I hold no brief for Stan Kroenke. I’ve never met the man and doubt I ever will. He is a billionaire; I struggle from paycheck to paycheck. He owns sports franchises, I can’t afford a sports car. He owns massive ranches; I can barely keep my mortgage current. He directs several corporations, I barely direct my household.
But there is one thread that binds us together; he happens to be the majority owner of the football club I support. There are millions of other plebs, like meself, in England and worldwide who depend on him for his proper stewardship of the club to whom we devote our recreational time and disposable income. This is a symbiotic relationship from which he benefits financially. There is an implied contract; as long as Stan takes care of AFC we are loyal, undying supporters of the club. That is why supporters have a vested interest in an objective analysis of whether Stan’s ownership is beneficial to the football club.
But apparently the name Stan Kroenke is a dog whistle that automatically triggers anything but a reasoned, measured response among several Arsenal fans. To the contrary, yell his name and there is an immediate rabid, noisy, fevered reaction that exceeds any pack of canines. Apparently rounding on Stan Kroenke is guaranteed to get emotions worked-up and generate attention for any blogger, twitter, ex-player, or malcontent seeking to tap into the need for a scapegoat on whom all blame can be pointed for the ills of the club particularly its recent falling out of the top-four for the first time in 20 years.
This was exactly what happened this past week when news emerged that Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov had made a bid of $1.3 billion to buy out Kroenke’s majority stake. In reaction to this attempted takeover, one of the top Arsenal bloggers, who has been knocking Kroenke for ages, to the approval of his acolytes, made the following declaration:
“Arsenal will continue to stagnate under Kroenke’s stewardship, he’s had majority control of the club for years now, and we understand his model of ownership is not really about achieving sporting success.”
As usual, I decided to test this grand declaration by measuring how it stacks up against the unbiased data.
Spending under Kroenke
One important measure of Stan’s commitment to Arsenal’s “sporting success” is the history of transfer spending since he became majority owner. Unlike the wild, baseless, emotive, incendiary assertions of various bloggers, tweeters and podcasters I prefer the unbiased data. From transfermarkt.co.uk I obtained the following information on transfer spending since the 2011-12 season when Kroenke became majority owner. (Figures below are in £-million.)
| Year | Ins | Outs | Net | Lge Pos |
| 2011-12 | 55.65 | 66.55 | -10.90 | 3 |
| 2012-13 | 47.60 | 55.97 | -8.37 | 4 |
| 2013-14 | 41.86 | 10.33 | 31.53 | 4 |
| 2014-15 | 101.13 | 23.63 | 77.50 | 3 |
| 2015-16 | 22.53 | 2.13 | 20.40 | 2 |
| 2016-17 | 96.05 | 8.80 | 87.25 | 5 |
| Total | £364.82 | £167.41 | £197.41 | 4 |
In six full seasons net transfer spend has totaled nearly £200 million rising from negative £11 million in 2011-12 to nearly £90 million last season, a more than 1000% increase. In contrast, over the previous 6 years, net transfer spend totaled negative £11 million. Yup, prior to Kroenke, the club was generating more from selling players than spending on transfers. Since he took over there has been a revolutionary reversal. This is an inconvenient truth which neither the mainstream media nor supposedly pro-Arsenal bloggers choose to emphasize, preferring to indulge in spreading fake news casting Kroenke as literally a “deadbeat” Dad who neglects his Arsenal children
Maybe deadbeat Kroenke is worse than his other top-six rivals in transfer spending?
| Ins | Outs | Net | Lge Pos | |
| Man City | 661.13 | 185.92 | 475.21 | 2 |
| Man Utd | 832.97 | 386.13 | 446.84 | 4 |
| Arsenal | 364.82 | 167.41 | 197.41 | 4 |
| Chelsea | 592.89 | 405.69 | 187.2 | 5 |
| Lpool | 469.18 | 289.45 | 179.73 | 6 |
| Spurs | 345.56 | 366.31 | -20.75 | 4 |
Once again the data belies the nonsense that is spouted in social media. In the past six seasons Arsenal net-spend was third amongst its peers. Only Manchester City, with full access to the petro-dollars of the sheiks of Abu Dhabi, and Manchester United, with its enormous commercial revenue, was able to outspend Arsenal on a net basis. Chelsea, it must be said, has engaged in some serious transfer voodoo over the period, outlaying nearly £0.5 billion on buying players but showing a remarkable ability, in excess of all its peers, to make recoveries via sales to other clubs. Hmm.
