Friday, July 06, 2007

The Carlos Tevez transfer saga stinks, again.

Don't get me wrong, Carlos Tevez, and for that matter Javier Mascherano, are world-class players. They would easily command positions in the Arsenal starting XI, especially as I rate Mascherano above Gilberto; they would improve our squad and help us win trophies. Tevez has shown not just bags of playing talent, but also considerable emotional strength in his time in England so far. Few players would have had the self-belief to keep slogging away every week for a relegation threatened team, just months after a world cup in which you had prominently starred; even fewer would have been done so when their very presence at the club could, and perhaps should, have led to a points deduction.

The reward for his efforts was 7 goals in his last ten matches; goals that complemented the superb all-round contribution he brought to West Ham last season; goals that kept West Ham in the Premier League.

But no matter how good he is, as long as Kia Joorabchian watches over him, I don't want Arsenal to get involved. Reading this article shows just how much West Ham have got away this year.

The question refuses to go away: is Tevez their player? Whilst he is registered as a West Ham player, do the club 'own' him? Because it would still appear that Joorabchian owns the players' economic rights - in other words, illegal, third-party control of the player.

Indeed, any potential transfer would be fraught with a rather simple difficulty: who do you pay? Any purchaser would have to pay West Ham for the Premier League to be satisfied, yet the club don't actually own the player! If West Ham were then to compensate Joorabchian, would this be tantamount to admitting their guilt?

What seems likely to happen is that Tevez will go on 'loan' to United for two seasons or more; a 'loan' which would involved United paying several million pounds to Joorabchian. At the end of this 'loan', all the interested parties would hope that the problems pertaining to the players registration would have been forgotten. Tevez can be swept under the Old Trafford carpet, as it were. This seems to be the case regarding Javier Mascherano. Everyone would be happy; well, aside from those clubs who'd been negatively affected by illegally registered players. Which would be most of the league.

This article is not meant as an affront to the fans of West Ham or United, but it is a disgrace that this matter has still not been resolved, even if it is still more of a disgrace that the relevant parties - the FA, the Premier League - allowed Tevez and Mascherano's original 'transfer' to take place.

It seems likely that Tevez will be running out as an Old Trafford player at the beginning of next season, as part of a formidable United attacking line-up. But it seems the key to obtaining Tevez as a player has been to break and bend the rules wherever and whenever possible. One hopes that Mascherano and Tevez will finally be fully owned by a club in the near future, and that transfers of this type, ones with heavy third-party ownership and influence, are not allowed to transpire again.

Taking the moral and legal high-ground is not always conducive to success. That's pretty obvious in most walks of life. Yet, whilst I'd love to see players of Tevez's calibre run out for our club, in this matter, I'd rather Arsenal kept their distance.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

Martin Samuel did an article on the system that is open to abuse. Michale Howard was, both clubs and players admitted, fit but dropped on the terms of a gentlemen's agreement. The Blades did something with Kabba going to Watford and how much an advantage Foster not playing against Man U gave them over Chelsea. The EPL despite all the evidence before them let Man U off despite the blatant third party interference that handed them the title.

So I won't expect them to deal with something as complicated as Tevez transfer. Ok fine, they missed it first time round, that happens but the way they bungled it once the news came to light was staggering it it's ineptitude. It is best we always stick to open and regular deals so if it means no likes of Tevez then I agree, we shouldn't go for him.

Anonymous said...

arsenal are getting left behind again .. im sick of it gonna try and sell my season ticket ive had enough chelsea man utd and liverpool even spurs are way ahead of us...it will all come to a head when we finish out of top 4 and the shit will really hit the fan !!!!with no c/l money wenger and arsenal are playing a silly game we will just not compete anymore .. its hard to accepte but I do

Anonymous said...

Agreed it stinks and thank god we are not getting involved. As much as he is talented its just not worth it. If (BIG IF) West Ham are supposed to own him now as per what the PL stated, then why are they loaning their best player for two years? He is worth £20Million and that is what he should be going to Utd for, the PL need to sort this now, the more I look at this, the more I feel that Sheff Utd really do have a case.

Goonerboy said...

There are lots of people who'll take your season ticket, anon. 1.42. 40,000 in fact.

