. The same way . It was a fine sport before they bought up all the best horses. Yet in their countries many people live on next to nothing and I have been in those country a few times to know what I am talking about.
If Theo would be grateful and show loyalty and stop shaking the boat he could be the next Henry as he wants to be. But even Henry left us when we needed that extra year out of him to win the CL, and he played against us instead but the gullible fans applauded him. So did Cesc and so will RVP. I don’t blame Wenger – Over the Wenger years I have seen the finest football, seen it change English football and raise all the other teams. If it was not for AW we will still be seeing Tony Adams having a beer before a football match and you call that professional?
If footballers were about loyalty and true ambition why did Ian allow Sean Wright Phillips to join Chelsea rather than Arsenal when even the Queen knew he would not be first choice there? Didn’t that move screw up his career?
Afternoon all many thanks for your comments and some good ones as well. And thank you Rico as usual.
This post was not a you should post, its a post which ask’s supporters if they would, i am a bad supporter as i am saying one thing but have my ticket for the West Ham game, I am not a season ticket holder i have red membership I am no 35,000 and something on the waiting list, But i have to say if everybody wanted to show protest i would gladly not turn up, having said that i have only brought 2 tickets not paid for the whole season. but the way we are playing at the moment i doubt every seat will be filled.
Agreed with earlier comments – cutting my nose off to spike my face by not going to games I have already paid for. The issue for me is if I knew that Wenger would be in charge next year then I would probably not renew. However how stupid would I feel if I decide to not renew then change happens – where would I be?
So please everyone else – not turn up and makes things happen but I will carry on going.
Bottom line: – the whole not going concept does not work if deep down you are a gooner.
Another legend speaks…
Lukic admits the loss at Bradford was a poor result for the north Londoners – but emphasised the fact that it’s not the first Cup giant-killing and it won’t be the last.
He added: “It wasn’t a good result by any stretch of the imagination but I was in an Arsenal team in the 1980s that went to York City one wintry January night and got beaten 1-0. It has happened before.
“You wouldn’t expect Arsenal to get beaten at Bradford and that’s the beauty of football. Or, if you’re an Arsenal fan, then it’s not so good. The League Two side had nothing to lose.
“You can practice penalties as long as you want but it doesn’t replicate the arena you’re in at the time with the pressure and the importance. Yes, you can get the technique right.
“As a goalkeeper, it’s a psychological job. The thing that annoys me is that if the goalkeeper saves a penalty, it’s a bad penalty, but if he goes the other way and it goes in, it’s a good penalty regardless of whether it goes in the corner or not. The goalie never gets any credit!”
Man $hitty sucker punch Newcastle 1-3
Fair comment John, and i don’t blame you.
Nice post sp.
Good day gooners.
I only ever get to a few matches a season and like most gooners love the experience. If I had a season ticket I don’t think it would be that easy to just not go having paid such a high price. I see where your coming from though Steve and am all for not putting anymore money into the club until there are changes.
Watching N Utd v City, Ba would be a great signing imho.
Hi Lewis Cheers mate, I know a season ticket is expensive but its dearer paying game by game thats why i only go to a few but its better when were winning 🙂
JW,
I was simply sharing recent experiences of matchday feelings around the crowd. You felt it’s only a minority making lots of noise. I disagree and base that on recent experience. I’m not sure what your opinion is based on.
I think you have a point about Arsenal fans being spoilt, particularly new fans. Like you I go back further than GG so I understand austerity in football terms.
Afternoon all.
Good read Sir Stevo.
Chamakh to West Ham, why not?
Just as long as they pay his wages…
Djourou to go as well I reckon.
As for Theo, he’s gone?!
Lata
I’m well glad we sold RVP, it was rubbish having a striker that could score loads of goals. Much better now he’s doing it for an old rival.
Oh, and Wenger, go and get McCarthy from Wigan before ManUre take him…
@Lewis: agree; why have a striker that can score bunch of goals…he makes us look as a one-man team. But don’t worry we’ll replicate Giroud when he finds his footing. By-the-way, we need the money badly for Stan.