Not only has Arsenal under Kroenke been competitive in the transfer market but it has been effective spending based on average league position. Only City has enjoyed better league position in the long run. AFC is in a close bunch with United and Spurs. Unlike those two other clubs the Gunners can point to two FA cups over the same period and a chance for a third this weekend. Not bad for a club who until recently was selling its best players and replacing them with callow inexperienced youth.
If AFC is “stagnating” then it is among some glorious company. They too should take the advice of Arsenal’s foremost blogger and start agitating for a change of ownership.
Despite calumnies and mendacious reporting, Stan has not taken money out of the club except for a one time-payment to Kroenke Sports Enterprises for services rendered. Resources have been allocated to Arsene Wenger and the club’s management to improve the club. Since 2013 world class players such as Ozil and Alexis were brought into the team at great cost and under the nose of bigger, more resourced clubs. The Emirates has been Arsenalized, London Colney and Hale End have been expanded and modernized, a new health and fitness complex constructed and StatDNA acquired. These are all significant capital investments which empty, vacuous fans take for granted.
Standards under Kroenke
The record shows that Kroenke became majority owner of the club in April 2011 when he increased his shareholding in Arsenal to 62.89% by purchasing the stakes of Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith. The blogger, like many, conveniently glosses over the historical fact that Danny Fiszman, who was at one point the biggest single shareholder and the driving force behind the new stadium over the objections of David Dein, whom he helped removed from the board, engineered Kroenke’s takeover by selling him his final holdings on his deathbed in clear preference over Usmanov. Yup, the real “Mr. Arsenal” preferred Kroenke’s plans for Arsenal over that of his rival.
It was former chairman Peter Hill-Wood who revealed that Kroenke was viewed favorably by Fiszman and the rest of the Board because had agreed to maintain the standards of the club:
“We have never been in better shape financially and do not want anybody to buy the club, but if Kroenke wanted to buy it he would understand it and how to maintain the standards.”
It is well known throughout the 131 year history of Arsenal that, while it has been a pioneer of great innovations on and off the field, the club has never engaged in financial excesses and has never put winning a title above financial prudence. As any adult with two neurons and a working synapse is aware these are the sort of practices that have destroyed many football clubs (and businesses) whether in England, Europe, Asia, Africa or the Americas. To the contrary Arsenal has been a model of a self-sufficient, self-sustaining club. Apparently this is the “stagnation” that is so objectionable to the blogger and others.
Kroenke’s crime it appears is to steadfastly refuse using his own money to finance the club’s operations especially transfer spending. There is this infantile mentality that it is scandalous for a billionaire to treat Arsenal as a “serious long-term investment” rather than the play thing of a rich sugar daddy.
Apparently it is preferable to some that Kroenke does what the sugar-daddy owners at Manchester City and Chelsea do routinely. To wit, achieve the glory of winning titles by pouring external money in the club to support massive transfer without a care for the long term viability of the club. None of these advocates of short-term glory, those seeking the favors and pampering of that rich old geezer, have learnt anything from real life; what the sugar-daddy giveth he also taketh away.
As recent as last month I shared with readers the ultimate fate of one of the biggest sugar-daddy projects in world football, Silvio Berlusconi’s AC Milan. After 30 years of winning eight league titles, one Italian Cup, seven Super Cups as well as five Champions League trophies and five UEFA Super Cups. But due to Milan’s growing debt and Berlusconi’s falling financial fortunes, the club was forced to sell some of its best players year after year without significant reinvestment, leaving them floundering. In a span of just two years, Milan lost world class players like Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, Pippo Inzaghi, Gennaro Gattuso, Mark Van Bommel and Gianluca Zambrotta, who were then followed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. Berlusconi finally had to sell up to the Chinese for €700 million earlier this year. Milan finished 6th in the recently finished Scudetto, a far cry from their glory years.
I greatly doubt the data and recent history I have provided will do much to arrest the anti-Kroenke mania that several bloggers have done their best to cultivate over several years. Perhaps the clear statement by Kroenke on Monday that his stake in the club is not even remotely up for sale will convince some of the futility of their efforts to separate him for the club. The best one can hope for is they will move on to some easier target for their vapid bile and vituperations.
Even Stan’s severest critics will eventually realize he is no soft touch, he is nobody’s sugar daddy.
