Stan Pimps Us Out by Dan
The cruel irony?
The man who in approx. 15 years has managed a couple of interviews with the English press, is at the core of the whole concept of the Super League.
To clarify, on those two occasions he handpicked the newspaper and the questions to get out of communicating with fans at an shareholders meeting. At AGM meetings, instead of speaking, our owner would have one of his employees direct the audience to the article for answers.
Make no mistake, Mr Kroenke as a business man is brilliant, that can’t be denied.
If he ever walks away, he will leave Arsenal a richer asset than before he arrived, and personally will have made a massive profit on his investment. Football fans of course don’t care about that if their team is failing on the pitch. Ultimately the American’s business model is not to care what his customers think.
There are gooners (including on JustArsenal) who defend our owner. To me it’s as simple as; look where we were when he gained power on our board, then look at where we are now.
Under his stewardship we have had our worst prem finish in 25 years.
He’s never reacted to failure with any urgency. When we were building a young squad who just needed some leadership to challenge for the title, he sold Adebayor, Touré, Clichy and Nasri to rivals. That never happened under David Dein.
When it was clear we had regressed to only challenging for the top 4, he allowed Van Persie to go to Old Trafford.
Even when we eventually stopped qualifying for the Champions League, Sanchez moved to Manchester, the Ox moved to Liverpool.
In the last few winter windows, Liverpool brought VVD and United bought Bruno Fernandes in response to struggling.
The three times we have been stuck mid table in January, we could only afford loans. This year we actually prioritised slashing the wage bill, despite our worst start in decades.
The occasional big transfer is always too late when the damage has been done. If you go to a restaurant every week, you don’t shake the Chef’s hand if he cooks your steak correctly once every month
I would be amazed if any readers still can’t see his true motives after Arsenal confirmed they are one of 6 Prem clubs to sign up for a Super League.
It’s a step closer to his ambition of turning the Gunners into the other sport companies in his portfolio.
Essentially, he’s always wanted us to adopt the US model. Zero promotion, zero relegation, zero pyramid, you simply get rewarded for being a franchise.
No matter the Gunners results. We could lose every game in the Super League and be bottom of the Prem, but we will always be in the Super League as one of the 15 ‘ founding members’
There’s an irony that out of the traditional ‘big six’ in the UK, four of them might realistically not even finish in the top 4 this season.
Early plans are that there would be some sort of pyramid system to reward every year 5 annual qualifiers, although what that criteria is remains sparse.
The 6 Prem representatives are locked in, so even if a Leicester were champions the ‘founding members’ might argue they don’t want another English representative.
You can’t base a pyramid on domestic performances if the FA, La Liga, Serie A and UEFA follow through with their threat of banning anyone who tries to start up this new League. Technically it’s a breach of those association rules to start up their own competition without permission.
FIFA could even stop any Super League player from competing at a World Cup! That’s the cards that those governing bodies hold.
That’s why though, each club has been ensured 350 million to compete (that’s before other revenue).
While Sky Sports can’t now bid for TV rights after being so vocal on the concept, there will be a network or two in the Middle East and Asia who will pay big money.
Bankers JP Morgan have committed 5 billion to this project in the hope that will compensate clubs for bad PR, lower attendances, and even the worst-case scenario of being exclusive to that League if they call their domestic association’s bluff.
As a business deal, it’s brilliant. You finish outside the top 6 two years in a row yet end up getting a big pay day!
From a sporting integrity point of view though it stinks! Arsenal shouldn’t be rewarded with failure.
We follow our teams because of the journey. If we get to the Europa Final, we know a win means the next chapter is the Champions League. Lose and the narrative is; how do Arsenal respond?
Success or failure, rich or poor …. all decided by the width of a post, the ball not crossing the line, a penalty blazed over.
That line between winning and losing is so small. That’s the emotion that we follow, like a drug.
You can’t explain that to a business person. So many millionaires have made the mistake of thinking they can be a success in Football based on other genres. Where the Kroenke Family are different is their model is not caring about fan backlash, they have a thick skin to it. How do you make someone who doesn’t care, care?
