Anti-Kroenke Plane Was A Waste Of Time And Money by Dan Smith
You would assume fans who pay their hard earned money to hire a plane to fly over Villa Park are quite passionate supporters who must have a decent knowledge on Arsenal?
Therefore, they must know their actions on Tuesday night was the equivalent of setting their own cash on fire.
Stan Kroenke might be told about the banner, view its image on social media, yet you don’t become a billionaire by worrying about a few words. In reality our owner wouldn’t have known we were even playing last night, couldn’t tell you our fixture list, wouldn’t be able to list you our squad (apart from that Ozil guy his employees still haven’t got off his wage bill).
At best he might know we are in the FA Cup Final assumed based on his son flying to England, but Stan Kroenke will stop listening to Josh once he realises the prize money is minimal.
Yet the American has never pretended Arsenal are anything else to him but another brand to add to his portfolio. His cronies have long stressed the company line that the Gunners are self-financed.
Which is why I’m shocked gooners are waiting till the summer to see if Arteta is backed in the transfer market.
It’s unfair on our younger fans who are impressed by Youtubers, giving them false hope that there is any hope.
We got our answer when Luiz and Cedric were given fresh contracts. That’s not a club about to do serious things in pre-season, if we were, they would be free transfers right now.
For over a decade he hasn’t cared. When we were top of the Prem in January and needed a proper keeper but wouldn’t find 2 million for Schwarzer, the amount of big names we lost and never replaced, the manner of how we missed out on buying the likes of Suarez, Higuaín, etc.
If he cared about us challenging, you don’t hire an Emery or Arteta. No reflection on them but you can’t tell me an Allegri, Poch, Ancelotti, were not more qualified. Names who within 5 seconds would have said no to the post once they heard what was in the cookie jar.
It’s great we have a boss who is being honest and putting some pressure on his employers. Yet did we need anyone to really tell us?
Did we really think Arsene Wenger for years just chose to sell stars to rivals and not reinvest the money?
Look at the revenue the Europa League brings in. If we are relying on that for income, then we are in trouble.
The hope is that finishing is our worst position in 25 years might make the Kroenke family feel obliged to give the club a fresh cash injection, yet the business model no longer depends on being in Europe.
Yes of course he would appreciate Champions League money but ever since TV companies were giving billions for 20 clubs to share, it’s no longer imperative we ‘only finish top 4’. Kroenke never cared about progress when we were in the CL every year why would he now?
It makes zero sense that the year he would get out his wallet would be in the middle of a pandemic. I feel sorry for him in that regard. It’s like the Boy Who Cried Wolf. The one year he has a genuine reason to be cautious with his spending coincides with fans demanding investment.
I just can’t see a reluctant spender agreeing to anything until he knows when fans are allowed back into the Emirates. No one wants us to overspend and gamble on no second spike. You don’t become a Billionaire by doing that.
It’s progress that some have realised Silent Stan was the problem the whole time, but the damage has been done.
I wish I had the answer.
How do you get a man who doesn’t care to care?
So next time you want to hire a plane, give the money to the homeless or a charity instead…
Dan Smith
Change Stan Kroenke to Mesut Ozil on the banner and fly it again. Might as well save some money on the banner. We have certainly lost enough on the greedy guy.
It is time that Arsenal get another buyer for the club to buy quality players can for win league and champion league
Where from? Do you have a contact list of nominee billionaires we can contact for expressions of interest?
I’m missing something with Ozil
How’s he greedy ?
If Auba signs for 250 -000 a week is he greedy ?
Auba works hard for the team, earns his money. Ozil sits in the bleachers with an umbrella and has had a”backache”for months. Or is it a pain in the a**?
That’s two different things
You not rating him as a player doesn’t make him greedy
If your boss offered you a pay rise then said stay at home are you being greedy ?
Whilst agreeing with th many finepoints this article makes, I do differ from DAN in one respect. By flying that banner those fans have publicly let the whole football world see their own hostility to Kroenke, Almost al of us rightly share that loathing of Kroenke and all he stands for, To remov ehim fromour club- which almost all of us want – one of two things needs to happen. Our best chance to oust him is in trh financail aftermath of this pandemic and in thrhuge losse his sports franchises must bear for a long time to come , without spectators. Trumps idiocy and arrogance is our best ally in this quest, as he is destroying the economy of the USA by his attitude towards not controlling its spread. This will greatly and adversely affect Kroenkes USA
wealth.