Hi Kev. Working today?
Lewis. Couldn’t agree more. Shows where we are as a club for me.
With all respect and trying to avoid disparagement , there are supporters and there are followers.Supporters do just that , they support by buying tickets and attending games, purchasing official merchandise and putting money into the club. Followers they follow the results and the news and have their opinions on the current situation of the club.
In the post the figure of 35000 on the waiting list I reckon is inflated and quite a few years out of date. I know a number of people that have withdrawn when their name got to the top of the list, some of them tried to defer and others just gave up. However the club have tied the existing season ticket holders in , should they give up they go to the back of the list and for people that have spent 10 or so years getting hold of one that’s a bitter pill to swallow. I see a number of online calls for S.T.Holders to give up , but generally these come from non attendees and a considerable number from those that live abroad. If you have paid up in advance you are unlikely to miss games that’s human nature I’m afraid.
On another tack regarding Stan and the sell out and the question of whether he has paid for his purchases, makes me wonder if Lady Nina’s recent comments relate to this and whether she would wish to move herelf into Usmanov’s camp.
tsGH,
They don’t know they’re born! They really don’t!
evening folks.
Liverpool a team that spent nearly 100M on a bunch of mediocre British players something the spud journo’s say AW never does is on a nose dive like a kamikaze in the pacific ocean.
So if Liverpool can fall to that level then I am afraid some fans will get what they are looking for and we will also be next to them. 😉
Then again I don’t know what I am talking about because I don’t go and see us live… 😮
Kev I think old RedNose is having a look at McCarthy already. An awesome player imho. We were rumoured to be linked to him last summer but the snobs preferred a player from RM or Barcelona instead of poor old Wigan.
Potter,
It’s interesting that Lady Nina has suddenly spoken up.
It is reported that she turned down Usmanov’s offer which was around £12 million more than that offered by Kroenke.
If Silent Stan hasn’t yet paid for her shares maybe his option to buy is coming to it’s end and he will either have to pay up or return the shares to her. She could then offer them to Usmanov which would put him in a very strong position.
I admit that the “expiring option” scenario is pure speculation on my part, but it may just explain Lady Nina’s sudden willingness to criticise our American “owner”.
Early evening, Potter, and thank you for your comment, let me commend you on your support for the club I agree with what you say about fans verses Supporters, I have been a bit of both, i have been many times but over the last few years not so many so i am probably a half supporter, i have only just got my red card membership and have just joined the waiting list 35,850 away from my season ticket or thats what my certificate states, by the time that comes round i will be six foot under but i have put my fifteen pounds into their bank account, i Purchased 2 tickets and had to join the mrs as well to get 2 tickets memberships and tickets is not far short of a couple of hundred quid, but i do hope that Wenger and the board will add that to the transfer fund and hopefully it will help towards a DM I doubt my mrs will want a shirt but she may want a scarf the expense of being a half supporter is building up 🙂
Chamack – West Ham?
Djourou – Napoli (Italy)?
media news…
Have you heard of this player. Pundits say he is better than Hazard and he is not a teenager so AW should buy him. Only 11M Euro’s they say… 😉
tsGH,
That lad looks pretty good, he also looks a lot like some w****r that Wenger bought a couple of seasons ago who can’t hit a barn door with a banjo.
Strange isn’t it? How can there be two players who not only look alike but have the same name and one is so good whilst the other is total c**p. 😀
Steve interesting that you have that number on your certificate , did anyone give you an idea of how long they felt you would have to wait ? My son got married 6 years ago and applied for one for his “”projected children “” . Suffice it to say the estimate given was that any child would be between 8 to 10 years old before dependant on the birth date. As it happens no child has arrived but the season ticket offer did after 5 years. So I can only conclude that there may be a number of interested parties but when they are faced with actually forking out they disappear quite quickly.
Let me re-iterate my post was not a slight at other people I don’t know how old you are but if my son’s experience is anything to go by, I doubt that you will be kicking the bucket before the offer comes along.
