January will tell us if the board have been telling porkies

[QuartzGooner]

January will tell us if the board have been telling porkies
With previous talk of the manager being able to buy who he wants, the chairman’s recent words have not gone down well

By John the Gooner

14 January 2009

http://www.onlinegooner.com/exclusive/index.php?id=960

Supposedly we have roughly £70M in the bank.

Yet £30 - £35M of that has to sit there to guarantee any possible loan repayment defaults for the new stadium.

There is a credit crunch, and corporate revenues are threatened, not to mention the falling property market impacting on revenues from the flats at Highbury Square.

Or so the doomsday merchants would have it.

Compared to Highbury, match day revenues are much higher.

We have not spent big of late so there should be cash to splash in this transfer window?

Or are the board (or what is left of them!) keeping it all in the bank to make the books look good ahead of a possible sale?

Or simply earning as much interest on it as they can, until releasing a large chunk for Arshavin?

[Skooner]

We need new signings but Wenger doesn’t think we do. He is pretty much on record as saying he won’t be buying any defensive minded players during January. Yes we might buy Arshravin but only if the price is right.

Frankly I’ll see any signing of an experienced player as a bonus as I suspect Wenger won’t splash the cash to get who he wants. Players cost more in January (unless their contract is running out) and we aren’t the appealing club we once were in terms of performance.

All of Wenger’s eggs are in the youngsters basket and unless they find a new level soon we are going to be in big trouble!

[Exiled-Gooner]

I have always taken what the board have said with a pinch of salt.Danny Fizman says we have money to spend if Arsene wants to and then Mr Hill-Wood says we don't either 1 or the other is lying or Mr hill-Wood is being kept in the dark.We keep getting told that our only debt is the stadium repayments but i believed,as said by Hill-Wood himself,this was sorted out by Edelman before he left as a 25mil a yr repayment so wasn't a problem.Maybe the board banked on c/l football to repay that debt but the prospect of no c/l next season has made there arseholes twitch and might have to forget there dividends pay out to cover such repayment.
I have never known a board that runs a club do it out of love some say there do but get to bottom of it there run it to earn money otherwise why do clubs get sold all the time?When Arsene first joined us he was allowed to buy players not just 1 or 2 but quite a few yes we got back our mony and a lot more,anelka brought 500,000 grand sold 25 mil,but it seems strange that since the new stadium he has only brought few and far between even though he states that the future is in the youth you still need some experienced players to bring these youngsters along so it makes me thnk maybe we not getting the full picture from the board.
I have supported THE ARSENAL for nearly forty years through thick and thin no matter what!and i must say the last 10-12 yrs have been the best so farbut it makes you think that between 98-04 Arsene was allowed to buy what he needed and he says he won't pay a certain amount money then again he paid 10 mil for Henry who was a unknown so it is a bit suspect that now the thinking is totally the opposite.I hope i'm wrong and Arsene buys another henry etc but if there is problems the board should be honest and tell us as we not like the twats up north who go round protesting etc coz some yank brought there club we just ask questions and get on with it.FOREVER ARSENAL.

[goonershef73]

i cant belive the same old twaddle i keep hearing about us havin money. yes we've got money, buty we also got massive loans, huge running copst of the ground and a property portfolio that has lost masses of its value. add to the the lack of the further profits the club thought they would receive from the additional development of non stadium commercial and residential (which is now not on th cards due to the econmic downturn) and this all means that we are not in this wonderful position we keep being told we're in. the additional revenue generated form the new stadium will take a few years to filter through into disposable income for players and the fact that on top of the millions for the purchase of a player, the current wage demands price us out of the market. why do you think arsenal player negotiations take so lonfg? its that they try and structure ever deal as a serious of staged payments rather than one up front fee. coz we aint got the money! thats exactly whats happenin with Arshavin. St petersburb want there money up front and we cant do that. bottom line, we cant compete with teh big clubs for the big names and this is gonna be the same for a while until we repay loans or kroenke or the russian step in. bugger!!