Positively Arsenal 
Thank you Shotta – A fairly grim morning in the UK so ten minutes out on matters Arsenal did the trick
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I notice that some members of AST have voiced their displeasure with Tim Payton using the AST twitter account to tweet his personal views on matters Arsenal. Also with him implying all AST members agree with certain points of view. It must be pointed out that Tim not so nice but dim Payton used the AST twitter account after he had been shown up on his own personal twitter account. Tim when tweeting about Kroenke/Usmanov and the financial running of Arsenal refused to answer the many questions he received about the financial running of AST and the money AFC gave it for FanShare, £250K if memory serves. It seems Tim is the sort who can see a splinter in others eye but not the plank in his own
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by the way its Hale End not Holte End
also did KSE not get £3M two years in a row
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Good work, well researched. Reality is that facts matter little over issues like this. Football draws opinion and passion. Personaly i dont think it matters that much other than to win titles, money wins things and money gets wasted. Has the club used the money well is the question. In terms of winning things then the answer is no, there is no getting away from that fact. In terms of stability the answer is yes. Both are important if your lucky enough to be a club like Arsenal.
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well from the data shown above, in the last 4 years Arsenal have signed £240M worth of players and sold £43M worth, so a near £200M outlay in just four years.
One thing I think Arsenal need to do better is explain the reasons for the big bank balance, for example they need to make it clear that a lot of it is to cover wages and other day to day running costs, till the next influx of income such as the TV money, ticket sales etc. They need to realize that many of our fans are as thick as pig shit, and all they see is £200M in the bank, so think we can afford to spend £200M more on transfers. The club need to realize that these people also need it explained to them that if we spend the £200M then we can’t spend it again, it won’t magically be there next year.
on the article, its a pity our wage spend was not included in the data, as I think it too has gone up massively in the course of time Kroenke has been majority shareholder
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All very good Shotts but where is my commission?
I can hardly go around promoting one quasi-religious ‘financial’ model over another on an empty stomach, upon nothing but regurgitated air & idle speculation, can I?
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The job of the owner should be to appoint competent people under him, Kroenke has done that at AFC. Thanks for not interfering further Stan.
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wages in 2010/11 was £124M
wages in 2015/16 was £192M
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Eds I’m no expert on wages, money, that kind of thing, but the different clubs use different measures on wages so it’s not data that can be compared to others. I’m not sure it’s a metric that is of much use to us.
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The conversion of the WOB to that of KOB is an interesting one, triggered, as it has been, by the deeply unpopular reception of their lightly supported ‘protests’. In an effort to keep the clicks raining in, they have attempted to move to safer ground by going after the majority owner. No doubt further ‘protests’ against the manager in the shadow of an FA Cup Final was more ludicrous than even they could stomach.
Lose the cup and I suspect ‘normal’ service to be resumed. Win it and it’s ‘sticking plasters’.
Personally I have little interest in furthering their temporary cause by engaging on Stan or any other would-be owner. I’m bored to near-silence with their petulant attacks on any member of The Arsenal staff.
For years I have always felt dropping out of the top four was the point at which Arsene would retire his cannon. That he felt unable to join the Lap of Appreciation despite the recovery of form in recent weeks was a horrible moment, the point at which the fan division, imagined or otherwise, took a real and tangible turn. Supposedly this was on the advice of Security but such an outcome may well have hurt this proud and committed man. And all this coming after the relative emptiness of the stadium for Sunderland, by all accounts one of our poorest shows for a home game in the Emirates Era, even if they weren’t exactly lighting the fires on the North Bank.
In footballing terms, these are profoundly sad times, an era when money and vested interests appear to be dictating agendas more than ever.
Regardless of where that leaves us – whether it’s Kronke or Usmanov or Wenger or his successor, that doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon. As Andy alludes to, spending our days protesting against our circumstances to little effect seems pointless in the extreme.
No doubt there are others with the energy and inclination to disagree.
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Thanks Shotts, thought provoking article, good posts so far too. AA-I like some of the things you touch on in your post-could be a good one to expand a bit further into a blog?
COYG!
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbymcmahon/2016/10/04/tracking-the-impact-of-arsenals-move-to-emirates-stadium-ten-years-on-was-it-worth-it/amp/
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Good job Shotta.