If this idea becomes a reality the last hope of our owner caring about us winning dies.
I lost hope years ago that we would ever be champions under his control. The Prem became so lucrative he realised he made a fortune regardless of where we were in the table. 60,000 will still be at the Emirates, even more still buy shirts off Nike, we will still be one of Sky’s or BT’s first picks to show live.
We have become the template of the Super League. A team who stands still, zero ambition, happy to just make money as a brand.
If that’s our owners ethos already, can you imagine if he doesn’t have to worry about top 4, top 6, relegation, etc? As a business man, genius. Based on the whole principles of sport, this is scary.
If the top 6 call The FA and UEFA’s bluff, I don’t trust them not to cave. They are not going to harm their own product for principles.
If the Super League happens, Stan Kroenke wins.
Be Kind In The Comments
Dan Smith
I don’t understand all the fuss
What is premier league without the big six?
Definitely who will enjoy their national team without their biggest stars
Their will be compromise along the way for sure
Whenever this type of talk starts coming up literary it will happen some day this will be very hard to fight
Remember UEFA and even EPL is also mostly all about money
Wow and the timing is incredible because no fans to show their backlash
Believe me that the people who are heading this have done their home work
We can decide not to buy merchandise and watch matches or season tickets do you think the organizers have not put that into consideration they have made an informed decision behind the scene before taking a move. There is very very little we can do about this now, the only way we can do anything about this is not to watch and buy any merchandise but we all know it is very hard to achieve something like that.
People don’t understand the weight of this this is as a result of getting this super rich individual into clubs you have to understand that money talks
We can do something to show our distaste and anger but can we actually stop them not at all
You can talk about the histories, derbies and stuffs like that but do the you think the kreonke’s,boris Johnson, skysports etc do you think they care? They are all there for the money
You have to understand this is not new even the premier league is a breakaway from the originally division 1 league started the same way and look at it today
The whole clubs involved tweeting about their involvement in this plan is very huge.
Believe me if this clubs decide to breakaway their is nothing FA and UEFA can do about it
You have your own TV deal and your money to finance it. Yes uefa can ban players players and stuffs like that but will players say okay fare enough we have our own new league the most watched league and playing with the biggest clubs then if that becomes the case along the way their will be compromise
Cricket IPO is a very good example of what is happening now at first people don’t like it and players were banned but today it is the most watched
The IPO is having a detrimental impact on cricket, particularly in scheduling of test matches, draining players from domestic leagues and availability of players for international matches. India is where the money and power is in cricket.
Yes bro. I just pointed out that the cricket IPO took Same root fans reacted very angrily and players were banned but today it’s the most watched
Pepe, it’s watched because India has the second largest population on the planet and on the sub continent cricket is like Rugby to New Zealanders, it is a religion.
Pepe Clearly some thought has gone into your post. But it falls down when fans will not, en masse, watch a same 15 club based league with no promotion/ relegation and when fans shun such a league, so also will ALL commercial backer.
This will lead to certain financial failure of this breakaway. It has not a cat in hells chance of succeeding. Basically, it it now war between all football LOVERS world wide on the one hand, and on the other hand a bunch of corrupt, money mad, “care nothing for the sport,” evil bilionaires.
History teaches us that when this type of war happens, the ordinary people win, ULTIMATELY, every time! And that is certain, my thinking, but wrong, friend!
The thing is if all clubs banded together and decide not to sell there best players to all these super clubs there status would collapse. People want to see the best players and most often the best players are at these clubs. Fans want to see the best players play year round and moving to stop the best playing for the teams would make them and there super league mediocre, but again money talks and the more you have the bigger backers and the more you can squeeze the middle and bottom man. so sad. the beautiful game is gone. it use to be the peoples game, the rich see that money is in it so it is theirs now. 4 billion people watches, to the rich multiply that times one hundred and that’s their profit. Anyways life changes, sports changes,fans conform and life goes on.
