The conclusion of a two-part article from ArsenalAndrew
After the Russians tanks arrived in 2003, firing £50 notes, they were later joined in 2009 by the sandstorm from the desert and both Chelsea and Manchester City were free to wreak fully funded havoc in the EPL as the global economy seized up from the effects of the credit crunch. The Arsenal Master Plan, if not in tatters was in serious danger of collapsing in on itself.
That the club, somewhat against all the odds, was able to repeatedly steady itself and push on through the maelstrom is thanks largely to two of the most mis-maligned and harshly judged men currently in world football. Yet history will surely judge that the stability – if not the spending funds – latterly provided by Stanley Kroenke off the pitch from 2011, combined with the uniquely extraordinary abilities of Arsene Wenger on it, fused together to forge something future footballing generations will come to see as being little less than a sporting miracle.
Stability is what Kroenke has given to the club. Joining the Board in September 2008, he did it at arguably during its most vulnerable point in its long history.
He gave Arsenal Football Club a space to play and to trade itself away from the edge of the abyss.
There is little doubt Kroenke’s investment will reap a very substantial reward for the American in return for having huge sums tied up in the club for an indeterminate period. A return, incidentally, that was never a given. Equally, it can hardly be denied that Arsene Wenger has been appropriately recompensed for living and breathing Arsenal for every waking minute of the last sixteen-plus years.
But were it not for these two individuals, Arsenal could be a very different place today. And quite possibly playing a very different, and very likely, a far less joyously exciting brand of football. However, it wasn’t merely the style of football being played that was effectively safe-guarded at this point, but the very essence of the club itself.
Some say the club were the architects of their own problems when they chose to move away from Highbury.
Yet not leaving Highbury was never an option.
Evidence of this is provided by the failure to develop Anfield and Stamford Bridge, and the impact of those lengthy delays over in Middlesex. All are salutary reminders of the weaknesses and vulnerabilities some clubs are facing as they peer into an uncertain and, for one or two, a quite possibly unhappy future.
Yet the cost of leaving Highbury, whilst seemingly high given the short-term absence of trophies, could have been so much greater.
On the balance of probabilities, given the nature of football, it’s likely that most owners would have struggled to absorb the impact of successive trophy-less seasons. Yet this is exactly what Kroenke has done, albeit aided by the club’s remarkably consistent ability to qualify for Europe year after year.
The Abramovitch ‘model’ of football management HAS brought a measure of success at the Bridge.
Whether it was because of his model or in spite of it is a highly moot point given the vast sums expended on the playing side. Yet regardless of those somewhat tarnished, if not quite devalued, trophy riches, one is nowadays hard-pressed to meet a happy fan of a club for whom an unofficial name change has come to symbolise for so many, so much of what is wrong with major aspects of the game today.
Chelski are now utterly reliant on the continued goodwill of one man.
To the extent that, in public at least, few fans of the club seem prepared to risk going beyond criticizing their manager despite their deep-seated concerns for the future of the club. The long-term sustainability of Chelsea’s success is today predicated on little more than a whim.
For Arsenal to have risked ending up with an owner like Roman would have been to risk the loss of all our integrity and respect, our heart and our credibility. Our west London neighbours have now been reduced to being little more than a money-laundering operation with an outlook as short-term as their owner’s profile is high.
During the recent match against Bayern Munich, though Arsenal were clearly beaten by an excellent, more established and settled side, it would take a mean spirit to fault the endeavour of the Arsenal team. Though we were the lesser of the two sides on the night, Arsenal were not a million miles off the German pace. And whilst rightly acknowledging the achievements of Bayern Munich, it is pertinent to reflect on the absence in Germany of a Chelsea or Citeh equivalent of financially ‘advantaged’ sides in a league which now has more in common with the EPL of the 1990’s than today’s ‘top heavy’ version.
It is pertinent also to note that Arsenal today, with a little help from Financial Fair Play and our own commercial activities, are on the brink of effectively joining the financial powerhouses of Europe – the four clubs of Spain and Manchester, PSG and, for now, Chelsea.
But not just for one season. Or for a temporary Liverpool-esque cash splurge of the kind squandered by ‘King’ Kenny.
But for all seasons.
This year has been another of dramatic ups and downs in a sequence of seasons that have provided a sporting white-knuckle ride for all followers of the club. A ride of sufficient velocity and unpredictability to see more than a few previously firm hands loosen their grip on the bar of unwavering support.
