I don’t believe that anyone at the Club really believes that individual games in the league matter.
We operate a longer term strategy. Survival, at least until the world becomes a fairer place, and by survival I refer to the CL spot that retains the Club at the top table of World Football.
Look at the other Clubs in the PL, and there is not one who operates our philosophy. The difference between 1st and 3rd is the ability to fight and scrap for that extra point or two in every game. Every little bit really matters and counts. Ditto for anyone fighting to avoid the drop.
Then you have the runners and riders in the middle. Every season, one or two will emerge from the pack and punch above their weight. These are the highly motivated, well organized machines.
From top to bottom, we operate a Low Risk Strategy.
It is all about Averages. So long as our Average is better than the rest, all is well.
This is produces Average Mentality, and permeates its stench from fiscal strategy, to transfer philosophy, to team selection, tactics and wages.
A bad individual performance does not matter. Consistently exceptional performances shall not be rewarded. Mediocrity, on the other hand, will.
Can the Club change, and I mean now, in the very short term? Yes, I believe it can, but it will come from the top. Arsenal FC is a safe investment. Somewhere for the very wealthy overseas business man to find a safe haven for a part of his gigantic portfolio. The word I dislike most that I have just typed is “safe”.
Safe means low risk. Little games don’t matter.
Well they bloody well do to the fans. Every moment of every game matters.
My view is break your f’ing wage parity, at least go into games thinking draws are not good enough, don’t reward mediocrity, and however unfair the world may be, start living for the moment. Fight today, and stop living for tomorrow.
Give me five good men that will go the extra yard than fifty average, and they will deliver.
Right now? Buy a midfield warrior. A very good one, and sell anyone you need to to make it happen. Give Theo his sodding money, and if he fails to earn it, flog him in the summer.
Wake up Arsenal and take a Risk. Who knows, we may win a Cup along the way.
Written by MickyDidIt89
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Bloody h3ll, I have read ignorant nonsense but this is taking the p!ss. Please do a bit of research and state some facts when you write something.
A great heart felt post Micky
I just want to be clear, do you really believe that Theo would extend his contract with Arsenal Football Club if they simply made him an offer of £100,000 a week?
There are three midfield spots, assuming that we sign and therefore play “The Midfield Warrior” who would get the other two spots? Don’t get me wrong, I, like all other Arsenal supporters, want more signings I am just curious to how you see the practicalities?
Arsenal will be able to compete by 2014 according to Ivan, By 2014 the gap withArsenal
MU and MC will be so large it will take years to close it.Why not take a gamble Jan 2013 rather than wait?
Morning, Micky, 🙂
I love your entrepreneurial mind set. I also admire fiscal prudence.
I suppose this goes to the heart of what we tend to refer to (well I do) the “Arsenal Conundrum”.
You see, football clubs were originally formed by groups who were workmates or just friends, and who formed a sporting social focus which enabled them to have an enjoyable gathering with like minded people so that they could play, compete and socialise in the days before TV and other entertaining diversions..
Over time, the popularity of the clubs and the beginning of professionalism attracted large crowds who were not particularly interested in playing but wanted to watch and socialise in the company of others, united by their common interest in particular clubs.
To legally protect themselves, many of these clubs became ‘limited companies’ so as to protect their members from the liabilities of wages and ground development. Despite this, they remained ‘social’ clubs in spirit, and became deeply associated with their local communities.
Inevitably, one thing led to another, and the popularity of the professional game attracted entrepreneurs, like you Micky, 🙂 who were interested in the game as a commercial profit-making exercise, and not simply the working man’s weekend sporting enjoyment and an opportunity to meet up with his mates.
These businessmen/owners liked to present themselves as benefactors performing a ‘sacred duty’ to keep the clubs in good health, rather than to make money.
As the years passed, and the support for clubs grew, the distinction between the original ‘social’ club and a straight forward ‘business’ with a great deal of financial potential, such as exists today, has become ever more blurred.
Hence the dichotomy implicit in your Post. Give entrepreneurship its head, and take a high risk, high reward (trophies) approach, or stick to rigid fiscal disciplines that eschew taking ‘unnecessary’ risks, but protect the club and its future, at all costs, even if such a future is to remain as the football fodder of the Oily Oligarchs?
My heart says – take the Micky route, the head says – be sensible! 🙂
Great post Micky, it perfectly sums up what I have been trying to say about the ethos of the owner/board/management percolating into the dressing room and affecting performances on the pitch.
John, the only ignorant nonsense today has come from your keyboard. The article is not about quoting facts or research, it is a personal opinion examining why we are increasingly producing lacklustre performances as seen against Southampton.
John
I really want to debate this with you so please understand Im only on a mobile with really poor connection.
Which bit is poorly researched?
Why does the team invariably turn up for the big games and so often show indifferenve to the “smaller” games?
Which part of the boards strategy is not low risk?
LB hi
Rotation and competition for places
we r tired wt emty promises mr. buy a lethal striker, cm and a versatile defender lke mbigwa.. ol AW b sacked .i lyke the attitude of usmoniv russian billonier’s vision..
RA
Superb comment
I do understand the balance between risk and stability and I think we are over cautious
For me, and its a personal interpretation, the caution has found ots way into the mindset of players
Somewhere it has no place imho
LB I would go with Micky on both the Walcott situation and the powerful midfielder. I think there are games when Jack, Santi and Arteta can all play in a midfield 3 together and there are games when it feels like we need a more powerful midfielder sitting in front of the back 4. That does mean dropping one of the established 3 to the bench but the natural need for squad rotation and injuries should not cause a problem to adding another body in midfield. Arteta was not a pure deep lying DM before he came to us and while he has shown he can play the role there are certain games when I feel we need more a specialist in that role.
One thing I said a number of weeks back was that I felt we needed to try some different formats to see what answers we may have within our own current squad. I don´t feel we have done that and have missed an opportunity, and so I feel we go into this transfer window a little unsure of exactly what we need.
For example we seem to need another forward player / striker as we lack enough of a consistent goal threat currently, but in Giroud and Podolski we have natural goal-scorers with prior proven records of scoring goals. Theo also has the look of a potential 25 goal a season striker. Why then should we need another striker? The problem is we have only just started playing Theo up front so we can´t be sure if he actually will become that high quality striker. For me this should have happened some time back so we had a better idea now. All the times he played Gervinho up top spring to mind. How about trying Podolski on the right to see if cutting in more on his lethal left foot could improve our goal threat. Could we even play Walcott attacking left and Podolski attacking right behind Giroud and would this make us more threatening?
Another example could be the DM role. The rumours were that we wanted Vertonghen as a DM but he preferred CD so went to Spurs. If so AW has identified a need for a quicker more powerful player for that role. I have often wondered whether TV may be more suited to this role. Would say the likes of M´Villa or Tiote actually be any better in this role than our own captain? TV often likes to push out from defence and can bring the ball out. He has reasonable distribution and a thunderous left foot shot from 25 yards and is a genuine goal-threat at many times. Although slightly small for a CD he is bigger and quicker than Arteta, and, for me, has exactly the right characteristics for the DM role. I feel it would have been worth trying him in front of Per and Kos and if it worked then what we should be getting is another CD to replace TV and let him play the DM role. Again though a lack of trying these things has left me unsure as to what we should look for in this transfer window and I feel Arsene has persisted with lost causes too much like Ramsey at RM and Gervinho as striker and has missed the opportunity to look at some more genuine possible solutions within the current squad.
GoonerB, a very interesting analysis especially about TV, it could work! The other worrying thing is, Wenger has just signed Ramsey for another four years.
Micky,
There is a balance to be drawn betwixt the entrepreneurial and the business approaches which has to be the way forward.
Both your goodself and the Rasper are saying we have been too cautious in our dealings, and I cannot find it in myself to disagree.
I heard on the BBC a short while ago, that AW has said he will not go into the (transfer) market until the Walcott situation is resolved.
Now, I am sorry, but he has been trying to ‘resolve’ the Walcott situation for at least six months, but the one(s) dictating that have been Walcott and his advisers.
By any definition that is being reactive and not proactive. The whole of Arsenal’s transfer strategy – LB, DM, CF and winger (Zaha) have been put on ice until, in essence, Walcott’s agents decide to twist or stick and Wenger will then proceed!
It is a part of Arsene’s shtick that drives me bonkers.
Surely the majority of us in our own lives, would prefer to arrive at a decision – right or wrong – and not tolerate someone else dictating to us what and when we should do it!
