91Èȱ¬

£730 million?

Outragous, everyone knows Arsenal are worth £1.2billion which is why they're 3rd in the most valuble clubs list.

Just a quick note about concerts, part of the planning permission for the new stadium limits them to only a few non Arsenal events. So, even if there wasn't a crowded market place, they can't really go down the concert route.

Kroenke has clearly held the power in the board at Arsenal for the last 3 years so I can't see too much changing

It is interesting to see from this article how little is known about Kroenke and his intentions - it would appear quite a challenge to speculate beyond the KS&E website, what Arsenal fans can expect...

It is a complex time for us fans of the club. Several years ago, I thought after the invincible's with our young talent and blend of experience we would have competed for a few more trophies.... (I am awaiting for the comment we have gone to the CL finals etc, but for me, seeing the club win a trophy has no better feeling..... I do not like being the 1st loser).

But with the move to Ashburton Grove, it is understandable the wallet would be a little bit light for the foreseeable future.

Now with the Silent Assasin, I am definitely not expecting colossal signings, but I do hope Wenger dips into the market a little bit more due to an increase in financial security (Stan's wife is an Wal-mart heiress after all.

I feel we need a stronger goal keeper, CB and an individual who can hit 20 goals a season.... Sadly though this is all everyone wants and its the tight margins which makes a good PL player to an exceptional one. I thought AA would give more to the team, though his form does start to be improving.

In my view, the success of the club comes down to one irreplaceable man, Mr Arsene Wenger.

Only he can change the fortunes of our club from competitors to winners, it just would be nice for him to see what most of the Arsenal public see and to fix our defensive frailties.

As a Gooner myself I am still unsure about my beloved club ending up in American hands. Looking at the other foreign investors in EPL clubs, I am concerned that this may not be the best overall direction for the club.

I appreciate that many of our fans feel that we are getting left behind in spending but 2nd in the EPL, Carling Cup final and Champo last 16 (and can anyone really see anyone other than Barca winning it?) is not bad for club apparantly getting left behind.

I'm obviously not happy that the club has not won anything for 6 years, however a sustainable business model is always going to be preferable to shambles that was Gillet & Hicks at Liverpool, and Man U & Chelsea's insane debt levels.

Wenger knows what he is doing and so does Hill-Wood (very glad he is remaining as chairman). If Kroenke does still remains to be seen, and I can only hope that he continues with a sensible business model that secures our long-term future as a major European club.

Trophies will follow, have faith in Arsene. Just hope that Kroenke continues to develop and build the stature of the Club, rather than chucking money in a vague hope to win the Champo (hints of Chelsea and long term goals of Man C), and potentially jeopardising our future position.

Of course there is always the conspiracy theory that Kroenke will sell all his shares to Usmanov.

730m pounds is not far off 1.2bn dollars which is what forbes ranks the clubs in.

Can't see a lot changing in the near future. David Bond, do you know if arsenal will be allowed to sell tv rights to Kroenke's american broadcaster or are the premier league rights sold as a package to the US?

"This doesn't suggest the American sports team owner is about to write a blank cheque for Arsene Wenger. And given it has taken him this long to raise the £511.8m he needs to purchase the remaining 70% he doesn't already own, that is hardly a surprise."

He has been trying to acquire the additional ownership of the St Louis Rams. Also, the last shares he bought was £8500/share, now it's £11,500/share - perhaps he's been negotiating? Respectfully, Mr Bond, please stop sowing seeds of discontent. Please focus on positive editorial rhetoric and save the "doomsayer" role for someone else. I am confident that Stan Kroenke based on his "track record" will be a positive force for Arsenal. Like it or not Arsenal are a global brand. Arsenal's growth over the next ten years will be exponential. Also, I consider Arsene Wenger to be the positive aspect of this club - prior to him taking over the Spurs were held in higher regard globally than Arsenal, (despite Spurs not winning anything). Today, one just needs to walk around my city, Hartford CT USA, and you'll see numerous Arsenal supporters (many ManU as well, maybe a few Chelsea). Yes, the angst of not winning a trophy since 2005 is tough but I still see positives. No team has more potential than Arsenal. Yes, there is something missing but I believe Mr. Arsene Wenger when he says that "his kids" will come good. Face it, Mr. Arsene Wenger created his own demise - he spoiled some of the so-called faithful and now they reward him with childish petulance. Mr. Arsene Wenger is right, consistency is important in sport, and Arsenal have been the epitome of consistency.

It's not a big point, but just wanted to say in response to your comment, David, about attracting big names for concerts at the Emirates. I saw Bruce Springsteen there for a sold out gig a few years ago...not sure names get any bigger then that!!

Also don't forget that Brazil have made the Emirates something of a de-facto home for themselves when playing friendlies (I saw them play Sweden there, I know they've played Portugal and Scotland there) which although not particularly regular is another source of income not mentioned and on every occasion I was aware of it was sold out..

@cb 7th post:

Initial viewing is part of the Premier League package. However, there is another piece at stake - MCFC TV, CFC TV, and Arsenal TV can negotiate their own packages for rebroadcast. Currently, Arsenal enjoy a partnership with YES Networks (affiliated with the New York Yankees). Arsenal TV production is broadcast to approx 27 Million Cable Television subscribers in the US. If Kroenke is able to package with his other franchises (St Louis Rams, Colorado Avalanche, etc) he would be in winning situation. Also, Arsenal kits sell pretty well in the US - he could potential own the rights to that as well. More to come!

