Over the last few years the common complaint amongst Arsenal fans is that the club does not have an ambition to win trophies. The oft quoted ambition of the club is Champions League qualification, that that is the apparent limit of the Board and Managers ambition is a bugbear of many fans and a reason to oust the current board and manager.
However it seems it is important to many fans given the worry that is being demonstrated around our qualification chances this term.
The financial implication of failure to qualify is the primary concern, however funds are going to be increased in the coming years from the domestic TV deals, a renewed Sponsorship deal, and a new Kit manufacturer deal on the horizon. In total this will replace the income from CL football.
So what about the other concerns, inability to sign top players, well there is an argument that says we haven’t got them anyway, so what are we really going to miss?
Would a year or two out of the CL be a good thing for the team, would it give Wenger and maybe his future replacement a chance to rebuild properly rather than paper over cracks to achieve qualification again?
So my question is this, if Fourth is not a trophy why are we so worried about not finishing in the top four?
Written by Gooner in Exile
Arsenal News 24/7
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Morning all, after our indifferent league campaign this season I have been lowering my expectations GiE to finishing in a Europa spot so that at leas I can watch the matches on free to air channels (Channel 5 or ITV4).
Perhaps a season or two outside the Champions League would give reason to take stock of our clubs approach and have a fresh look at our squad.
Not especially compelling reasons to not be in the Top 4 I’ll agree.
Hmm, perhaps time for another irrelevant BG quote “If you choose to turn your backs on the principles of the Lords of Kobol, from whom all colonies evolved, you do so with my utter contempt.”
Arsene talk shit seem doest make any move this club relly no ambition to win any tittle but want to win eat our money bullshit
arsene and shit to board ashhole
Ha ha Azahar, you’ve given me my first laugh of the day. Kudos !!
GIE
Provokotive. Nice, I like it.
I cannot think of one reason how a step backwards could be a good or positi e move.
Quite apart from anything else, t
Thanks GiE, it is always a useful exercise to try to put yourself in an undesirable scenario and look for positives.
If we fail to make CL, it will represent a failing in the management as we have far greater resources than our competition for 4th.
That being the case, I would want to see a new approach to the way we run the club. A shake up of the Board and a new manager. Not because AW isn’t a brilliant manager (and in full acknowledgement of the unbelievable things he has done for the club) but simply because ‘it’ isn’t working any more and we are in a new era that requires a different approach.
Ooops.
Provocative contd…
Quite apart from anything else, the full horror of having that CL spot taken by that lot down the road is way too unpalatable
We do have standards
Morning all, to be fair I’m undecided myself on whether it would be a good thing to finish in the top 4 this season….how many of our current squad would demand a move to play in the CL?
But I do think a top 4 place should be the lowest of our ambitions. And if we fail to achieve it the Board and Manager open themselves up to serious questions, from all quarters, not just the fans with lofty expectations.
Our beloved chairman stated two seasons ago that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we failed to qualify for the CL for one season as if he half expected it.
I wouldn’t be as drastic as rasp suggests as under the present regime we have Wenger as our manager for this and next season.
What concerns me though others will argue differently is the extra amount of games one has to play in the Europa Cup. Our squad is alredy quite weak, and is there not a clause with the Emirates deal that non qualification for the CL would result in less revenue (though I may have this wrong)
Like micky I am fearful that Spurs may strengthen in this window , they will as everyone else see our short comings, as to me I see them as our biggest danger to get 4th this season even though i am sure Bale will be snapped up in the Summer.
On a side note, most agree we are in need of a LB and the perfect answer IMO has been pencilled in by United, and that is Baines to replace Evra….watch this space.
Rasp
Is what ypu are trying to say: “Arsene and shit to board ashhole?”
ROLF LAMOW
Another point on the rebuilding issue.
It must be beneficial to do that from a position of strength.
Mankini trying to play down his bust up with Mad Mario says “.. I take his shirt and push him out of pitch. That was it. That is what happened. Nothing special.”
So obviously he wants Bonkers Balotelli to stay.