Before the Bayern game, we had to endure the Blackburn encounter, against whom, for Arsenal, the goals just would not come. We eventually lost to a break-out fluke of a strike to the audible anguish of all following the unfortunate home side.
The ‘backlash’ of an anticipated goal-fest against relegation threatened Villa then failed to materialise in front of another home crowd that was, largely thanks to the results of the two previous cup games, nervous and jittery and which, some would say, successfully transmitted that collective state of mind to the players working so hard below.
We were, however, watching our third league win in a row. Though you would never have believed it from a glance of the next day’s cheap headlines or the intellectual vacuum of Twitter.
Regardless of the ups and downs, none of the results seen this season – the good, the bad or the ugly – in the overall context of Arsenal’s Emirates-era challenges, are legitimate grounds for turning on this club – its players, its staff or its owner.
And given the squad transformation seen since Cesc’s departure (which must render the place virtually unrecognizable to the recently benched one), Arsenal’s present position remains competitive, as we sit two points behind Chelsea in the league, and still, as of March, fighting hard in Europe. A squad teeming with talent, now populated with experience and youth in near-equal measure, an intriguing, growing English ‘core’, augmented by some of the most exciting young talent from Europe and beyond, is clearly and self-evidently beginning to flourish on a solid bedrock of management continuity and fiscal stability and growth.
Yet to still willfully ignore ALL of that in the context of the events of the last eight years or so, can only be politely described as lazy ignorance – or mischief making – of the lowest order.
So yes. If there is to be a backlash against all that has gone before, let it begin now.
Let us, as positive fans, hit the boo-boys, the doomers and the negativistas as hard as we can wherever we encounter them. With our arguments and with our reason. With our sense of history and with all our expectations for the future.
In print.
Online.
In pubs and bars, cafes and restaurants.
At our ground.
At any ground.
Wherever we are in the world.
And let the lads do their talking on the pitch. And with our full uncompromising and unconditional support.
If the on-field backlash happens at White Hart Lane, so much the better. But if it doesn’t, then, despite the obvious disappointment, as followers of the club we must derive solace from what we know will follow and what will be.
Take our understanding of the club’s recent history and appreciate just how close we are now to where we want to be.
And where the club deserves to be.
Understand all of that and help others to.
Understand Arsenal, and be a part of something.
Positively Arsenal 
Written with maturity, style and passion. This is no carefully constructed apology to those who have lost faith in the project, deriding the club and the manager for keeping us safe in a period of enormous financial danger while competing at a top-top level. Excellent job Andrew. Keep it positive.
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I don’t think I’ve read a better summary of our current position and the reasons behind it. Anywhere. This is also a fine call to arms.
Thank you Agent Andrew
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Inspiring stuff Andrew. It makes a change to see someone acknowledge Stan’s contribution other than deriding him for not spending his money on the club in the benefactor billionaire style that is bringing such stability to chelski!
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respect andrew !! as dave says, “for those who believe/understand, no explanation neccessary, for those who dont, none will suffice”.
….cause ever since a kid,
ive only known one thing
forever for the arsenal i sing…..
…with bus or train or car
and i dont care how far
forever i will follow ARSENAL…
or something to that effect..im no chant organiser…little dutch? where are you? organise them !! get one of them megaphones
‘\
_\______
/ \========] —– O [TOTENHAM]
____|__________\_____ [CHELSEA]
/ ______ARSENAL______ \ [UNITED]
\ / _ ===============_ \ / [CITY]
“-===============-” [THE REST]
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embarassing….that sucks ^^
..its supposed to be a tank bombing the enemies….
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Superb, oh I’ve done the heated discussions on line, at the ground and in the pubs with some of the doomers, been called many different things for my sins as well!, but the one thing I got called that sums these people up was “a mug punter”- anyone who’s met me or has conversed online with me could well be in their rights to call me a mug but “punter?”- like the good people on here when it comes to arsenal I’m no punter, I’m a supporter. Punter, my arse.
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ANDREW
spot on. Read it twice and couldn’t find anything I disagree with.
By the way piers Morgan and laewro both have picked ARSENAL as probable winners this weekend. Not bad for a couple of complete tosser.
Morning everyone
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A. CALL TO. ARMS
Or tanks in hunters case.