Or is that just me?
GoonerB, 🙂
Good stuff, but if you were to read back copies of AA some 12 to 15 months ago, I and perhaps others too, were waxing eloquent at the time about the case for playing either TV or Kozzer in that midfield ‘enforcer’ role.
I think it could well be even more interesting now that we have to fit all three into a 2 man CB pairing.
It did not happen then, and it will not happen now! 🙂
Morning .
John, the only ignorant nonsense today has come from your keyboard.LoL great reply.
If he going to knock your post,he will murder mine if it goes up.
I’m watching SSN here and it’s on about Wenger trying to get in new players.
The only problem I have with the transfer policy he/them don’t spend enough money and we bring in 2nd rate players then.
Example.
Santos,schallaci,Chmack,Gervieno,Djoro,
All average but still cost us money.
Morning Sheepy, yes we paid good money for the players you list, but no manager can be expected to get it right every time. I’m sure supporters of other teams could cite many players they have bought that turned out to be duds.
It is true that we unearthed such gems in AW’s eary years (with still a fair few that didn’t make the grade) that by comparison our recent acquisitions may look inferior … but this is the point of Micky’s post, don’t dwell on that, go out and find the right players now and pay the price. It looks like we may offload 3-4 players this January so targetting 2 of a higher quality looks like quite a good deal.
RA, I agree with you that I don´t think it will happen but if AW genuinely considered Vertonghen for the role why not TV. If I was choosing between TV and Kos for the role I would go for TV. There is something about TV when he brings the ball out that looks more assured than Kos. Kos does bomb out at times but more in an all or nothing one end of the pitch to the other way. I also think TV will offer more goal threat from 20 yards plus out. I suppose my main annoyance is in persisting with players in roles they seem highly unsuited to while not trying out players in roles that may genuinely work.
I have said this for ages, it has been happening for years but this season it is happening more than ever.
We turn up for games & seem totally uncomitted & seem happy to just go through the motions & get a draw.
To me Man Utd have not got a far superior squad, although they have afew world class players, its just AF will not tolerate innept performances & if Utd play poorly in 1st half, you always see a change in the 2nd. If only that happened with us, but no we just carry on the same & you have to wonder what Wenger has said to them, this is unnaceptable.
I have used the word “urgency” enough times on here & heard Smudger & Le Tiss saying the same against Southampton, we do not show any urgency to win games, the amount of times this season I have watched us, you would think we were 3-0 up when we are losing or drawing but just pass around so casually in the middle & defence & show no desire to change the result.
I also believe this is the worse team ever under Wenger, not necessarily techniquilly but the attitude stinks & I really believe something is very wrong within the club.
We deffinately need to make some shrewd signings otherwise were not even going to get the ahem “5th trophy” of CL football.
If only we could find ourselves a decent captain who will actually shout & encourage because we certainly have not anyone like that at the moment
My point is if we buy 2nd rate we will finish 2nd rate.
We need too off load a few players and bring in 2 class players.
And then if there is any cash left go get experience players in .
TV would be my choice for the DM enforcer too, GoonerB, partly as you say he does have a fearsome expression, which would scare the pants off the fey, he tackles hard and he has a thunderbolt shot from distance, but also because I believe Kozzer and Per are a better and stronger CB pairing.
If only AW would listen to us he could strengthen midfield, strengthen the CB pair and SAVE spending money on that position!
What’s not to like? 😀
I genuinely never take offence to comments and am sorry John did not come back on to debate
Oh well
Good post Mickey
Silly season has started, i’m getting no work done craving signings and bathing in ridiculous gossip.
Ive got nothing new to say, so i repeat, get rid of the dross, give theo what he wants, then stick him back out on the wing and sign a marquee striker….. then change the sodding system to something our players can actually get their heads around.
What’s not to like about your attitude Jonathan?
ROLF
Thanks Mickey
Have a good day Sir
Last thought regarding our owner(s)
Most PLOwners are football people. Then there is Utd where the owners aggressively pursue increased value/profit which goes hand in hand with on field success.
What are we up to?
Hi Micky, sorry if you think I dealt with John too harshly, but I doubt he’d have come back on any way and would not have used such terminology if he’d been talking to you face to face.
All the other posts you have writen have been humourus and self effacing. Today’s was sober and straight to the point – and borne of frustration I imagine, therefore I take offence when others demean your message 😛
Last thought regarding our owner(s)
Most PLOwners are football people. Then there is Utd where the owners aggressively pursue increased value/profit which goes hand in hand with on field success.
What are we up to?
Any ideas
Micky, your post about us playing too safe has certainly hit a chord. I also like Bryans description of urgency or a lack of it and I agree with him that on paper Utd´s squad is not so superior as the current difference in points and performances would indicate. You could also use the word unambitious. I am sure that AW, Gazidkis and Kroenke would be at pains to state that we are ambitious but that is not the impression that is given out publicly. This means we are doing a bad PR job in how we present the club and its ambitions. When you look at Utd they act like they are and should be number 1 and anything less than this is a season of failure. It may appear like arrogance at times but I would take some of that if it meant the club and players behaving as if we believe we should be number1. Utd´s and Fergusons stance must breed a certain mentality in players, while we seem to publicly indicate that we are aiming below this level, and I wonder if that makes the players behave as if they are also rans. It doesn´t matter how often Gazidkis and Wenger tell us that we are an ambitious club, the point is that they frequently give out subtle little statements that indicate otherwise. This could also have the effect of putting certain quality players off joining us and, I don´t know if it is just me, but I feel that some players are looking at Spurs now as being as attractive if not an even more attractive option than us, which is something that would be unheard of a few years back.
Micky, I think you have to look at the age and history of the Board for one of the main reasons why we are so conservative.
Rasp
Your site
You can remove his strides, bend him over and thrash the living daylights out of him if you like
But thanks anyway
Smiley face
Micky
I keep changing my mind why we aren’t playing attractive consistent football and I think it is a combination of the players in the squad and the reluctence or even inability of Wenger to change game plan when required.
Although the table doesn’t lie we have still achieved CL every year under Wenger,though to some extent last year that was due to RVP being in fantastic form and Spurs exploding.
I look at the players AW has brought in these past 2/3 seasons, some are really poor and have been costly mistakes, yet others who have been at the club even longer are either out on loan or just picking up wages.
Why does he hold on to players for so long that obviously aren’t good enough yet at the same time the pick of the bunch leave for money or feel that our club is not ambituous enough or they aren’t prepared to wait for FFP to kick in (which I don’t believe will make much difference) and there I have sympathy for him.
We all know we can’t compete money wise with the top 3 and that will increase with PSG and others but why has it taken so long for the penny to drop that we must trim our wage bill and therefore have sufficent funds to buy some quality and above all players that the fans can identify with.
Even if we miss out on CL next year there will still be players one would like to think that would rather play for us than be a bench warmer at the top three, or have i lost faith in all players.
Demba Baa just medical at the Chavs,breaking news.
I would have bought Ba for arsenal
Sheep,
the add ons for a player with a terrible injury record makes this transfer about 12 million, that’s why we were never going to buy him and I hope that finally we are being more selective in who we actually try to sign.
It said 8million he went for he’s not worth 12.
Who would u sign kelsey
Great post Micky. Very well said Sir.
Sheep my welsh wizard 🙂 yes but there are add ons to various agents and their groupies who all got involved.
Who would I sign.
Firstly a new supplier of zipper jackets, disgusting that a man of Wenger’s calibre can’t even get a jacket with a decent zip.
We need a LB, a box to box player, a decent number two in goal, a winger and a proper centre forward. who and where they are is another matter.
Micky,
Arsenal and Manure have plumped for different ends of the footballing management spectrum.
We are all familiar with Arsenal’s chosen path of virtuous fiscal responsibility, and that has many adherents, as opposed to a smaller number in favour of being a rich man’s plaything.
United have gone for a hybrid roulette version, which is both a rich man’s plaything, financed not by pumping in external funds from the owner, but leveraged by the club’s Balance Sheet, which oddly enough has met with financial approval, and betting the bank by putting all their money on evens.
What I mean is that they have ‘borrowed’ the funds by sqeezing their Balance Sheet debtor/creditor ratios in order to pay for their heavy investment in players.
This concept has worked because their player investment has paid big dividends in terms of profit and cash generated over the years.