Hi GiE
Finnishing ouside the top four has further ramifications that do not bear thinking about.
I have heard that the new sponserhip money from emeriates is linked to participation in the champions league, therefore less money if we dont make it.
The Global brand will be affected making us a less lucrative propistion to potential new marketing deals
We are run on a self sustainable model are we not? No qualification then our ability to pay players is weakened.
Some people want change for the sake of it. They are tierd of the Ground Hog day of finnishing fourth and beleive the manager is no longer the man. This is a concept i find abhorent.
We must finnish in the top four to continue our momentum. we are a Club who have metaphoricly climbed the hill many times in the last seven years only to slip down when close to the top. Now we are climbing the hill again, but the last thing we need is further disruption.
We will climb that bloddy hill and reach the top, that is certain. What is required is paitence not a tendancy to slit our own throat.
😆 micky, no that’s not where I’m coming from. The writing has been on the wall for a couple of seasons now. There is a complacency and lack of energy and enterprise in the way the club is run. I do think AW has a mental block when it comes to transfer deaings. This article on arseblog sums up my frustration at the way he toys with language and contradicts himself …
http://arseblog.com/2013/01/why-having-to-read-between-arsenes-lines-is-increasingly-frustrating/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arseblog+%28Arseblog+-+It%27s+fucking%27+excellent+-+an+Arsenal+blog%29
As I have said before, I want a manager whose only interest is in getting the best possible team together and winning every game he can – not one who thinks he has to educate the footballing world as to the value of prudence. It should be up to the Board and the GM to decide what resources are available to the manager, his job is to try to get maximum value from those resources and this is where we have been failing.
Hear hear to your second para Raspers, and I agree the board and Gooner Michael are a good combo to decide what is best for resource utilisation.
😆 chary – GM = general manager
mickydidit89 is correct. If we drop out of the champions league it becomes even harder to attract top players, something we are unable to do at the moment whilst we are still qualifying. Of course there is always the extra problem to then keep your very top players, particularly if you are still out for a second season. This of course is a REALLY BIG worry at the moment. Will the club then drift into a long period of mediocrity with gates at the Emirates slumping down to 25000 ?
It pains me to say this, but it seems to me that Spurs are heading very much in the right direction.They have a very good quality squad, and unlike us, are very ambitious. Even more worryingly they have now developed a stronger mentality and are digging in to win dfificult away games. Basically their team spirit seems to be much stronger. Watch the reaction of the players and the bench when they score a goal, and compare it to ours. Look at the interaction between AVB and Stefan Freund and compare it to Wenger and Bould.
Writing this is making me feel very poorly… I am very worried.
Terry
Loved your comment about my rant being very “Medterranean”
Certainly makes you appear Polar Ice Cap Cool 🙂
Thanks Micky
I can see you now, mama nagging you for not shaving whilst the wife simultanously nags you for not taking the bins out. You of course will ignore all this and shout back from your comfy chair that your Greek coffee is not strong enough and demand another. hahaha
Martin….go wash your mouth out. 😀 …do you really want a coach jumping around like Freubd every time we score a goal? It reveals a lack of expectation.
It’s the “attract top players” that confuses me….has CL qualification helped us attract or keep top players? Simple answer ….. no
TMHT Is our brand different to that of Liverpools? In the past fans from overseas would have been taken with Liverpools success, those fans are now drawn towards Chelsea, City and United. Liverpool still manage to earn very healthy kit deals despite this and also despite being out of CL for a few years.
Its an interesting question GiE. How would non partcipation in the champions league affect future earnings by brand damage? Of course liverpool have a great European history, and pulled of an amazing win against Milan.
Lets put it this way. The proof is in the pudding. Emeriates have already stated that the sponserhip deal is linked with our participation in the champions league. Non qualification will do damage to the club so ime desperate for a top four finnish.
Gooner in exile. Agree Freund looks a complete clown on the touchline,,,but it is the passion that I’m referring to.