When the man with thw walking stick tells millionaire business men and lady shareholders what to do they do it pronto.
Some fans say PHW is clueless! really? Why did the rest of the board decide to sell to Stan instead?
PHW is so powerful he managed to change the FA ruling on takeover just like that
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9344978/Premier-League-acts-to-freeze-out-hostile-takeover-bids-such-as-Alisher-Usmanovs-at-Arsenal.html#
We knew that Fiszman looked favourably on Kroenke, having already sold him over 8% of the company, but Lady Nina had been considering her options after she was ousted from the board in what she called “a ruthless fashion”. Although Peter Hill-Wood only owned around 1% of the company, he is still highly influential from his position as chairman, though his incredibly relaxed manner at last October’s AGM might just indicate that he is on his way out. One advantage of a Kroenke takeover would be to remove this uncertainty and bring stability back to the board room.
So many questions, very few with a definitive answer. As is so often the case, the wisest comment on the situation came from Arsene Wenger (he knows), who said, “A takeover is not inevitable. It can have both a positive and a negative influence, that is the same with every owner.” Whatever happens next, let’s hope that Stan Kroenke is indeed a man with a plan, as he appears to hold the future of the club in his hands – at least from a financial perspective.
J.W Remember she was kicked off of the board before she sold up and only after following Fiszman’s advice and getting her honorary life presidency , sold out to Kroenke. I reckon she regrets selling , whether that means she would sell to Usmanov is another thing.If she did however that would even out the share holding somewhat to approx 52 to 45%, something that I would see as positive for the club as it would mean that that the small shareholders and members of the fans scheme would hold the balance of power.
JW. Who doesn’t know they’re born? I missed that bit.
Potter, at my age the price would probably kill me. I have been very lucky for quite a few years i have good friends who are season ticket holders they have often offered me a ticket when one of their clan is ill or on holiday very good seats and all i pay for is the beer which is usually dearer than the ticket but we have fun, but now the mrs wants to soak up the dire atmosphere so i have made the step to get our own tickets .We naturally do not expect a season ticket to be offered anytime soon so this could be a one off for her, or it may turn out to be a regular thing. we just wont eat for a week. 🙂
Strange indeed JW. I was wondering if like the Bender or De Boer brothers they were twins? lol
Erm, and they is an experience defender who I hear was voted into the La liga team of the season. He loves Arsenal so much that he has decided not to play in Euro to ensure he signs for Arsenal. Jeez doesn’t he know we are a club on the downward spiral? I think his name is Sebastien Squillaci. He must be related to Toto Schillaci even though the last names are spelt differently. It sounds the same when it is pronounced.
Potter,
Hmm! A stalemate. Is that a good idea? sounds remarkably similar to stagnation.
tsGH,
….and we have some of the finest scouts in the business! 😀
Folks according to Forbes, Nina can not change her mind about after Stan reached undertakings with major shareholders Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith. It is purported that Stan can decide to after 5 years to re-evaluate the shares value.
That’s all folks!! Have a pleasant evening all you faithful Arsenal fans.
….and remember….Arsene knows best! 😀
Have a good evening JW. Enjoy and stay safe…
Must be me then.
Evening people…
Sorry about today but it’s that time of year….
Emma will be cheesed off to hear that Bayern are also interested in Capoue as Martinez the £35m purchase is not working out as they wanted…
If the chavs go for Falcao, Mbiwa and Capoue then we are truly screwed. It seems that as Perez of RM said 6 years ago, that he does not need scouts anymore, all he needs to do is go after who AW is going for’ most clubs are following suit.
I guess the President of RM has not taken heed that AW is considered clueless by his own fans and the spuds supporting British media 😮
Hi lady Rico
£7m loan fee plus £140k a week for Sahin at liverpool and he is not even playing regularly. Jeez and they say we have deadwoods!
Welcome Rico. The voice of reason.
Hi Ts and Adam, just going to have a read….
What’s this ‘Remi Who’? story….
Surely not..