Since its purchase by the Glazers, Manure have consistently won many trophies, and the consequent increase in their fan base this has induced has, in turn, increased their commercial revenue income from the sales of shirts and other flim flam to all these new fans.
This, huge and increasing fan base, has drawn in correspondingly huge new sponsorship deals, and with all this ‘new’ money, they have re-invested it in yet more players (RvP?), giving them yet more chances of winning additional trophies (EPL 2012/13?)
This means that they have chosen a brilliant virtuous circle – which is a balance of entrepreneurship by the Glazers, despite the fans dislike, and a sound business strategy, that has also had the effect of exponentially increasing the value of the club, ensuring the prospect of a bumper payday for them when they eventually sell up their shares.
It grieves me to say this, but the risk the Glazers took in doing this, relied to a huge extent on them having a manager, who, given the investment in playing resources to do so, would go out and win ‘da ting’.
Ferguson was that man!
Round 1 to the Glazers and to Manure, it seems!
If my explanations have not been up to scratch – refer to GIE!! 😛
Mr Wenger and his scouts have their work cut out.
Mr Wenger just said on SSN,”Theo’s new contract is not about money”
What’s it about,his next excuse will be.
I can’t find a pen to resign Theo .
Banging post, Micky.
Perfect for this point in the season. Will comment properly later.
Bra-flippin-vo. 🙂
I would like to take a step back from the woulda, shouda, coulda game and instead have a look at the season to date.
Breaking our 1st 20 games out into 4 five game segments our stats look like this –
Ist 5 = W2,D3,L0,GF9,GA2,GD7,Pts9
2nd 5 = W2,D0,L3,GF6,GA6,GD0,Pts6
3rd 5 = W1,D3,L1,GF9,GA8,GD1,Pts6
4th 5 = W4,D1,L0,GF13,GA5,GD10,Pts10
We the last 5 games we have won 87% of the points available.
I am not foolish enough to believe that all is well at AFC but nor do I subscribe to the all is bad at AFC group – our last 5 games are on par with the best in the league and we have only lost once in our last 9 games.
Do the doubters really believe that –
(1) We should win every game?
(2) Play every game at the same standard?
(3) Be able to compete (fairly) in the transfer market?
(4) Turn every purchased player into a superstar?
If your answers are yes then I say dream on as the real world of football bears no resemblance to your reality.
Micky, i love your post. I agree with with your post and your first response to lbabout doing it by rotation and competition. BUT , Arsene never rotates anyway. Ive been saying for months now that that Jenks deserves some starts, and why not rest sagna occasionally considering age and injury history. This week, why no Rosicky? With games so close together, a perfect opportunity to use both, and also -why start podolski if he was sick and so close after another match? —-
But i still agree with you, Micky, and also about Walcott. He could be sold in a couple years if not working out.
Great article mate! The division amongst the faithful is a direct consequence of the lack of transparency and accountability of the board. What’s more, they do nothing to better our understanding, leaving us to fight it out amongst ourselves.
Let’s use the most high powered positions in any given organization as examples- CEO and Chairman.
Firstly, the reluctance of our CEO to take full responsibility for our investment decisions, by shifting part responsibility on an employee at operational level (Arsene Wenger) is a an important example of how the board DELIBERATELY evades its duty of accountability. This, not only allows the actors at the top to act with impunity, but also allows for high powered individuals to pursue personal agenda at the expense of the organizations strategic aim. We are not a Cooperation, we’re a football club, binded by an unwritten constitution to serve the needs of all members and act in the public interest. It is not only the shareholders that the board are accountable to, and they need reminding of this.
Secondly, It is the role of our chairman to ensure that both the board and the members (us fans) move together in the same direction. This can only be achieved by promoting greater transparency . The fact that he speaks to us like ungrateful children who know nothing about economics (when all we seek is reassurance) does nothing to build trust and strengthen our bonds. Despite having full knowledge of the civil unrest amongst the fans, the board continually shows reluctance to add clarity to matters, often maintaining its position of concealment (i.e. the uncertainties regarding the loan used by Kroenke to purchase the club).
Usmanov has the right to have his voice heard and have some input in the club’s strategy.To deny any person of their corporate rights, irrespective to whether they have a criminal record, is totally unacceptable and only alludes to further suspicions of concealment. Furthermore, it would be extremely beneficial for us to have one of Usmanov’s representatives (Non Execs) on our board- the guys derived a fortune of 18 billion dollars. Moreover, this would create more independence at strategic level and allow for closer scrutiny of executive decisions. This in turn would help realign the strategic interests of the club with that of the fans.
The diversity and the makeup of the board is another big problem. Any effective board should consist of directors from different backgrounds, age and skills/experience and should be reflective of the people it serves to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. The effectiveness of the board, coupled with the lack of transparency and accountability are the fundamental reasons as to why the fans are getting pulled further and further apart.
The Kroenke vs Usmanov debate centers around us having access to reliable and the relevant information. Greater transparency and accountability lie at the heart of this. The complex and unorthodox manor in which our club is governed mean that nobody really knows what’s best for the club. We can only make subjective intelligent guesses and opinions are inevitably going to differ. There is surely one thing that we should all agree on-The board need to start showing more corporate social responsibility to those who grant the license for the club to exist, us fans!
Welcome vp, that is an interesting take on the part the Board play in our fortunes – I’d happily have published your comment as a headline post.
Whilst I totally agree that the makeup of the Board is not representative of the needs of a modern football club, I fear the call for transparency over our real emphasis on fiscal matters/internal politics may be optimistic to say the least.
At this year’s AGM (you sound as if you were there too), Kroenke stated that he leaves it to the Board to run the football club/business … that worries me.
I do agree that the failure to use the club’s PR to reassure and involve fans is a major problem and the idea that the Manager or any club representative would utter words that could be construed as saying ‘we’ll be content with 4th’ is ridiculous. Whatever they believe, it gives out the wrong message and just gives the media another stick to beat us with.
vp,
I sort of understand where you are coming from, but your reasons are very difficult to comprehend.
You are asking for accountability and transparency, but you do not say what it is you are referring to.
Do you mean transparency and accountability from a financial and accounting perspective? If so, the law of the land in the form of the Companies Act requires the club to produce audited annual published accounts, available to all.
You also say, I think, that the BoD should be representative of the diversity and varying ages and backgrounds of all the fans. Why?
Arsenal Football Club has, at least, hundreds of thousands of fans, if not millions of them, from all over the world, and you seem to be implying that the BoD should, in effect, seek the advice and guidance from these fans in regard to the clubs strategic future moves, so that the fans voices can be heard before implementing this ‘strategy’.
I am not sure if you are being facetious or just naive in the extreme.
The club is owned by Kroenke, a successful and accomplished business man, and he has paid hundreds of millions of pounds for that privilege, and he has not leveraged a penny of his purchase price onto the Arsenal Balance Sheet, unlike the Glazer’s at Man Untd, nor has he withdrawn any cash from the club by way of dividends.
That’s transparency for you, at least for those capable of reading the latest audited Profit and loss Accounts and Balance Sheet, and it also might help your case if you familiarised yourself with those facts first, before perpetuating all the ridiculous notions you have picked up elsewhere and are trying to peddle here.
@ Rasp.Thanks. Yeah, its the first time i’ve visited this website. I share your sentiments about the lack of shareholder involvement being worrying.
I wasn’t there at the AGM. The recent comments made by Nina Bracewell should send some alarm bells ringing, but unfortunately, factors outside the realm of the AGM are often overlooked by the fanbase. Allowing the club to turn into a guaranteed risk free return for Mr Kroenke, and excessive remuneration for those charged with controlling our resources.
RA,
We are both in a very “testy” frame of mind today, or is that every day?
GN5,
An interesting and important look at some of the relevant data as applying to Arsenal.
There is an attempt, by all of us at some time, to try and rationalise things into a clear black or white understanding of a situation, so that we can get our heads around a ‘problem’. It’s human nature.
I am sure you will agree from your experience, that life rarely parcels things up so neatly, and instead offers us varying shades of grey!
You ask;
Do the doubters really believe that –
(1) We should win every game?
(2) Play every game at the same standard?
(3) Be able to compete (fairly) in the transfer market?
(4) Turn every purchased player into a superstar?
It may well be construed as unrealistic, and wishful thinking, which will be rejected out of hand by the cognoscenti, but if I had to place a bet on what the majority of fans would answer, based on what I read in the Blogs, I think it would be YES.