There’s so much BS out there that sap one of all energy to engage in a measured manner with fellow Gooners who have their feet firmly planted in the K(n)OB bandwagon. They don’t even care that well though out argument like this blog that can easily rubbish their claims, they simply think RT’ing whatever serial bandwagon trendsetters like Henry or Wright said on the matter is apparently all the proof they ever need of Arsenal’s path to Nirvana.
Personally I do want the club to push the envelope a bit in terms of spending, within means of cause, and whilst having the long term financial health of the club still in mind. I don’t think we need Kroenke and Wenger jettisoned to achieve that.
And as Ed commented on the previous post, if Usmanov really have any Arsenal ambition, he will put his money where his mouth is by taking Gazidis up on his offer and let R&W partner up with commercial deals. Strategically planting leaks in the media might play to the emotions of the weak minded fans, but I doubt it will win him any favours with a pucker sports businessman like Stan Kroenke.
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Thanks Eddy for spotting that Holte End vs Hale End error. Sorted.
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I would never suggest this article is biased. It is not. It is far from it. Your perspective is your perspective and should be respected. While I am inclined to agree with the majority of your points, I do, however, happen to have different perspective on certain issues. Two issues to be precise.
Firstly, about the net spending since Kroenke became the majority shareholder. I am not a board member of the AFC, so my knowledge of the club’s balance sheet is limited, but if what we were told is anything to go by, Arsenal finished paying the stadium debt around 2012. That would coincide with Kroenke being the majority shareholder. If that information was true and accurate, then shouldn’t we attribute the club’s ability to increase their investment on players more to the fact that the Emirates was finally paid up, than Kroenke being the new chief in town?
Secondly, the table indicates that only Man City have averaged a better league finish than Arsenal since Kroenke took charge. I personally do not believe the average is the best indicator we should be relying on. Let us be ruthless in our asessment of Arsenal’s success. How many times have Arsenal actually won the league since Kroenke took over? Man City, Man United and Chelsea have won it during that period, with the latter being truimphant twice. I would rather win the league one season, finish tenth the following season, and win it again the following season, than finish second three times in a row. Arsenal are not winning titles and that is hurting. If they can’t win the league, it is immaterial where they finish. There is no two-way about it.
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Well put, but we can’t let facts get in the way of the narrative, can we? Sadly, this is the way of the world we live in now. The main culprits can hardly see beyond their noses, let alone comprehend the long-term vision required to run this great football club, or to preserve its values in the ethically and intellectually bankrupt world of football.
One strange thing about football is that everyone (fans, pundits, media) are all obsessed with spending, but then always insist to ascribe success to something else. (Conte and Mourinho being the prime examples here). Cognitive dissonance at its finest, but as you point out, logic does not go far with these people, and its just one of their many shortcomings.
Great read though. On to the cup final.
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Great picture! And solid, well reasoned arguments.
My issue with the management/owner is the authority, and how they have left Arsene uncertainty situation go on for so long. Same in case of contract extensions for a number of our players.
No succession planning at all. All in all, who is in charge?
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Coming in as Stan skeptic here. I don’t think he has done anything wrong, I don’t think he stops Wenger buying players, paying wages, don’t think he interferes with tactics, day to day running nor is he the devil incarnate. And no need to chant abuse at him at games , not that that is going to bother him. Nor do I view Usmanov or anyone else as the answer to the clubs…..perceived…..ills….because they are just that, perceived
My issue with Stan, just wish sometimes he would give the impression he gives a flying fuck!
I don’t think he has gone against anything he signs up to, he certainly doesn’t take anything excessive out of the club. But, it’s nearly June, we have no idea what is happening with Wenger, just silence, a vacume allowing mischief to be reported. Of course there may be very good reason for this silence which may become clear, but surely Arsenal can do a bit better than 2017? Of Wenger is staying, to hell with the PR, announce it with pride, not some timid end of season thing. If he is going, I hope they are more prepared than they appear to be .The first I have heard from Stan about arsenal for a long time was his terse statement this week.
No, in my little world, see Stan not as Satan, but just the wrong owner for arsenal, I would prefer a owner fan who lives and breathes the club, who lets us know what is going on, an owner who hurts when we do badly, let’s mike Riley have it with both barrels in the most partisan, colourful and undignified fashion. Or tells ivan to do it for him
But back to reality, whatever Wenger is going to do, I hope , and I am sure the boys will give everything for him this sat, have a feeling they might need to
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I’ve let some strangers into the house as they seem well reasoned and willing to add value to our debates, not act as trolls aiming to trash the place because we don’t subscribe to the usual lazy biased media narrative.