So far reassuring sounds from Mr. Kroenke. For Arsenal to effectively challenge again for the title and European honors, the club needs investment in a topclass goalkeeper,
a reliable central defender, and I would suggest, a proven goalscorer. Arsenal create plenty of chances nearly every game, but spill most of them. None of these kind of players will be cheap. How about Buffon, Forlan, Tevez ? Some experience and fire in the belly to complement the youth and skill of present players.
Better invest now before UEFA rules come into effect to balance the books, which Arsenal have done the last few years; a lot of credit should go to Arsene Wenger for sticking to his beliefs in developing young players. But right now they look like
being the nearly men once again.

Don't know much about Kroenke but the Avalanche are definitely the most boring team in the MLS.

Another point to make. 5 years ago Barcelona won the Champions League with a mature team - Ronaldhino, Etoo, van Bommel, Deco - against a likewise mature Arsenal team (Henry, Pires, Gilberto). However, directly after that Arsenal moved to a newly built stadium and many of the established players had to be sold because of the wage bill. Thereafter, Arsene Wenger declared that for the club to break even he would need to sell players. This year for the first time no players were sold (I concede none were purchased either - Chamakh initial promise never came to realization). The team have several players who are maturing into their bodies - Walcott for example who is a key player has been oft injured. Cesc, who used to be Mr reliable is now suffering from a niggling hamstring issue. But to say that the current crop of players are nobodies is incorrect (I will concede that Denilson has gone backwards in development). Next year I fully expect the young players who instead of trying to break into the first team will be established regulars to make an impact. Last year I recall the team being bullied by the likes of Stoke, Birmingham, Sunderland and Fulham - I don't recall seeing any of that this year.

If you're an Arsenal supporter then be a true fan and support the team wholeheartedly, let the outsiders speculate and spread doom. These young players need your support not your scorn.

Like many have said, a goalkeeper, a CB, a Striker.

I would change that to a CB, an attacking mid and a Striker. Szczesny can and will be world class, IMO.

Vertonghen
Hazard
Aguero

Together would cost at least £50m, but would surely make us title winners.

The influence of 'owners' will diminish in the future as the new 'Financial Fair Play' regulations come in... one of the reasons clubs have been attracting those looking to invest in football as a business, such as Henry and Kroenke. They all expect profitability to improve once expenditure is controlled a bit more and as new revenue streams such as mobile and internet increase in importance.

Fans are used to hoping for a wealthy owner to shell out on a few players, and hope to avoid the leeches and incompetents who afflicted clubs such as Liverpool, Leeds and Pompey (although many Leeds fans enjoyed the spending and the Champions League at the time). The era of the 'local lad done good' probably ended with Blackburn, as the stakes increased and billionaires replaced millionaires.

So it is interesting that a number of comments here still refer to Kroenke splashing out on a 'CB and 20 a season striker' etc. Arsenal may well need these, but Kroenke will just be a decision maker, the money will come from Arsenal. The days of a club being catapulted from the middle to the top tier by a wealthy owner will be over. Those with the highest revenues, such as Man U and Arsenal, will buy the best players. There will be even less variation at the top of the table. All fans can hope for is that their owners are reasonably sensible and don't take too much out of the club. And without the likes of Chelsea and Man City suddenly inflating the transfer market costs will be slightly better controlled and clubs will be more profitable. And then those businessmen like Henry and Kroenke, who have no real need to buy a club apart from as an investment (as opposed to someone like Abramovich for whom is is a hobby and a status symbol and who is clearly not making money out of it) will start receiving their increased annual dividends. Just as they do from their US teams where costs are controlled.

Poor choice of the illustrative 'Arsenal Sale' photo guys... A rubbish resolution and it must have taken ages to flick through all those images just so you can find one where you see the first 4 letters only of the club name. Thee 91Èȱ¬ can do better than puerile gags on news pages. Was the person doing the work on the page a Spurs or Man Utd fan perhaps?

I doubt Silent Stan will change anything, definitely not before 2014 by which point a large majority of the debt will be paid off if Le prof is still in charge and the sponsorship deals will have run out. The main changes I can forsee will be the expansion into the US market. Other than that due to Arsene's control of the club I doubt much will change

It could go one of two ways, either they could finally spend some money and get the players they so obviously need (a keeper and a defender at least) or the guy could saddle them with loads of debt and use them as a cash cow.

As United have shown though, nothing will change.

David, could you please elaborate more on this: "the 15.9% stake owned by the kingmaker in all this, Lady Nina Bracewell Smith?" Why is she the kingmaker or queenmaker? This does not make sense. Kroenke needs 75% of shares and Usmanov ownes 27%, so good luck to him in acquiring the 75% without a deal with Usmanov. Furthermore, even if Usmanov agrees to sell, Kroenke still does not (in theory) obtain 90% of shares as they are held by minority shareholders. How can you portray Lady Smith as the queenmaker is beyond me. As far as I can see, this story will go on and on and the 'kindmakers' will be either Kroenke or Usmanov agreeing to sell out of their own will or business interest.