Your final comment, — “If your answers are yes then I say dream on as the real world of football bears no resemblance to your reality.” — and that speaks to the ‘reality’ of many fans frustrated by comparisons between the ‘now’ and the glories of the past particularly the Invisibles 🙂 era.
This I think explains the complaints that are all too common among Arsenal fans at the moment.
GunnerN5 for me its not the results, it is the amount of terrible & I mean appalingly terible performances we have put in.
I hate losing but if we have really given it a go, I won’t complain.
Sunderland, Stoke, Norwich, Schalke, Man U, A Villa, Swansea, Bradford, Wigan & Southampton were all absolute crap performances & of course we only won the Wigan game out of all those but we all know we were lucky to do that with a dubiuos pen & getting away with a couple of very decent claims for handball pens against us.
For me the results may not be telling the whole story.
I can not remember watching such boring mediocre crap under Wenger’s reign ever it is a disgrace & as I have stated earlier no will to want to win the games no urgency, no nothing.
I think we really do need to change the way we are run because it is not working & we are getting worse each season
Also the difference is, you should believe the answer to all those questions is yes, ask Alex Ferguson the same question I know what he would answer.
We all know you can’t win every game but Players & Managers of big clubs should believe they can 😉
GN5, Testy? Moi? 😛
I tend to ignore 99% of the nonsense I read on the blogs, because I am aware that my efforts to help those with such mistaken views of ‘reality’ in a business context are totally wasted.
And I think to myself, why did you bother?
On AA, on the other hand, I have found many of the regulars here are much more mature and responsive, and altho’ feelings of disappointment can run high from time to time, for all of us, there is an appreciation, at base, that we do not all live in an Alice in Wonderland world.
Or maybe I am the Mad Hatter, after all! 😛
RA,
Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda, exponents applying their “expertise” to a known situation are my biggest bugbear. The reality is that our Manager and our BOD have to work in the realm of the unknown and like the rest of us pure mortals they don’t always get it right.
After gaining 87% of our points from the last 5 games Arsenal fans should be on a high – but instead they choose to be critical because we had a so so game against Southampton.
Experts who display 20/20 hindsight drive me insane, I guess they also have the best job, earn the most money, have the best marriage and always get everything right in their personal life………?
Micky firstly thank you for the impassioned post and plea to the board.
RA and GN5 have said much I agree with today.
As so often in this instances it is difficult not to be caught staring at our navels, calls for transparency? We are one of the few clubs who post our results for all to see on the website, or do we want to know exactly what each player is paid, how much revenue is earned, when contracts are up for renewal or buy out clauses etc etc all this would be ammunition to the clubs already preying on our talent.
Man City : Go to website….Thomas Vermaelen earns £50k a week
TV5 Agent: hello Vermaelen hangers on incorporated
Man City : we will offer your player £100k a week, we also see the buy out clause is £10m when you are out of the CL make sure Mr Vermaelen is aware of what is required.
TV5 Agent : Done
Now I know that’s all pretty much going on at the moment but I don’t think we the fans need to see it.
The club have stated their aims clearly – liquidity, minimal debt, low risk, loyalty.
Shame the players can’t do the same.
The one thing I will always struggle to buy into that the likes of Nasri, RvP, Cesc etc are proved right by our “downward spiral”, if they had shown some ambition with our club rather than follow the pound signs would we be in a better position now? Answer yes, ok we could have paid them more, people already complain of lack of squad depth, just how thin would it be if the wages were being spent on the big earners, what would we have in reserve? My guess is less than we have now.
Bryan, are you recommending self hypnosis for Monsieur Wenger? 🙂
We do not know what he or Ferguson would have answered, if they were asked those questions, and it is possible that they would both have replied ‘yes’ to all the questions.
In Ferguson’s case it would be held up as being strongly affirmative of a ‘go get ’em’ attitude.
In Arsene Wenger’s case it would be help up as conclusive proof that he was ‘delusional’.
How is this for transparency?
https://twitter.com/callum94__xd/status/286828394262437888
Well I was actually quite in line with VP´s thoughts as I have felt for some time completely in the dark as to what our current situation is on the financial front. I am not in any way familiar with accountancy and what a companies balance sheets truly show. It is not that I want to disagree with you RA in picking holes in the validity of what VP said, but his words struck a chord with me as a non accounts savvy fan.
I have been wanting for some time now for someone or a collection of knowledgable individuals to explain to me, in lay terms, exactly what our accounts show. I have heard many varying and different opinions from different fans, who all seem to understand accounts, as to where we truly are. Is it really completely obvious to understand where our current financial situation lies or is there, as VP seems to suggest, some clever manipulation of the figures that allows, in a legal sense, the true situation to be hidden from us, or in other words a lack of transparency.
I have recently always felt suspicious of what we are told regarding our financial situation. This bears in some way from being told some seven years back that the stadium will allow us to compete with the best of them and then finding we can´t. We were recently told that we will now be competitive financially in 2 years. Why? what is it about the clubs current financial situation that makes 2 years so different from now. What is this emergency fund that I have heard about? Is it something for a rainy day that we could perhaps make use of now? All these aspects I really can´t profess to understand.
I still harbour deep suspicions that the aim is to divert most of our incomes to pay the stadium debt as quickly as possible, even if that is at the expense of the team, and that there currently remains available to us a genuine way of investing more in the team now while still paying the stadium debts off, even if this meant it took 5 years longer to have it completely paid off. This leads to me to feel that it may be so that Kroenke can quickly maximise his asset as quickly as possible, and that his aim is to then sell and make a huge killing. If that were the case and were to happen then he will have made fools of us all in not providing a competitive team, when he could have done, and it was all basically so he could make himself richer quickly at the expense of the football team and the dedicated fans.
This may of course look like some maniacal conspiracy theory with no basis or foundation and I would stress is not even an opinion more just a suspicion or feeling, which is why VP´s statement hit a chord with me. I am actually hoping that someone can shed light on the matter so I don´t feel so completely in the dark and can form a proper evidence based opinion on the matter. As I say I really don´t understand accounts and what would be great is if RA, VP and others who greater understanding of accounts can tell us how it really is. There are likely many fans like me who feel that the club is not being honest with us on this front and that they are hiding a different agenda and I would love to be put out of my misery if the facts and figures are genuinely there for all to see.
Bryan,
If you want “boooooooring” I offer you 9 seasons of George Graham anti football. Sure he won 6 trophies for us but the only real excitement was the winning of the trophy itself – almost everything else was dross.
You seem to only compare the current performances to what AW achieved in his early days at Arsenal.
Try looking back into our history and you will find that the worst of AW is better than the best from all of our past managers – with the notable exception of HC.
GoonerB, just in case RA isn’t around to answer, the accounts are audited, that is to say that they are independently scrutinised.
That audit is a “process of checking that the way an organisation presents information about its financial position (its ‘Financial Statement of Accounts’) is true and fair. In essence, ‘true and fair’ means that, in the auditor’s opinion, the company’s financial statements offer a true and fair view of its actual financial position, and that any assumptions they include are reasonable.”
The Emergency Fund simply means we are keeping something back for a rainy day, be it non qualification for the CL, financial collapse in World or English football (Serie A anyone).
There was also the reserve of the Cash that the club has to hold as a requirement for its borrowings. By extending the borrowing period as you suggest the club would have had to hold that cash for longer, then there is the issue that the original financing was on a very high cost (interest) basis, without steps to paying down the debt early and restructuring the higher cost elements we could have seen a much bigger reduction in quality on the pitch.
Throughout all this time the goalposts in football moved, we could just about cope with Chelsea and Manchester United’s spending, but adding City to the list of super rich clubs has put us at a distinct disadvantage, in short we have to wait until they have taken the cream of available players (along with Barca, Madrid and Munich overseas) and then we might be able to get a look in at whats left.
GunnerN5
you must have the patience of a saint (pardon the pun) if you accept the Southampton performance as so so, for me it was totally unaceptable & if it was just a one off, I would not be so critical but we have seen that performance in roughly half our games so far.
Red
I am sitting here with my watch on a chain waiting for my hypnosis for Monsieur Wenger 😉
One thing I Do know is AF would of answered “Yes” to those questions of that I have know doubt
GN5 do you think all of GG’s reign was boring long ball stuff? For me the early league win was a bit more exciting with the likes of Michael Thomas, Paul Davis, David Rocastle on the pitch….I felt it was later that he set the mould for the Sam Allardyce like teams of today, long ball, knock down + pacy forward + two tricky wingers. Defenders and Centre Midfielders don’t move!
