AST Meeting tonight

Babatunde · Post by **Babatunde** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:03 pm

I got this from Padre Pio of Arsenal Times. He attended tonight's AST meeting and posted the following. Makes for interesting reading....
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I will tell you a few general things, and a few facts off top of my head, I dont take notes - so you can list your questions to jog my memory.

The overall mood was pessimistic, because they believe that Man U, citeh and chavs have by passed us financially, that Wenger missed the boat 18 months ago. Overall mood is that board, Kroenke and Gazides have no vision on how trophies will be won, they all bow to Wenger.

Most dont want him out but they want a more proactive board and CEO. They believe board has now gone missing, and that Gazides is unable to give Wenger a lead. That Wenger has too much power and wont delegate. Thats my view of the meeting.

Some facts:
Arsenal will declare a small loss or profit next week or so because figures end in May. But probably made profit Â£20 million on transfers, the club is still cash rich and there is believed to be Â£50 million in transfer kitty.

Players out on loan like Bendtner, Denilson, and Vela will cost club Â£10 mill a year.
Arteta didnt take a wage cut because Arsenal gave him one more year than Everton would, that makes him a Â£25 million player that we will not get much money back on.

The club will have money available for transfers in January if Wenger wants.

Club is biding time for 2014 when it hopes to negotiate good sponsorship deals, which explains far east tours. They are earning far less than Man U or Liverpool. But will they be able to negotiate top deal if club is not winning anything.

AST has made known feeling of its members to Gazides, including one calling for a vote of no confidence in Gazides. He must have enjoyed that. So Gazides knows the full views of AST membership which can be read on AST website.

There is concern about Fanshare as very little liquidity in shares, Kroenke and Usmanaov have hoovered most of them up. AST have Â£1 mill invested, and want to invset more, they will be seeing both Kroenke and Usamnao on this issue.

They are asking to meet with Kroenke, and with red and white holdings. they hope to get a good number to Arsenal PLC AGM and ask pertinent questions'
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MutleyGooner · Post by **MutleyGooner** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:09 pm

Arsenal Football Club is dead, just get used to it

frankbutcher · Post by **frankbutcher** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:19 pm

MutleyGooner wrote:Arsenal Football Club is dead, just get used to it

Kroenke's bought a pup. The previous Board have fleeced the place already. Usmanov will buy Kroenke out in a couple of years when he's done his money and Wenger has pissed off to Paris.

Babatunde · Post by **Babatunde** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:36 pm

have a few questions.

1. Yet AGAIN why is it that on the one hand the AST are claiming to have faith in Wenger and don't want him to leave...but are more than happy to apportion blame to Gazidis? Was Gazidis the one that sent a team out to get gang-raped 8-2! It truly is unbelievable how so many Arsenal fans will go out of their way to exonerate that *word censored* Wenger. I'm stunned. They speak of a vote of no confidence in Gazidis yet the manager who regularly sends out teams to get hammered is safe as houses??

2. The club 'hopes to renegotiate commercial deals in 2014'.

By 2014, assuming the c*nt in charge remains, Arsenal will have gone TEN years without winning a trophy. That's ten years. The way things are looking, Arsenal could be Europa League regulars by then with a bloated wage bill and the highest ticket prices in Europe. Who on earth are going to be stupid enough to pay Arsenal megabucks to sponsor them? Not even LIDL would touch Arsenal.

The short-termism in this club is so small-time it's a joke. They invest nothing in the club, continue to scam and alienate the real fans, the directorial structure is a mess....and yet these deluded muppets believe that in 2014 they will be able to convince people to pay MORE money to watch worse rubbish??! Who do they think the sponsors are? Arsenal Season ticket holders! (no offence intended

)

3. I'd just like to repeat the point that Vela, Diaby and Bendtner being out on loan is costing the club Â£10 million a year. Wenger's incompetence subsidised by you, the Arsenal fee-paying match goer. What is it the AKBs say again abut the club being 'run the right way'? One one hand poor little Arsene 'cannot compete' with the big clubs financially...but on the other hand, he is paying over Â£10 mil for other clubs to have our players and paying Â£15 mil for League 1 teenagers. Riiiiiiiiiight.....

4. The person attended the meeting also made the following point:
'The officials of AST were certain, I made the same point, but they said that wages of youth players, and these players were very different. That clubs were not buying them because of wage - Diaby earns more than Modric. So the club would have to pay the difference'

You heard that right: Diaby earns more than Modric. Considering it is Wenger who decides which players to award which contracts, I will ask again just how it is Gazidis that should be the focus of fan ire?
Gazidis wasn't even at Arsenal when money was so stupidly wasted on Diaby, on Walcott and on Eboue. WHY does the person who is to blame continually get away with this? Are people that brainwashed?