[26may1989]

We need new signings but Wenger doesn’t think we do. He is pretty much on record as saying he won’t be buying any defensive minded players during January.

Wrong: Wenger said he thinks the injury situation leaves the squad short on numbers and he thinks we need to sign two midfielders, one to create the spark in the absence of Cesc, Walcott and Rosicky (i.e. Arshavin) and one to provide defensive midfield cover. He has also said the DM will not come from the top of the market but he has nonetheless made clear that he wants to get a defensive player. He has just said he doesn't think we need to sign a defender.

As for the article, I agree with the basic point, that the truth of the Board's position will become clearer in this transfer window, and that it would be self-defeating not to give Wenger proper funding right now. Personally, although I think the Board has done well keeping the club's finances in order overall, I think they've been lying to us for some time about the transfer kitty, and therefore hanging Wenger out to dry. We all know Highbury Square has become a problem and the economic crisis means everyone (except Man City) needs to be careful but the sensible commercial decision (forget about the emotions of the fans) would be to provide funding. Question is, are they up to it?

But I don't agree with the author that a keeper, including a decent one like Given, is our priority. I'm not an Almunia fan, and Shay Given is of course better, but the midfield slots identified by Wenger are the key positions right now (Arshavin plus Alonso or Velosso would be good for me, if we had enough cash, which we don't). We could do with signings at GK and CB but these are like-to-haves, not must-haves. At least until the summer. And, unless we're selling someone, we don't need out-and-out strikers - van P, Ade, Eduardo, Bendtner and Vela (with Walcott and Simpson behind them) is plenty.

[reeno77]

it pains me to say this but mr.wenger has loss the plot... so close last seassion and this year he's omly managed to weaken the team... no men playin for arsenal at the mo... just really talented kids who cant handle all the pressure of playin for a top club... we'll probably buy nobody... all this arshavin talk is rubbish... given wud be class but i bet u a million euro that he wont be a gooner

[Exiled-Gooner]

I was watching fans forum on Arsenal tv last night and a caller i think called JJ ask a question that does need thinking about he ask'we were told that the move from highbury to the emirates was to bring extra income so we compete in the transfer market allowing us to challenge for honours with a good financial base'.He also went on to say, and in a way i agree, that since we 've not brought anyone ,say,of great significance where has the money gone and why bother to move at all.
It's a valid point and one the board needs to answer but i know due to increase in wages and costs some of the money gone there and repayment of loan but not all the money.Mr Wenger has not lost the plot and we don't need another keeper but the board are not given us the supporters the full picture as we the ones who pay to watch THE ARSENAL.As i stated in a previous post reference transfers but in Arsene defence maybe he as looked at players but found the price way too high,look at averagfoe at spuds and bent do you think there worth 15-16mil each no so to be honest we can all see the whats going on especially with city now the new chelski throwing there money about.I hope ,as stated before, that Arsene finds another gem like Henry etc as we do need some experience in the team just 2/3 players and i hope the board come out and say what is goin to put our minds at rest.
YES I'M baised i'M A GOONER!!!!

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

There is only one reason we cant afford new players, because average players like eboue, ade, denilson etc etc etc etc etc are on ludicrrously high wages and no one wants to buy these players so we cant off load them or afford to pay up their contracts and put them up for sale.

Greedy players and agents will eventually kill off THE ARSENAL and it makes me feel sick when I watch these useless overpaid lazy excuses for men turn out for us week in and week out. One day I wont watch it anymore (or so I keep telling myself but cant do it successfuly yet after 35 years) and go and watch local football and at least see some heart go into a game.

We are soft as a core and you have to say this is because we lack that english core that never says die and will put their body on the line in each and every game instead of picking nice sunny days when they think they just fancy a game today, I am no racist, far from it but we do need that english core, when we had it previously with the last great arsenal side teams were not only afraid of our technical ability but our physial presence too. A unch of under 16's could compete physically with most of our present squad.

Sad days