In Off The Ghost:

Kroenke has never saddled any of his teams with debt. Like it or not he will run the team same as he does his American ventures - spending revenue that the club generates, on the club. The American model of sustenance is being implemented in the PL currently, spend what you make, aka salary cap. I'm certain the principle of self sustenance will be maintained by Kroenke and his staff.

First and foremost, Kroenke has control simply because he owns more than 50% of the club. That leaves Usmanov with no more than a blocking stake - he can prevent significant changes to the financial structure of the club - which might be very handy if Kroenke did want to pull a Glazer (and I genuinely don't believe that he has any intention of doing so - totally goes against his track record).

Other than that, all Usmanov can do is complain if he suffers unfair prejudice as a result of being a minority shareholder, and I just don't see that happening either.

So either he leaves things as they are (in which case his 27% shareholding is going to be worth a lot less than it is right now), or he throws in the towel, or he somehow persuades Kroenke to sell to him.

If it was me, I'd take the money and run - pocketing a tidy profit on the way, but I'm not sure that's in Usmanov's DNA.

Given a choice between Usmanov and Kroenke, it's a no-brainer for me - leave the sugar daddy option to Chelski and Citeh. Steady as she goes has got to be the right way.

I do not expect huge cheques to be written for show-ponies or marquee signings in the Summer, but I do expect that the cheque book will be given a decent airing in the key positions. It doesn't take a football genius to see that when your defence is terrified of Blackpool - let alone Barcelona - and your most assured keeper is a 41 year old who's been dragged out of retirement, there's an absolute imperative to spend big in that area.

Striker wise, it's hard to be sure - I think the real problem is that our first choice for the last few years has never played a full season for us, and surely never will. Can we afford that luxury when we're pushing for the big prizes? I think not, so we'll need to have a reliable answer to that - I still think that will be Chamakh, now he's had a season to acclimatise.

I think that now is the time to push the envelope a bit - add some experience, some steel to what is very nearly the finished article. And with Liverpool surely resurgent next year, and more big spending elsewhere, now is not a time to stand still - spend, spend early and spend wisely: that's surely got to be the way.

@12 - Well I would image an Ice Hockey team trying to play football might be quite boring. Or perhaps quite funny...

8**

Quite right,

Consistently 2nd or 3rd

Understanding that football is a Business is one thing, however many owners have different interpretations of the 'product'. Arsenal owners have created a brand that fits in very neatly into the 'sustainable' model for investors and the 'hopeful' model for fans. Unlike the Romans or the Glazers, Kroenke will probably toe the line as far as the product of Arsenal is concerned, it is not going to be victory at all costs, but the best that can be achieved in terms of league position etc. Makes me very sad. Football really should be victory and triumph at all costs...Very few champions ever go bankrupt (FIFA rules notwithstanding) so 'sustainable' means profitable. Oh for a few seasons I would like less emphasis on the Arsenal business, more on the Arsenal glory. The fans deserve it.

When the dust settles and people look back at what happened at Arsenal these last days, people will start realising that a unique opportunity has been lost for Arsenal fans. Arsenal through and through board members with Arsenal at heart, as words comveniently build images, would first ask this Arsenal supporters trust if they wanted to buy their shares, since they decided to sell. And Arsenal would be on the way of becoming the first club in English football owned by their fans. If a London club's fans can't buy a club, who can?

Kroenke may be the quiet type of investor, may be whatever sort of investor. He's still an American investor with his pocket's interests in heart. English football has seen American investors: look at Manchester United and Liverpool. Building his image as a caring investor couldn't be further than where the interests of Arsenal lay. He's in "for the money".

Besides club references, there is nothing I would like more for Arsenal than seeing that 10% of shares owned by their fan base and small investors rise up to 25%, 30%, 40%. And I am pretty sure that my view is shared by many, many Arsenal fans. There is cash to be made here, when corrective action is taken regarding new deals on commercial activities with poor return, out of the necessity for cash to stabilise outgoing cash flow, to meet payments requirements for the new stadium. And all this profit will go past the Atlantic too. Arsenal are not worth £900m. This club will easily reach a high percentage more in value.

What was Kroenke's first reaction to the club after he got his desired majority of shares? Easy peasy: he asked the Trust to sell him their small amount of shares, to have no future headaches, regarding future activities of the club. And he did it quietly. After all, this is his image.

A lot of people on here asking for Silent Stan to give Wenger money to spend.

Someone named three players and said that'll win us the title "surely". The problem is ask another fan and they'll give you 3 sufferer names as would another.

Someone else said we haven't spent, well Koscielny cost money an to me looks a great signing mainly because of his heart and courage, on top of a great reading of the game. He and Djourou were immense in the game at home against Barca.

People still asking for a new keeper despite witnessing the rise of Szczesney, why should we sign someone to stagnate the development of our youngsters.

Our new signings could well be from our young players coming back from loan spells (Afobe, Lansbury, Bartley) and Frimpong who has been out injured all year. So that's a CF, MF, DM, CB dealt with.

I don't see Kroenke chucking money into the club, but I do see that he has always owned clubs he hasn't sold any teams yet that he has invested in (except he will have to sell Avalanche and Nuggets due to NFL rules).