Only pulling your leg Martin….the team spirit does appear to be at Spuds at the moment, but i guess that comes from winning, it was also there last season up until the point they crumbled away……as they always do. Scratch the surface and their squad is as thin as ours (maybe thinner), but they have kept a good 1st eleven together and sold the players with ego’s (Modric, VanDerFaart), they bought another one (Adebayor).
Lord Kroenke said to Wenger “come fourth my man” he came fifth and got the consolation prize 🙂
Ba to Chavs official now, on a 3 1/2 year deal.
I’d have to say I agree with you. Yep, It’s going to take something drastic for the club to realize that it’s prudence policy is now crossing into the anti risk (anti growth) territory. I am not saying that they should go out there and spend like Man City and Chelsea; but its risk appetite does not resemble that of the fourth most valuable club on the planet, that’s for sure.
Yes, we’re a corporate body in the legal sense and profit is undeniably important. But let’s not forget that in economic substance we are an organization which is there to serve public interest. If profit is made at a direct expense of this, then it becomes self defeating. Profit should be the club’s purpose and not its objective! For instance, the club has dramatically increased its retained earnings over time as a direct result of selling our best players, and while this was understandable during the earlier years due to the stadium construction, we still continue to sell our best assets and field a team that gets weaker by the year. Gooner In Exile is spot on when he refers to the fact we are now in a position to absorb losses, and it’s about time we stopped compromising market share for profit. Look at Liverpool- it’s going to take a long time before they start competing with the elite as market forces can be very unforgiving. We’d be in an even worse predicament, as we do not have the luxury of their history to fall back on.
Moreover, what makes the current predicament difficult to accept is the fact that our strategy is underpinned by factors outside our control-FFP. Honestly, is that the best they can come with up. There are serious doubts as to whether this regulation will have the teeth to change things, and even it does, its strict enforcement will be by no means immediate. In which time, the gap between us and the rest might just become too great to claw back. I just hope that we don’t end up looking back at this crucial period in the club’s history as the ‘lost years’?
VP it is inretesting to me that most people approach the subject of CL qualification in respect of financial impact, but advise the club to risk more to gain trophies.
Without a Sugar Daddy it is very difficult to absorb the losses by taking those risks if the upside (trophies) does not materialise.
The retained earnings is also a bit of a fallacy in that profit on players has been spent on acquisitions yet those costs are not reflected instantly.
Lets be sure of one thing without the approach over recent years (buying cheap selling high) it is questionable as to whether the club would have survived without a Sugar Daddy or massive ticket price increases for us fans.
Now is the time for change, we have to give the team and club time now to show whether they can change to adapt to a newer model. That got us this far by taking necessary steps, they should at least be given the opportunity to improve things now the financial pendulum has started to swing in or favour.
I don’t think year outside the CL would suddenly throw the club into a downward spiral. In fact, it could be the catalyst for better things. Consistanly being out of the top 4 is another matter.
Lescott anyone?
@ Gooner in Excile
You are right that the retained earnings are capitalized on an amortization basis when it comes to acquisitions, but this does not change the fact they we have ultimately made a profit from selling on our best assets.I can understand why this has been the case up-till this point, but now that the financial constraints of the stadium are no longer a problem, there are no excuses for us to persist with this strategy. Surely, we now have the resources to at least hold onto our best assets, and surely it’s about time we did.
I made a specific reference in the piece to becoming Anti-risk, and that is what we have become. I do not suggest that we embark upon massive investment and go sterling for sterling with the other clubs, but to totally eradicate risk as we are doing with this model suggest that there is no attempt on our part to grow. An organization cannot grow if it does not expose itself to a certain level of risk. I do not suggest that we become a going concern threat to achieve this, just invest more than we do right now.
Our current model is there to ensure that the club continues to increase in price, and to guarantee a risk free return to its owners- Longterm shareholder wealth. Our strategy is specifically designed to take into one stakeholder above all else, and that’s the owner. The people up top are remunerated and rewarded for doing exactly that. How our CEO can be rewarded with a wage increase for delivering an operating loss is beyond belief, and if any FTSE 100 company did this, then they’d be outrage within the market place.