GIE
I think we played attractive football under GG reign, as you say nearer the end was when it became boring again but under Wenger the level of attractive football went up ten fold until…………yawn …. now
Hi GIE, 🙂
It is the same old, same old complaints trotted out that get my goat.
Rasp has said before, and I agree with him, that it is not heresy to question the direction and motives of the club. That is normal and healthy and I certainly have done just that, on occasion.
What is not acceptable is to parrot naive and frankly stupid complaints about the manager or the club, as if they were based on authentic evidence.
for example; take the Theo situation at the moment. Many people have read their own version of what is important to the club viz a vis keeping a potentially excellent talent; not letting one of our competitors have him, show we are not a selling club; etc, and all of them are worthy sentiments.
But underlying all the contract negotiations, and I do not need anyone to tell me what is going on, one side (Theo’s) are trying to get as much money as possible for him (and I do not fault them for this) and on the other, (Arsenal’s) they are trying to keep him while paying the minimum they can. Time will tell how successful the negotiations are.
Now, imagine in a year’s time Theo has been awful for months, and the fans are on his back, how long will it be before those fans now goading the BoD to ‘pay him what he wants’ are instead wailing about what a waste of money he is, and that it is typical of Wenger to pay too much in salaries for useless players, like Denilson, like Bendy, like Squidly etc who we cannot offload.
What – fans fickle? Surely not!!
20/20 hindsight, as you said, is the strongest weapon of the professional complainers, and the amateur philosphers! 🙂
I don’t disagree that the current side is not as exciting to watch as some we have known recently Bryan, but then again thats another thing the fans have complained about recently….
“no good playing attractive football if you don’t win anything”
Whereas attendances would now suggest that in fact it is better to play attractive football and lose, than play boring football and draw.
RA it seems you and i are sharing a hymn sheet 😀
Afternoon all, like your way of thinking Mdi89 – you have to add some risk into the strategy otherwise we won’t get ahead.
I guess the BoD are all just hanging on a few more years so they can furnish their pension fund and keep things steady.
Anyone heard about the Meeeeelan players walking off the pitch during a friendly after one of their players was racially abused ?
http://ghanasoccernet.com/kevin-prince-boateng-stops-an-ac-milan-friendly-as-pro-patria-fans-dish-out-racial-abuse/
I wonder what would have happened if Chelsea had JT playing on such an occasion ?
Just saw that Chary, you tube –
Was confused as the date say January 2012 but I guess just a misstype by whoever stuck it up on youtube
GGs record =
Won 46%
Drew 29%
Lost 25%
Avg position = 5.1
Avg GF per Game =1.4
Avg GA per Game = .9
Points % = 56%
AW’s record =
Won 57%
Drew 26%
Lost 17%
Avg position = 2.2
Avg GF per Game = 1.9
Avg GA per Game = .95
Points % = 66%
The expression “Boring – Boring” Arsenal was the product of GG anti football.
That’s the one GiE – I think it happened today although some reports say it was yesterday.
I reckon JT would go and sit with the ProPatria fans and join in the chanting.
I’m glad a team has finally done what has been threatened by many others, e.g that scuffling Balotelli,
GIE,
And here I have been a good boy for so long trying not to bore the asses off people by yacking about finances and accounts! 😦
No surprise we are together on this subject. 😀
GoonerB,
As you are relatively new on AA, you have been spared the accounts discussions that have been occasionally indulged in here.
I am a qualified accountant, [non working, currently, due to health matters] and my friend GIE is a practising accountant too, with his own successful practice. There are other inhabitants of AA who are also accountants or lawyers.
That is where we are coming from, but I do not want to rehash all the old financial topics, as that is not fair to innocent AAers who have heard it all before.
Suffice to say that I doubt vp has any financial background, and I can allay your fears, if GIE has not already done so, by telling you that if anyone at Arsenal were trying to misrepresent the club’s financial position in the audited Balance Sheet, they would be committing a criminal act, and would go to prison, if caught.
In addition, it is accepted that the two major shareholders, Kroenke and Usmanov are not exactly best buddies. Neither would allow the other to do anything illegal without ringing the alarm bell.
Bryan,
OK, I can visualize you sitting there with your fob watch ready to hypnotize Arsene, but as you already know he will answer yes to all GN5’s questions, my next question to you is “Is he delusional?” 🙂
GN5 to be sure I know thats where the boring boring comes from, it is also where the 1-0 to the Arsenal comes from, but didn’t the latter only really arrive in the season of 1994 ECWC?
Chary i think the BoD have already made their pension funds selling their shares to Kroenke, or if your David Dein a long time ago.
Thanks GIE for the explanation. It leads me to another question that, if our initial bargaining position for the financing was slightly hampered so we couldn´t get such a good package, have the goal-posts now changed. In other words are we in a position where we can re-negotiate the financing to a more beneficial package that, say for instance, removes the need to hang onto some of the reserve fund? The club has afterall, to date, shown itself to be financially prudent and have serviced the debt well, so surely that would give us a credit rating that should have many financial institutions willing to do business with us.
Red
I think we all know the answer to that question haha
GIE
I actually believe because football has become so big & so expensive, that it is every teams duty to play attractive football & entertain the people paying so high prices to watch it.
Also I would actually prefer to watch an entertaining Arsenal that each week that don’t quite make it, than watch dross each game but win a trophy, whats the point if it bores you, unless you don’t watch, then it does not matter.
Maybe I’m more dissalusional than a certain Monsier 😉
usmanov’s vision? pmsl
I don’t think the mansours or venkys are football people either.
I’ve got to admit, I heard Mr Usmanov speak about the Arsenal situation on the radio just before Christmas & I was quite surprised how impresive his spiel was, wether he’s very clever or not, I would prefer him in charge than Mr Do nothing, say nothing Kroenke
Well, time for me to stand up and make a statement based on nothing more than a fan’s perspective.
Like Bryan, and probably most of you guys, I would rather watch a match that was not necessarily technically perfect, but was full of excitement, tension, expectation and goals, and more goals – especially where we win!!
A bit like the 7:3 against Newcastle, actually!! 😛
If, however, I watch a game where the passing is dross, the spirit is not evident, and where I am as bored as a eunuch in a brothel, but we win 1:0, I am delighted with the win — and determined not to watch anymore rubbish like that. Any ideas??
Blimey, a plague of accountants has descended upon poor old vp on his first visit.
Don’t worry vp, a clove of garlic and a silver bullet usually keeps them at bay 😕
Rasper,
That doesn’t work on CharyB!! he has to be tickled with an El Kabong! 😛
I’ll be putting a silver bullet in my own head if I have to watch anymore of the crap we are consistantly serving up 😀
Or maybe it was a mermaid’s fluke! 🙂 You know CharyB – he is choosy!! 😀
Ha Ha Redders, to a hardened metal head a little El Kabong is a mere taster. 🙂
Head banging chartered accountants of the world unite \m/
I’m sorry you find my comments to be facetious and naive but most Kroenke Partisan’s do. You seem to think that Kroenke is not in it for the money and substantiate your claim on the grounds that he has not taken out a dividend, and conveniently overlook the fact that his shares have increased astronomically since the acquisition. You do not seem to realize that there is only a certain amount of information that can be obtained from a Balance Sheet and a P & L. Only by looking at the summaries and reconciliations can one really obtain a true understanding of the financial position of a company. I am not suggesting that they make this type of information public, but they should allow Independent Non-Execs that represent a significant investor access to this information in the name of Faithful presentation and transparency which would add more integrity to the accounts. Transparency comes in many shapes and forms and is not a simple case of submitting the year end accounts to companies’ house, as you deem it to be.
Well, ‘the ridiculous notions that I’ve picked up elsewhere’ are actually from the Corporate Governance Act 2010- Code of best practice for all the top performing companies in the UK. I suggest you read it sometime, and you never know, even someone as smart as yourself might learn something new. Remember what happened to M & S when their share price plummeted as a result of having the CEO and Chairman as one person. This is an ‘accountability issue’. In regards to Arsenal, Arsene Wenger (Employee at operations level ) having an influence on the CEO appointment -the person who he is going to be accountable is a strict no no, as this causes self review threats.
I suggest next time you gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter before you decide to antagonize and arrogantly dismiss someone’s comments.