Anonymous said...

why on earth arsenal doesn't want to buy players ?.you here big clubs buy players to strengthen their week areas why not arsenal .Am a supporter of arsenal foot ball club and on additon to that a Fan of arsenal foot club but when u here other club buying players u realy feel very bad and u here money is there for the players.
Now this is what am suggesting the manager to do
Let us buy Babel and Berkely Sagna
and seal the season . will be very happy if that is done

Anonymous said...

Anonymous - please leave - the only thing wrong with this club is that moaners like you "support" it.

Anonymous said...

Intresting read, and yes I agree with you for the most part, Tevez has been nothing but a whore since the season ended. Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Arsenal and now he's going to man u WHO CARES! He is different from Mascherano in that Javier hasn't seemed to be jumping from bed to bed. I agree that the contract to sign these guys is unbelivable, look how long after Liverpool signed JM before he could play, I think it was 3 weeks. This was because Rick Parry wasn't happy with the contract he was on and notified the FA, apparently Liverpool paid the agent 10 million for the contract in order to avoid breaking rules. Much as I dislike Sheffield United probably because of their ex manager known as Colin to the refs, take the other letters and you're left with wanke and r, they have a bloody right to demand the explusion of West Ham from the Premiership, of course that will never happen

Anonymous said...

anon, if something made me happy in this moment is that a twat like you is going to sell his season ticket hopefully to a more loyal gooner who's there waiting to give the support to the team. It is gloryhunters like you who leave 10 minutes before the end of the game and give the honest Arsenal support a bad name. I wish all of those who are like you - to follow your suit. Go support the scum. *vomits*

Anonymous said...

These bloody whingeing fans are really starting to piss me off. I get up to see the Arsenal about 4 times a season - each ticket having to be purchased through these 'London Ticket Agencies' for anout £150 each minimum - if you don't want your bloody season ticket i will gladly bite your arm off for it.

We have been lucky enough to support Arsenal through the most glorious years in (at least my) living memory - have these fans either forget (or more likely have never heard of) the George Graham era? or the likes of Gus Caesar wearing the beloved red and white?

Appreciate that at present we do not have the financial muscle to compete in the transfer market with Chelsea or Man Utd - enjoy the glorious football, the satisfaction of watching a bunch of kids turn into world beaters and the fact the club has more class than the rest of the league put together.

Rant over. Cigarette time........

Anonymous said...

local fans have a very different opinion to those who fly in 4 times a year.

season tickets holders know they are being screwed. the board are making tons of cash on our backs.

arsene feels exactly the same. thats why he hasn't signed. or are you naive enough to believe the 'arsene has money to spend' line.

Anonymous said...

It really irritates me when over and over again arsenal are described as 'miles behind' man u, chelsea, LIVERPOOL AND TOTTENHAM. We finished way behind the top two last season, yes, but theres no saying that we cant challenge next season and bridge the gap. That aside however, why do people keep referring to liverpool and spurs as being way ahead of us? last season we had a crap season (agreed by everyone) and liverpool supposedly had a good season yet we finished level on points..doesnt that say something about the expectations of the clubs and how big they are..20 points behind a disaster for us, but good for liverpool. Im not going to even waste my breath on spurs...they sign darren bent and suddenly we're in the shit and in danger of being overhauled...are people really that stupid? yes we need a few players but we're hardly on the brink of mediocrity. we've still got a brilliant team with brilliant players and just needs a bit of tweaking. yes, we dont have the money to compete with man u, chelsea etc...but we never have (and have done pretty bloody well), get used to it or piss off and support someone else
- jabba

Anonymous said...

Anon 2.16 - i don't have to fly in 4 times a year because i only live 40 miles away. Normally get the train in.

Am a red member - cannot get a ticket for love nor money.

Don't assume just because some fans cannot go every week we automatically have to live abroad.

And at least i support the bloody team instead of constantly moaning...........................

Anonymous said...

2 04 pm

you sound like a fool, we were succesful under graham and gus ceaser wasn't a bad player!
its ok for you who flys in 4 times a year, but i support and finance arsenal since 78.. i want us to challenge every year whatever the cost as we are THE ARSENAL now we are a marketable brand and housing co orperation and not a football club..
it was obvious to all last year that this team is not good enough! pretty passing football aint gonna work all the time(ok adebayer and the long ball got us a few goals) but major surgery is needed in this team....
this club has sunk so much in the last few years..using a dead mans history to sell shirts! he must be turning in his grave at these muppets. as is denis hill wood! at his fool of a son who sold his inheritence!...
we have BIG PROBLEMS at arsenal from the board through the manager to to team!