Kev, why do you reckon Theo is gone?
which Remi Rico?
An Ath Bilbao player just snapped his leg
My bad he is up limping again. Ath Bilbao 1 up against Mallorca for those interested…
Rico. I reckon Kev thinks he would have signed by now if he was going to. It’s a fair point and he could probably join a club with more of a chance to win trophies than us and get paid more money. There are plenty of precedents and it’s the price Arsenal have paid many times for their current world view.
Ha ha ha listening to Brendan Rodgers post match interviews make AW look sane again… 😀
Brendan Rogers interview after the game,,, ‘ I could not have asked for anything more off the players,they give it everything. Have we heard that before? I thought BR was a Maurenho disaciple not an AW apostle… 😀
He could Adam but he’s happy… We should just pay him £100,000 a week and be done with it…
Are you suggesting Wenger was insane then Ts….
Yes Rico. I have said that since 20 Oct 2012. I defend the man on his past and eye for talent and the love I strongly believe he has for the club but even I can’t explain his comments some times. Comical Ali comes to mind. lol.
However, I do not believe the board are competent enough to recruit a better manager than AW so…
Anfield is such a difficult place to win”. Even Liverpool can’t win there
These guys are never happy Rico. People are going hungry and having a tough time and the country is in the poo. But still they want more. I want more but my editors won’t give it to me. I guess one argument is that you have to draw a line in the sand and an opposing view would take into consideration how much it would cost to replace him. Let’s not forget that our manager is scraping by on a paltry £120 grand plus per week. It’s a hard life.
But 120k to 140k per week for a manager who has spent 16 years at the club but some deem has over stayed by 7 years is too much some say? Instead they ask why a player who most thought was clueless until 8 months ago and has been as inconsistent as Diaby playing 4 matches in a role deserves £100k a week. Lack of ambition they say…
What he has done in the years gone by has been incredible, but that’s all gone. We have to live in the here and now, and that’s not good….
I can not believe Phil Thompson still thinks Liverpool are in a better state than Arsenal? lol
No one denies that but for people to say he should have been sacked 7 years ago… please. What do they expect? To still be winning doubles whilst the stadium and our finance is taking a hit!
If we had sacked AW after the 8-2 spanking last year and ‘arry had taken us to 5th last year most will be saying he is a genius.
But would we replace him Adam, that is my biggest worry. As we read recently, when one player goes, there is often a younger one ready to step up…
And I strongly suspect that if TW leaves, AW will forget his ideas of playing Oxlade-Chamberlain in the centre of midfield.
Oh, and I want more money too….
Not good but not as bad as it is made out to be…
At any other ‘top’ club Ts, he would have been sacked around five or six years ago
Rico. If I was your employer I would pay you what you wanted because I know that replacing you would cost a fortune. Even if you do have a dodgy shoulder :).
Thank you Adam, that is very kind of you. 🙂
Really? Kindly give an example of any other top club with a stadium move and ownweship takeover and a bunch of board of directors who have never ever pulled any money out of their own pocket to finance the club.?
And the stadium move is in the past excuse ? Are we not still paying for it? If you believe AU is the saviour didn’t AU tell us last July that it is up to AW to have a budget to repay all the loan instalments? So why don’t we find a Pep or a GG or maurenho to do that for us whilst still keeping us competitive and qualifying for CL. CL qualification may count for nothing to the trophy lovers but as an example Liverpool who until AW came to us had always been bigger than us and have outspent us since 1990. They won a trophy last season for people like Mickie Quinn to gloat on talkshite but where is the club today?
And Klopp has outspent AW since he has been at BD too but they only lost Kagawa but replaced him with a more expensive and better Reus but find themselves 14 pts behind the Bavarians.
Maurenho has a squad bigger than most teams and like Munchini is complaining that the results are due to him not spending enough the previous season.
Adam with all due respect that is not the real world otherwise we would not have a recession and people getting laid off.
Additionally, soldiers would not be quitting the regular armies around the world to become mercenaries. And in most civil street jobs, employers just do not give anyone what they want for the sake of it.