He is here for the long haul, we all need to hope Usmanov now moves on, to leave the club in limbo could leave Usmanov being very disruptive with his blocking vote.

David im not convinced you actually know anything about much at all, your articles always feel light and short of real detail, can tell you are not comfortable writing about the technical stuff. You are an editor afterall.

Im unsure as to why an editor would be writing such long pieces anyway. You say its to give an insight into the latest stories that are being covered which kind of makes sense as an editor, but then you kinda go 75% of the way to writing an article.

Its a bit, neither one nor the other.

And yes, for this article, you could have just given us the URL to KSE website and I think we would have been sorted.

I do like all your sports writers though :)

As a long standing Arsenal supporter I have to smile when people talk about going so long without winning a trophy ! I waited a long time to see that happen - Fairs Cup 1970.
It is obvious to most fans that we desperately need to improve defensively with more strength in depth and I think the time has come to let Clichy go - his form this season has been poor.
However, I think that more importantly we need someone who can motivate the team possibly as an assistant to Wenger - I'm not sure that Pat Rice fulfills this role and Wenger doesn't strike me as the sort of person who can do this, unlike Ferguson. This I think is United's great strength - they look very ordinairy at times but he seems to be able to get the best out of them, unlike Wenger ! Perhaps someonr like Steve Bould could be the answer.

There are a few things that come into play when discussing Arsenal ,apart from Chelsea and Utd, name one other club that is in the champions league every season. The media seem to look at Arsenal different to most other clubs. Spurs have not won the league since 1961, Liverpool since how long. But as Wenger said Spurs winning the carling cup once means they don't get criticised at all. People also think they are wonderful managers because of football manager. A lot of Arsenal fans joined us since the Wenger era and are so spoilt.

Does anyone know if the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rapids are any good in their recpective sports, if the Kronk backs them then i dont see why he wont back arsenal

26. At 07:52am 13th Apr 2011, Gooner in Exile wrote:

Our new signings could well be from our young players coming back from loan spells (Afobe, Lansbury, Bartley) and Frimpong who has been out injured all year. So that's a CF, MF, DM, CB dealt with.

-----------------

Very true, Bartley for one looks great for Rangers, but i do feel we need a moral boosting marque signing this summer to bind a few things together.

#Thearmament

"Football really should be victory and triumph at all costs...Very few champions ever go bankrupt "

Tell that to Leeds United supporters. I recall they had that Philosophy 12 years ago, spent massively in an attempt to win the League and Champions League and ended up going into administration.

Sustainability is the way forward. Any money spent in close season would have been put aside already, in addition to any player sales. Kroenke's purchase will make no difference to how the club is run.

There will be no blank check. Look at American owners in general, they have all grown up (both in real and business terms) with franchise sports where the emphasis is always on building and developing the brand. The team is less important, allowed to follow the ebb and flow of win, age and rebuild that the draft system clearly promotes. Of course there is no draft in football but the same patience will be applied to that area. I fully suspect that maximising income and being there or thereabouts is the target for Kroenke (and the Glazers, Henry, Lerner etc.) and the actual peaks of winning the title are little more than selling points.

It's how the majority of American sports teams are run and let's be honest, it's how Arsenal have been run for the past 10 years as well.

What happens if AST doesn't sell any of its shares?

The changes at Board room level may be good or may not be. Nobody knows and the speculation is a bit tediuos to be honest. At least there have been no grand statemnts like ' money will be made available to the Coach to strengthen the team' as we all know that its usually a lie. However, most Arsenal supporters agree that the team is maybe needing 60-75 Million spending on it, in key positions with genuine quality. I reckon the Club can perhaps afford to do that as it stands, notwithstanding Kroenke's latest move. The question is when and whether they have the drive and ambition to develop from whats already quite good, to something that could be excellent. If they dont have that desire and overview, Kroenke or not, than the last 5-6 years have all been for nothing.

At 18:40pm 12th Apr 2011, Royal_Gooner wrote:
£730 million?

Outragous, everyone knows Arsenal are worth £1.2billion which is why they're 3rd in the most valuble clubs list.

--------
Obviously not.

I agree with #32 and #33,
If Kroenke had the desire (and the wherewithall) to hand over lots of free money for transfers, then he would already have done so. And simply trying to "buy" first place (even if you are already 2nd, 3rd or 4th) is difficult, very risky, and probably won't produce a good return for the money spent.

Replacing Arsene Wenger? I bet you sports journos would love that wouldn't you? Arsenal FC is not some ludicrous circus act for the media to kick the life out of. It is an honest, well run place with decent people and traditions that should be respected. No more of this sensationalism and fevered speculation please.

I keep reading about these goalkeepers and centre backs Arsenal need........ which is interesting, because they have the (joint with Manchester City) second best defensive record in the league, second to Chelsea, despite their best centre half not having played since August and despite injuries meaning they've had to use FOUR different goalkeepers.

Stick with Szcezny - the boy is top, top class. Get Vermaelen back fit, stick with the development of Djourou and Koscielny. And I guarentee you that in 12 months nobody will be saying that they "need a goalkeeper and a centre half".