By in large,I think me and you are on the same page and I agree with all of the points you’ve made today. Unfortunately, the fact that we have an owner who doesn’t give two hoots about the club undermines a lot of the great things that the club sets out to achieve.
I think it would negate the new sponsorship deals. No CL means a loss of around 25 million (minimum) income. I think it would be a wake up call to a lot of people but I think i’d murder Arsene or a Ivan if he came out and said ‘we have to be prudent because no CL money coming in means less on transfers ect’.
But who cares when we win the CL this year?!
@ Rasp
like Chary I agree with those comments. Also the Arseblog article left me nodding in approval also. I’m not good with this between the lines stuff, I know he works in a round about way for a reason (well that’s what people tell em he does) but it drives me insane because i have no idea what’s going on.
Same thing with a post he did a month ago about theo. Quotes were taken from Arsene talking about cesc, nasri, rvp, henry, and theo. They all sounded scarily similar and along the ling of ‘they are not going.’
vp,
I made an attempt to tell you, yesterday, that my intention was not to give you a hard time, but the comment disappeared into the WordPress blogosphere.
Anyway, I am doing so now, and I hope you enjoy blogging on AA! 🙂
Your points to day are clear and have a lot of merit.
Hi Oz, 🙂
AW has to be careful what he says publicly.
Like you it drives me bonkers when he comes out with his elliptic interview quotes that do not make much sense.
For example, he said, yesterday, he would be going into the market. On the other hand he said he would not be going into the market until the Walcott contract talks were concluded. Why?
If that was regarding a replacement for Theo, that is OK, but what about getting (say) a DM, what has that to do with Theo.
Then there is the ‘we are only interested in top, top players’, but we all know, so far we have been outbid by the usual suspects, and Arsene has form in wanting to buy at a price — which means he is buying at the less than ‘top, top’ shop!
Red Arse
No offense taken. We’re all on the same team at the end of the day.
Hi Slim, 🙂
I understand what you are saying, but in purely monetary terms, we would stand to lose approximately £20m from not qualifying, and The Emirates sponsorship deal apparently includes a clause reducing the value of our deal if we do not qualify.
That presumably could be something like £10m, so if we do not break even again we might be looking at reducing our net spend on new players, in the summer, or selling players to make good any deficit incurred on the P&L Account.
Better to qualify, I think! 😀
Well said, vp! 😀
Afternoon RA. I hope all is well.
My optimism always leads me to believe what Arsene is saying will happen (or is that naive? i’m not sure). But over the years the ‘I’m only interested in top top/world class players is getting tiresome. More than half the names he’s brought over the years have left us scratching our heads thinking ‘who is that?’ Stuff the big names just bring in some players that will improve the squad, or just give some of the promising youngsters more of a go!
Poor Eisfeld, he’s one clearly ready for the next step (far too good for the under 21’s comp) but how can he improve if he doesn’t get a look in!
You are right what does theo have to do with anything? It’s not like we have to sell to buy at the moment. Theo should in no way be linked to a LB, or DM, or Winger, or even all bloody three.
Stop thinking up puzzling speeches that keep your cards close to your chest.
Stop sitting tight until the last few moments so we can save a penny.
Better yet just buy me a specialist who can help implement a press! That’s all we need to be honest.
Not long back from the hospital today, so see you guys later! 🙂
Oz, agreed! 😀
damn you RA and your 2.31
My 2.02 was meant to give that point exactly but failed miserably!
I was just supporting you, Oz! Not that you needed it!
A man of your linguistic talents, as well being a world class pre-match Poster is always right!!!! 🙂
Off now.
take care RA. Enjoy your afternoon!
I raised a question yesterday which went unanswered (quiet sob).
Why would it be in Kroenke’s interest for his asset (AFC) to become less valuable by dropping out of the CL, failing to compete for trophies etc?
Do we really think he would jeopardize the value of his asset in this way by adopting a penny-pinching approach?