Secondly, we Gooners need to universally declare a war on KROENKE and pressure him into selling up. Ideally, no season ticket renewals nor merchandise would be bought, though that will not happen sadly, as fans will think more of themselves and their own freedom of choice than of the quest and necessity to remove Kroenke.
But fan pressure on him willhave SOME effect. When added to the financial pressure he is already under and when he sees, as he will already have done so, the asset value of our club falling in real terms, a huge pressure to sell us at a price he can still get may prove our best ally. Total pressure from ALL souces will help our cause to free ourselves from the deadly grip of the evil Kroenke. More banners then please!
Are they Cornfalkes you’re eating jon?
No idea what cornfalkes are or what you mean by this post, even assuming you meant to write cornflakes. It still makes no sense!
So, you don’t know what cornfalkes are? Kellogs? Cereal? Breakfast?
In that case, do you have a sense of humour and a slight dose of intelligence?
Dan, given your assessment that Kroenke sees Arsenal as a financial asset in his sports port folio and has no interest in football or results, how do you see his hand in appointing head coaches or offering contracts to players?
As an obviously successful businessman, what I do hold him accountable for are his selection and support for the Arsenal Board and senior executive, who have mismanaged the player and financial assets of this Club. Even Stan and his son Josh can’t fail to see where their Arsenal asset is heading, with its worst finish since 1979, falling player valuations and unless Arsenal wins the FA Cup, failing to be in Europe next season for the first time during their ownership.
The self sustaining model is taking a hit with the potential loss of match day, television rights, advertising and merchandising revenue from Europe and it is difficult to believe that the Kroenke’s won’t be asking questions about how a club with expenditure in the top 4 ends up in 10th position.
You are quite right in much of what you think. A point in case is Sanllehi. At Barcelona he was the director working side-by-side with sporting directors .When they identified a signing, he was the man dispatched to make it happen.So he did not pick the players out but he made sure they signed. Sanllehi is no football manager, he’s a wheeler and dealer. So to my mind his appointment of Director of Football by KSE was a bad mistake. They have tried to rectify it by appointing EDU to help him out.
There is a general misconception that Arsenal are debt free and sitting on spare cash. This is incorrect. Arsenal are cash strapped, boxed in by FFP and saddled with existing debt .
Vinai Venkatesham, the managing director, has the commercial responsibilities for AFC and as such has not been as effective as perhaps a club of Arsenal’s world wide appeal would expect. I would have expected KSE to have at least strengthen that side of the business. It is also wrong to say that KSE do not care. Those four key potential drops in revenue, combined with an already difficult financial situation, have led to the situation Arsenal are now in and owners KSE have already started covering some financial commitments, despite the self-sustainable ethos. In the short term I doubt if KSE will make top management changes, but those managers will need to work very hard to sell unwanted players , firstly to reduce the unsupportable wage bill, and generate so cash for new aquisitions. If not they will be gone.
👍 Thanks patH, sound assessment. The major concern I have at the moment is the short turn around before the start of the 20/21 season and the apparent fact that Arsenal do not know how much money they have available for the transfer window. Other clubs, whose finances don’t appear to be any better than Arsenal are signing players, while the Arsenal management sit on their hands and procrastinate. There are some decent players, such as Malang Sarr available on a free. Arsenal is apparently interested, but Torina has made an approach already; however he is open to offers. Thomas Partey would be the biggest plus in many seasons, but Atletico Madrid is trying to resign him with a greatly increased wage and buyout clause. Arsenal should have no trouble beating his increased wage offer of £135k, but don’t appear to be showing any urgency.
The chances of resigning Aubameyang would be greatly increased, if he saw some ambition from Arsenal to strengthen the squad.