Why are companies relocating to cheaper areas like Eastern Europe and Asia to save money when the best workers are allegedly in the developed countries?
yes you may give a valuable employee what they want like we did with PV in 2001 and Cesc in 2009 to hold unto them for a while but…
Night guys and lady..
It’s just my view Ts, for on the pitch results alone, I think both Mancs, Chelsea and maybe even Liverpool would have reacted by now.
He has wasted a lot of money on paying wages to rubbish players…
Night Ts, have a good one…
I do not understand why Wengers salary keeps getting thrown in his face.
What he earns is his business,and he never complains about being underpaid,so who cares?
The people who throw it up are often complaining about our players wage structure…..do we really advocate the man running the show earning less than players……seriously???
The people that matter believe he is worth the cash,so enough already.
As for pumping money into the club…..well,obviously i can’t buy a season ticket,and why would i feel guilty about buying a shirt each season for myself and my son??
It is my money,i earn it and i buy the gear for us.
Morning all.
Hi Scott,
You arrive as I am just about to depart.
I mention his salary similarly to I do players, earn a lot but aren’t performing on the pitch…
Fair enough Rico.
I am not suggesting here whether or not he is doing a good job,but relatively speaking,he is not overpaid when comparing jobs.
You are right….plenty at Arsenal earn a small proportion of their wages.
He’s the highest in the PL though isn’t he Scott, ahead of Mancini and Fergie I once read…
Not sure if that is still correct….
1. Jose Mourinho – Real Madrid (£12.3m)
2. Carlo Ancelotti – Paris St. Germain (£10.9m)
3. Marcelo Lippi – Guangzhou (£8.7m)
4. Sir Alex Ferguson – Manchester United (£7.6m)
5. Arsene Wenger – Arsenal (£7.5m, )
6. Guus Hiddink – Anzhi (£6.7m)
7. Fabio Capello – Russia (£6.3m)
8. Tito Vilanova – Barcelona (£5.6m)
9. Jose Camacho – China (£4.8m)
10. Roberto Mancini – Manchester City (£4.8m)
11. Frank Rijkaard – Saudi Arabia (£4.3m)
12. Jupp Heynckes – Bayern Munich (£4.2m)
13. Andre Villas-Boas – Tottenham (£3.6m)
14. Harry Redknapp – QPR (£3.2m)
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2239727/Top-30-best-paid-football-managers-world–Sir-Alex-Ferguson-England-boss-Roy-Hodgson-Jose-Mourinho-tops-list.html#ixzz2F9ZxujIg
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
There you go then, second highest in the PL, and only just below a man who has won everything and most seasons wins something…….
That’s me for today,
Catch up tomorrow guys, have a good one..
Night Night..
I still say it is of no concern to us what his emploees deem an appropriate salary,and it is ordinary to keep trowing it up.
Just my opinion.
MarcelemI goes ok!!
Marcelo Lippi even 🙂
Alex Ferguson doesn’t do anyone favours in the transfer market.
He also never sells quality players to opponents…
So I smell a rat, concerning the prospective transfer of Nani to Arsenal…
If Nani was any good Fergie would play him, not sell him…
The suggested transfer fee of £20 million is laughable.
Whilst the rumoured wage demand of £130k per week is comical…
Wenger, if he really wants to spend £20 million on a player, can get someone considerably better than Nani for that kind of fee…
Apologies to Eusebio (JM) 😉
Chamakh as part-ex for Diame sounds a good deal.
I don’t know too much about the Dutch guy, but if he’s that good get him as well ( unlikely I know).
Wonder if we can part-ex Squillaci for, well, anyone???
Strootman, that’s the Dutch m/f…..
Kev,Nani threw a punch at a fellow player in training…that is why he been marked for transfer.
Everyone reckons we need some extra punch in attack 🙂
Scott, should the rumours be true that the club are trying to insert clauses reducing players wages if we fail to qualify for the CL, do you think Wenger would also have a pay cut?