It just doesn’t make sense to me. Surely Stan wants Arsenal success as much as we do (albeit for different reasons)?
Excellent Post GiE.
Mr Rock, I think what you refer to is the stock piling of cash, the lowering of debt so the net worth (and reduced liabilities) of AFC makes the club an asset ripe for cherry picking and being “fattened” up before it’s sold to someone else so that Kroenke makes a massive profit on his shares on the sale.
Obviously a club with more debt and less cash would not make as much profit/cash on disposal but it’s all about the timing – long term erosion of the value of the Arsenal brand won’t set in till later so if he times it right The Arsenal will be ripe for sale at a time he can maximise his profit.
Thanks Chary
That makes sense.
However, I don’t believe that that has been Kroenke’s approach with any of his (many) US sports franchises, so it seems unlikely it will be his approach with us.
We just don’t know Mr Rock, (I think) this is his first non-US sports franchise so we have no past experience to look on.
It’s the not knowing, and his continued silence, that is causing the unease.
Arse.com now confirmed Chamakh on loan to Fat Sam till the end of the season.
Now watch all our strikers get crocked, lol.
PS Schalke’s Holtby has joined the Spuds, subject to medical.
Hi Rock meister, 🙂
You comment @ 3:35;
“I raised a question yesterday which went unanswered (quiet sob).”
“Why would it be in Kroenke’s interest for his asset (AFC) to become less valuable by dropping out of the CL, failing to compete for trophies etc?”
Actually, I believe I answered this in a couple of comments, yesterday, before you raised the question, and which I have annotated below,
(A) “[The Manure 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.}}
(B) “[The interests of Kroenke and Usmanov] in making Arsenal financially successful and therefore profitable and {{more valuable}}, coincides with my interest, [as a fan] 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!
I have highlighted the relevant parts for you with {{ }}.
See, we did not ignore you — you just asked the question AFTER the answer had been given!! 😀 😀
Rocky,
I do not want to muscle in on your chat with CharyB the Great, but there is a simple way of looking at the Balance Sheet and applying it to your question.
[These are not the Arsenal figures, of course, and neither am I going to try and show the ‘true’ accounting treatment – it’s just an example].
[1] A B/S showing £100 Cash + £10 assets = £110, has the same impact on the company’s net worth as;
[2] A B/S showing £10 Cash + £100 assets = £110.
Now if the ‘assets’ represented the valuation of the players — as a buyer — I might want to pay a premium to acquire those ‘assets’ which could bring me a much better return on my money than the cash in the B/S for which I would certainly not pay a premium.
My advice to Kroenke? Whether you intend to sell out in the short or medium term, get yourself a ‘good balance sheet’ where the critical ratio analysis shows ‘worth’ in the assets, so when Usmanov comes calling, you will get the best price for your shares. 😀
Hoorah Cham has gone to Wham thank you ma’am 🙂 … shame its only on loan. The spuds have grabbed Holtby, not sure how serious our interest in him was but it will make their squad better
Rasp,
At the back of my mind there is a little worm of doubt wriggling uncomfortably.
After all the talk of Arsene having money (and lots of it) available for transfers, two of the players we were fairly heavily linked with (AW had said he liked them blah, blah) have either gone elsewhere, already, (Holtby to the Spuds) or are strongly rumoured to be on the verge of going to Manure (Zaha), and this despite Ferguson saying he would not be buying in January, and it makes me think – is this the same old, same old B/S we usually get?
I hope when Theo signs it will not be heralded as being “like buying a top, top player”. That would really upset me, and most other fans, I imagine.
Anyway, Rasp, I join you in your delight that Cham has gone, but as an AAer, pure in heart, I cannot join in your “wham, bang, thank you maam” — wherever do you use such terms? 😀
O[pta stats:
Without van persie United would be 11th in the league. Did we sell him to cheap regardless of his contract running down to United of all clubs.
SAF and Wenger used to be the deadly duo,but those days are over and I still believe that someone is pulling the strings on behalf of Wenger and he to an extent is the spokesman.