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Terrific read, Andrew. A call to arms indeed. This article is a very pertinent reminder of how far we have come, how much worse off we could have been and how different our beloved club could have become.
Although I’d quibble that Stan isn’t our “owner” and therefore not to be directly compared with Abramovich or the Mansour family, it’s good to see a bit of sense written about him for once. SK believes in the self-sustainable model, he didn’t throw his weight around and create unpheaval and as you say, has tied up, for the long term, a great deal of his money in the club – I suspect more than he initially intended to when he got involved in Arsenal. I wince at some of the abuse and criticism he gets online.
However my one gripe with the article is that it does not mention Danny Fiszman’s role. His drive to get the stadium built, the dedication which he displayed by devoting his dying years to safeguarding the future of the club, really should be lauded. A far greater contribution than SK’s so far. I also feel credit should be given to Hill-Wood as well for providing stability and facilitating the input of others.
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Off topic – Frimpers has so impressed Martin Jol that despite only having started him once, Jol is already talking about extending his loan deal for next season! That’s fantastic.
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Mel – I’m sure many if not all of those who visit PA have indeed gone into bat on behalf of the club on countless occasions over the years. I guess if anything the ‘call to arms’ is aimed at those waverers who are surrounded by negativity or by fans of other clubs and are feeling worn down by it all.
Fungunner – you make a couple of very important points and thanks for doing so.
To be honest, I was acutely aware of the length of the piece (having already split it in half) to delve more deeply into the detail. But my failure to laud Danny Fiszman’s massive contribution is certainly worth correction. I wouldn’t want to get into a beauty contest between Danny and Stanley as their achievements and contributions to the club are both very different – indeed, incomparable really. That one ‘facilitated’ an entire stadium (which I understand was the subject of over a thousand separate legal contracts, such was its complexity) is difficult to imagine ‘trumping’. But without contradicting you, Kroenke’s contribution at a time when the global money supply – ie, cash – was seizing up, brought the club vital breathing space to bring us to where we are today; stable, in one piece and ready to push on.
It’s worth remembering that Liverpool, Spurs, Citeh and Chelsea have worked their collective way through 15 different managers since Kroenke pitched up in 2008. Who knows how many more Arsenal might have added to that count had A N Other won the dash for shares that SK won.
So for me at least, Kroenke has enabled the club to retain its heart and soul in the short/medium terms whilst Fiszman was in many ways the architect of the club’s future.
Both have played vital roles. It’s highly appropriate that Danny has a bridge named after him heading out towards the Arsenal underground station; I walk over that bridge usually at least once a week. Fiszman certainly bridged the past and whether Kroenke will receive similar recognition is not known but his own ‘bridge over troubled waters’ will one day be more widely appreciated, I’m sure.
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I don’t like that Morgan and Lawero favor Arsenal over the Spuds. I’m so used to them getting it so utterly wrong that their confidence makes me feel uneasy. Nevertheless, I will not shave my good luck fuzz and will carry out all my pre-match rituals as normal. Bastards!!!
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With Sunday approaching I’d imagine Hunter is like a Rottweiler with an elastic band round his willy!
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@ ArsenalAndrew
fair enough
@G69 March 1, 2013 at 1:20 pm
Me neither.
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@ G69
That was about this bit:
“I don’t like that Morgan and Lawero favor Arsenal over the Spuds. I’m so used to them getting it so utterly wrong that their confidence makes me feel uneasy.”
I make no comment about the shaving off of good luck fuzz and other pre-match rituals. (Banned smiley face)
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Hello campers
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hello ninja ! got any nunchakus to spare?
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They are Chinese Hunter
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isnt kung fu chinese ?
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Fungunner – I’ll be sorry not to see Frimps in an Arsenal shirt before too long; he’s an absolute monster of a player and I could see him being Jack’s personal bodyguard for years to come. Not that Jack thinks he needs back up …
When the awesome Serge Gnabry steps up to take his place in the side, ‘muscular’ will only begin to describe it; anybody foolish enough to be tempted to think about testing the theory on Arsenal ‘not liking it up ’em’ will be in for a very nasty surprise.
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@ arsenalandrew
My comment was really about the fact that he has clearly been so impressive. I want Frimpers in the red-and-white, too, but I feel he is a bit raw and we have so many excellent midfielders, we won’t miss him numerically.