I don’t see how football fans can come together in this to be honest
If the clubs involved in this insist there is nothing that the fans can do besides I can not see the fa banning this clubs from their domestic leagues because they also need those teams more than the teams need them and certainty if these clubs involved in this insist then their will be a compromise along the way
History have shown that when things like these starts coming up it doesn’t easily go away even if they didn’t succeed now it will always show up
Cricket did it
Epl was a breakaway too fans didn’t want it too but nonetheless it happened
Fan’s doesn’t hold much power in this now even the fa and UEFA can’t stop them if those clubs involved decide to breakaway they can only issue out bans just like the cricket but with caliber of those clubs their is no way they will not be watched regardless of how angry fans are
If you can’t beat them you can only join them
Cricket is a sport that has a 5 day format that is very boring and tedious hence why they invented the ipo and other limited over tournaments it was a ploy to get a younger audience who can see a result within a couple of hours instead of a very long 5 days which could still end in a draw, football is incomparable to cricket in that sense and nobody has ever complained about the lack of fun in football it is clearly a power grab by the yanks at privatising “soccer” and turning it into franchises any fool can see that.
I think the people who can actually fight this is the government not the fans
You have an owner and son who have not in any capacity been at the Emirates to communicate with the fans or see a match then putting up a statement about joining the super league that is very disgusting
PEPE , ON THIS POST YOU ARE CORRECT. The British Prime Minister, has already pledged to fight it with government powers and even those who think Boris is doing so for reasons of popularity, rather than ethical reasons, will welcome the action this goverment is certain to take.
The law of the land “trumps” ( sorry to have to use that ghastly word) all commercial attempts to hold ordinary people hostage and that is why your post is so correct. Of course there are many other reasons too why this evil plan is doomed to fail, quite irrespective of governemnt action.
jon, about time Boris got something right!
Only UEFA and the European country FAs can stop this. If the big teams are excluded from all official UEFA and FA competitions, nobody would watch the European Super League
You are very wrong
They have done their assignments very well
If you think in a million years that the teams involved will not be watched in any capacity then your are mistaking
Their is no way that is possible
It will eventually become the most watched because of the setup and it’s also new
I wonder who would watch a league without a fair relegation system, since it’d be like WWE show
Do you think wwe doesn’t have millions of fans and to my memory I haven’t witnessed an empty stadium in wwe except for the lockdown
Hate it but the matches that will be shown make it nearly impossible for it not to be watched and will lodge a huge financial and fans reduction blow to UEFA that’s why it’s been fought vehemently
I am prepared to have a very substantial bet with you, going into many thousands of pounds, if you wish, that you are wrong and my opposite opinion will be proven right. My contention is that the proposal will not happen and there will be NO closed shop breakaway Euro super league without promotion /relegation.
I do however think that there will be some changes, but made by UEFA, to the existing CL but nothing on this scale and I reject your argument that fans will watch , simply because there will be no commercial outlets prepared to fund it, thus defeating even the minority of fans who would choose to watch.
There will always be SOME But the vast majority will not choose to condone in any way the betrayal of their own clubs. I am 70 years old and know how life and how human nature works. I advise you not to take my bet, unless you wish to lose money.
This post is for PEPE.
If the super league doesn’t have the best players few will watch. premier league and other leagues just need players to sign contract barring them from joining super league teams and it will collapse. maybe not an easy 123 but can happen. but I will say loud again,money talks and the more you have the louder you become.
More importantly, who will watch a team sitting where they are in the Premier League, getting flogged every week in this new league. Arsenal will be dead to me.
Exact opposite….UCL and EPL viewers would drop drastically
If, and thats a big if, super league happens fans will watch it even if they against it initially.
Arsenal, and therefor Stan, only exist because of the consumer. Us, the fans!
We have created this monster, and we are the ones that can destroy it. Don’t go to games, don’t buy any food/drink at the stadium, don’t buy any merchandise, cancel all your subscriptions.
We are the ones that actually have the power, but are we willing to make the sacrifices for change?