Anonymous said...

board are making tons of cash? are you their accountant perhaps? If that was so Arsene would've fecked off years ago. And Wenger rarely (almost never) signs new contracts until the current one expires. The problem is he spoiled quite a number of 'fans' who are asking from him to 'splash the cash' - HE'S NEVER DONE IT!! As I said, if you support Arsenal because you want to brag in fron of your mates about who we signed and how much we spent - feck off to the scum - they are splashing the cash to be competitive. And if anyone thinks that only the chav scum are buying the trophies - think twice. Manure, scousers, everyone is doing it. The scum is trying to buy their way to CL. Only Arsenal is taking the natural road to rising as a big club - without taking anyones (dirty) money.

Anonymous said...

Commendable stance based on principles though I am not sure if you have gone too far. I am not a gooner but I would still rather see the Arsenal get Teves as I do believe you need something special after the departure of Henry. To take him on loan as we have taken Mascherano, and allow him to settle into a proper footballing setup would benefit both parties and will provide the EPL with an Arsenal team to compare to recent vintages. I would be very sad if the gooners were to be supplanted by one of the also-rans.

Anonymous said...

some gooners are deluded listen we all want the same thing success...but its hard to watch when we are being overtaken by other clubs and not showing ambition ... why do you think henry left!!!!!!!!!would he have left if we got tevez!!!!!!!!!! i dont think so

Anonymous said...

Why does any opinion other than following Wenger like good little Arsenal sheep resulting in “go and support another team”.

Over the year I have given Arsenal thousands of pounds, what with tickets, kit, food at the stadium (when I have paid way over the top for a ticket), and more recently a small fortune to Sky for the privilege of watching them play, and if I can be arsed another £50 for Arsenal TV.

Given all the money I have spent,. I don’t expect Wenger to rush out and make panic buys just to keep me happy, but I do feel that like everyone else (not matter how much you spent) that you are entitled to an opinion on the team you support.

Just for once it would be nice to start the season thinking this year we have a good shot at winning something because we have brought a few established class players. It’s still early but I don’t have that warm glowing feeling that this is our year.

Anonymous said...

I think Henry left because Wenger sold him.........................

If Wenger had wanted to keep him (he did have 4 years left on his contract) then Wenger would have kept him.

Same with PV4 - sold him when it suited Wenger, not the player.

Actually realised that this post is a bit pointless actually as sane, rational discussion does not seem to be on your agenda?

Anonymous said...

well said im entitled to an opinion i just want us to challenge at the moment some gooners are so deluded.... they think we will da silva is a good player im sure ... but we dont know we have lost our best ever player you would think he would asure us with more quality proven, signings

Anonymous said...

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but at the same time i am not going to tell a pilot how to fly a plane.

Wenger is in charge and i have faith that he knows what he is doing more than me and you.

He deserves our faith a little...or don't you think he has earned it?

Anonymous said...

i do but we have not been close for 3 seasons now !!!!! this will be a fourth .... how much time do us as fans give him esp as he wont sign new contract!!!!!!! if he signs new contract i would lay off..however i think he may go thats why we have not signed anyone

Anonymous said...

We did have 3 barren seasons before the double win in 2001/2 - it takes time to build a team and that is exactly what i see Wenger doing - Chelsea bought Shev and Ballack and did that win them the league no.

Big signings are no guarantee of success, but a team that grows up together, with the talent they have could be something special. I am looking forward to the ride.....

Ofcourse i think the squad needs some additional tweaking, i just do not think a big name signing will neccessarily be the answer to all our prayers..................

Anonymous said...

For Fucks Sake - the season doesn't start tomorrow you know ?? The transfer window still has some weeks to run. By all means pay your money and judge ol AW, but atleast be patient enough to judge him, when you categorically know what squad he is taking into the season. I think he atleast deserves that ???

Anonymous said...

I admit I haven't followed all the details of the Tevez saga but I would ask why do clubs have to own the player in anyway? Should he like any other worker really own himself?
For those Arsenal fans going over the top in depression and dumping season tickets it might do to remember that you have the best manager in the world and a spanking new stadium. I am a Liverpool fan by the way. You people manage some more balanced, intelligent thinking that I have seen on the Chelsea bloggs. I even read a decent Man U post blogg today which is normally limited to Scouse scum steal hubcaps. Things are looking up. Well except for the standards of spelling and grammar everywhere ;-)

Anonymous said...

