Despite spending money, why Kroenke is Arsenals REAL ongoing problem by Jon Fox
Having just today read a fine article by Anders, where I agree with a lot of what he says but where I say he OMITTED my take on Kroenke, I want to give the fuller, truer, story about Kroenke:
Kroenke bought into Arsenal in 2007, the existing Board having, disastrously IMO, first ousted the magnificent and dedicated Arsenal fanatic, David Dein, who had always been such a vital part of Arsene Wenger’s glorious first decade. Thus, our Board made the worst and most costly mistake in our long history. Wenger without Dein was like fish without chips, like Morecambe without Wise.
Put simply, AW’s lifeline and steadfast great support and supporter was suddenly cut adrift, and thus the greatest boardroom bomb of a mistake of my own 64 years as a regularly attending fan, was catastrophically dropped onto our beloved Arsenal.
As if this was not bad enough, almost immediately in came Kroenke, a USA multi billionaire who had then, and still has, no real knowledge and no love at all of what he would call “soccer”, but which the world outside USA knows as football.
Our remorseless drift from the summit of Prem football began at that very time back in 2007 and though we have won several FA cups since then, the real test of a side, i.e., the Prem title, has become further and further from our possible dreams ever since.
My intention in this article is to show how many awful appointments to run our club have been made by this absent and uncaring owner, who lives on a continent over 3000 miles away and whose one TRUE sporting love is the LA RAMS, a team he has relocated at huge cost, right across the USA.
In this globally connected age of instant communication, Kroenke’s deserved nickname of Silent Stan is rightly directed against him and his belief in not communicating at all with we fans – who, indirectly, fund and adore his “legal possession”- is shameful. No person with proper human values who cares for other humans as friends, family, or even as “just” employees and paying customers, would DREAM of treating other people with such disdain and contempt.
But contempt for us at Arsenal is precisely what he has always shown… I will of course mention the morally bankrupt and instantly fan-crushed attempt to railroad us into the so called European Super League, which only a naive fool could fail to see was done ONLY to guarantee he and his fellow conspirators among the Super Six, PERSONAL WEALTH BEYOND COMPARE, FOR EVER AND A DAY! Despicable does not cut it!!
Under the Covid pandemic, this dreadful owner then summarily got rid of a number of hard working and loyal backroom staff with never a backward glance. To Kroenke, the “little people” do not matter and they are not valued or even asked their opinion.
Just summarily dismissed! UGH! And such people are, Im my honest opinion, the lowest of the low and it grieves me that our club is owned by such a person, it truly does. I could add far more about his appalling attitude to other decent human beings, but the purpose of this article is to highlight his dreadful appointments of those in charge of our club, and esp those who look after the day to day running of the non team affairs.
Because fan opinion on JA is so split on our three managers who have run team affairs under Kroenke, I have deliberately chosen not to include my personal views about the three full time managers who have run our team under Kroenke.
In any case, my personal views are well known and, though shared by some, are loathed and mocked by others, so I wish to avoid deflecting from my REAL PURPOSE in this piece, if you will allow me!
I was tempted to include those managers, but knew that if I did so, that the REAL PURPOSE of this piece would be ignored and overlooked, and I naturally wish to avoid that.
Kroenke appointed the dreadful and non-football experienced man, Ivan GAZIDIS, as our chief executive or CEO. THE TITLE IS NOT WHAT MATTERS BUT WHAT HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR, VERY MUCH WAS.
Gazidis was, by any rational opinion, nothing short of a disastrous appointment, and he presided over a steady drift away from the great first decade of AW and proceeded to feed we fans lie after lie, after lie and in fact he lost any credibility that he might have ever had at the time if his appointment.
He was IMO a snake and across his many years, he inflicted immense harm on our beloved club AND on our reputation as an honourable club. He was suited to Kroenke of course, as Gazidis too, was unconcerned for our feelings, our devotion and love toward our club and he lied and lied, again and again, about spending money, and promised us the EARTH while delivering almost nothing.
Having, at great expense, moved to the Emirates in 2006, he promised we fans real progress, whilst knowing that money was short and always just before season ticket renewals, he filled us with false hope. Unsurprisingly, when he was seen through and was under huge pressure from fans, he suddenly jumped ship for a better offer, to AC Milan. Good riddance I said at the time, and only wish he had never come at all. But for Kroenke, who, remember knew nothing about football whatsoever, taking AW’s oh so damaging recommendation of Gazidis, without doing proper research into his character, we could and should have avoided Gazidis altogether. I must partly blame AW, but the ultimate decision was that of Kroenke, who therefore MUST carry that can!
And we then had equally appalling and harmful Raul Sanllehi, who came into that role following GAZIDIS and who suddenly, almost overnight, was gone and we were never told why. There are many rumours of course and surely no person in that position just steps down almost overnight, UNLESS……! Well, I wish to be careful what I ALLEGE IN PRINT. AS LIBEL LAWS APPLY IN THIS COUNTRY.
My whole contention then, to sum up, is that Kroenke, having appointed someone in charge then happily leaves other hirings in their hands And my strong contention is that an owner who is a beneficial one, MUST be on hand and at least be on the phone daily and keep his finger on the pulse, as Dein once did so well.
So, Anders, I like the fact you are a thinking man, but I am sorry to say that, for whatever reason, your otherwise fine article COMPLETELY IGNORES WHAT I MAINTAIN IS THE REAL AND ONGOING ROOT OF OUR PROBLEMS.
IT IS KROENKE AND HAS BEEN EVER SINCE 2007. SIGH!
COYG
Jon Fox
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