I can only say I have done my bit. Haven’t bought any merch for years, and I do not have any subscriptions.
Yes we can all talk about what we can do and can not do as fans but what you said is nearly an impossible taske and the covid have also reduced fan’s influence to the barest minimum
Kroenke is not selling arsenal and yesterday we all knew why
I’m not saying it would be easy, just pointing out that the consumer has all the power. If we all, or the large majority stepped away, the money would eventually dry up.
They know that the reaction to this will be negative but saying it will not be watched by fans or merchandise won’t be bought is just unrealistic this teams are supported globally though we may not like the competition but most people will certainly not pass the opportunity of watching arsenal play real Madrid even if it is played in hell…
Premier league is a breakaway too
It might come down to if you can’t beat them you join them
And yet you question if others have watched games TMJW?
This explains SO much about your claims.
This is an American idea fueled by American business men run by sharks and our shark has proved, he is not in it to win it. Kronk sports empire is not in it for the sport. He will make sure that Arsenal can play in a league that is like the American leagues, doesn’t have real promotion and relegation and like WWF or whatever they call it, make it a pantomime where you get heroes and villains and lots of false shit that is made to look real. The Americans will love it. We will be there to make up the numbers and not be bothered if we finish bottom because all the money will be shared out equally between these phoney clubs in their phoney league. This is a terrible thing that is happening to our club and i will not be part of anything. I love Arsenal for what it was not for what it is becoming and kronk, you can have it you theiving Bastard. Sorry ed but i feel that strong, please dont stop this for swearing, this is greater than that. He has stole our Arsenal and is stealing football.
Reggie, Well said , emotionally powerful post and bound to be the overwhelming fan opinion. Which is one, among several reasons, why it has not a cat in hells chance of succeeding.
Thank you ed for posting my feelings and Jon i hope you are right but i wonder wether i can look at Arsenal the same whatever the outcome. It isn’t ours anymore, it is not the club i supported from a 3 year old.
Thank you Reggie, you have expressed my thoughts exactly.
Stan is in business and he’ll do what makes him money at the end of the day. You cannot hate someone for not loving AFC.
My issue is over the previous decades of legislation and selling of the club how it was allowed that someone like Stan was ever allowed to purchase the club in the first place. This is where my big issue lies.
Stakeholders should have some kind of say but it’s too late now.
This is a little too late now
Where fans are really hurt is a lot of people are coming for the clubs and rightly so but it is the owners who the regulations
Who is allowed to own this club and who isn’t allowed once clubs go into the wrong hands then expect the unexpected
Superleague.com is real 😃😃
Chess , and Darts, Snooker all have the top players Snooker world championship have top 32 darts have the top players people pay to watch them, So the top football clubs are doing the same
Fans are very angry because their identity is been attacked
Wenger predicted this coming too
Do you remember the project big picture it was just a text-run for this
Blimey
Jose sacked
Yes i just saw that !
Yes he’s gone and their fans are ecstatic!
Looks like with the new Super League the 30M compensation due to him is nothing now!
Could very well be
Spuds obviously not happy with being 7th and playing crap!!
Sue, 😂🤣..I think they don’t see the great progress made sitting on 7th position which some of us do sitting at 11th position. For me no point of getting rid of Arteta now, if we win EL then keep him in job but if we go out if EL as well then sack him when season finishes.
Tbh Logic, after this announcement does the game against Villarreal even matter anymore?
Logic, there is no point in investing any time or emotion into what has become of The Arsenal.
I will have to move on after 59 years, if this comes to pass.
One rumour is he was sacked because he refused to take training after ESL announcement.
If true, grudgingly have to give Jose some props.
Come on you can’t be that naive
Everyone knows Jose is full of excuses. He knew he would be sacked soon so the super league excuse came at the perfect time.
He’s a master deflector and it’s working again. Real issue is He’s been terrible but now he’s found his out
If he has been terrible what does it make Arteta?
According to the Athletic it has nothing to do with it also Ryan Mason has been put in charge of training!
Surely MA is in line to be sacked next?