I know I made a few typos. No need to write.

Goonerboy said...

To anon. 3.19: clubs have to own their players in order that third parties cannot influence their actions in a way that would be prejudicial to the interests of competitive football. For instance, say old Kia still technically owns both Tevez and Mascherano: his interest lies with maximising their values as players, which may not necessarily be the same as asking them to perform to the best of their ability for their chosen club.

Say he wants to increase tevez's value and Pool are playing United. He might tell Mascherano to give Teveza bit more space than he affords other attackers...Or say, Argentina have a big game coming up and he doesn't want his players to get injured. So he says neither can play for their club team.

These are, of course, hypothetical situations. But the essence of football is that players are contracted to a club, and the club is the only one who can influence their actions. Third-party ownership could very easily lead to, at best, confusion, and, at worst, corruption. It's best to avoid it.

Anonymous said...

I like the board's way of doing things, never put the club in debt unless for something long time like the new stadium. If that means not splashing out millions in bids for the likes of Eto, or Torresm fine by me, long term we will be reaping the rewards while Man U and Chelsea struggle with a huge debt on their hands and we have gone to two finals in the last two years while playing fantastic football.

As has been said, we need tweaking, not big players or a rehaul.

Anonymous said...

couple of points
1. Nobody knew we signed Dudu tll it happened. Typical Arsene. There is nearly 2 months till the transfer window closes, so it may just happen again that we get a signing that we have heard of in the media. Even Dudu didnt know he was being signed until the deal was done FFS! Dinamo said that they were told to keep the dealing hush hus, i would say thats the way AW operates "If you let slip we are trying to sign xxxx, we will pull out of the deal"
2. We are behind Chelsea and Utd, maybe...behind Liverpool, remember it took them to get a 92nd minute goal to finish level with us on points..Spuds, just cos they spent a mint on "young players" doest mean that they are necessarily ahead of us, look who they bought over the last few years,m and they still cant get within an asses roar of us.

Yes I am sceptical that we MAY struggle next year to WIN the league, but look how we did last season without our front two strikers. All I can say is lets access the situation the day of the Fulham game and see where we are at. JAR may still be here, Flamini, Freddie, Swiss TOny may all be gone but as ever WE WILL SURVIVE and push forward.

Anonymous said...

To the bloke who said he is gonna sell he's season ticket...... i'll take it coz im a loyal gooner who sticks by he's team through thick and thin!
Thats what its about mate.
There are plenty of teams worse off than us so stop your moaning and get behind the boys and trust Wenger.
While he is at the club we will be just fine.
Remember our team will keep improving as they get older....not bad for a bunch of kids if you ask me.

If you are serious about selling please email me slacky74uk@yahoo.co.uk

Anonymous said...

i dont understand these muppets that say we are getting left behind, has the season started? chelsea bought big last season did not win the EPL spurs spent more than we did last season but who finished on top of them. How many chances did we create and failed to finish? i might be wrong but a believe we created the most chances in the EPL and if we had a good finisher we would have finished better than 4th, think of most of the games we drew!!!! MUPPETS!

Anonymous said...

Just because you criticize your team doesn't make you a moaner or someone who doesn't support their team.

what a lot of gullible gooners don't realise is the way we are being shafted.

of course the present lot are going to sell up. but only after a year when they have milked the TV deal and increased their share value. as well as got tax exempt status to fuck up the british tax payers as well.

if they have messed the club in the mean time who cares? we idiots will still support.

arsene always says a year before his contract is up if he will sign. this time he has kept quiet and allowed henry to go because he is not committed.

i wonder if the prawn brigade telling other fans to shut up and stop moaning are in the pay of those schemers on the board.

Anonymous said...

all very intersting lads , I reckon like some of the other guys that their are still a lot more in's and out's to come before the season begins , so don't get to down-hearted just yet . Did anyone see we have brought 2 more youngsters to the club ? A 17 yr old norweigan centre half { Havard Norsveilt I think } and a young portugese winger called Rui Fonte !!