I am no accountant but our obsession with financial security could bite us back in a hard way.
Nice post, GIE.
Fourth is not a trophy but should be our third priority after the premier league and the champions league, just as Wenger has said.
As a matter of interest, how do we stand as far as homegrown non-homegrown spare positions available in the squad?
Good day to you all. For me CL qualification is a must for us at this stage and I think it could be a difficult road back to the top if we don’t get it. It is not, however, where I think the club should be aiming for as its top goal, but more a bare minimum. Arsene has done well getting us there every year and no team has the right to a top 4 finish automatically, but we need to look at it in the here and now rather than how well he has done in getting us there over the last number of years. Football seems to be a ruthless entity that has very little place for sentimentality and nostalgia. That is why I feel this transfer window could be a key moment in the clubs history.
Spurs look stronger and I am not sure we can rely on a collapse from them on the same magnitude as last year. That means we really have to do it ourselves, and strengthening in the right places now should hopefully push us there. That is why I would go with VP that the assessed risk of outlaying funds on the right players now is an important factor. It could be a far greater risk to save funds for later on.
Another worrying factor is that we seem to be in for the same players as Spurs are now but, and I may be wrong in my feeling on this, many of these players seem to be looking at them more favourably than us. Why would that be? They don’t have more resources than us. I don’t actually believe they have a better squad than us, so maybe it is the impression given out of the ambition of the 2 clubs concerned, and note that I use the word impression. I do, as such, feel this talk about a so called lack of ambition of our club has some mileage. I said yesterday that it doesn’t mean that Arsene and the board are genuinely unambitious, but it is maybe more to do with, as mentioned above, the impression that the club is giving out. It is more a poor PR job if you like. I know that is the feeling that I seem to feel the club gives off at times. Some of you may not feel this, but if others out there also get the same feeling, particularly the players we are looking at as potential recruitment’s, then that can only hurt us in our ability in the transfer market. It really doesn’t matter if deep down the club are in reality ambitious if the image being given off is the opposite. In the fickle world of footballers the damage is likely already done.
Hello from India, my last couple of days of hols and I stumbled across a functioning wifi connection. Makes up for being in a state with no booze….
First off, happy new year to one and all.
Second, nice little post from Mr Exile. I don’t really have a settled view on the question: I’d be gutted if we finished outside the top four because (a) I’m used to that being the bare minimum and (b) it would prove that we are on a gentle downward incline.
But life often moves in cycles. For example, Dortmund are a top, top team right now, but it was only a few seasons ago that they were looking relegation in the face, never mind missing out on CL football. A dreadful period of a few years culminated in a new dawn for them, built on a brilliant new generation. I’m not saying we would (or could) follow the same path, but the club and the squad need to change somehow. Perhaps a period in the Europa League could contribute to that change.
As for attracting new players, frankly we’re not really going for it in the transfer market right now. Anyway, Liverpool managed to get Suarez despite being crap, and Spurs got Vertonghen despite being no more than good. If the club wanted to sign one or two big players, it could do so now and it could if we missed out on CL football, it would just cost more and would be harder to achieve but not impossible.
It’s far too simplistic to say the mancs would be 11th without bsr.
Who’s to say that Chicarito or Welbeck wouldn’t have taken up the slack.
I’m not saying they would have but are we assuming they would have played with 10 men if that dutch mercenary hadn’t gone there?
@GoonerB: You make an excellent point; perception means a lot. It can make something real even if it wasn’t real before. Van Persie, Fabregas, Nasri and Adebayor leave in a few seasons, and we look like a club going backwards, a club that players ambitious for success, glory and good money should leave, not stay with. If some or all of them had stayed, the narrative around Arsenal would be very different. But the perception of us now is that we are damaged goods. And in the annoyingly frequent lethargic performances, it seems also to have transmitted itself into the current squad.