Hi again vp, I took your earlier comment to mean more that you wanted to know what Kroenke’s intentions for the club (business in his world) are. As you say he is not a benefactor but a hardened and successful businessman and therefore he must see healthy profit at some stage in owning Arsenal. I suppose the question should be; is he taking that profit in ways that most of us (maybe not the accountants) are aware, or has he another strategy that will involve yielding profit in the future.
Obviously he doesn’t have to reveal any of that, and judging by his remarks at the AGM (or failure to answer a straight question) I would say that he has no intention of sharing that knowledge with us … and why should he?
That comments for Red Arse by the way
Redders, hopefully I am not contradicting any of the factual stuff that you have written. You’re a great guy and normally quite tolerant but I did feel you were a tad harsh on vp especially since it was his first comment and he’s clearly a deicated and passionate supporter … just saying 😳
@ Rasp
We have a subsidary relationship to his parent company , which in effect is a holding company. Holding companies are primarily set up to limit liability, while still enabling the shareholder to take advantage of intangibles (i.e. goodwill ). It would be very difficult for any anyone to hold Kroenke accountable for taking money out of the club, even if he was. Only people at board level would have access to such information , which is why it’s essential that we have an Usmanov representative on the board. The recent comments made by Nina Bracewell should only increase such suspicions.
Kroenke out! Kroenke out! 😉
I have to say Rasp that it looks like VP can stand up for himself. It seems to me that in RA and VP we are lucky to have 2 of the more astute and intelligent Arsenal fans commenting and am sure that whatever disagreements they share today will be put aside with no hard feelings. Hard feelings are not RA´s style anyway VP so I for one hope to see you back on here commenting more often. I have a sneaky feeling you will both end up best buddies.
I’m with VP I think lol,
I think Kroenke is doing nothing for this club, he never speaks out & cant even be bothered to bullshit & make out he loves Arsenal, something that the big russian does all the time.
I don’t want us to be a Chelsea but I think Usmanov will move us in a better direction
VP the problem with a non exec appointment like an Usmanov lacky or Usmanov himself is that they would have their own agenda, do you think if Usmanov gained a seat on the board that it would provide any assurances to us the fans, i see it going one of two ways:
Usmanov gets seat on the board and decides actually all is as well as can be
Fan reaction – “well he is one of them now, course he says that”
Usmanov gets seat on the board and starts shouting mismanagement from the rooftop
Kroenke reaction – “of course he is going to say that he wants to reduce the price of buying my shares and to further disrupt the operations of this club”
Okay may be two extremes, but we already have an independent body looking at the information presented by the board, the Auditors who also have to consider things like the Corporate Governance Act when they give their opinion on the financial affairs.
Now I know the general repsonse will be that Auditors want to be paid so they will approve the accounts regardless, well my only example to defend the reputation of auditors is Birmingham FC where BDO are not signing off on the Accounts because they feel they haven’t been provided all the information.
GoonerB I think we have restructured the debt as well as we could expect, given the still uncertain times in the financial world. I admit I haven’t looked at it in too much detail, but would assume we are in the best position now going forward.
I have to say what the Meeeeeelan players did today has restored some of my faith in human nature I lost with the actions of VanJudas, Abu Qatada, Jt and the like.
In the words of Commander Adama “Something wonderful has happened today”
Damn, you guys are far to intelligent, your losing me 🙂
😆 GoonerB, you’re right, I’ll keep my nose out and leave them to it … is it possible for two people to hold opposing views and both be right?
This is getting exciting.
What, my Battlestar Galactica quotes, London ? 🙂
Of course it’s possible for two people to hold opposing views and both be correct … LB and I do it all the time 😕
No we don’t 😉
vp,thanks for the info on subsidary relationship to his parent company etc. I am not a specialist on the financial side, as you have seen there are several on here for whom it is a specialist field.
Much of what you say is similar to the analysis of the finances by the AST – are you a member?
VP I have to pick you up on the following statement:
“We have a subsidary relationship to his parent company , which in effect is a holding company. Holding companies are primarily set up to limit liability, while still enabling the shareholder to take advantage of intangibles (i.e. goodwill ). It would be very difficult for any anyone to hold Kroenke accountable for taking money out of the club, even if he was. Only people at board level would have access to such information , which is why it’s essential that we have an Usmanov representative on the board.”
You referred to Corporate Governance Act earlier, maybe I can refer you to the Related Party Transactions FRS8 a PDF attached here but trust me its long and boring
http://www.frc.org.uk/Our-Work/Publications/ASB/FRS-8-Related-Party-Disclosures/FRS-8-Related-Party-Disclosures-Information-Page.aspx
Basically it requires that all transactions with a related party are disclosed in the notes to the accounts of the reporting entity (Arsenal). Related Party can be defined as one with controlling interest, or subject to similar control. So any dealings that Arsenal FC have with KSE or Stan Kroenke must be disclosed in the notes to the accounts, our related party note in the Accounts only deals with transactions with Arsenal Broadband Limited, if there were any dealings with Kroenke that the club chose not to disclose it would be reported by the Auditors, it isn’t and therefore we can only assume there are none, rather than make unfounded allegations as you have done above.
😆 LB
Micky, u have inspired a great, wide ranging discussion today! this is why i come here.
i have a very rare disagreement with my friends goonerb and RA. I feel like our team and style call for a dm with great vision and passing ability. I know its rare to get that in a tough dm also. But im pretty sure a converted cb cant do it well enough. I kind of believe its true that arsene asked vertonghen about it, but feel sure that he wasnt going to be the first choice dm over time in the plan. —
i dont know the answer to the need, i still wonder about mvila, he sounded like a fit, but i hope arsene finds someone who can do it all, and rotates all of our talented midfielders. ( i know, – good luck with the rotation part )
🙂
Fine passionate Post Mickey.
I’m sure many if not most fans would echo a lot of what you say.
As for the financials/ownership debate – I am well out of my depth with all this stuff, but one common complaint of the Kroenke bashers doesn’t seem to make sense to me: they say that he is enriching himself by not investing more in the team and that he doesn’t really care if our performances continue to decline.
But surely, if we keep performing worse on the pitch, miss out on CL and slip into mid table mediocrity his investment will suffer greatly: more empty seats at the stadium (less match day revenue); fewer fans around the world buying our stuff; lower commercial deals because of our reduced appeal… etc (quite apart from the UEFA payments we would lose by not being in the CL).
As a successful businessman, I would imagine Kroenke spends a lot of time thinking about how we can be more competitive precisely in order to protect his investment.
Also, I don’t believe he has “cut and run” with any of his other sports franchises, so I don’t see why people expect him to do that with Arsenal.
Gn5
We played some really entertaining, attacking football under Graham from 1987 to about 1992/3. There was nothing negative about the Merson, Smith, Marwood, Rocastle, Thomas, Davis, Nicholas teams of the early GG years.
Then it went pants.
I suspect if you subdivided the “Arsenal under GG” figures into two periods (87-93 and 93 to the end) the first half would look pretty good.
jnyc
I agree with you 🙂
Verm is not a good enough all-round footballer to be the type of DM we need in the modern game.
Blimey.
I’ve killed a thrilling discussion. Stone dead.
Sky Sports have just said we’ve made a bid for that Spud Sandro.
Could do with a tough tackling midfielder, that’s for sure.
I shouldn’t worry Rocky, I have a feeling that vp, Redders, GiE and GoonerB are reorganising their troops and feverishly working on 200+ word comments
I don’t think Vermaelan should be a DM because I think we need some one that has strong disapline & does not make steaming runs forward, for me Thomas does that from defence to often & leaves us exposed.
If I’m really honest, I think TV has got poorer with each season at Arsenal, he has been very poor this year & certainly is not a captain for me.
I would still like to see Mr M’Vila putting his weight about in DM for us
Bloody hell i just looked at the Chelsea Accounts for 2011 (obtainable if you know how 😉 )
Their Net Worth was £500m………negative!!!!!
It owes £617m to Group Undertakings, otherwise known as Fordstram, otherwise known as Roman Abramovich!
That is why not a single Chelsea fan can ever criticise Abramovich, if he walks their club dies.
I’m not so sure Bryan, M’Villa looks like a Balotelli in the making(lack of discipline-wise).
Agree that Vermaelen has regressed a tad this season though.
GiE, that -ve net worth came about when Abramovich changed his directors loan a/c into equity about 5 or so years ago. I can’t wait for him to exit the picture and ask for his money back as I will laugh so hard.