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:27

If they wanted to sell the shares, they could have done so ages ago like when we were the invincibles, they all have a history of Arsenal support and they were the ones that got us into a new stadium, given the manager a free hand, refused Stan. If Arsene thought they were doing the club badly then he would have left long ago.

The only debts we have are going to be paid off by selling the flats and tickets, we have a greatly improved income, an up and coming team, amazing training grounds, the club is in amazing shape overall. If they were trying to mess up the club (trust me, I know what bad business looks like) or sell off to the highest bidder, they are amazingly incompetent at it. Even if Arsene left, which he could for many reasons not just the board, we are still in good shape in the long term.

Anonymous said...

The "not selling for a year" thing is a piece of extremely poorly reported and badly presented PR from the club. When initially presented by the possibility of a Kroenke takeover, the board publicly stated that they had no intention of selling. However, words alone are worth jack-s**t and so they decided to back it up with a lockdown agreement. Lockdown agreements are never indefinite. Nobody signs up to a lockdown agreement stating, basically "I'm never, ever going to sell my shares", they always have an end date. It doesn't mean that the board will sell after that date. More likely the board simply believes that by the end of the year Kroenke will no longer be an issue. If he is still an issue, my money would be on them extending their lockdown.

Anonymous said...

i am a strategist.

the lockdown agreement was purely to protect fiszmans tax status and one more year of 1m wages that edleman does not deserve.

why a 1 year term? why not 2 or 3?

and to suggest kroenke (12%) would go away after a year is the biggest joke i have heard. so ppl invest 100m and walk away?

have you seen how weak the dollar is? next year is better for kroenke. but he knows in a year we would be fucked. we need the investment now. all other teams are strengthening. spurs, villa will challenge us next year. that actually makes the club cheaper to buy next year. but kroenke is not into fucking the fans the way the present directors are.

thats why he made the offer of investment even WITH the lockdown agreement.

think! but that would have threatened the board because it would have meant the return of dein to help arsene. and edleman and peter dick-wood would have had to resign. no 7 figure salaries for one year.

Anonymous said...

On a lighter note, all Arsenal players look like they took a fall from the ugly tree.

Tevez looks like he fell and climbed up for another go.

He would fit in nicely :-)

Anonymous said...

Is it even legal to do more then 1 year? Things change, to lock down any longer while loyal could be very stupid if something changes since then.

Spurs have uh signed a left back, still have a rubbish keeper and bad defence and brought in a third choice striker. We humiliated them and finished far ahead of them last season, Villa are nowhere close though they will improve, not that much so soon. Now if we were playing badly, I would be worried but mostly, we have outplayed teams only to be undone by a) silly moment at the back and b) not taking our chances. Silva should solve problem b so stop being so pessimistic.

You are trying to find bad things to say about the club aren't you? You want the club to suffer? Because most of what you say has been rebutted again and again, for some reason you view even the pundits admiring our football and finishing comfortably 4th(should have been third really) has a sign that we will go tumbling down the league.

Anonymous said...

"kroenke is not into fucking the fans the way the present directors are"

Anyone who thinks that Stan Kroenke is a fairy godmother is a moron. If he's so interested in Arsenal's financial health and well-being, where was he when we were building the stadium and really needed the investment? No, all of a sudden we have a stadium producing a nice healthy income stream and his eyes light up. And as to his previous experience of running sports franchises, he has NO experience of buying and running a billion dollar one - so all bets are off. The likelyhood of him doing anything other than massively leveraging any buy-out (and thus effectively worsening our debt position and screwing the club long term) are remote. No, he hasn't said that he will do this, but he hasn't said he won't and it's the most likely outcome as he doesn't have enough liquid assets. This is still the same if his wife came in with him (and they aren't trying to take over as a married couple so that's moot anyway). His actual investment in Arsenal should the takeover go ahead would be little more if any than the £100m he's already spent on his 12 odd per cent. People see the word "billionaire" and assume that they have the same financial clout to do as Abramovich has done for the chavs -they don't. Abramovich is a one-off. Stop looking at every billionaire that comes along as a Chelsea style saviour. They aren't - they're sharks.

Anonymous said...

Why not a 1 year lockdown? Why tie your own hands?

Anonymous said...

Why not a 1 year lockdown? Why tie your own hands by signing up to a longer one? And if Kroenke's still there at the end of the year just let it roll into another one.