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Nivlac; My educated view is, based on my research, Arsene is going nowhere. Stan is anything but an idiot, unlike too many Arsenal bloggers. The relative success of this club is primarily due to Arsene Wenger. Only a genius could maintain top-four with a negative £11 million net transfer spend.
Mandy: I have no problem with Stan keeping schtum. Shut his mouth and let Arsene and Ivan get on with the job. Nothing I hate more than a billionaire acting like a man of the people while they are fleecing the masses. Mike Ashley of Newcastle comes to mind.
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Thanks Shotta.
I never quite understand what it is that Stan Kroenke is supposed to have done wrong. As I wrote earlier in a comment, the way I see it, his problem is only that he doesn’t seem ‘involved’ to fans. That he doesn’t play to the gallery in essence. I far prefer that, and a straight up guy with no pretense that this is a business to him and nothing else (beyond an affinity borne out of ownership). Rather than someone like Usmanov who purports to be a true fan (He goes to games don’t you know?) and never actually says, but projects through his minions that he will buy players for Arsenal from his own pocket.
Kroenke COULD do more with the media perception in mind. But I don’t think him not doing so makes him a bad owner. He’s granted more interviews than Roman Abramovich has by the way. Probably because the latter doesn’t want a reporter to ambush him with questions about his past (or even present) Roman speaks with his wallet. Stan speaks through his appointed representatives at the club. That includes Ivan Gazidis and Arsene Wenger. And it isn’t just Stan. As far as I know (not that I go very far back) but Arsenal don’t have a history of revealing behind the scenes issues to the world at large until they are well and ready. Kroenke just fits into a similar ethos.
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Also, I just noticed and LOL’ed at the picture.
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I don’t understand the demands that are made that Stan addresses Arsenal fans, and engages.
I don’t feel Stan and I have much in common. I doubt he would pretend to be an expert on football or be able or willing to share the latest inside info from the club, or even the tittle tattle ) assuming he knows any gossip. He is unlikely to have any insights into tactics, into formation or the fitness of players. He doesn’t do transfers. Football is off he agenda as far as I can see.
So what could Stan talk to me about that he really is expert in? US real estate and sports franchises maybe – His investments and his strategy of maximising his return – his Delaware registration – hair loss and strategies to resist the inevitable?
fascinating
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No Stan you do the owning bit, I will do the supporting
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Between them, Shota and Forbes, have cleared out the financial results?
The only quibble, is the wages and salaries expended.
It is stupidity to use the wages and salaries, as a benchmark for performances.
The Arsenal do not have catering, as it is sub-contracted out. Manchester United, do, thus the plus 1,000 matchday employees Using Edelman’s and West Ham hotel, as a benchmark, the Arsenal turnover would increase perhaps £15 millions less their % of the profits!
At one time, West Ham, never included the matchday part-timers, as they were treated as casuals, until the then HMRC put a stop to it.
How many of the 651 average monthly number of employees, are part-time? Publicly, more than you think. Privately, I can hazard a guess! I cannot possibly, recall.
Using the average number of monthly employees, Spurs would have the highest average wage, whilst Man United would have the lowest, for the top 6 EPL clubs.
Personally, I would never use Transfermarket, except as a guide for the current season. There is hard facts, within the Financial Reports, to give us an accurate figure!
…………
Stan, may have the biggest ranch in Texas, but the owner of Red & White Holdings, has the biggest yacht, by volume in the world.
There is a bit of a spat, Usmanov’s phrase: “Unlike you, Lyosha, I live in happiness.”.
COTG
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did any of you into talksport radio, notice the exclusives from Jim white on the usmanov bid for Arsenal. He let slip that he had been at the Arsenal v Everton game on Sunday as a “Guest” of Usmanov (who was not at the game). Clear as day the game Usmanov is playing, to me its obvious that he has Ian Wright on his pay roll too. Its clear that R&W have a few well placed allies and I would ask are they behind the banner wankers and a4 clowns. By the way, remember the second wenger out flyover, and the WOB on twitter knew nothing about it, and then Wenger makes a comment that it was “someone with a lot of money” that was behind it. I might be jumping to a lot of conclusions, but for me too many things all happening at the same time for it to be pure chance.