Like you say he earns what he earns, his business. I for one do not think his performance of the last few seasons warrants such a sum.
Has anyone toucjedn the fact that if Theo goes to Chelski or Utd,it proves he is chasing the cash??
Can anyone really see him playing as a central striker in those teams…be serious now.
Touched on…..
BG,the board obviously do because he is doing the perfect job……in their eyes.
Making money on transfers whilst keeping us in top 4.
It is obviously his job requirements at this stage,so as always i ask why blame Wenger when the board is responsible?
No, he is actually better off with us. Even if he joins Man Ure he will be employed by Fergie in the same role that Wenger had him in. Supplying Van Persie.
I wasn’t blaming Wenger, Scott. In his shoes I’d be paid as much as I could get too. It’s still my opinion that the amount he gets is not justified.
Scott , no reason to feel guilty , as long as the shirts are official ones and the club are gaining from it. On my last trips to Turkey and the far east there were plenty of Arsenal shirts among others but all were from the local sweat shops and being sold at 1/3 rd of the price here. They looked good enough and were probably made as cabbage in the Nike factories, . I suspect that this is also the case in the parts of the world that the club seems to be aiming for.
Morning Rico.
Regarding Theo, I believe that he is fit to play, but that a deal is in place to sell him in January.
If he played and got injured, then he might still be at AFC when the January Window closes and thus be on a Bosman next summer.
Can’t see our American owners allowing their franchise to make that mistake…
Potter,i get them from Arsenal FC….
BG,as i say,i believe the ob warrants a huge salary,but it is p for debate as to whether the job is being done adequately.
I am with you on Theo, Kev.
I had hoped he would stay,but not now.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2248779/Arsene-Wenger-stay-Arsenal-Gary-Neville.html
This guy is brilliant.
Regardless of whether or not you agree with him,at least he backs his opinion up with logic,something plenty of ex-Arsenal players seem incapable of.
Morning all…
Evening Scott and Oz
Oh Gary Neville, I never thought I would end up respecting a man who kicked our player out of this country so much. My hat off to G Neville.
People say Usmanov is our saviour but refuse to heed his comments or details of his letters about some of the failings of the board but choose to blame a loyal man in AW.
Usmanov blames Arsenal board for failing Wenger.
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_usmanov-blames-arsenal-board-for-failing-wenger_1778126?
And on AW salary believe it al not AW is a brand the same way Michael Jordan was to the Chicago bulls in the early 90’s. RedNose has never been brand but I guess some bright sparks will claim he wins more trophies than AW..
A classic line by P Collins:
….. One red-top tabloid, which knows a bandwagon when one comes clattering by, organised a highly scientific opinion poll.
This ‘damning’ exercise revealed that around 60 per cent of respondents believed that Wenger’s time was up.
Considering it was taken in the hours after Bradford, and plainly included a hefty cargo of drunks, comedians and Tottenham supporters, some might think the manager came out rather well. 😀
In recent memory, the teams of Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas, back to Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira have set standards of excellence which speak of inspired coaching and sensitive development.
Yet this is the man whose head is currently being demanded by an avenging posse.
Loud of voice and short of memory, they seek a manager who will take them to ‘another level’.
Well, in a spirit of helpfulness, I have compiled a random list of men who may be open to offers of employment.
Assuming that Pep Guardiola is unavailable, it includes the likes of Avram Grant, Roy Keane, Kenny Dalglish, Alan Shearer, Iain Dowie and Mark Hughes.
These may not be the kind of candidates who would slide snugly into the shoes of Arsene Wenger.
Clearly, I have no stake in this particular argument.
But we are considering the future of an authentic visionary, one of our most brilliantly accomplished football managers.
And so I say to the avenging mob: be very careful what you wish for.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2248752/Patrick-Collins-The-anti-Wenger-mob-careful-wish-for.html#ixzz2FCn0vi83
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Morning all..
Thanks Kev, tomorrow could tell us more then…
New Post up…..
Ts – its all about fans personal choice, some want SK, others want AU – we live in a democratic world….