Anonymous said...

"Anyone who thinks that Stan Kroenke is a fairy godmother is a moron."

Especially not with a mustache like that ;-)

Anonymous said...

I don't see how having a lockdown agreement actually helps the club increase the price. If their intention is to wait a year until income streams have improved, all they have to do is make big public statements saying "we're not selling..." etc, etc then wait a year and sell. In the meantime the lockdown just reduces their options if circumstances change. Makes no sense at all, not good business and I don't think that Danny Fiszman is that stupid. The only explanation that makes any sense at all is that they wanted to use the lockdown as a firm statement that they were opposed to the KSE takeover.

Anonymous said...

Although I do not agree with prophets of doom wanting to sell their season tickets, I can understand the frustration of Gooners. I am deadly disappointed that Tevez is not coming to us, he would have made the world of difference to our team and is typical of the way we always seem to lose out these days.
Arsenal have just announced that their turnover for the last season was £200m against £120m for the last season at Highbury. This is great, but one more 'transition' season and it may not be so easy to fill those 60,000 seats.
I believe we are one or two signings away from being up there with Utd and Chelsea, but if Wenger doesn't do the necessary and we struggle to finish fourth again and heaven forbid behind Tottenham, then we are in trouble.
Criticising what is going on is not being disloyal, but concerned for the future of our great club.

Anonymous said...

good post anonymous 6:37

we all love the club we just want it to succeed and win stuff

Anonymous said...

Agreed - good post anonymous 6:37.

I think that the problem that wehave sometimes is that there is a graet diversity in Arsenal fans. A lot of the younger fans don't remember the years prior to Arsene Wenger - and certainly not prior to George Graham. They're used to winning and get understandably upset when they perceive the club they love to be somehow going backwards.

A lot of the older fans, however, remember the years from 71/72-87/88 - 17 seasons when all we had to show for it was one FA cup and a poxy league cup. The really old fans remember prior to 71 and it was even worse!!! For most of them 3 years is nothing and we're still doing better than we were under Terry Neill!! I think that to the older fans it just seems like the younger fans don't actually understand what a barren spell really is. I wouldn't be suprised if a few of them think that maybe a few years of hardship might teach the young'uns what supporting a club is all about!! It's just perspective, really.

Anyway, bollocks to that, I want a treble. Get your wad out Wenger!!

Anonymous said...

do you ppl even know kroenke is?
he is not only worth a couple of billion, (as if thats not enough!) he is married to the heir of the walmart empire.

as a couple they are worth as much as abrahamovic.

and have the glazers done badly with man utd? they spend 30m annually. we make profit for the tight wad directors. why do you think arsene has not signed? i wish we had more vociferous supporters to shake up the board. i am sick of being lied to.

look i have actually supported the club since neill. it was shit as hell before dein came in. without dein we are in the dark ages of pre 83. look at pr disaster after henry and the hype over a no body from croatia.

the lock down is a load of bollocks invented to rip off the british tax payers. ironically the fiszmans are only going to make a huge profit because of dein. the man they stabbed in the back.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:42, I thought with age came experience? Yet all I'm seeing is the same old arguments from you. As has been said, his wife hasn't got involved yet, maybe if she did it would be less worrying but I doubt it.

Wow the Glazers have spent money! They have done badly long term for the club, look at the debt they are saddled up with? Even with the ticket price increases, no guarantee that will be paid off. Do you want us in millions of debt just for the honour of being bought?

Dein brought us out of the dark times yes but then he started getting odd. Against the new staduim instead wanting Wembley and going behind the back of the board, manovering for change. The board, for me, made the right choose to let go of a man who was becoming a problem for the club.

Maybe Arsene hasn't signed becuase after 10 years, he needs to think about what he wants to do next, stay here or maybe try another club or even a country, maybe he is waiting to see what happens with Stan and the board or maybe he is being slow to sign a contract as usual. Certainly his buys are more long term then one last season buys.

As for the press, the club has just done the usual "we have a new player, here is his past record", the reason the fans are excited is because we trust Arsene's nose for a player.

Anonymous said...

To 6.05 Anon I agree with everything you said, spot on.