5. Is it Gazidis that is at fault for alienating club legends like Vieira, Keown and Bergkamp? Is it Gazidis' fault that there is no defensive coaching at the club whatsoever? Is it Gazidis fault that the likes of Djourou, Almunia, Fabianski, Eboue, Rosicky et al have been persisted with for so long?

6. Was it Gazidis who said he'd take 2nd place 'for the next twenty years'

7. Was it Gazidis who said that if Arsenal lose Cesc and Nasri, that they can no longer be considered a big club?

8. Why on earth are the AST deluded enough to think that removing Gazidis will help solve the problem? Do they not yet realise Gazidis is a mouthpiece, a puppet and nothing more?
The former Vodafone CEO Paul Donovan was interviewed for the Arsenal CEO job at the time. He had the most experience, great commercial track record but he didn't want the job and turned it down because he would be effectively acting as Wenger's PA. Doing as he is told by the person he was supposed to oversee!!! Donovan was too independent so he didn't get the gig.
Gazidis got the job because he is symptomatic of the culture at the club, and similar in attitude to so many of the players who wear the shirt and the one managing the club: happy to kick back and pick up ridiculous wages; happy to talk a big game but delivers the root sum of fuck all.
Will never rock the boat or give an opinion that contravenes Lord Wanker.

It's like an African dictatorship. If one army general is purged, another arse-licker will replace him. Nothing changes.

9. I would just like to repeat: Abou Diaby earns more than Modric. And yet Wenger is revered as financially responsible. Where did he get tha degree in Economics from - eBay?

10. Wenger identifies the players. Wenger recommends who to give contract pay rises to. Wenger takes part in all negotiations. Wenger sits in on board meetings. The whole structure is designed to ensure Gazidis CANNOT do his job. Wenger earns Â£6.5 million per year. Yet GAZIDIS is the main culprit here?? Don't get me wrong. The board deserve to be booted out too. They have let Wenger take the piss for so long with no consequences, except to line their pockets. BUT. After watching their team get stuffed 8-2 by a ragtag bunch of amateurs who looked like a poor man's Crawley Town, is Ivan Gazidis really the cancer of Arsenal in the eyes of the AST?

frankbutcher · Post by **frankbutcher** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:41 pm

Vote Babatunde.

AKB blown out of the water, yet AGAIN

olgitgooner · Post by **olgitgooner** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:10 pm

Yup. Can't disagree with anything Babatunde said there.

And I speak as an ex-AKB of many years standing.

Our club is in a piss poor state. We're in for some very lean years.

MutleyGooner · Post by **MutleyGooner** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:20 pm

BabaMarty for President

Babatunde · Post by **Babatunde** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:45 pm

Post by **QuartzGooner** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:27 am

Context of commercial deals.

The club needed to get the stadium built on time and on budget.

It was in terms of actual construction timescale, but there was a delay of one year when the club sought out stadium building loans, and had to get them from six different banks.
It was around the same time that the commercial deals for the stadium and team shirt were signed with Emirates.

The club needed cash, and it was not in a position to wait it out for a high offer. It had to get the money in to build the stadium.

So the current average commercial deals have a reason.

2014 they expire and we will be in a much stronger position, provided we remain a Champions League club.

littlefire · Post by **littlefire** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:25 am

Babatunde wrote: Abou Diaby earns more than Modric.

More banner material...or even a chant.

bunch · Post by **bunch** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:06 am

Babatunde wrote: Abou Diaby earns more than Modric.

Wears the same shirt though.

It's just shocking how Wenger has pissed money away rewarding useless players. His babies.

Herd · Post by **Herd** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:03 am

Pure conjecture dressed up as so called facts usual story .
You have no evidence that Diaby is paid more than Modric whatsoever !

You really should be in politics.

Mr FINSBURY PARK GOONER · Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:23 am

How much AST meetings do they have a year?????

Reg Niseth · Post by **Reg Niseth** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:27 am

Mr FINSBURY PARK GOONER wrote:How much AST meetings do they have a year?????

second Monday of every month I think. costs Â£2pm to be a member.

rigsby · Post by **rigsby** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:45 am

The board at Arsenal have been a problem for many many years. People like Terry Neil have talked about not being given the money to replace players or build to a team. Of course Wenger is to blame for a lot of stuff, but the reason the board wont get rid is because he gets them their CL money. So greed has bred icompetence.

The whole situation is a mess. What we need is someone to actually buy the club, get a new manager in and a clearer vision of the future

AST Meeting tonight

AST Meeting tonight

bababababababababa bollocks !