We just need to wait until EL is finished.
Guys super League will be an addition and in a way replace champions League not national League of country. It will played along side EPL as an example. So i don’t get why so many fans are oppose to it. I can understand why UEFA and FA are as no champions League no money for both but it will have no knoeck on effect for fans. Fans used to travel for European matches before so it will be same. Advantage is we will get to see bigger more elite teams at home to play against. Don’t be fooled, no one is Saint. Both sides FIFA/UEFA/FA and Clubs are penny pinching greedy corporations. Fans will/are paying to one group of thugs what does it matter if we start paying other group instead well atleast we get to see our team play against better opposition.
Are you for real!
NO REGGIE HE IS NOT FOR REAL. HE IS PROFOUNDLY WRONG. DO SCROLL UP AND SEE MY BET CHALLENGING HIM AND HIS WRONG OPINION.
My bet offer was to Pepe, not to Logic.
I’m guessing that it doesn’t matter to you that the Leicester City’s of this world are not invited or can only get an invite on a season by season basis?
Lucky you don’t support West Ham or Villa, Everton. How about Norwich who being promoted to the EPL now means virtually no chance of European football going forward
I’m all right Jack and s*d every one else
Sadly @SueP that’s how a lot of people think nowadays as long as they’re ok who cares about others right?the inequalities that have plagued our society have truly moved into sports now.
My thoughts exactly, Sue P. If this goes ahead the alpha predators win, sod the rest! The last vestige of class has now left our club and our only future hope lies with a change of ownership from the ghastly Kroenkes. The plain truth is we, the loyal supporters, don’t matter anymore.
Most of these teams have no chance of European football so nothing will change.I remember when the Glaziers bought Man U all their fans were up in arms but nothing happened.The European super league will happen no matter what the fans think and yes people all over the world will watch it .It has been moated for years and it will happen but possible with promotion and relegation as a compromise
No chance of Europe
Arsenal and Spurs most likely won’t qualify for Europe through prem
Liverpool might not or Chelsea
So 4 of the 6 who have this define right to be in SL are not in Top 4
But SueP, system is already broke and working for big teams. What is the have of so called smaller team winning the league when they can not match the spending of so called big six teams in EPL. They are just in EPL to make up the numbers. Licester was a one of situation. How many times in last say 20-30 years a small team like licester has won the league?. You grab the ear from one side or other the result is same. How many of us Arsenal fans have lost their sleep when clubs like shiefield are relegated. Everyone talks of equality when in reality there is none in world. I would have been against the idea if EPL was fair where each club would have same fixed transfer budget so playing field for level. I feel like ppl some people oppose to this idea just like to play and thrash little clubs around to feel good but are afraid to rub shoulders with big boys of football.
The system will be flawed, say arsenal finish bottom of group or league it will have no significant impact,they wont be relegated or nothing. next year they start again without any repercussion. but I guess that’s what the plastic fans want. however football ain’t NFL, NBA, IPL, or MLS, but I guess that’s what the American money men, and some that there club need new income want to turn it in.
Kori, would you care to put the stats here how many times big 6 as they are called have been relegated in past. They will never get relegated because they have money and they can buy them self out of trouble plus when you spend money and buy big name players in a way it gives you that extra protection that your relegation chances are almost down to 0.0008%. so for these clubs there is no repercussion from bottom end. Now from top it’s same as EPL higher you finish more money you get as this leads you to champions League which is another part of earning more money. Same will happen in super League higher you finish more money you get. It’s not like if you finish as winner you get same money as some one finishing at bottom also like EPL you will be crowned champion and get a trophy as well. System is not flawed, are you saying us fans are more intelligent and better at running these clubs then the ppl running 12 biggest clubs in world of football.
Can you give me any evidence to say Arsenal in next few years will be in top 4
Therefore you are simply rewarding us based on something that doesn’t reflect the truth
That’s flawed
Can’t wait to see us getting thumped 8-0 on a fortnightly basis in the super league, I hope this fails and the owners lose billions!