It seems people comment without really thinking the big picture through with a clear head and with a sense of impatience and frustration. Arsenal are the only English owned club in the big four. Chelsea are a complete one off with Abramovich as the owner, no other club in the world has that much money behind it and weather we like him or not Mourinho is an excellent manager, probably the real reason for their recent success (Ranieri had the money and did nothing) and I feel that all the other clubs are panicking with buying players or selling the clubs to foriegn investors out of jealousy of chelsea to try and keep up. I totally believe in Arsene and his way of doing things. The man has never let us down. All the big name players over the last 10 years at Arsenal came to us relativly unknown and Arsene made them what they are today. The man is a star maker. Players only ever arrive at the club or leave because of Wenger (Viera, Henry).
Last season was the first in a new stadium, every team that moves has a bit of trouble settling in the first year and points are dropped. Everyone says injuries are not an excuse but I dont agree. When you have your first choice stikers out for half of the season it will have an effect, there is no getting away from that fact. I reckon injuries to Van Persie and Henry probably cost us 20 goals last season.
I went on the legends tour at Emirates today with Charlie George. He said that the club would be solvent in less than four years which is just unheard of in football today. Man utd have been mortgaged to the tune of £650M. I would rather Arsenal stay on the course it is currently on than go for short term buys from an investor who does not care for the club or the fans. At the end of the day these foreign buyers are only in it for the money. The most important thing is for Arsenal to buy the RIGHT players rather that making a statement by spending big. Just remember we are blessed to have Arsene Wenger as our manager and that things could be so much worse.
Have faith in the club and try to keep a bit of perspective.

Sorry for the long post but I had to get that off my chest!!

Peace

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 6.37 how would it help the future of our club to buy into the dodgy Tevez situation? Unlike ManU we are not the darlings of the FA who will be allowed to get away with suspect signings. They would be all over us like a rash and docking points before you can say boo.

The future of our club is in good hands and it is not worth the risk to our long term stability to go for the quick fix.

Anonymous said...

having read most of the comments here, i want to state my opinion, but i hope those who read it would be mature enough to agree or disagree without resorting to personal attacks.
First of all, I believe arsene wenger is a great coach, and im in love with the style of football we play, but i dont think that means we should give him a blank check. people always say we should be grateful. grateful 4 what? arsene's style? we r proud of it. his achievements? we've won all those trophies b4 he came. so theres nothing to be grateful 4.
My thing is, i didnt think we were as far behind as our record showed last season. i felt with 1 or 2 additions, we cld really challenge this season. but selling henry changes that. I'm actually not opposed to the sale, cus i think henry wasnt acting like a captain and he was suffocating his teammates on the field. Now i'm sure da silva would be a good player, but hes definitely should not be our only attacking signing. We need another big name to come in just from a psychological perspective. it could be quaresma, ibrahimovic whoever but not martins or eto'o(that would be silly actually, as both would be away for a month in january, and i'm 4rm nigeria and i kno both players r older than they say they r).
Point is, wenger is taking 1 hell of a gamble, and he can afford to do it bcus of his job security. there is no other coach in world football who has won nothing in 3 years, that can take the sort of gamble wenger seems to be taking, and thats y a lot of our big players seem to think they r bigger than the club. bcus the see the club as a small club. how many "big" clubs lose 2 captains in 3 years?

Anonymous said...

The only player above Gilberto's ability is Makelele, and he's getting very old. Im sick of people underrating Gilberto - Mascherano? Back to Champ Manager for you.


http://tinyurl.com/2st4rg

Anonymous said...

have you forgotten the number of times he completely loses the momentum of a counter attack, or plain passes to the opposition? he looks half asleep

saw the denilson video, and gilberto's clearly a completely introverted guy on and off the pitch. that's fine i don't mind but that's not captain material.

come on the only reason he's captaining brazil is cos dunga's trying to prove a point - we need grafters as well as skills.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7.42 you're totally wrong. Kroenke and his wife between them are worth about �4 Billion tops. Thats about 1 third or so of red Rom. Check out Forbes lists.

Anonymous said...

Fascinating conversation between Anon and Anon - I agree with Anon the supporter rather than Anon the moaner!!

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:04

Arsene has given us a new training ground, kept us within budget (even made a profit in transfers), has been very successful at the club and by looking long term, has done what Chapman did and improved the club for the next decade or more. How many managers will leave a club on such good footing?

Anonymous said...

Anon at 1.42 - I'llm take your season ticket off your hands at half price, as you clearly don't want or deserve it!