The actual weaknesses in Arsenal's squad are the lack of an alternative to Song in the holding midfield positon and at left back where Clichy has been poor for 3 seasons. Either give Gibbs his chance or bring in another left back and sign someone else who can hold in midfield, M'Vila would be nice (dreaming!).

Oh.... and they will need to replace Fabregas as well. He'll be a Barcelona player next season.

A few points:
#Royal_Gooner
Arsenal are worth whatever anyone wants to pay for it. If you go by the price Kroenke bought the last set of shares at, it's £730m + £150m debt = £880m. Usmanov was rumoured to have offered £13,000 a share in an attempt to outbid KSE, which would value the club at just shy of £1bn. However, they've both bought shares in the past for much less than that.

#Sen Raj
Not much. AST own less than 2% of the club with FanShare (a scheme championed by Stan Kroenke when it was introduced). They have no real influence on how the club is run, but they have an official platform, as shareholders, to make their feelings known to those who do have influence.
Reports of AST voting not to sell their shares has been mis-interpreted (or spun) by the media as fans rejection of Kroenke. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason AST want to keep their shares it the same reason why they bought them in the first place; to own part of the club they love.

Kroenke will put no extra money into the club. He's not as rich as Ambramovic or Masour. He will, however, look to increase the revenue from non-football sources such as sponserships, brand expansion and corporate tie-ins. He also won't meddle with team affairs in the way Ambramovic and Mansour do. Wenger will have control of the team, who is sold, who is bought. I don't see massive amounts of money being spent during the transfer window. One or two players will leave, one or two will join. Our total outgoing will be around £10m.

I don't think this will change anything at all from a fans perspective, he has bought more shares in a very well run, relatively successful and profitable business, therefore no need to upset the apple cart.

He will look at increasing the revenues and making sure the squad is good enough to challenge for siilverware, which it has done this season although some improvments needed and i have to disagree with some comments saying we are fine defensively because we are not, against the weaker teams our defence is good hence a good overall defensive record, against top teams it simply isn't good enough.


By buying the additonal shares, he's just making sure he has a larger income from dividends.

The board members would have sanctioned the sale of shares if he was intending on making drastic changes to a business model which has outperformed everyone in the PL with the exception of Man Utd.

Basically he would be mad to change anything too much and all he needs to do is provide Wenger a budget to work with and let him get on with it as Wenger will always have final say on football matters, as he should do.

Im 2 not sure about this takeover, because wenger isnt a man that has ever spent big, so we dont really need the money, i personally think we need an experienced GK, a couple of decent CBs because ours are calamitys, a tough tackling midfilder like we had in vieria because all our midfielders are small, we need some1 in ther 2 do the dirty work! as for needing a need ST im not sure, we bang in goals left rite and centre. But mayb we do need an out and out goalscorer who will bang 25= goals a season.

I agree with,

1. the person who says that this is a very light article. I think at the level of 91Èȱ¬ even a blog should contain some sort of extra piece of information only a journo could get to. this is not the situation here.
2. the person who reminded one of the discussants that Colorado Avalance is not a football but an ice-hockey team in the NHL.:-)) I find it sick when someone criticizes something he doesn't even know properly...
3. the person who said Clichy must go. in the last couple of years he became worse and worse. the guy clearly the worst left wingback in delivering crosses, every game he has 3-4 occasions killing Arsenal's offside trap, he makes horror mistakes almost every game and let's not forget about that Nani's first good game was against him after a very long unfruitful spell in MU shirt.
4. the person who says we need one marquee signing and I just hope that will be Yann M'Vila as Arsenal is the ONLY team having only one DM (Song) all the other teams have 3 or MU more. surprise, surpirse on of them (Park) just scored an important goal in a game called CL QF 2nd round...
5. All those who think Szczezny will be great. I feel the guy cannot make a mistake (I'm sure the goal vs Birmingham was the mistake of Koscielny who was unable to hit the ball!) and he will be as good as Hart when he reaches the same age.
6. All those who think that having the 2nd best defence with 2 upcoming defenders and without last years defender of the year through the whole season is not a bad score. however backups are needed instead of Squilacci as it seems Tottenham and MU both used 6 CD-s this year and Chelsea also 5.
7. all those who think that having the injury concerns year by year with Walcott, van Persie and now Fabregas is quite worrying and should be adressed rather sooner than later.
8. all those who think Kroenke will bring calmness to every department of the club and the off-field (merchandising, tv, sponsorship) incomes will be growing drastically in the next 5 years.

This is a poor article, it seems hastily written and without much research. Far more open ended wonderings than decent points. Your last one on the Kroenke situation was a good one, shame to see this one falling far below you normal good standard.

I have read all of the blog and my view is,and has been for some days, that the media in general is quite unable to fathom the likely affect of the buy out and we shall all,therefore,have to sit back and wait and see what happens.91Èȱ¬ Breakfast for the last two mornings has carried articles about the increase in inflation and then the increase in the jobless figures,both of which transpired were quite wrong.Time for a little circumspection and to give the main players time to get on with the job.