That would be so sweet to see Abramovich walk & they would follow Leeds like they would of if he hadn’t saved them originally, sweet justice alas it ain’t gonna happen
I think thats a little harsh to put M’Vila in the Balotelli mould
Chary, I don’t believe it for a moment. Sandro is one of their better players – a dirty b’stard … I’d take him … what strengthens us weakens them etc etc
He’s not close yet, but it could go that way Bryan, but who knows after all.
Probably just agent bullshit Raspers, about Sandro, he’s probably looking to up his weekly wage and using the time honoured method of using a move to us as a bargaining tool.
Sorry Rasp I’ll cease and desist now…..just don’t like something so factually incorrect to be posted as fact.
Having looked at City’s accounts for 2011 they have sorted their situation much quicker than Abramovich, in that the owners have issued more shares to put money into the club rather than being by way of a loan, if anything happens to City the fans could buy the shares from the Sheikhs for £1 and still be able to operate and run.
Don’t stop GiE, we’re all enjoying the comments, I have no problem with the debate
Personelly I don’t like Sandro, does nothing for me, I don’t think he’s that great certainly don’t think he should get in Brazil team, take Bale of them though 😉
But we don’t have enough bananas to keep Bale happy though, Bryan.
Comparing 2011 wages (as neither City, Chelsea or ManUre have filed 2012 accounts yet).
City £178m
Arsenal £124m
Chelsea £177m
Man Utd £130m
Comparing to United it looks comparable, however we employ 496 people while United only employ 363
Same number of players, they employ 15 more coaches, then we employ 30 more admin staff and then 89 groundsman (a figure United don’t announce or is included within their admin staff number). The temp match day staff is comparable.
So what do all our extra admin staff do? And why do we need so many with groundsman compared to United?
Damn, and double damn!!
I got back after trying to assemble my new home cinema system, saw the latest comments from vp and others, and wrote a terribly witty, concise and really rather cleverly incisive comment, then I pressed the tit and zut alors, it disappeared!
[Look I can claim all those excellent adjectives — prove they are wrong — ah ha, can’t can you?] 😛
Now I hope my massive missive does not turn up, or you will know I spoke with forked bum! 🙂
JYNC, 🙂
I don’t mind you disagreeing with me! I am often wrong, on footie matters. 😀
Actually when I made the comment, last year about TV being pushed forward, he was playing very well, racing forward and scoring occasionally. What I thought then, and still do, a tad, is, that guy is not a CB, so let him do his stuff in midfield and then we can marry Kozzer up with Per.
That Goonerb, leading me to naughty pastures with his alluring logic, and — he is a good guy!!! 😛
Marry Kozzer and BFG?
Another revenue raiser at the Emirates…Civil Partmerships…coolio. 🙂
GIE,
I wrote that in all innocence — thank goodness my man Glic is not around! 😀
Your man GliC? Something you’re not telling us about you two 😀
@ Gooner in excile
I understand your point mate. But I genuinely believe that there are more pro’s then cons to having a Usmanov representative on the board, particularly given the recent allegations from Nina Bracewell. From our stakeholder perspective (as a fan) scrutiny of strategic decision making can only be a good thing, particularly when there is reason to doubt the true intentions of our current gate keeper. And yes, there might be a bit of sh** stirring on Usmanov’s part , but this is the only way to reunite the fan base, even if that means navigating over a few bumpy roads along the way.
Kroenke may not be acting illegally by not allowing Usmanov on board, but that does not necessarily mean he’s acting ethically. Denying a major shareholder’s his corporate rights is unacceptable in my opinion.
I do not doubt the integrity of external auditors, and you are there to preserve the public interest , and you do. I was more referring to companies ensuring that there are clear channels of accountability and transparency at board level to enhance the integrity of the accounts in this respect. Why should they feel the need to conceal any information from a fellow shareholder if everything is above board? if we were a typical corporate body then we would be punished by market forces for behavior like this.
GIE,
You covered pretty much everything above that I was going to say, and I don’t feel there is any point pursuing things any further.
Do you happen to know whether Arsenal have move from the Plus Markets to the London Stock Exchange, Alternative Investment Market? There was a bit of a kerfuffle last summer regarding the viability of the Plus Market, but I forgot to follow it up.
Your analysis of the comparative salaries and the number of employees is intriguing, especially if you compare the percentage of salaries to commercial revenue.
The easy explanation is that MU run a much tighter ship than we do, but there must be more to it.
Yep, Glic digs holes all over Cornwall for my company when we let him out to play!!
[Doh, I think he will kill me now!] 😀
Redders
ManUre are running a club in a festering northern sink hole. Outside of players and coaching, all they need are a couple of blokes to let the whippets out.
We, on the other hand, are based in a sophisticated metropolis and, as such, no doubt have numerous appointments along the lines of “Equality and Opportunities Officer; Deputy Equality and Opportunities Officer; Community Relations and Outreach Head; Deputy Community Relations and Outreach Head; Chief Art Buyer; Deputy Chief Art Buyer; Head of Sculpture Planning; Personal Yoga Assistant to Mr Vic Akers; Polenta Chef; Polenta Sous-Chef…” and so forth. 🙂
GiE 5:21…..they are lovers 🙂
Rocky 😀 nail hit on head as ever
Rocky 🙂
vp,
Something tells me I should not say this – but to hell with that.
I actually agree that Usmanov should be allowed on to the Board at Arsenal. Partly from the viewpoint that you (the Board) should keep your friends close but your enemies closer still.
This would work two ways, of course, because Usmanov would then be privy to all the legal documents and management accounts (very different from the financial accounts) and in effect would, by his presence, if not by any voting ability, keep the club ‘honest’.
But my main concern was because the Premier League chairman got together very sharpish to change the League’s own rules that said, any shareholder with a holding of 30% or more of the stock of any club, must be invited onto the Board of the club involved.
Now this is not a Stock Exchange requirement, so there is no conflict with Governance Rules, but the speed at which the League changed their own rules coincided with Usmanov nearing the 30% mark.
I am not privy to the relationships between the League chairmen, but who would be surprised if there turned out to be a gentleman’s ‘understanding’ to deal with ‘difficult matters’, such as Usmanov, with our man Hill Wood at the centre of it.
I don’t care a fig for either Kroenke or Usmanov personally, and it may not come as a surprise to learn they don’t really care a fig for me, or any other fan personally, but their interests in making Arsenal financially successful and therefore profitable and more valuable, coincides with my interest, because to achieve their aims they need to make Arsenal successful on the field, to increase its commercial standing and revenue incomes — and success on the field suits me!
Rock Star, 🙂
I knew a cultured sophisticate like you would have the answers!
Bollix to all these manky accountants!! 😛
VCC, you are trying to get me into trouble with Terry – you know how jealous he is over Glic, and I don’t want to end up in his cellar!! 😀
Regarding abramobitch. He may not walk from the chavs but he’ll die at some point. If his (forgotten this word) want to walk away or can’t bew bothered the chavs will die with him
Damn there are some great comments today
Wonderful to have someone new like vp
Rocky
I will be fascinated to see how SK reacts to the possibility of missing out on CL football, not that I necessarily think we will.
Hi GN5
I realize I must come into your doom camp but really all I’m trying to do is pose questions as to how The Arsenal can be even better
Smiley face
Gn5’s got a Doom Camp?
Is it in Mexico?
Can I come?
It will have to be there for a long time because the end of the next Mayan “baktun” is not for a couple of thousand years apparently.
Micky, 🙂
I have been challenged to a chess match with Total.
I am very choosy about who beats me at chess, and he tells me that you have played each other, and you would be able to give me a reference about his ability.
So how good is he, and what would be my best opening move? 😀
GM, heirs? Lackeys? Hangers on? Putin? 🙂
Redders
My approach to chess:
Play very aggressively for the first five moves.
Then “accidentally” knock over the board before the sixth as, by this point, it’s usually clear that I am heading for defeat.
Great post and great comments. Top stuff, Micky.
The financials do nothing for me being a simpleton.
What I would like to know is why we have been outplayed by Swansea, Villa and Southampton.
Is it personnel?
Is it tactics?
Is it something fundamentally wrong with our playing style as a team?
Is it a lack of motivation?
I still don’t think the manc players are better than ours man for man. Why the feck are they producing so much better results? Is it all down to that traitorous Dutch barsteward? We looked distinctly average at various points last season when he was playing for us.
Does anyone seriously believe that if we bought a top DM and a top striker, the shoddy performances would stop?
I’m not sure I do.