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Yes Hunter but Ninjutsu is Japanese
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He’s definitely one for the future Fungunner. He’s a bit prone to getting booked at the moment but I’m sure he’ll master the so-called ‘dark arts’ soon enough …
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Very true. And he’s a proper Gooner as well. Nice lad – intelligent and loyal. I’d love him to be available to England but I have so much respect for his loyalty to Ghana.
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Yes, nice touch that.
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FunGunner: “I make no comment about the shaving off of good luck fuzz and other pre-match rituals. (Banned smiley face)”
Naughty!
I have no doubt Frimpong will be a Gunner once he’s fully recovered from his latest set back.
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Beautifully written and passionate and few would argue that the oligarchs have impacted but as I countered argues the other day it only explains our struggle over 38 games to win EPL. It singularly does not explain us not winning any silverware, by which I of course refer to the domestisc cups Wenger has chosen not to prioritise until very recently. I am as positive a Gooner as you and your chums but sometimes there is more than one truth. http://1nildown2oneup.net/no-trophy-in-8-years-all-down-to-the-oligarchs-i-am-told-boll-cks/
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Hi everybody
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Thanks Andrew. Very astute write up mi bredrin.
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ZP, whats up!
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I saw a comment saying that PA was the new AKB site. Nice!
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My only pre games ritual is a prayer and a nice cold Stella…
Wonder what GAINBOURG69 And others go through for preparation.
hello ZIMPAUL….
regarding Danny fizmann and contributions of some others maybe a wholly separate piece is in order. Even Dein before he went to the dark side.
COYG
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Yes you seem to have wound a few numbnuts up on that there twatter today Andrew. A sure sign you are doing something spectacularly right. One particular gentleman accusing you of making his, er “piss boil” (he should really see a doctor for that). Marvellous.
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Finally had time to sit down and read that properly – great Stuff AA
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I was just about to say the same as anicoll5.
Excellent stuff. Now off to do some more work.
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Harry – excellent! Nothing like hitting a target.
Goonerkam – agree with you, there is definitely an article waiting to be written about the different contributions that have been made. Maybe we can get Adi on to it after he’s finished with Usmanov …
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I was much taken with this quote from the 36th President of the United States. Lyndon B. Johnson that I stumbled across today and it should be shared;
“Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else.”
Just replace the word “economics” with “Arsenal’s accounts”
It works for me
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I still think Frimpong has a lot to learn.
About the article, I tip my hat to the author. Are you a Totteridge boy?
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Today I realized I missed my pedantic meerkat too much so I decided to search for him via google..lo & behold, Positively Arsenal by none other than AA!
The names I see here have conspired to fill me we with such a warm & fuzzy feeling, its like a flashback to “the very first time!”
HELLO RASERS!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for this parallel universe, AA…
wassup PG…clique.clique…..how I’ve missed u so.
Wassup Dups, Shotta, ZP, FunG,G69, Hunter13, Passenal, Steww…does Dexter post here too?
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Adam, he’s just a kid so of course he has a lot to learn, but his heart is in the right place. All he needs is the desire and the willingness to work hard to achieve his dream. He had the ability before his injuries. So as long as they have not robbed him of that, it’s down to him. Arsene also seems to like him.
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DJ Cacofonix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI8khooPyJk
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oh no..AA, u just moderated me first 2 posts…pouqoui matey?
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still being moderated….you’re bursting my bubble, dude.
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Well, I am loving the fact that this blog is riling people up, What kills them is that they are not allowed to comment on the blog. Ha Ha Ha!
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you REALLY are bursting my bubble….my excitement’s receeding, feels like discrimination….Is there a blog policy I need to know about?
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or did I take too long to search for PG?
c’mon man….do tell , be point blank.
..interesting to read your snickering Paul-N, odd..
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Ateeb tried to post the other day
A few do,but guess what?
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You compare me to Ateeb, PG???
Is this what its come to?
Did I really misjudge you that much or has the time apart cast some stigma worthy of a blacklist upon me?
Just so you know…this REALLY HURTS.
Maybe you think my opening post was BS…it is March 1st after all.
…a lot has happened in my world too, mate
..DAMN!…u compared me to ATEEB????
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Again I say, coming from you George, this REALLY HURTS.
My internet service goes off in 5 mins, thats 9pm my time….
Please fill free (if you care at all) to fill me in on what makes me unsuitable for this blog?
I need to know (again if u care) what makes you any different from Yogi?
Just so I can retire peacefully…pls humour me (2 mins left)
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