Morning all.
If by some chance we manage to beat Watford tomorrow, there won’t be a re-run of last season’s semi-final as Reading were knocked out last night by Crystal Palace. Having moaned after Benteke dropped with ease in the penalty area last weekend to assure Liverpool beat Palace, Pardew had to watch one of his own players perform in a similar fashion with 84 minutes on the clock. Until then, Reading had kept the score at 0-0 thanks to some goalkeeping heroics from Al-Habsi. The Reading defender was sent off by Dean, Caybaye converted the penalty and before the final whistle blew, Palace added a second.
So, Palace are off to Wembley and tomorrow Arsenal have a chance of joining them. Later today Chelsea and Everton battle it out for their place in the semi-final, tomorrow it’s West Ham or Man Utd for the final spot.
Playing the semi-final at Wembley is silly imo as it takes the gloss off of going there for the final. Bring back neutral grounds I say and make the final the grand event it deserves.
Apparently though, the decision the host the semi-finals at Wembley was all part of the stadium’s business plan which allowed the FA to build the 90,000 seater stadium and of course, that capacity is the largest of any ground here in England so far more supporters can get to watch their team live. Mind you, only two thirds of the 90,000 seats are actually filled by fans of the two clubs involved in both of the semis, and the final for that matter.
Also, there’s the security issue. Back in the ‘neutral ground’ days, a stadium couldn’t be selected until the last minute when the competing sides had won their quarter-final so this way, it’s a lot easier for the authorities to sort safety and security issues, transport issues, policing etc and of course the television coverage.
So I suppose it makes sense but as already said, it takes the shine off of the final.
As for the 90,000 seat capacity, well last season for the semi-final against Reading, both clubs were allocated around 30,000 tickets each which again doesn’t make sense as where do the remaining 30,000 go?
We probably know the answer and perhaps that’s the real reason the FA Cup semi-final get’s played at Wembley…
Oh well, it is what it is and I just hope Arsenal can make sure they going there again after tomorrow….
No. It devalues the final. It was, and should always be the thrill of reaching the final at Wembley.Besides, I think fans now lose out of the experience of semi final day at places like Hillsboro, Villa Park etc. In 78, I was unable to get a ticket for our semi – but managed to be inside Highbury for the other semi with Ipswich – atmosphere like that is never as good at Wembley.
Ditto Iceman.
I went to OT back in 2002 to see an own goal by Boro put us through to the final…
Still can’t believe I went to that dump…
The modern Wembley is a financial cash cow. The day out to watch your team play is a nightmare-and I live in London. The stadium is a an impersonal place where you could be seated a long, long way from the action and the journey home, especially if you lose, is even worse. Crushing crowds, officious police on horses who are crapping everywhere and the pleasure of the tube station and sardine-like squeezing alongside inebriated fans from both teams for an hour. My trip there to watch us play and lose against Birmingham in the pouring rain lingers long in the memory.
Mind you, it is better than the old Wembley with its neglected toilets simulating a rolling sea of stale beer and urine. Vile place.
That good eh Adam… 😉
It’s a beautiful experience Rico. Especially the food. 🙂
Never been Adam so I’ll have to take your word on it… lol
Food in and outside any stadium is always best avoided… 😉
Off to get a few chores done so catch up later…
Interesting post Rico…
Yeah, take the semi-finals back to neutral grounds and watch all the hangers-on and freeloaders lose interest and give up their ticket allocation…
An Arsenal semi-final at Old Trafford would probably have more proper Arsenal fans in attendance than a corporate jolly at Wembley…
That’s why I loved the cup finals at Cardiff.
None of the corporates fancied the journey down to Wales, therefore more real fans got to ses the games…
If made for a brilliant atmosphere, not least because the Millennium Stadium is far superior to the soul less bowl that is Wembley…
That’s one he’ll of a memory adam you can keep that one lol..
I loved Cardiff to kev I went to the final against Southampton there.. absolutely brilliant and with the roof closed the atmosphere was great. ..
1-0 to The Arsenal 🙂
Yeah Kel, that was quite surreal, watching an indoor FACup Final…
Not a great game vs Southampton, but a great result…
Stan Kroenke lifts lid on why Arsenal prioritise business foundations over spending big on transfers
12 March 2016
Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke has lifted the lid on his approach to ownership – but risked invoking the wrath of fans by claiming “if you want to win Championships then you would never get involved”.
The American real estate magnate discussed his belief in prioritising the building of a sports team’s business foundations in a rare public airing of his thoughts at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston.
Kroenke, who has earned the nickname “Silent Stan” from Arsenal after keeping schtum at recent AGMs, also discussed the importance of statistical analysis at the Premier League club.
Some Arsenal fans have recently expressed exasperation over the team’s loss of form in the league and the club’s supposed reluctance to spend big on players despite having cash reserves of £160m.
Billionaire-bankrolled Chelsea and Manchester City have won the Premier League six times between them since Arsenal last lifted the trophy in 2004, but Kroenke warned against a model that relied on a wealthy benefactor to spend big.
On a panel entitled Evolution of Ownership Kroenke said: “For me, being an individual owner, I have to have some sort of reality involved.
“If you want to win championships then you would never get involved. I think the best owners in sports are the guys that sort of watch both sides a bit. If you don’t have a good business then you can’t really afford to go out and get the best players unless you just want to rely on other sources of income.
“Over there [in the UK] it was sort of like ‘well, we’ve got guys from the Middle East, the oil price is over $100, they can spend anything they want’.