I have supported Arsenal since watching my first game in 1958. Lived off Blackstock Road and even now live near Canonbury Station. I am perfumed and infused by Arsenal DNA. This shamefaced attempt to break what is not broken, to make the imposter Kroenke more wealthy by stealing the soul of Arsenal and selling it for blood money. Kroenke owns numerous clubs if ever there was a conflict of interest it is with Kroenke’s ownership. He should be stripped of ownership….forced to sell to someone with no conflict of interest. Shameful.
SEAN keep the faith. This MAY lead , ultimately, to these evil billionaires being forced to seel by government legislation thus making it financially unviable to continue owning us. I am hopeful but it willnot happen overnight.
jon
Would be nice if it happened whilst I was alive rather than in the Bardo. We all need a miracle that Kroenke sells and our new owner ‘loves’ the club. But lets hope for us older ones it’s in our lifetime.
The relavent FA’s plus FIFA and UEFA can implement sanctions on clubs and players, because the governing bodies and member clubs are under attack.
As far as people power is concerned send letters to your local polititions or their adversaries asking what their position is. Vote for politicians who will stop this and protect the game.
Dan i wrote a piece earlier which sadly the ed didn’t let through because of my passion portrayed in it but i agree with everything you say. Kronk has stolen our club and now he is trying to steal our football. I dont like Amercanised sport i cant watch it, kronk has proved what he is with St Louis rams, he is a person with no morals, just to make money of the backs of fans. This isnt football it is asell out and fans are just fodder for the rich. Well not me.
The Super League is nothing new.
The Pemier League is the English super league lording it over the other 99% of the football pyramid.
The top 7 already never get relegated.
There is always a top 7 a middle 6 and a bottom 7. Most of the bottom 7 are rubbish.
Premier League should be limited to 12 teams. With one relegated/promotion per season.
All 12 should be involved in a two tiered European competition.
22 League games ten European games 33 game season. with semi and finals. Total possible 34 game season.
Scrap the League cup and the FA Cup.
My dear 90 year old mother gave up truly following Arsenal because of the greed at the top end of football. It made her feel sick. (Even though it is in the heart of her being) This is from a woman who grew up on Jackson Rd just off the Holloway Road and went in the 40’s with her brothers
There is no guarantee that the top 7 will not get relegated and that is what makes for a proper league. The hopes of all fans from clubs all over the land are over if winning has no purpose
You do not appear to have Arsenal in your soul I’m afraid
Wyoming is American. Their grasp of sports are deranged from us Europeans and Africans.
HEAR HEAR! I REGARD AMERICANS AS OUR ENEMIES IN MANY LIFE ASPECTS. Especially our owner!
“Scrap the league cup and the FA cup”what is wrong with you Wyoming?do you not realise how many clubs benefits from the cups revenues?take Lincoln fc and look at what their recent FA cup run has allowed them to do or Leicester city winning the PL few seasons back.
siamois, your points are well made; however it is difficult to educate those who will not read or hear.
4 out.of big 6 are not in Top 4 so simply not true
Some very naïve and simplistic views being floated.
” A recently uncovered 18-page dossier in relation to the European Super League has underlined the true nature of the project.
Between the €350m per head that the 15 founding clubs of the Super League can insure themselves for and the €3.5b that will be distributed among them, Real Madrid could secure an immediate income of €583m, repaying in one go the €570m loaned by the bank for the construction of the Nuevo Bernabeu.
The Super League project is an attempt to close the highest level of European football to the most powerful clubs. Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are the Spanish clubs in the project, against which FIFA and UEFA are up in arms.
The document assures that each club would be given €350m for participating in the league, with three from Spain joined by three from Italy, two from Germany, six from England and one from France. In addition to these 15 fixed clubs, there would be another five able to participate from sporting merit.
The document also reveals that JP Morgan Chase, who financed the loan for the renovation of the Bernabeu, is willing to distribute €3.5b to promote the Super League project among the 15 clubs, coming out at €233m each.”