People have mentioned in this blog and others about Arsenal shareholders taking dividends out of the club but this in fact is untrue. From what I have read and heard Arsenal have not paid shareholders any dividends and all the money have been put back into the club. Maybe a shareholder can confirm this. SK may change this in the future but I would be surprised by this as I'm sure he will continue to let the club reduce it's debts and then have all the money to put back in to the squad'

1.2billion,Im not being funny but i would maybe say that if they were winning trophies every year,but the fact of the matter is,they aint.

Major money has to be spent and should have spent over the past couple of seasons,for example,the goalie situation,A ball winner at the back,instead of two french guys who will not cut it and make too many mistakes for a team of Arsenal standards.And a partner for Van persie,Who is never fit but when fit one of the best in the league and europe in my eyes.
Wenger has had the chance to spend money and give the guys in the dressing room a boost,bring in a big name or an experienced head,Instead of getting to every transfer window and the players thinking im safe here the gaffer isnt going to buy..Not On

@ 30. The Denver Nuggets have done pretty well. They have been a consistent playoff team but not a favorite to win it all. They haven't and probably won't for a while because the NBA is a star driven league and it's pretty hard to really compete with the big dogs. Still, they take risks and have made block-buster type trades like going out to get Iverson and McFarlin in 2007. They were really high scoring and entertaining but got swept by Lakers in the play-offs. They blew it up and started over. They built around Carmelo Anthony, a rising superstar. The NUggests just traded Carmelo and are rebuilding again. They are willing to take risks. Currently, without a superstar, they are 5th in the western conference and continuing a long run of making the playoffs.
Rams have also done very well. Won 1 superbowl and were "the greatest show on turf" during the Kurt Warner years. They are rebuilding again but definitely on the rise with a good young quaterback Sam Bradford (won NFL Rookie of the Year last year), a good young coach and a solid GM. I expect they will get back to the playoffs within a season or two, assuming NFL has a season given the strike. They are in a weak division and are a solid young team. He is a quiet owner in a league dominated by ego driven owners.
Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice and had a long run of making the play-offs. Something like 10 years, I'm guessing here. They are a well run franchise but I am not really a huge hockey fan. I will let someone else address this.
All of his other teams are thought of as well run organizations, he is know for staying out of the limelight and making long terms decisions. He has shown some risk with his NBA moves but the team has consistently done well. I thought they would tank without Carmelo but obviously they knew what they were doing.
He is a good owner. He hires smart people to work for him. His teams consistently make the play-offs and are entertaining to watch. He has won championships with several of his franchises, which is the ultimate test. Give him a chance. He is a good owner and nothing like Hicks/Gillett.
You will get more fans in the US which should help your merchadising revenue. The only downside is that it is unlikely he will come in and make big changes. I also doubt he will push Wenger to change his philosophy. If your happy with where you have been and don't mind a long term view, he will be great. If you want big ch

Forgot to address the Rapids. Kroenke bought the club in 2004 and they have been a pretty consistent play-off team. They won the league last year. He also oversaw the building of a large new stadium and and retail park. I haven't been to a game there but have heard it is a great facility and retail park. Youth fields are part of the complex and Dick's Sporting Goods, a sport equipment retailer here in the US, is a big part of the complex and purchased the naming rights.
It's very early in the season here but they are 3-0-1 and currently in 2nd place. The team is expected to make the play-offs again and has a chance to defend their title.

@48: Just a quick Avs comment based on information on the Denver Post's website:

The Avalanche just finished their worst-ever season, coming in 2nd-last in their Division and letting in more goals that any other team in the NHL. They are currently entering a "rebuilding" phase, but will be relying on homegrown talent rather than investing in expensive free-agents (which apparently has caused much concern amongst the faithful). What EPL team does that last bit remind you of?

@ 25

You said

"What was Kroenke's first reaction to the club after he got his desired majority of shares? Easy peasy: he asked the Trust to sell him their small amount of shares, to have no future headaches, regarding future activities of the club. And he did it quietly. After all, this is his image"

Kroenke had no choice as stock exchange rules required him to offer to buyout ALL shareholders as soon as he owned one share more than 30% of Aresnal.

Your intimation that he did this on the sly is way off the mark. More important to AST is what Kroenke would do if Usmanov and a few other small shareholders sold out to him & his total holding went past 90% - as at that point he can require remaining shareholders to sell to him at the highest price he paid for shares - currently 11,750 pounds

What's the betting Usmanov will eventually wring something like 13,000 pounds out of Kroenke for his 27% stake?

While I don't know much about the EPL, or running a franchise there, I know a bit about Kroenke so heres my two cents. I live in Colorado and frequent Avalanche, and Nuggets games, with the occasional Rapids game thrown in. He runs first class franchises which are consistently competitive. The Avalanche did just finish an atrocious season, but it was one mired by injury for an already very young team. They made the playoffs last year, with high hopes for this year, but things don't always work as planned.

The Nuggets are 2 seasons removed from reaving the semi finals in the NBA, and had a very real chance of winning the title that year were it not for two bone headed plays inbounding the ball against the Lakers. After a blockbuster trade sending Melo to New York, the Nuggets were expected to fall out of the playoff picture and beging rebuilding. However they have become a better defensive, and offensive team. They are young and very exciting to watch. This was all orchestrated by the Nuggets GM whom Kroenke hired mid season.

I dont know much about the Rapids other than I went to a playoff game last year, and it was a heck of a good time, and I'll attend more games this season.

