Why are we so fussed about CL qualification?

[Trevheff]

I obviously know why we should be, but lets face it, with Arsenal what does it matter? The obvious reasons are;

1) You've got to be in it to win it: Well lets not kid ourselves. With the current squad, inept tactics, transfer policy and management ineptitude of the club we haven't got a cats chance in hell of going deep in the tournament let alone winning it.

2) You need to be in the Champions League to attract the top players: Right, so over the last 16 years we've attracted the worlds top players have we due to our promise of CL football? The players (and I stress plural) we would need to properly compete in the tournament would cost transfer fees and salaries we are not prepared to pay. OK maybe it's only been in the last 2 years the money has been available. So what have we done with it? Ozil? Don't make me laugh. And lets just pretend we were prepared to go big to strengthen, if we're kidding ourselves that we're still dining at footballs top table then the players we would be after would also be wanted by Bayern, Barca, Real, Chelsea, City, Utd. Based on our track record if you were a top player would you really opt for Arsenal over any of them?

3) You need the money the CL brings to compete with the best and sign/attract the top players: Well just refer to point 2 above. 16 consecutive seasons of CL's qualification, new found wealth and the 'unlocking of the purse strings' that Mr Gazidis promised us last May has culminated in a strike force of Olivier Giroud, Nicklas Bendtner and a teenage French rookie. All that the CL money does is line the pockets of the Board.

4) Champions League qualification enhances the clubs profile/image: Well in my opinion our annual failing on the European stage it just stresses the fact that we are not a European Super Power.

So my point is this. What will we miss out on from not making the Top 4 that we otherwise would have benefited from? Nothing in my opinion. It shouldn't be that way, the points I list above should all be genuine factors, but because of the mind set of the people running our beloved club these factors are just smoke screens and myths.

I can't wait to see how the Board plan to justify the 3% price hike for less games and without the prestige of the Champions League on offer. Likewise I can't wait to see how they justify giving Wenger a pay rise as reward for abject failure.

Well played Everton today and good luck for the remaining games. You deserve to make the Top 4.

[Supagoon]

I think the last summer transfer showed our lack of ambition.

We heroically win the 4th place championship and celebrate like it. Then Arsene signs sanogo and sits on his arse with other free transfers, whilst trying to sign suarez. Then on the last day, buys an expensive luxury signing.

Just get the feeling Everton and Liverpool will make the most of being in the CL, whilst we are just happy to get abused by the big European clubs and take the money.

Honestly I like the CL but we're a joke in it. Are only concern should be replacing our hapless manager.

If we had ambition of course the CL is necessary, but with Arsene's stupid priorities such as Sanogo over a proper striker and buying ligue 1 crap that aren't in the PSG side, I don't care if we miss out.

[topgoon]

I obviously know why we should be, but lets face it, with Arsenal what does it matter? The obvious reasons are;

1) You've got to be in it to win it: Well lets not kid ourselves. With the current squad, inept tactics, transfer policy and management ineptitude of the club we haven't got a cats chance in hell of going deep in the tournament let alone winning it.

2) You need to be in the Champions League to attract the top players: Right, so over the last 16 years we've attracted the worlds top players have we due to our promise of CL football? The players (and I stress plural) we would need to properly compete in the tournament would cost transfer fees and salaries we are not prepared to pay. OK maybe it's only been in the last 2 years the money has been available. So what have we done with it? Ozil? Don't make me laugh. And lets just pretend we were prepared to go big to strengthen, if we're kidding ourselves that we're still dining at footballs top table then the players we would be after would also be wanted by Bayern, Barca, Real, Chelsea, City, Utd. Based on our track record if you were a top player would you really opt for Arsenal over any of them?

3) You need the money the CL brings to compete with the best and sign/attract the top players: Well just refer to point 2 above. 16 consecutive seasons of CL's qualification, new found wealth and the 'unlocking of the purse strings' that Mr Gazidis promised us last May has culminated in a strike force of Olivier Giroud, Nicklas Bendtner and a teenage French rookie. All that the CL money does is line the pockets of the Board.

4) Champions League qualification enhances the clubs profile/image: Well in my opinion our annual failing on the European stage it just stresses the fact that we are not a European Super Power.

So my point is this. What will we miss out on from not making the Top 4 that we otherwise would have benefited from? Nothing in my opinion. It shouldn't be that way, the points I list above should all be genuine factors, but because of the mind set of the people running our beloved club these factors are just smoke screens and myths.

I can't wait to see how the Board plan to justify the 3% price hike for less games and without the prestige of the Champions League on offer. Likewise I can't wait to see how they justify giving Wenger a pay rise as reward for abject failure.

F**k of Everton, I couldn't give 2 flying f**ks what you do for the rest of the season.

[Leyton Gooner]

I'm not fussed about it, same goes for most on here

However, we all know there's only one reason Wenger and the board are fussed about it...


LOADSAMONEY

Or, as I believe they say across the pond, megabucks

[northbank123]

If Wenger does go this summer (hope against hope) the irony will be that not being in the CL would be a considerable handicap to a successor, even though our CL status has had very little impact on our transfer dealings under Wenger.

[augie]

If Wenger does go this summer (hope against hope) the irony will be that not being in the CL would be a considerable handicap to a successor, even though our CL status has had very little impact on our transfer dealings under Wenger.