I SUPPOSE PLAYERS AND MANAGERS GO TO THE CHINESE SUPER LEAGUE TO FURTHER THEIR CAREERS !
Wake up and smell the coffee.
£££££££££££££££££££££££
Current European competitions for all their failings are based on an “entry by achievement” basis, not a 15 club automatic entry closed shop with “five other clubs able to participate from sporting merit” ?????
So if you base you love of our club and the game in general purely around pounds, shillings & pence – this is the league for you.
Finishing nowhere means nothing (can’t get relegated, and we’ll try again next year), with winning the thing meaning not a lot more, and being despised anyway.
Anyway, let’s all rejoice we helped pay off Madrid’s bank loan in one fell swoop !
That’s not only Madrid’s loan, that’s Barca’s looming bankruptcy, scum’s staduim debts, KSE’s utter greed and a reason to never invest in the squad ever again and so on.
Basically, this is the way for the slimiest club owners to curb the crisis for themselves.
Football is nothing without the fans!!
It has been going on for over a year without the fans @Sue!
Really? What are we doing here on a daily basis and watch the team on a weekly basis? Remember fans who attend the matches are a fraction even if we take only London fans let alone worldwide.
👍
Most of the people on the stands aren’t true fans to begin with. That’s what gives these scumbags the right to do whatever they want with their clubs.
Prawn sandwich-eating bystander makes up more than 70% of any top club’s fanbase, especially Arsenal’s. Those zombies would gobble up the new Super League like there’s no tomorrow, don’t you worry.
I think there are considerably more people who are priced out by the prawn sandwich brigade who would love to get their hands on a reasonably priced ticket
👍 SueP, they want your money, not your support or attendance.
I just had a vision. The Arsenal cannon replaced by an Eagle with 3 golden eggs under the Eagle that says AFC. There will be new shortened formats of football. Cheers of supporters celebrating goals will be drowned out by loud blaring music. Welcome to the American way of entertainment. I can now see why Highbury Stadium was demolished. Funny how certain football clubs have built new stadiums. I heard that Arteta knew nothing about this new league until it was announced. That has to be an insult to our intelligence. They formed a super league here in Australia a few years ago with the rugby league. It divided the country. Especially those that support that sport. That all fell through. I dont know how long that lasted. Ozziegunner may know the facts of that one. My son is in the Australian Army. He only found out about this. He is devastated. He was going to get the Arsenal Cannon tattooed on his chest. And not because he is in heavy artillery. It was because of his love for Arsenal Football Club. He said,”Kronke can go and get F_CKED”. I personally can follow change,,, but not this kind of change. Football will lose its tradition and romance. That’s probably been echoed a million times by now. A tragic and sad day for the WORLD GAME
Fuelled by greed and disdain. Bye my Arsenal you are owned by a pirate.
I had to laugh Reggie. Your earlier piece did not make it. My earlier piece was scrutinized, but just made it. I did kind of stopped short of saying what I wanted to really say. Emotions are running high and rightly so. I would not be surprised if alot of pieces from people have been banned. It’s a shame. Free speech is a no no. I don’t think the dust will settle on this issue. It’s hit a raw nerve
It certainly has pj. I think the eds are realising that as well. This isnt personal between fans, this is personal between people stealing our clubs and football.
pjennings, the Super League rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand came out of a media war between Rupert Murdock and News Corporations. The “war” went for 2 years, with the competition lasting only one season with 10 teams. Two of the clubs Adelaide and Perth didn’t survive long after reunification.
My lifetime club St George RLFC, now St George Illawarra Dragons RLFC, did not join the Super League. They held the world record of winning 11 titles in a row in First Grade.
I don’t mind the Super League tbh. Money going to the billionaires is no different than it going to UEFA or whoever has been pocketing that sweet champions league money.
If UEFA and FIFA win this battle, many of the clubs could face irreparable financial damage. And deservingly so.
It would be great if this caused KSE to go bankrupt. I wouldn’t mind supporting a League 2 Arsenal, as long as it’s free of the kranky cancer.
