Board Sells - Kroenke Takes Control Of Club!!

[USMartin]

It's a tricky question forced on us by a Board we trusted too much not to be this greedy.

I would love to trust Stan Kroenke but I don't. Is he a billionaire? yes. Dioes he have the money to pay for this on his own? Doubtful. And while this may not be a debt-leveraged takeover the club may still pay for its own purchase if he takes a dividend to pay for it.

This may not be as scary a scenario as that at Liverpool but but it will have the same effect as overborrowing to re-develop Highbury did, which is to fatally undermine the self-sustaining business model for several years maybe even a decade or longer, and to do this while we are still paying off the stadium is not a smart way of doing business for Arsenal but again for its shareholders, and could potentially endanger the club if we lose Chamopions League Football.

[flash gunner]

So its proven that the board creamed off the cash for themselves and poor Arsene was in no way to blame.... What happens next?

[USMartin]

And unless we do spend significantly more now to make up for the lack of spending since 2006 we are serious danger of seeing that happen, as Man United Chelsea and Man City definitely will spend, as will Liverpool and probably s***s, and that's five teams fighting for four places and us fighting with one arm tied behind our backs.

And soon that will only be three places to fight for.

We cannot lose touch now, because with the stadium still to be fully paid and the possibility that the club will also have to pay for being bought by Stan Kroenke even if its not debt leveraged we will either drop to mid-table medicority or worse or risk bankruptcy unless the self-syustaining model is abandoned altogether.

On the other hand spend now even if that model has to be abandoned temporarily and this might be avoided.

[USMartin]

So I wouild back Ruslan Usmanov - reluctantly - now because what we do know is that he has moere than enough money to buy the club without leveraged debt or even paying for it through dividends but that even if he did he wouild likely pump money inot the football team.

And that at least would compensate for the failure of the self-sustaining business model which is inevitable if that dividend is taken. I don't think Mr. Kroenke has that kind of money.

[SWLGooner]

Martin you say he ain't got enough but his wife is worth about 3bn.

[Peeman]

And unless we do spend significantly more now to make up for the lack of spending since 2006 we are serious danger of seeing that happen, as Man United Chelsea and Man City definitely will spend, as will Liverpool and probably s***s, and that's five teams fighting for four places and us fighting with one arm tied behind our backs.

And soon that will only be three places to fight for.

We cannot lose touch now, because with the stadium still to be fully paid and the possibility that the club will also have to pay for being bought by Stan Kroenke even if its not debt leveraged we will either drop to mid-table medicority or worse or risk bankruptcy unless the self-syustaining model is abandoned altogether.

On the other hand spend now even if that model has to be abandoned temporarily and this might be avoided.

Where did u get the idea we spent heavily pre 2005 - we probably had net spend of under £40million under Wenger in that period.

Apparently that kind of amount is there now but Wenger don't want it - according to him - so he's either a liar or a coward doin the boards dirty work.


Arsenal were always frugal bastards and always will be


P.S. Did u buy any of these cheap shares - seeming that u could see this coming for so long

[Gunnersaurus]

And unless we do spend significantly more now to make up for the lack of spending since 2006 we are serious danger of seeing that happen, as Man United Chelsea and Man City definitely will spend, as will Liverpool and probably s***s, and that's five teams fighting for four places and us fighting with one arm tied behind our backs.

And soon that will only be three places to fight for.

We cannot lose touch now, because with the stadium still to be fully paid and the possibility that the club will also have to pay for being bought by Stan Kroenke even if its not debt leveraged we will either drop to mid-table medicority or worse or risk bankruptcy unless the self-syustaining model is abandoned altogether.

On the other hand spend now even if that model has to be abandoned temporarily and this might be avoided.

Oh do be quiet, some of our biggest players under Wenger have cost next to nothing in terms of other clubs so spending millions is not the answer, buying the right players for the right positions is.

Stan taking over now gives Wenger someone to answer to as opposed to the board who were happy with him not to spend the money to protect their interests, he will have to deliver on the pitch now which is what your movement wanted so you have no reason to be upset.

It's the status quo that has taken the club backwards on the pitch, nothing more, nothing less, they have been waiting for this day.

[USMartin]

So its proven that the board creamed off the cash for themselves and poor Arsene was in no way to blame.... What happens next?

That's it pure over-simplification - though it makes more sense than your thesis

No Arsene Wenger shares some blame - just not as much as you believe or for what you believe.

Arsene Wenger made no effort to challenge the Board on any of this and cooperated with it. I suspect that is why he has gotten the last two or three contract renewals and the improved terms with them.