Granted but small steps are needed when that day comes - whenever somebody takes over from the wenker, they will "inherit" a woefully unbalanced squad that has had the basic team discipline coached out of them plus they will not have a scooby doo about tactics and what is required. I would liken the job to that of a car engine that sometimes needs to be stripped down so that it can't be rebuilt correctly. For me a new manager will need time to improve the squad and impose his idea's/tactics on the players so maybe playing against some of europe's best teams will not allow him the time he needs ?

Anyway I think that you will find that the majority on here don't give a fcuk if we finish top 4 or not

[QuartzGooner]

Outside the top four means it is harder to attract top players, and to retain top players.
A look at the league squads verifies this; Liverpool have a good team but little outside their first eleven.

I bet that our sponsorship deals are structured so that we earn less if we are outside the Champions League.

The money coming in does not line the pockets of the board, it goes towards our bank balance.
Which means when Kroenke sells he gets more for the club.
But the board directors these days are on salaries, if they do still own any shares it would be negligible amounts.

[Trevheff]

Which takes me back to my original point Quartz. We haven't attracted truly world class players anyway even with the promise of CL football and we don't spend the money we have anyway. So what does it matter??

We won't be able to sign the players we were never going to get and we won't have available the money we were never going to use.

If we finish outside the top 4 we won't be able to truly strengthen and we won't spend. No different to the last 9 summers then!

[Herd]

In order to attract players you have to go after them and sign them,whereas we flap around with no real intent.
We could have bought some world class people in the Summer window but we didnt,and we have seen this so often that we are no longer surprised !

With regards to why we should be so fussed about champions league,well thats simple. It pays good money ,about $25 Million .
For a money grabbing franchise that used to be Arsenal Football Club Cash is King BUT status is all important in emerging markets like Asia !
You cant sell T shirts in Asia with Internationals from mid african states with belgian citizenship!

If we dont get Champions league the budget for players will shrink even more than it is allready ,meaning we will shed the very few Quality players we have in an instant and then our decline will accelarate quickly to the mid table .

In this case the ever shrinking Diamond,Box and Club Level Holders who number 7000 but are responsible for 30/40 percent of the gate money alone never mind the F+B will vote with their feet !
Season ticket Holders will not renew also meaning gates will drop as revenue plummets !

The Arsenal commercial Team has this Grand Vision of stuffing the place to the rafters with Tourists who will buy lots of overpriced Trinkets ,Food N beverages and whilst we are in the CL and still hovering around the sniffing the farts of the leading pack of teams this will hold but if we slip down I can see this Premium Revenue Stream bombing big stylee !
Rich Asians pay premiums to watch top teams not mid table fodder !

None of this will bother Kroenke who if the signs look grim can always sell out to a rich Arab, (could be a hard few years for Russian Oliagarghs) or Sell the real estate to a property developer move the Franchise to wembley or Stratford .

So in short its fucking Vital,things can and will get much worse at ARSENAL !

[donaldo]

Outside the top four means it is harder to attract top players, and to retain top players.

That arguement doesnt hold any water.Liverpool signed Suarez when they were out of the CL and have kept him.Just look at some of our recent signings Santos Chamakh Park Gervinho Giroud Sanogo Kalstrom are you telling me they are top players? And whch players have we been able to hold on to?RVP Cesc Nasri

[QuartzGooner]

@TrevHeff and Donaldo

My argument holds a lot of water.

Just because we have signed some low key players, do you honestly think we would have got Ozil if we had been Spurs?

Suarez is always brought up as the example of not needing to be in the Champions League to buy good players, but most clubs outside of it but around the Europa League can still attract one marquee signing.
Suarez was damaged goods when he went to Liverpool, he had personal issues though his talent was never in doubt.

All clubs have their cheaper and less good players.

Many of our current woes are not because of the quality of our players, it is the organisation, morale, tactics and health of the players that are the main problem.

Of course we could buy a few more, and better ones, but I bet that our same squad would do better under a different manager.

If we are consistently out of the Champions League, watch our squad get worse as our annual income shrinks by around £20 - 25M pounds.

[spendsum4uckingmoney]

If we dont qualify then the floodgates are open for how shocking arsenal could end up. Look at Newcastle.

Hopefully City get kicked out and we qualify.

[augie]

Outside the top four means it is harder to attract top players, and to retain top players.
A look at the league squads verifies this; Liverpool have a good team but little outside their first eleven.

I bet that our sponsorship deals are structured so that we earn less if we are outside the Champions League.

The money coming in does not line the pockets of the board, it goes towards our bank balance.
Which means when Kroenke sells he gets more for the club.
But the board directors these days are on salaries, if they do still own any shares it would be negligible amounts.

And these saleries probably have performance related bonuses built into them like every other contract within our club so maybe missing out on top 4 would give them a much needed kick in the bollox too

[SteveO 35]

We've been in it for 17 seasons and still failed to hold on to our best players or sign the very top ones

Bring on the Europa League ! I'm looking forward to Dan_85's megaphone tour of Moldova and Albania

[Gunner Rob]

Outside the top four means it is harder to attract top players, and to retain top players.

That arguement doesnt hold any water.Liverpool signed Suarez when they were out of the CL and have kept him.Just look at some of our recent signings Santos Chamakh Park Gervinho Giroud Sanogo Kalstrom are you telling me they are top players? And whch players have we been able to hold on to?RVP Cesc Nasri

we will hold onto even less if we are not in the Champions League because don't forget this club is only run for business interests now.
Ozil will be allowed to leave as soon as possible I would imagine.