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1886 @1886_blog 3h3 hours ago
Real Madrid have just signed 16-year-old forward Vinicius Junior from Flamengo for £38m. He has played just 2 matches. Utterly ridiculous.
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The FAVerified account @FA
Laurent Koscielny will serve a three-match suspension after his wrongful dismissal claim was rejected:
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NOTH: Thanks for lumping me with Forbes. At least they try to be objective and do original research and analysis. That is the least one should expect from mainstream media with tons of interns supporting well renumerated journos. Instead we get financial illiteracy from hacks churning out a lazy narrative, i.e. owners are sugar-daddys who must spend a personal fortune paying off greedy players, their agents and other parasites who suck money out of professional football. That spending also makes good copy for the newspapers, tv companies etc who regale the public with stories about who is outspending who. No wonder Kroenke and Wenger are reviled because they refuse to play along.
On another note, transfermarkt has it’s weaknesses e,g. a player, who is developed internally, has a discounted value until they are transferred. But at least their data is verifiable as they seek to obtain the most accurate estimate of the transfer value of every player listed as In or Out of a club annually.
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I’m under no illusions that it matters, but I have no complaints about Kroenke’s financial management of the club. Your piece provides solid evidence for that stance.
Where I am concerned is in its governance. There is a large body of convincing research to indicate that diverse groups make more informed decisions. AFC’s leadership is not diverse — it consists of six white males, five older than 50. Groupthink, conflict avoidance, and risk aversion seem likely by-products.
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Shotta, no harm in Stan being quiet, and yes, Mike Ashley is a pertinent example of why he should ,and letting Ivan and Wenger take over and sort it out ….fine but the problem is, it is nearly June,Ivan has been silent …since praising Wenger last autumn, with the notable exception of his reported ….catalyst for change…. speech at a fans meeting….or whatever it was.
Wenger himself has now stated, his situation has affected the team, and with a one point deficit, by definition cost a champions league place.
Surely this could have been avoided, with leadership and management of Ivan and Wenger, unless coming days tell us otherwise. Just get the feeling the club have been allowed to drift and shoot itself in the foot.
So, either a situation, or a lack of leadership , or ref shite, or Cazorla, or all of the above has cost this team …relatively this year..but on the managerial situation..guess one could blame Wenger for not clarifying, Ivan for not ratifying, or Kroenke for not getting on top of a situation that clearly could have been avoided. and Stan sits at the top of the tree, whatever he signed up to.
But once in 20/21 years is surely at this stage a statistical blip, but hope they sort out a few …pressing…..issues and keep it that way, I am sure they will
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Agree 900tf, seems a lack of dynamism….and they do seem risk averse. It appears they wish to reappoint Wenger, …..or at least most of them, but are scared to do so until seasons end….what an insult to our greatest manager, no wonder his cryptic, slightly pointed remarks recently.
If he is leaving, of course I take that back.
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The thing that pains me d most is when ex players in d media make accusation about things they have no fact about, ridicule d club & it’s manager,when they can easily get the answers to the things concerning them directly from d club .
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I did not read the article but the stupid headline from legrove on newsnow feed is
Who to protest at Wembley?
really, cup final, and so called Arsenal fans are considering who to protest, our manager or a shareholder. Its time proper Arsenal fans stood up to these attention seeking twats and shut them up
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Team news – Kos suspended, Gabriel out for 6-8 weeks, Alexis should be ok, but still a slight doubt, Ox back in contention, Mustafi still sick and has not trained yet.
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Interesting point 900 – whilst I can rely on no more than intuition rather than any research I suspect if we looked at the biggest and most successful football clubs in the world – Real, Bayern, Barca and if we glance upward at the current PL top 4 (shudders) we shall see at the top of every one of those footballing businesses 50+, university educated, blokes.
Admittedly if we look at the the other end of the tables to less/doomed successful clubs we see the same uniform gender/age/background mix, although I have a vague recollection of Sunlun employing/sacking a female CEO recently. And there is Karen Brady of course.
I have no illusion that other than a very few those in any football board are there out of any identifiable football ‘merit’. I’d be hard pushed though to tie the make up of the boardroom to success or failure on the pitch.
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Wenger’s future
Will the FA Cup final be Wenger’s last game? “I don’t know. It will not be my last match anyway because I will stay in football.”