But I think the Board's decision to re-develop Highbury which only made them richer as we see now fatally undermined what had been a very successful on the pitch and efficient off the pitch self-sustaining business model up to 2005. Arsene Wenger is at fault for not condemning that decision or its results and challenging the Board to correct its own greed-driven errors.

The one thing in his defense is that if the Board's policy changed his will as well, which is what we want in the end.

I just tend to believe the odds are its more likely that the Board was willing to give up the silverware for the club for more silver for themselves than Arsene Wenger was for his ego. And ask yourself this - is this were any club but Arsenal what you believe then?

[the playing mantis]

why not make us martin chairman???

[USMartin]

And unless we do spend significantly more now to make up for the lack of spending since 2006 we are serious danger of seeing that happen, as Man United Chelsea and Man City definitely will spend, as will Liverpool and probably s***s, and that's five teams fighting for four places and us fighting with one arm tied behind our backs.

And soon that will only be three places to fight for.

We cannot lose touch now, because with the stadium still to be fully paid and the possibility that the club will also have to pay for being bought by Stan Kroenke even if its not debt leveraged we will either drop to mid-table medicority or worse or risk bankruptcy unless the self-syustaining model is abandoned altogether.

On the other hand spend now even if that model has to be abandoned temporarily and this might be avoided.

Where did u get the idea we spent heavily pre 2005 - we probably had net spend of under £40million under Wenger in that period.

Apparently that kind of amount is there now but Wenger don't want it - according to him - so he's either a liar or a coward doin the boards dirty work.


Arsenal were always frugal bastards and always will be


P.S. Did u buy any of these cheap shares - seeming that u could see this coming for so long

If you read on I address this - but we had an average net spend of app 5.5 million from 1998-2005 and have had an average net profit of about 5.5 million from 2006 on - a shift of 10-11 million a year in spending since 2006 - or about one Tom Vermaelen - a year. That means had we just spent 5.5 million a year fronm 2006 on we might have one more Tom Vermaelen priced and quality player each year - five more of Tom Vermaelen's quality instead of say Denilson, Bendtner, Almunia, Squllaci, and Diaby.

[USMartin]

why not make us martin chairman???

And least you wouldn't have to worry about me betraying us for 30 pieces of silver. Or 5000 or 8000 or 12000.

[USMartin]

And unless we do spend significantly more now to make up for the lack of spending since 2006 we are serious danger of seeing that happen, as Man United Chelsea and Man City definitely will spend, as will Liverpool and probably s***s, and that's five teams fighting for four places and us fighting with one arm tied behind our backs.

And soon that will only be three places to fight for.

We cannot lose touch now, because with the stadium still to be fully paid and the possibility that the club will also have to pay for being bought by Stan Kroenke even if its not debt leveraged we will either drop to mid-table medicority or worse or risk bankruptcy unless the self-syustaining model is abandoned altogether.

On the other hand spend now even if that model has to be abandoned temporarily and this might be avoided.

Oh do be quiet, some of our biggest players under Wenger have cost next to nothing in terms of other clubs so spending millions is not the answer, buying the right players for the right positions is.

Stan taking over now gives Wenger someone to answer to as opposed to the board who were happy with him not to spend the money to protect their interests, he will have to deliver on the pitch now which is what your movement wanted so you have no reason to be upset.

It's the status quo that has taken the club backwards on the pitch, nothing more, nothing less, they have been waiting for this day.

? ? ?

Do you agree with me or disagree? Reading the whole post its terribly unclear.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Maybe if Gooners had listened to voices like mine earlier instead of heaping skcepticism ridicule and downright hostility on them back in 2006 you wouldn't have to hear us so often now or lament the fact that what we were warning might come to be has come to be to a large extent.

Please please please.........................................jog on

[1989]

The guy has a fantastic record when it comes to sport teams both the playing ANDthe financial side. Not to mention he's spent over 4 years at the club so must have an idea of what Arsenal is all about. Change is good and we've been crying out for it, so lets embrace it. Bit of positivity won't harm.

This quote made it into the Evening Standard today. A daily football column beckons.

They left out the Wenger Out signature though

Thanks.

Proud moment.

[olgitgooner]

I am not happy about single ownership of our club. Regardless of the owner.

But I'd just like to point out that Stan has never loaded debt on to any of his sports clubs. And he owns quite a few.

(Sorry if this was mentioned earlier. There is no way I'm going to read through 25 pages, just to check )