Like you, I also don’t see Spurs as being better than us. Christ, a few weeks ago, we caned them 5-2 for the second year running. They have some excellent players (Bale and Vertonghen in particular), and I think they have a very promising generation of kids coming through, but they inherited from Redknapp a lot of flaws in their squad, which will take time to flush through. With a bit of energy and dynamism, we can still finish ahead of them, and we could still catch Chelsea, but we need to find that energy and dynamism and quickly.
Agree with all of that 26May. It seems we are at a pivotal moment currently.
I hope Chamakh does well at West Ham. Hope he scores at the weekend actually
Damn, Cham to Wham means I owe Rasp a Peroni.
Or does it?
Hmmmm…
I said he would score 10 goals this season in all competitions. I did not say who for… 🙂
Off topic but lets ravel in a bit of transfer gossip. Seems like the media has linked us to both David Villa and Adrian Lopez. I know its all speculation at this point and it might not even be anything concrete so far but I’d like to know which of the two would you guys prefer?
Hi
The sheep is glad to see the back of chamak.
It will be a huge loss of cash if we don’t make the top 4,we shouldn’t be worried about it but at the moment we are because most of us know this squad is not good enough.
We should be in the top 3 every season but over the past 7 years its gone a bit trophy less.
Redders
I have several very pressing questions, but on reading your comments from the last few days I realize you have answered them all in advance 🙂
Hi Sheepy, unfortunately the pic you’ve sent with your article is too small to use, I can find the same picture but it won’t have the signed frame – is that ok?
Actually, scrap that I’ve just found the exact pic 😛
Yes np rasp
Yes is my spelling ok,the welsh are awaiting the gunners in their thousands
Roll on Sunday
Its fine sheepy, it will probably be a saturday pre-prematch 😆
Because we want to play in the CL, a competition which still eludes us.
Chas in late response to:
“As a matter of interest, how do we stand as far as homegrown non-homegrown spare positions available in the squad?”
We only named a squad of 23 in September, so have 2 spaces left for over 21’s, we named 16 non homegrown, and 7 homegrown.
Homegrown:
Ramsey
Szczesny
Gibbs
Djourou
Walcott
Eastmond
Mannone
Non Homegrown:
Arteta
Cazorla
Koscielny
Vermaelen
Podolski
Arshavin
Chamakh
Sagna
Rosicky
Mertesacker
Gervinho
Santos
Diaby
Squillacci
Giroud
Fabianski
So with Chamakh gone we have space for 3 players, no more than 2 can be Non Homegrown.
PL squad lists for all clubs is here
Click to access Squad-Lists-September-2012.pdf
Cheers rasp I tried to take it from a different angle instead of all this board out nonsense
👍
Rasp game on Sunday not sat should it be pre post on Sunday
Thanks, GIE.
So loads of room for top, top quality signings. 🙂
Eastmond lol.
With Djourou possibly off, the homegrown is looking a bit thin all of a sudden.
Jack and Jenks declared as homegrown next season.
?
Chas,
Jenkinson will never qualify as home grown.
To become home grown you have to have been with a club for 36 months prior to your 21st birthday.
Jenkinson joined AFC on June 08, 2011 and his 21st birthday is February 02, 2013. So at the moment he is and under 21 player.
Non-home grown departures: Squidge, Chamakh,
Home grown departures: Djourou
Incoming non-home grown: Jenks (replace Squidge) – I’m confused though because he has decided to play for England now doesn’t that mean he is automatically home grown?
Incoming home grown next season: Miquel (replace Eastmond), Jack (replace Djourou)
GiE that’s why you are the master of this, I’ve lost myself in a labyrinth of rules!
GN5 Jenkinson will be homegrown, the rule states that a player is homegrown if they have spent 36 months (or more) at a club in England and Wales before they turn 21.
It has nowt to do with the club for which they are currently playing. Example – Ashley Young is homegrown (check PDF I linked to earlier).
It’s also why Ryo Miyachi will not be loaned overseas as he will become homegrown, by the time we have to name him 😀
Oz, we shouldn’t forget that as RA keeps saying its all about Maximums, we can have a a maximum of 25 players including no more than 17 non home grown.
