Is Josh Kroenke NOW a real Gooner, even though Stan is not? by Jon Fox
Until fairly recent times, perhaps a year or two ago, I was so very anti the Kroenke family owning our club, and said so often and forcefully. But little by little, my attitude, towards Josh at least, has softened a good deal.
What has become plain is that, unlike his stone-faced father, Josh has all the people skills of a skilled and top-class communicator. That is not to say that he tells us fans what is going on in the corridors of power, as that would be unrealistic and, though of interest, would not serve much purpose in helping the club.
We fans, taken as a whole – and apologies to the many patient ones on JA – do not exactly help ourselves in befriending the Kroenkes. Ever since they bought in back in 2007, they have been regarded with hostility and, at best, suspicion and mistrust. I have to say I am firmly among that number, and until more recent times, with good reason too.
I have always maintained and still do, that an owner OUGHT to be a fan. I see no hope of Stan ever being a fan of anything other than wealth and asset riches. But Josh, his son, and a son I believe he is devoted to, seems to me to have become a real fan. I suspect that many are incredibly surprised at that, including Josh himself.
Josh seems to have become an Anglophile and a lover of English football. Either that OR he is one of the best actors around, which IMO he is not.
For his part Stan – and whenever I type Stan, it comes out as Satan, which might be telling us something, or might be my subliminal thoughts guiding my fingers – seems to have human loving qualities towards his family at least and very glad I am to see that too!
For it cannot be sensibly denied that these last very few windows, Stan has allowed our club and manager to spend heavily on new players and wages. The transformation from the days before he had total control is VERY NOTABLE.
I also believe that, guided by Josh, who is far more in daily touch, and knows far more than his father about the real qualities of actual people involved in running day to day affairs, has decided to back MA and EDU to a level that a club of our historic and worldwide status fully deserves.
To my mind, it is inconceivable that Kroenke Senior would have backed such as Wenger or Emery in this fashion, as back then Josh was still a businessman first and had not fallen in love with our club. NOW he has done, and the difference in KSE spending cannot, IMO, be explained by any other reason.
Some argue that it is only since he took the club private again and gained 100% control that he has spent freely, and that seems true. But is that the real reason, OR, as I believe, is the real reason that he has backed Josh and his love for our club to the hilt?
No, my friends, I do not believe this leopard changes his spots so totally, UNLESS true affection for his son is involved.
Affection and love are the key words, and that is WHY I maintain any owner OUGHT to be a true fan and love their club. Well, perhaps we have to make do with Josh “loving us” and hope that in the fullness of time Stan signs the club over to Josh completely. That is probably a vain hope but in life you can never be totally sure.
While not altering one jot my opinion of Stan as a businessman through and through, but not a fan of football at all, let alone our club, I am now hopeful that, thanks to Josh and Stan’s clear love for his son, our club is set for a prolonged period of real progress ahead.
One final thought; those who wanted Daniel Ek, who owns Spotify, to have bought Kroenke out, even though that was never on the cards, have avoided a probable disaster, given the parlous state of Spotify today.
I am keen to know your thoughts, my fellow Gooners.
Jon Fox
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