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Arsene Wenger confirms that the outcome of the FA Cup Final will have NO bearing on his future at Arsenal.
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anicoll5,
My comments are missing again! Please check for me.
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Good job Shotta and great comments from all!
I am firmly on team “Quiet efficiency”. How many here know who the CEOs and owners of the very many organisations, whose products and services we patronise, are? I have no idea who the owners and CEO of Tesco are and I spend more on the supermarket than I do on Arsenal. A lot more. The only time we should be interested in these people is when they have done something wrong (as was the case with a sexism controversy around the CEO of Tesco not too long ago). I don’t want the CEO or owner of any company I do business with to be in my face. Their job isn’t to be cheer leaders for their company; that is what the PR arms of organisations are for.
I am going to disagree with Mandy Dodd, my good friend from Untold, about the club’s top echelon engaging with the fans. What purpose is it going to serve? I cannot see any good coming from it; I can only see lots of bad. The fans who are likely to appreciate the gesture are exactly the type who wouldn’t clamour for it. Those clamouring for it are only looking for opportunity to grandstand and get cheap popularity by asking populist but stupid questions aimed at embarrassing these men. We see enough of this at the AGMs.
Look, let’s not over-analyse this issue, okay? There is one and only one problem here: the cry babies (and in my opinion, pathetic losers) are interested in one thing and one thing only. They want the club to win either the PL or the CL. Anything short of either of these 2 will always be branded as failure. I hear the cry of “Arsenal regressing” and I keep having to check my sanity and dictionary. In the last 4 seasons, Arsenal have come 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 5th in the league getting over 70 points in each season. We have won 2 FA cup and in the final of the 3rd. Look at these and tell me that the PL and CL aren’t the cause of the whining. Just take a look!
The most satisfying trophy Arsenal has ever won (for me) is the 2014 FA cup because of the obsession with and constant repetition of “no trophy in X years” meme. We won 2 in the next 3 years (including the Community Shield in both subsequent season but we have been told those don’t count – unless we failed to win them). We improved our league standing from 4th to 2nd but even before our final 5th finish last week, the cry had been about us going backward.
These people aren’t interested in any dialogue or explanation. They want their trophies – PL & CL only – and nothing other than that will satisfy them. They use the words: “challenge”, “compete” etc but this is bullshit. They only want either of these trophies and nothing else. The fact that the teams led by Wenger haven’t won either in the last 13 years has solidify the believe that Wenger, being the only common denominator, is the problem and if he is removed, then the PL (or CL) will just be forwarded straight to the Emirates. Removing Wenger will enable the team, managed by ANYBODY else, to just simply collect the title.
Simple!
You see, we are dealing with idiots and simpletons here and to idiots, everything is simple; unless you ask them to do it and then it is the hardest thing in the world. Case in point, Donald Trump. All he ever did before he was (still) inexplicably elected president of the US was shit on the efforts of people who are infinitely more intelligent and competent than him. Lo and behold as soon as he was given the task, we are not only horrified by his stupidity and ineptitude but the orange buffoon himself is perpetually whining about how difficult the job is and how complicated issues like healthcare etc are (despite sensible people all over the world having always known that POTUS is a very difficult job).
Every time I hear anybody trivialise a complicated issue, I know s/he is a moron. Running an organisation the size of Arsenal is so complicated that I cannot even begin to fathom what it must take to do it as well it has been done consistently for decades. I am immensely proud of and grateful for the efforts of the people running the club. Managing a top team on Arsenal’s calibre is complicated. That is why managers of top teams earn millions to do it. If, as we get told regularly by the twitterers and bloggers, anybody can see what needed to be done to manage these, why would their boards be paying the top managers that much to do it? A key indicator of intelligence is understanding of one’s limitations and appreciation other people’s expertise.
The stupidity of the noise makers is also exposed by the campaigns they engage in. They tried to get the manager sacked. They failed after several years of effort and now they move on to getting the company owner to sell his shares to rival. One must wonder at this point how people this dumb are allowed to walk about on their own.
End of rant.
In case I don’t comment again till the final, my best wishes to the team and may our beloved Arsenal be victorious on Saturday.
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Commenting here has been very frustrating for me lately. I cannot even like comments anymore. Can anicoll5 or PG or shotta help me check what’s going on?
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I have to log on to wordpress for every comment (even though I always click the “remember me” tab). My short comments go through but longer ones tend to disappear.