“But the problem I saw with all of that; those people can lose interest. It doesn’t mean that they will, but I sort of threw that out there: ‘What happens when the Middle Eastern family, this thing’s costing a lot of money and they decide to go home?’ I said what really happens in those situations is the fans get hurt because the players get picked up and paid if they’re good, the front office gets other jobs.”
Kroenke said he has long been a fan of the moneyball approach first popularised in baseball by manager Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s who interrogated statistics to find undervalued players.
His belief in the power of analytics motivated Arsenal’s purchase of Chicago-based analytics company StatDNA for £2.2m in 2012.
“I was always interested in Moneyball,” said Kroenke. “Billy Beane, one of his heroes happened to be our manager at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger. Arsene has an undergraduate degree in economics and has always had that analytical thing going on.
“When we acquired a controlling interest in Arsenal in 2011, after that we started pushing pretty hard because it seemed to me that there were some people who were a bit more advanced in that area and so we were fortunate in that we acquired StatDNA. They gave us a big lift in the soccer business.”
Kroenke, who owns NHL franchise Colorado Avalanche, MLS team Colorado Rapids, NBA franchise the Denver Nuggets and NFL franchise the Los Angeles Rams as well as Arsenal explained that his various sports franchises learn from each other in the fields of marketing, finance and player analytics.
“Are you sacrificing anything by working on multiple teams? I don’t think so,” argued the multi-billionaire.
“Because I feel like when I work on things at Arsenal I learn things that I can bring back here. I feel like when I work on things here I learn things that I can take back there.
“Player analytics is something that goes across these different teams, but our marketing people talk to each other, our finance people talk to each other. You’re benchmarking and you’re trying to find best practise in the middle of it.”
On what he’d learned from the Premier League in particular, Kroenke talked about the power of a club’s “brand” to hold customer loyalty and generate revenue – something which could irk Arsenal fans charged with the most expensive season tickets in Europe.
“What did I learn specifically [from England]? You learn very quickly what that brand means,” said Kroenke.
“We have a gentleman who comes to Arsenal games, he flies his helicopter from South Africa, Cape Town to London quite often [to watch Arsenal]. It’s just an example of what a brand can mean, and what we can do in sports.
“We’re all working on that and that’s the big opportunity. Michael Jordan showed it – you can get paid a whole lot more if you can extend your brand. Manchester United showed it. They established benchmarks that people had thought heretofore unattainable, but their brand extension made people want to pay for it.”
Kroenke also revealed he was approached to buy an Indian cricket team around a decade ago but declined – something he conceded may have been a mistake – and that Arsenal would play and train in Southern California this summer in a bid to raise their profile in the US.
Btw, it’s over 6,000 from South Africa to London…
As far as I know, the average helicopter does about 400 miles between refuelling.
So is Silent Stan a bit of a Lying Stan?
Also, isn’t it nice to know that Arsenal are a ‘brand’…
Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov increases personal stake in the club to signal long-term commitment
26 February 2016
Arsenal minority shareholder Alisher Usmanov has increased his personal stake in the Premier League club after buying out his business partner Farhad Moshiri.
Billionaire Usmanov, worth $12.7bn (£9.2bn) according to Forbes, now owns 100 per cent of Red & White Holdings which represents 30.04 per cent of shares in Arsenal, after purchasing Moshiri’s share.
The Russian businessman said the move signalled his long-term commitment to the North Londoners.
““In line with my previously stated objective, I can confirm that I have purchased the whole stake of Farhad Moshiri, thereby increasing my holding in Arsenal to over 30 per cent and securing my position as the second largest shareholder,” said Usmanov.
“I am committed to Arsenal and I will proudly retain my holding as a long-term investment for myself and my family to enjoy and benefit for generations to come. I want the absolute best for Arsenal and am prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of the club.”
The news is unlikely to be welcomed by majority owner Stan Kroenke who fought Usmanov for control of Arsenal in 2011 and is now believed to have plans to keep his 67 per cent stake within his family.
Kev, don’t be so facetious, he probably meant to say Southend but it got lost in translation ! Happens to Arsene all the time.
Barca warming up for us nicely, 4 nil up at half time.
What a beautiful day it’s been. My garden is now ready for summer… 🙂
Afternoon all.
Great first half from England..
Just seen City dropped two points, good for us…
Morning all , just got power back it’s been off since this morning . Off to read the post.
That’s not good Potter, still, better late than never…. Lol
In typical F.A fashion they overspent on Wembley and with a great display of their organisation skills they made a pigs ear of the whole thing. They are now so far in debt that they need to squeeze every bit of cash they can out of whoever they can. The old Wembley like Highbury had a personality and just like at our place the new one is just a corporate money box.
I doubt it’ll be long before the Capital One Cup semis will be at Wembley…
Night guys…
Chelsea out, Costa off 🙂
Gone now 🙂
Kev… am not surprise that’s that NFL n NBA model… don’t spend what you don’t make and if you do there will be a luxury tax; but milk it because its the only business where you are guarantee a profit before anything starts….TV money. Arsen is a perfect partner. ..typical economist
Morning all.
Stan’s our man, no question lol
Morning Scott and all…
Go all out today, and let Wednesday take care of itself, Rico?
I hope Wenger concentrates on the trophy we can still possibly win.
I’m all for that Scott, strongest side today and ring then changes for Barca…
But AW won’t I bet…
How would UEFA take it if we sent out a less than competitive side, Rico?
Can they take action?
New post up now…
I woudn’t have thought so Scott, after all, a named CL squad is there for a reason…