I know that a lot of Arsenal fans disagree vehemently with the decision by Stan Kroenke not to inject massive funds into the club but long term it is the only way.
The club has to become self-sufficient, that means making a profit on transfers, bringing through youth, controlling wages, doing the right sponsorship deals and of course, success on the field of play.
Missing out on the Champions League has damaged us financially and will always have a knock-on effect in terms of revenue and attracting the right sort of player but Arsenal are big enough to withstand that and if we stick to our financial model we will always make our way back into Europe’s elite competition.
Some will argue that without a huge injection of cash we will not be able to compete for the title but look at Liverpool, they amassed 97 points and still did not pick up the Premier League trophy, why?
Because the game has been distorted by the spending of Manchester City, they have not earned their success, they have bought it and they will, at some point, pay the price for that which could include being banned from the Champions League.
The authorities are clamping down on clubs cheating the system and a time will come that clubs will have no option but to work within their means and the sooner we adapt to that the better it will be for us long term.
Tottenham have gone down that path and it has served them well, yes, they have been bloody lucky and losing 13 league games in a season shows they have a long way to go but they are on the right track and Arsenal are now on that same course.
We are a huge club, we earn more than enough to become competitive, we have made mistakes and that is why we are where we are today and that is a truth we have to face.
Terrible transfer deals, horrendous contract negotiations, losing players for nothing, not bringing through enough young talent, poor coaching decisions and so on have all contributed to where we are today, not a lack of funds by the owner.
Of course, it would be lovely if Kroenke could throw in £200 Million and we go out and buy three or four world class players but that money has to be covered, if it is not then we will be punished by the authorities and do not kid yourselves that will not happen because it will, they are now getting tough with the liars and cheats in our game that are manipulating competition through financial skullduggery.
I know this is not a popular opinion but I am confident we will get it right, that we will be self-sufficient and will be able to compete for silverware, we just need patience.
Martin