Kroenke surrounds him self with experts in their respective fields, who will generate success. While he would prefer to build through developing young talent, he has shown in the past he'll cut a check if he feels it will pay dividends. Before the NHL lockout, and subsiquent rule changes, he aquired two stars for the Avalanche in a bid to win another Stanely Cup. They didn't win that year, which goes to show money doesn't always win championships. While there may be no immediate visible changes, in the long run, Stan is a owner you want running your club. Best of luck and I hope to see the Gunners play here in Colorado one day.

I must admit scratching my head over this...

1. The way that football is at the moment in the UK Man United is a virtual monopoly. They have a squad that is full of experience and effectively 2 strong teams with a first team age of near 30 and squad age of 27. Ferguson is replenishing with youth as he goes along and buys bigger players as he sees fit.

2. Next we have Cheslea and Man City who are prepared to spend to win.

3. Then we have Arsenal who are on a self sustaining model....Arsenal may win something but I feel that with a very young squad this will be later rather than sooner and will the fans and players be patient enough? This is the biggest question mark over Arsenal right now...Kroenke obviously feels it is ok but I am wondering when this will turn into trophies.

I cannot see any other real alternative to how they are progressing at the moment but would love to see the 10 year plan for Arsenal because surely the brand will be damaged if they continue to try and fail to win trophies and as such surely this will impact global fan base and commercial revenues.

"But there is actually a far bigger question Kroenke will have to answer in 2014. That's when Arsene Wenger's contract runs out and although the Frenchman remains a hero for most Arsenal supporters there are some fans who believe he has too much control over the direction of the club.

Another season without a trophy might force Kroenke to become more involved and even to consider the unthinkable - finding a replacement for Wenger when his contract runs out."
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Beware owners who tinker with things they should leave well alone. There are too many examples of owners firing and hiring and then firing managers in their untutored, mistaken attempts to shape the team on the field.

There are only a few great managers in the game today - and I mean great, not just very good. Wenger is one of the greats. There is no other manager in the game like him. The few others who have achieved success have done so splashing the cash. When Rooney was at Everton, Wenger stated that as soon as he heard Man Utd were in the frame to buy him he, Wenger, lost interest. He knew that, with the upcoming stadium enterprise in the works, he would be priced out of the market. Yet, here we are, five years or so later, and Arsenal are the only other team realistically vying for the title, they still compete in the CL every year, and have arguably the best young team in the country, perhaps in Europe.

Those few who want Wenger out should be careful what they wish for. I can well remember the dark, middle of the table years of this great club. No club is assured continued success. Even Man Utd has had its wildnerness years. Liverpool were once unbeatable but, apart from that wonderful fluke of a CL championship, have only once been considered an outside contender for the Premier League title. Arsenal, on the other hand, have been there every year under Wenger.

given the fact of the sad news we received today (my thoughts are with the late Danny Fiszman's family) we all can suspect how this buyout started a couple of days ago...

What has not been made clear is whether Stan wanted to proceed in this or his hand has been forced by the illness to Danny Fiszman - it is reported that Danny's sons did not want to continue holding shares in Arsenal.

Unfortunately, it has just been announced that Danny has died tonight after a long battle with cancer. Danny was the key director driving through our move to the Emirates - R.I.P. Danny!

It looks as though the timing was not exactly due to Stan.

R.I.P Danny Fiszman!!!!!!!!!!

You were a great custodian of Arsenal Football Club and a ture gentleman. My thoughts are with you and your family at this time. I hope that Stan can continue the great support and dedication you had for the club.

I don't know what this blokes intentions are long term,but I'm glad that Usmanov has revealed his shares are not for sale.
As a Man Utd fan,I have seen at close hand the influence of Americn ownership and judging by Liverpool's experiences also,it's not one to savour.
The old saying "better the devil you know" has never been more apt,and when you look at premiership and see your club vying for the title(once again),then a change of ownership may not be the best move you will make.
Of course I could be wrong,this chap may make untold money's available for the improvement of your team..he could give you riches you have previously dreamed of...or he could,like the hated glazers at my beloved Utd....take £530m out of the club over the last 6yrs!
He will own the club..he can do whatever he wants with the revenue..your money may go straight into his bank account.
Pre glazer Fergie bought Rio,Veron,Rooney..all for near £30m each and all bought in a 3yr spell...since then,in 6yrs we have ony one "big" signing,Berba.
A weak Arsenal is to my benefit..it is one less adversary...but American ownership comes with baggage...£90m left Utd last season to pay off debt!
(ps) In the last 2yrs,28,000 season ticket holders have left the terraces of Old Trafford in protest..myself among them(41yrs active support)
Good luck..(when the season ends,of course)

14. At 20:04pm 12th Apr 2011, Score it like Samir - SAVE 606 wrote:

Like many have said, a goalkeeper, a CB, a Striker.

I would change that to a CB, an attacking mid and a Striker. Szczesny can and will be world class, IMO.

Vertonghen
Hazard
Aguero

Together would cost at least £50m, but would surely make us title winners.
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Simple as that, eh?