I would think they do know how much they have available based on two scenarios. Finishing the season in European football next year. And not in European competition next year. They will know after the final against Chelsea. How much is it actually worth if we do beat Chelsea though? I doubt it will be £50 million plus and based on profit this year I also doubt it will be as much as the last two seasons combined after spending so much on Pepe alone!?
I am not a great fan of Aubameyang more of a Suarez fan myself. But if rumours have any truth in them his wage demands are totally unrealistic in the present climate. There is little chance of us reaching the euro cup his year so any chance of income from that source is a no go. The need to sell players at realistic values is vital, firstly to get cash and secondly to reduce the wage bill. You are correct when you say that ambition from Arsenal to strengthen the squad would increase the chances of Aubameyang signing but I believe he is waiting for an offer from a more ambitious club. If he went then I suppose we might get 30-40 million and have his wages available for someone like Partey. I don’t think Partey will happen for the simple reason our management is not football orientated and as a result far to slow.
So speaks the spokesman for Kroenke Sports Enterprises! Kroenke and his son care only for their personal wealth and the asset values of their Arsenal portfolio, which THEY PERSONALLY have let drift by not being on the ball enough to have got rid of Wenger and especially Gazidis years earlier , which would have vastly reduced the financial damage to the club as of today. As owners they must bear responsibility and thus the blame. Or do you disagree and if so, WHY?
Overall you make some fair points but to blame anyone other than the owners is not correct, even though those employees were a disaster in later years. If you own a business, my friend , the buck stops with you. As it always must!
jon, who is the “spokesman for Kroenke Sports Enterprises”?
My argument exactly matches yours in that the Kroenke’s major failing has been their selection and support of a Board and senior executives (Gazidis being the prime example) who run this great Club down since David Dein was forced out. Since they stopped taking their £3 million management fee some years back, I can’t see any evidence of where they have taken money from the Club. Where has the money gone from all those years in Europe and who is responsible for the low transfer values of its current players?
Remind me again why Arsenal had to leave Highbury and spend a fortune on the Emirates, so the Club could compete with the top clubs of the EPL and Europe!
Ozzie
You are wasting your time trying to reason with JF. The stark reality is that KSE are the sole owners of AFC and like it or not they will manage this asset in a way that suits their business principles, good or bad. Yes, in my opinion they could have managed things better for the reasons we have both already stated. If JF or others like minded think that KSE will suddenly up sticks and sell then they are living in a world different to mine. and if they think they can force them out they are deluded. Kroenke is not a billionaire by chance and he is fully aware of what a great asset Arsenal Holdings is. It would require an extremely high offer to tempt KSE to sell and there are not that many interested or rich enough to do that. I would also give a word of caution “it not always greener on the other side of the fence.
No harm in piling pressure on Kroenke by whatever avenues! I’m not going to be apologist for that type of billionaire! He’s like a stepfather who you’re still sceptical about and indifferent to! Bring out the cheque book: one DM, 1 or 2 CAMs, maybe one more CB! I don’t think that’s asking too much!
Excellent input from Ozziegunner and patH.The proposed restructuring of bondholders debt by KSE is evidence of our financial problems but I think it’s fair to say that most EPL Clubs are likely to disclose losses this year due to the impact of the Pandemic on revenue.As far as having a stab at our likely Transfer budget, bearing in mind we have 25m to find for the next tranche of the debt for Pepe who is already polarizing the opinions of fans. I very much doubt if our Board will agree a ceiling other than to agree to Arteta utilizing all the sale proceeds of expendable players.In this connection two of our most marketable commodities are Guendouzi and AMN and I would not be surprised if these two talented young players are unfortunately sold or swapped to make ends meet.Significantly neither of them have been used much by Arteta during the course of the last 2/3 months, and in the case of AMN when he has played, he has done very well.If he is sold, a team will benefit at our expense I’m afraid.
👍 Grandad, I would be sorry to see a home grown talent like AMN sold, when Torreira should bring similar money and wants a move back to Italy. Arsenal can recoup a fair bit by selling other players, surplus to requirements.
Really it wouldn’t harm Stan to get a CDM, a CB, 2CAM,
Arsenal is a business venture and needs investment, Arteta is sound and really sounds like he knows his onions,
Stan needs to trust him, as for the board , they are quack .