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Hi BTM
Your isp code and name or any part of it are not in the banned or spam box, there are no terms or words in your posting that would trigger a binning – I am baffled
I have no bleeding idea why WordPress and you and tis site just dont click – so to speak
Is there any difference in the outcome if you use a desktop to post or laptop or phone ?
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BTM @ 10:39
Fucking OUTSTANDING post.
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I can just see it: its the end of the world, all’s falling apart, theres not much time left, but the people on LG are organising a protest against AW “the end of the world, its all Wengers fault!”
( shakes head in bafflement).
What with the injuries we must be the underdogs dog under doggie belly style dog down under doo dar doo dar day dog?
( shakes head in bafflement).
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It is very interesting how the attention of the media, fans and “fans” is so overwhelmingly preoccupied with off-the-pitch issues (ownership, governance etc.) in the only season (or maybe second ever in Wenger’s reign?) where we have “failed” on the technical front. Notwithstanding the horrendous refereeing, seeming anti-arsenal bias, poor luck with injuries and the fact that I am nothing more than an absolute layman, I think the team has performed very poorly – and as AW pointed out, that is down the technical department, alone.
While I too believe that this season probably is, as Mandy pointed out, a statistical blip, I am still rattled a bit by the fact that it has occurred when we have had arguably the best ever squad (“ever” as in as long as a relatively young fan like myself can remember) and 3/4 of our most vital players in Kos, Mesut and Alexis fit for the majority of the season.
As Tim Stillman often points out, it is hard to believe that we have not had a wide-playmaker type of player since Nasri. I absolutely adore Iwobi, but to rely on him to produce for a whole season in a crucial season such as this one seems to me (again, a layman) a massive oversight. For all I know, Arsenal pushed to sign such a player for the past 3 years, but the fact that it has been this long since we have singed such a type does seem to indicate intent to a certain degree? Or at least, that in our managers view, priorities lie elsewhere?
In my view, without Cazorla and Iwobi, we simply do not have the technical quality and security to play the way Wenger wants, at least not in his preferred 4-2-3-1 (or 4-3-3, depending on how you look at it). And in my humble opinion, Chelsea, City, Liverpool and Tottenham have a less precarious balance in their teams. This is Wenger’s responsibility, even if it might not be his fault.
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Oh dear – no screening of the final at the Ems, and no victory parade
“Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis said: “As always, the safety of our supporters and staff is paramount and we are in close contact with security services. After taking their advice we have reluctantly taken the decision to cancel the screening and potential parade. We are sorry for any disappointment this causes but it is in everyone’s best interests.”
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The other technical blip this season Santi is that none of our top four opponents has turned “spursy” in the final run in and allowed us to get our nose in front as we reach the finish line.
Our 75 points would have had us comfortably in the CL pot in any other season but the other clubs, probably the biggest surprise was the Scousers, did not crumble.
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Great post – very well researched and very well written-up. Thank you.
Two additional points – we have a huge bank balance because it was a priority of the Club to get to a zero net debt situation as quickly as possible as an insurance policy against not being able to pay the mortgage between now and 2028. Very wise and absolutely in accordance with the (very) long term principle of custodianship which the AST used to support and which Kroenke rightly maintains.
Whilst FFP has probably not had the extreme impact that some people hoped for years ago it has at least stopped things getting worse in terms of the importation of football club destroying inflation. Arsenals ‘poster boy’ behaviour during the establishment of FFP was absolutely necessary to any level of success that FFP has had. For Kroenke to throw that away by cheating the rules would be madness.
Forget the people involved and examine the principles that are being adhered to. If you admire them as much as I do then give those who are applying them, regardless of ill-informed criticism, the praise that they are due.
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SC that is an echo of Tim Stillman’s thoughts.
I would humbly point to a replay from Sunday, that the technical ability observed in the build up and execution of the third goal during Sunday’s much ignored football feast (match!) would suggest otherwise.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve appreciated good footballers like Nasri, or even Song before they opted for early retirement after leaving AFC (there’s a pub quiz for the future, how many AFC players quasi-‘retired’ upon leaving the club: Ade, Nasri etc….), but it’s a weak meme to flog all season long in order to conduct a gummy bear mauling of a football manager that you (or Tim) no longer likes. It is in fact a longer run of poor form from Timmy (this one is nice and not dim) then that witnessed upon the pitch this season.
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