Kroenke's vision on Arsenal is easy to guess, really. Just a few steps of thought process:

1. here we have a massive football club with history, a brand new, big stadium, fans willing to pay the most expensive tickets in the English Premiership without winning anything for 6 years now and still not complaining when they see their team unwilling to make transfers which cost money.
2. there is a golden opportunity to see account books where commercial activities are less profitable than they should be, because the club wanted cash up front, due to payments requirements that have to be met, at the time - a great opportunity to get the club, have the next commercial contracts on proper revenue demands and look clever while making a handsome profit.
3. keep the manager of the winning formula, praise the attitude of the club for the desire to bring up success from developing players rather than acquiring ones where the club should acquire when vulnerabilities are blatant.
4. preach the FFP of UEFA, since it's so convenient to the cause.
5. keep a low profile - silence helps.
6. keep silent especially when profit & loss day gets close, so that football fans will not wake up and start those revolutionary thoughts about where profits are going to go.
7. ensure that the fans Trust ends up with no shares, because it's a pity to let them smell the scent of money and start more noises about influencing the future.
8. put pressure on the terrible Usbek to pass his shares, in silence.
9. keep the fans on the frame of mind that the club needs to pay off the stadium (to my gain) in silence
10. whatever you do, do it in silence.

Easy peasy.

What no journalist will write about, regarding Kroenke, the lady wanting to sell her Arsenal shares and the Arsenal future is what an opportunity has been lost for Arsenal.

That woman had stated she was interested in selling her shares for well over a year now. She, willingly or not, gave the time to the Arsenal fans' Trust, Arsenal fans' circles and whoever who supports Arsenal with cash, a great opportunity and time to place an alternative to selling her shares.

At times when, United related circles were prepared to offer something close to a £billion for Manchester United, Arsenal circles have been proven useless.

The story that nobody will mention because it's against the rules of the globalisation game.

Kroenkes vision should be to bring success to Arsenal by giving Wenger some money the do some investment in the summer and hope in return Arsenal will win some silverware.

It looks unlikely the Kroenkes will fullly takeover Arsenal as both Usmanov and AST do not want this to happen.

What Kroenke needs to do to win over Arsenal fans and sympathysers is first and foremost to push hard for a total overhaul of the Arsenal playing body to reflect the general aspirations of the fans,ie to win things. The team as it stands now is only fit for entertainment and nothing else. The defence needs steel. The midfield needs an iron man who can really enforce things, and the striking department needs an Eto'o or Ronaldo. To be brutally frank, Arsenal fans in the diaspora are tired of their beloved team being referred to as "Academy Boys" simply because of their sometimes naive way of playing.

Just reading the comments, and one thing brought a few times in the new fair play rules.

In this area I think best thing Stan could do for the club would be to remove the debt from the club, either pay it off himself or move into his holding company. This would free capital to be spent on Arsenal team and product and merchandise development.

Something else no mention is the large of under developed land Arsenal still own around the stadium. It was mention a few months ago that Arsenal was going to sell this, but given Stan made his fortune in the property markets, and the expected rise in demand for office space in London over the next 5 years, I would not be surprise if Stan decides to let his own property developers business developed the land in partnership with Arsenal instead of selling.

I seriously doubt Stan will spend any great amount of cash on the team this year, he will wait and see what happen with Russian guy first and he will probably want to refill his bank accounts up first before any major investments happens.

Sustainabillity is the key to long term success. I personally have zero admiration or respect for Chelsea and Man City for their crude "buy it and buy it now" attitude to success. MUFC might be arch rivals and may also have spent big at times but they get 75000 to every home game are undeniably the biggest name in football around the world (pains me to say that) and have grown their own talent too.

A large minority of so called Arsenal fans need to look at the part they play in the team's difficulties on the pitch. If they are not moaning from the first KO they are booing their own players or shouting at Wenger (with lots of certainty but no knowledge). If they are not doing any of those things they sit there in silence and provide nothing positive to the atmosphere of the stadium or the encouragement of the team. Oh, and then they leave 10 minutes before the end of the game.

Life as a football fan (not just Arsenal) is always a rollercoaster. Watching Arsenal since AW came to us is so far removed from the previous eras and I know for certain which I prefer. Yes of course I would like my team to win something because I think the club, the team and real fans deserve it. But they do not have a devine right to win anything and they are not victims of any conspiracy.

If you (you know who you are) don't like what you see at the Emirates, go and give your money (and your negativity) to someone else. Let those of us that really care enjoy the team, the stadium and the success that has been and will come again.

I think we need to find a balance, producing quality home grown players like Gibbs, Wilshere and also buying in young players from abroad that prove to be more than capable (Fabregas) is a great way to create a team with more than just quality because they have a moral link to the club and manager.

However it is not possible to build a silverware winning team without spending money, never has been and never will be.

Keep producing quality players through the youth system and then buy in what we can't produce (defenders, def midfielders rarely seem to come up through the youth system of any note).

Arsene seems to have been burnt on some expensive acquisitions such as Reyes and from this season Arshavin looks like he doesn't care that much but these are not the players the squad needs right now, what we need is defensive minded players who know how to win a game even if it means cynical fouls and red cards (see the invincibles).

Basically buy in key areas needed now, develop players where we are strong to replace long term stars when needed.

#12

Colorado Avalanche is a hockey team, Colorado Rapids is the football team.