How the Chelsea implosion affects Arsenal and the wider football community Part two by Jon Fox
In Part One, I outlined the wider aspect of how Chelsea’s implosion affects football in its wider aspect. I now concentrate on how it specifically affects us in the near- and long-term future.
What recent events, not only with Chelsea but also with Ukraine, have shown so starkly, is that fans are fast evolving in our attitudes towards not accepting rogue owners and rogue states, far more quickly than many of us have hitherto realised. There is in today’s younger generation a far greater resolve than was present in our older generation to stand up against despicable behaviour at corporate level and indeed against pariah states, such as Russia, China, North Korea and also the Saudis, who are, disgracefully IMO, the commercial friend of our British government.
On other platforms I have delved in great detail into the wider aspect of how fast society is evolving but here on JA I want to stay with how it affects our beloved Arsenal.
Over the last few months and even weeks, there has been a sea change in how many Gooners see our future under Arteta. Our site is now bursting each week, with positive comments about how our team is improving so quickly and becoming exciting to watch, hungry to win. And optimism about us making top four is higher now than it has been at any previous time. Of course, some do not share that optimism and that is to be expected, as all fans at all clubs never all agree. That is healthy for debate and, in general fan terms, entirely normal.
Within a relatively few short weeks or months we have seen one club, Newcastle, ditch its unwanted owner but then sell its soul to a far greater devil than Mike Ashley, in the Saudi state, who now own them. We have also seen Abramovich forced to relinquish ownership of Chelsea and they are, seemingly, soon to be owned by another billionaire(s), though hopefully, less ghastly ones.
Our own club is also owned by a multi billionaire, who though some of us – well I do at least – consider him obnoxious, is not a monster, such as Putin or the Saudis.
I foresee in the near future a new and healthier situation for we fans where rogue states such as Saudi Arabia are banned, by British law, from owning clubs. Indeed, had Putin’s Ukrainian war happened a year ago, I believe that Newcastle would have avoided, by law, the Saudi ownership they are now slaves to. With Newcastle, the stable door was shut but too late!
I see Tracey Crouch’s new ownership regulations, currently in final preparation, before becoming law, as being decisive in preventing Saudi United from Gateshead, from being a new Chelsea under RA. I hope and believe that real teeth will be in legislation designed to prevent any one rogue owner from financial doping, as Chelsea and City have done, this century. It may be too much to hope though that Man City will now, after all this time, be banned from outspending all other clubs and the best we Gooners can hope for is that Guardiola’s managership soon ends. I do not see him staying there for many more years, personally.
With better financial control at Arsenal, there is no reason why in good time we cannot compete on equal financial terms with Liverpool and the newly owned Chelsea too. Of course, we need to stop right now the constant letting of players leave for nothing or for peanuts. And we need to stop buying players of the calibre of Elneny and his ilk and wasting money and wages on nothing worthwhile.
Further down the track, I predict that all top clubs will be forced, both by increasing fan resistance to corporate bullying – ( altering dates with little notice and bad scheduling, where TV schedules dwarf all other fan considerations) – and hopefully legislation giving we fans more say in how OUR game is run, to drastically reduce the way we fans are mistreated by the corporations running elite level football. A decade from now, but hopefully far sooner than that, I foresee our game that we love and which rules so many of our lives, being healthier and less bullied by the corrupt corporates who currently dictate policy.
I believe, dear friends, that one day, we may all including our own beloved club, get our game back from the bullies. I also believe that player salaries will be forced by sheer economic reality, worldwide, to become less obscene and, that the all-important fan/player relationship will thrive. For my money, I want NO more Ozils, Aubas and others who take us and our club for the fools we have been.
I BELIEVE THAT, IN TIME, WE WILL NEVER AGAIN BE TAKEN FOR FOOLS.
Here’s hoping, my dear fellow Gooners.
COYG.
Jon Fox
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
PRESS CONFERENCE – Arteta is very happy after Aston Villa win!