And I’m sure we’d still have the NLD, because the scum would take the same fall, being that they’ve just built their new stadium.
One more thing. Something tells me that the Super League would be prioritized over the Premier League. And should that happen, I would stop supporting Arsenal forever.
Firstly, it is irrational to say we will all stop supporting our club. For most here it has been our passion, our pastime, our preferred conversation point, our biggest loyalty, for too many years. Like a spousal betrayal we will shout, threaten, cajole, but ultimately realise we still cannot live without them, albeit with a little less love, and considerably less trust. Maybe we will move out for a few weeks, refusing to take their calls,. But there is a massive hole there that we cannot fill without them – a substitute is just that – a substitute for what we still need. We know that things can never be quite the same again, but still, eventually, quietly, rather sheepishly, we will creep back home.
Deep down, regardless of what we say now, all know that is what we will do.
Well said Guy.
Funnily enough, just had this very conversation.
Friend of mine got on to me saying “are you going to subscribe then etc, etc”.
What was my reply – “Of course, it’s The Arsenal”.
What am I meant to do with my support since the 60’s – walk away ?
Shame on me -I simply cannot do that.
So to avoid hypocrisy on my part, no more from me on this subject.
Quite down today.
What if we just live at the bottom of SL?
You realise you will never see us win again ?
Unfortunately you are wrong for so many fans on this point. If Arsenal go ahead with this super league I hope they are removed from the Premier League, in fact British football all together. Let them become a traveling circus for those global fans that want to watch them. But my loyalty will always be to my country and integraty of fair play to all before what will soon become not a people’s club but a billionaires roadshow. I as one fan will give up my 40 years of support for this club and support my national game of fair play and simply choose to follow one of the clubs that remains part of what sport should be about. Many will instantly call me a plastic fan but my moral compass will not allow me to continue to support a club that would do this to sport. My support will simply shift to “David” in this story not “golaiath”. What a sad day for sport.
THE DIRTY DOZEN
Since the announcement of the call of the “the dirty dozen.” To form their own ‘little league of 12, there has been much braying and wailing of ‘foul, foul and yet more foul.
The claim of ‘betrayal’ of the football fan has never been more louder proclaimed. The fans built the clubs and made them the giants of footy they are today now they want more money grabbing.
Money grabbing football clubs isn’t a new idea in England.
The premier League was started by “money grabbing football clubs including our English to the core beloved Arsenal.
What started as the ‘The English Premier League’ very quickly morphed into ‘The International Premier League.’
And yet more money rolled around English football with the ‘big boys’ collecting most of it. Money attracts money and so it happened. Those with money and wanting either to make or launder money joined ‘The English money making club of clubs’.
When were the ‘dirty half dozen’ ever beholden to their fan base? I submit – ‘NEVER’.
To those who cry ‘FOUL’ I say you are too late mate, by more years that you can count.
The saddest aspect of this whole issue is the sheer ignorance and disregard of the traditions of the game by the despicable billionaires behind this scheme.I sincerely hope the vast majority of fans realise that the money grabbers have no idea of what Clubs have meant to communities before and after WW2 and the huge part they have played in the lives of the fans across the entire European continent.To them, football is a means by which they can feather their already plush nests and they have no conception whatsoever of the integrity of the sport as they regard Football purely as a business.Therein lies the big divide.Those of us who are appalled by the proposals still consider Football as the finest game in the World , whilst those who support the scheme do not believe in equality of opportunity but are followers of extreme capitalism, where money rules.Thankfully, our Govt have quickly moved to distance themselves from the proposals and hopefully the Super League will never get off the ground.Finally, while I am not a great fan of Gary Neville I would like to applaud him for his daming views on the men behind this business proposal, because that is exactly what it is.
Grandad, any true football fan will see what this grubby league is all about and wont support it at all. As far as Arsenal is concerned it is kronks not ours and he is ramming that to us.
👍 👍
Kroenke is a bloodsucker. He wanted to start a hunting channel, killing animals. What a brave man!!!! Boycott all the games if it goes ahead and it will collapse within the year.