Micky,
I didn’t really mean it about you having a dooming heart! 🙂
RA
Cheat. Obviously. Although I like the elegance of the Rocky manoevre
RA,
Are you going to play 4-3-3?
Chas, YES, to all those questions – just like GN5’s!!! 😛
Chas
Confused is what you implied ’tis what I am
I think
Or not
Haha, ‘I think therefore I’m confused’ as René Descartes once said.
RA,
You think if we bought a top DM and a top striker, the shoddy performances would stop? Smiley face.
AW looks confused as to why we sometimes play with the chuffin handbrake on.
Well at first I was tempted to take the Magnificent Clog on! Total is such a gentleman, I thought he would treat me gently.
Then I realised I was mixing up chess with dominoes – he is great at chess but useless at that weird British game called dominato.
Mivky, Rock a Long, you are hopeless! I waa thinking perhaps the Brachman opening, Rook’s Horsey C3, [d6], Bishops pawn to C3 and have a cuddle with the horsey — now you have me in two minds!!
Disgraceful! 😦
Looking up how to spell René Descartes, I came across this on his Wiki page.
Main interests Metaphysics, Epistemology, Mathematics.
Same as you then, Micky. 🙂
Chas, 🙂
You are the only sensible one on here, so If I move King’s DM to D4 and Queen’s striker to Z1, I have just as much chance as the Rock’s kicking the stuffing board over. 😀
That man, what a sore loser!!
Well, apart from the missing ‘i’ in epistemiology, Chas, that is how I describe myself.
Sod Descartes! 😛
Maybe if we’re getting beat by a lesser side that’s putting in more effort, we should just walk off the pitch, Rocky-style.
RA,
Just play your own game, what the opposition does is of no consequence whatsoever. 🙂
Sadly
I am going to call it a day
Scrolling miles down to see last comment before zooming back up is tedious
Very goodnight all
Epistemiology is a new one on me, RA.
Micky,
Damn mobiles.
If you just put a full stop as a comment the cursor will be set at the bottom of the page and you shouldn’t have to scroll down.
I assume your smart phone blogging Micky? One tap at top of the screen should take you back to refresh bar, when refreshed it normally takes me back to my last comment made, and scroll from there down until i reach Leave a Reply box.
If your Laave a Reply box is at top of the comments section you need to click Switch to Desktop Site
Never thought of that Chas…nice trick
Heirs RA thanks 🙂
Switch to desktop site? Must investigate.
Chas, if you have widgets underneath all comments then scroll past all them, and in the footer there is “View Full Site”, if on the other hand your reply box is after all comments it says “View Mobile Site” in the footer.
The full site works well on iPhone.
Mad mario to arsenal kick a few buts.
He’s a psychopath in a footballs kit I’m sure he needs anger management or Some psychotherapy.
As Jose maurino said when he was at inter about super mario.
He said ” hes unmanageable”
Then he sold him to man shity
Case closed
https://twitter.com/arseblog/status/286911113700978688
Fine post Sir micky.
Though, i can not agree with the premise of your article, i admire your emotional outburst, very mediteranian.I shall now call you Sir Mickpolous.
The Club is cautious and pragmatic, which i admit can at times infuriate, but i do not for a moment believe the theory espoused by some that we are somehow incompetent or wish to remain this way for ever.
On the contrary, for me its about evolvment and only pursuing an increased risk take approach when the time allows and that time is certainy coming, so paitence my friend.
Strike when the time is right. My mother in law usualy strikes in the dark, when its least expected. Such is the ferocity of her attacks that ime slightly deaf in one ear. This is what will soon happen to our opponents. They wont see it coming but we will build a great team again, and our rivals will need a hearing aid.
The Ghosts of the Thirties are Stiring
Rasp, I have not been away constructing a 200+ essay you cheeky devil, I have been making home made cheeseburgers for my wifes family in Norway. I have a great self found recipe which I will obviously share at some point.
Anyway, i thought I would come back to the matter of TV for DM and would welcome RA´s input if he can drag himself away from bashing Micky´s bishop with his pawn.
I have often thought that sometimes we become over focussed on having every Arsenal player being able to provide sublime defence splitting passes and am not so sure how important it is when you come to the CD and DM in particular. All our current CD´s are better passers of the ball than Sol Campbell but I am not sure I would have had any of them in this side ahead of him when he was in his prime. For me a DM has to maybe be a better passer than the CD but I am still not so sure it is absolutely critical. I think TV is a very adequate passer and his job for me in DM would be to break up play and recirculate posession to us. I don´t remember makelele being a brilliant passer of the ball but more an adequate passer whose main strength was to break up play and recirculate posession. Arteta is a better passer than TV but sometimes I think that in certain games TV´s extra strength and pace to protect the defence and break up play would be more important than Arteta´s extra passing ability. I think it is more about having options and I still feel that TV could make a very good DM and that his passing won´t let him down in this role.
GIE,
Site looks fine but as you have to refresh from the top, it just leaves me at the top once refreshed. Do I have to do anything else on an iphone to stay at the bottom of the comments?
Chas,
Damn, there is no point trying to B/S you!
I admit it, I have no theory of knowledge or its validity, and epistemology is a foreign country to me!!
I stand here naked in my ignorance of episteme, hoping Terry does not spot me!! 😀
GoonerB,
I have just cooked a couple of exquisite aged steaks, for me and my girl — she is delicious too!! 😛
This afternoon, in between commenting, I managed to put together and correctly position my home cinema system, using an AV receiver as the centre point.
Now stuffed, contented and listening to Mendlesohn, I am very happy!! 😛
You have convinced me in your comment @ 7:26 TV it is at DM!! 🙂
Who said I am a tart changing my mind every time a smooth talking blogger comes along? 😀
(I did not meet you when I was a lazy great tourist in Norway, did I?)
I visited a museum in Oslo, and was speaking pidgin English, French and German to this curator (?), not having a word of Norwegian, except smorgasbord, when the guy I was attempting to talk to said, “what you on about, mate? 🙂 Was that you? 😛
Anyway, I am being summoned by the boss, so I bid you G’Nite!!
Make a comment Chas? When I have made one and refresh normally takes me in vague direction. 🙂
Any one using an eye pad apart from Sheep
GoonerB’s comment @ 7:26 .. 294 words 😆
Apparently neither Moyes or SAF have signed new contracts and both expire in Summer.
So who is the next Everton manager going to be 😉
I can´t believe you actually counted Rasp. I thought it was rather short and concise by my standards. RA, that could sound suspiciously like me but I can´t remember ever being a curator unless it was in the 80´s as much of that was a blur. I am actually only visiting here and will be back in blighty tomorrow. Anyway good-night to you all, I have an early start.
😆 GB, thanks for your company today .. safe journey home
The post is nothing more than a rant.
Buy a midfield warrior you say but who? If Cazorla played deeper in hat game we would have been fine.
Jack part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=ru6v6dMD2sA
Jack part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3y4ID7ayQY
Morning all
I will be interested to see if Chamakh goes to West Ham be it on loan or otherwise,how he performs. I wonder if he is as useless as most think he is or that he will be suited to Sam’s style of play.
Morning Kelsey….I think you’ll find he will still be useless. 🙂
Morning, kelsey.
I think Fat Sam has the idea that if he plays Chamakh, Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll up front he can do away with wingers and virtually the whole midfield, thereby allowing him to play 6 defenders and Nolan.
Win win, shore up the defence and get some proper big lads up front.
I read if it is a loan deal we pay part of his wages.
Chas,
a bit Stokish 🙂
.
Done the full stop thing
This is the “view full site”
Here we go
Post Comment
Push
It works!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve missed two weeks blogging for nothing
Thank you GIE and Chas
Fellow Androids,
Join the party
Smiley Face
Morning all
All and any freed up wages for a non first team squad player is great news
🙂
No way……
Look
🙂 😉 :O
Morning All
In Switzerland.
Very intersting discussion yesterday – which is BR shorthand for I was lost from the word “accounts”.
Loved RL’s explanation of the wage disparity between AFC & MU
Glad it worked Micky.
Most loan deals leave the loaner paying some of the wages. Wonder if Toon are going to buy back Carroll hence why West Ham need another striker? Especially since Ba has gone.
Gie good thinking. Carroll’s Liverpool career is over with the signing of Sturridge unless Suarez moves to a club capable of winning silverware in summer
Morning all ……
….. New post …..
romance tips for married couples
Getting up early in the morning is very important for married life۔