So we can have 20 homegrown and 5 non homegrown, or 8 homegrown and 17 non homegrown, or we could just have a squad of 17 non homegrowns.
Jenkinson should qualify as one of our homegrown players next season as he has dual-nationality (English/Finnish). He was born in Harlow, Essex to an English father and a Finnish mother.
Similarly to Frimpong (English/Ghanian), should he remain with the club next season.
Miquel qualifies as homegrown because of his length of stay with our club since youth (2008-2013).
The massive advantage of the Homegrown is that you can be sure of
the chemical and additive free properties
Morning all
Making the grass grow at night. Arsenal prepare another batch of homegrown.
All part of the self sustaining business model
Alternative revenue streams and whatnot
🙂
Blimey Chas
Maybe we’ve just stumbled onto the problem
Absolutely everybody at Arsenal is forever ripped to the tits
Maybe that’ the problem with the anti-doom lobby
They lack our lateral vision
Common trait of the blinkered corporate John
😀 I want to get hiiiiiiiiiiigh so high
JM Homegrown has nowt to do with nationality.
Could have a lad born in England but moved to Spain with parents at age of 3. Gets taken on by Betis (for example) and stays with them until 22. When we sign him he would be Non Homegrown.
Apparently because David Villa has started to follow Arteta on Twitter he is going to be our TW acquisition.
Ahoy GIE
I do wish Junior would get a move on so that we can put the Christening date in the diary.
Some on here have full diaries, flights to book and in a few cases, new frocks to buy, and I’m not just referring to Peaches and Evonne for the last part
Villa and Alonso
Viva Espana
Alonso is only looking for the odd season or two, and could certainly teach the likes of Coquelin a thing or two about defensive midfielding
Haha Micky. Well that littl’un will be arriving by hook or by crook Sunday-Wednesday. The dreaded inducement starts tomorrow as those dear old doctors get more impatient than expectant Mothers and Fathers and demand to see it before nature has taken its course.
We always thought there was a scientific impossibility to the dates given to us, they were about 10 days ahead (they prefer to base on measurement rather than what Mrs Exiles diary said). That said according to size we are still measuring a big baby, so I am not sure Mrs Exile too keen on waiting another two weeks.
I’m not sure on Alonso, we only missed out on him last time because Arsene wouldn’t spend a million or so more! 🙂
No wonder why we lack fitness, the players have been getting the munchies far too often
Oz
There are two types of DM
The leather studded jock strap type. Grinding his way through the gears. All 4×4 diff locks on thing.
Then there’s the Alonso type. Silk underwear and gliding effortlessly through beautifully lubricated gears.
I like my DM’s wearing smooth silk underwear but with tenacious fighting spirit in the form of leopard print! It’s worn by Coquelin. You also may remember seeing it on Flamini!
Please Oz don’t do the one about missing out on Alonso “becasue Wenger wouldn’t spend a extra couple of million”
There might be impressionable gooners who come on here, read it and believe it, next thing you know that urban myth is believed by gooners who really should know better.
Thank you.
I only do it to get a rise out of you LB, but I promise it will not be done again 🙂
Morning Fellas, 🙂
I had a home grown nail in my foot once – bastard hurt!!
Too late, Ozzer, 🙂
Every Arsenal fan in the world, and in the alternative Universe too, has heard how skinflint Wenger would not cough up an extra couple of million squids for Alonzo!
It had nothing to do with him being Spanish, being paid a king’s ransom by Madrid, one of the wealthiest and most competitively successful and probably the biggest, best known club in the world, or the superb weather and no one speaking scouse, obviously!! 🙂
It was even worse when he didn’t sign Ronaldo, Yaya, and Drogba Redders! 🙂
Oz, 🙂
Ha ha Oz
Leopard print screams “buy me five pints of lager and two bacardi chasers and I’ll do absoltely anything” 🙂
Morning all, today we have an article from our new Swansea based friend …..
….. New post …