By Adil Khan
Last Thursday, European Football's governing body imposed rules regarding clubs having to spend what they generate per three season figures.
So UEFA have finally decided to put a long time frame that would ensure that clubs with substantial debt (which isn't being managed) are not given European licences.
Firstly, why it has taken that idiotic fool of a president Michel Platini years to enforce this is beyond me as the change in the financial state of football clubs kicked off when Roman FC was found West London in 2003. Any moron with more than a just brain cell could see where the footballing world was heading when big bucks were being dashed out as if £50 notes fly out everytime Abramovic goes to the toilet (I'd like to know what he's having)!
Secondly, this seems more of a ploy against the English clubs and the case has not been helped by Portsmouth FC’s incompetetent financial staff. It is hard to imagine Platini letting his Spanish mistresses get caught up in all of this. After all, can you ...correction... can HE imagine a CL year without Real or Barca? I wouldn't think so. His hatred for the English clubs and football on this side of the channel has been clear to see for many years so excuse me if I'm being slightly paranoid but I for one, hate that moron. One does wonder how he will deal with clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona who have the Spanish government to always bail them out
The hope is that this rule is exercised fairly. It’s certainly hard to see some of these clubs clearing their debt in the next 4-6 years so there must be a loop-hole for them to exploit. As a Gooner this news brings great joy and pride knowing that this will not affect us at all. I am not the biggest fan of our board sometimes but I have to give credit where it is due.
Now while we are on the topic, it has been mentioned that Tottenham will not be affected by this rule.
Can someone please explain how that is the case. Spurs buy a HUGE number of players left, right and centre and its almost as if they’re taking the piss at not being noticed by selling them all and buying them back for bigger prices. In November 2009 it was revealed that they had spent £150m so where do they make a profit? I know many argue and say they sold Berbatov for so and so but let's not forget, they NEVER NEEDED to sell him. They fought till the very end of that transfer window which means they are more than capable of paying him bigger wages to keep him at White Hart Lane AND sign more players. It's only this season that they have a chance to qualify for the Champions League and other than a carling cup, they never really won that much nor got very far in the Europa League, so how on earth are they ok? And it’s baffling as to why no media base ever question neither their dealings nor any word on their financial reports. It’s no wonder that they finally managed to get the fraud Redknapp tax as they’re manager.
Moving briefly onto Theo Walcott, John Cross (Gooner) of the Mirror summed him up nicely on the radio as “almost a very good player”, notice the word ALMOST. It was not until the end of the 08/09 season that many gooners were unhappy after his ignorance of Arsene’s advice. Not only did he play for the U21s that summer but also the first team (yes, once selected he has to play, but he could’ve said no to the U21s and Stuart Pearce would have excused him). So there was no surprise that he got injured after a pre season of no rest which resulted in Theo missing out on a good chunk of the season.
Walcott said recently that he feels he “deserves” to go to the world cup this time. However, watching his performance in the past 2 England games it seems Shaun Wright-Phillips out done all of Theo's work in 45 minutes by showing every bit of determination to make a claim for his World Cup place.
If Theo goes to the World Cup, it will be good for him but on the contrary, if he fails to make the final 23 on Tuesday, then it could be a blessing in disguise for Walcott’s career. He can sit back and have a long hard think about his performances and gain consistency to repeat the performances against Liverpool, Barcelona and AC Milan over recent seasons.
Keep the faith!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Cesc Fabregas - The Arsenal Product!
After 3 years as a steward at the Emirates, I now have a club level season ticket, which now means I can at last go to the game in my Arsenal shirt rather than an orange jacket and celebrate and taunt oppositions like the rest while watching some of the best football on the planet.
The one player that may/may not be with us is El Capitan Cesc Fabregas. He has come out to say his future is in Arsenal’s hand. And bless the predictable media writers getting so excited with the Barcelona rumours you would think they’ve just had an overdose of Viagra pills. Then again, every time Cesc has come out to say he wants to stay in North London, the media somehow interpret that differently to how regular people see it and convince the rest of the world by changing the geography of the planet to say that North London is actually inside Catalonia.
Some Gooners along with myself see his words differently. Undoubtedly, most of the footballing world following this story would love to know the content of the conversation Cesc has had with the manager. Wenger’s philosophy and his trail of thinking is very deep and apart from Adebayor and possible one or two others, every player that has worked with him have had nothing but respect for the man.
Cesc and Arsene have always held a father-son type relation similar to how Alex Hleb saw his relation to Wenger.
Even in such a turbulent point in his career with fans calling for his head, media scrutinising and the Daily Mail going as far as putting him in the list of top 50 flops in the premier league this season, Wenger has asked Cesc not to let his football get affected. Such is his concern for Fabregas’ development, Arsene will not let anything get in the way of Cesc becoming a great footballer and he knows himself that one day Cesc will leave. Nor does he care that when he does become the best midfielder in the world he may have blue stripes down his red top and even be among those that will play against Arsenal in the Champions League.
Arsene will never stop a player from achieving his best and this is a man who doesn’t just work for the greater good of Arsenal, but also for football as a sport which is why he told Cesc that he will deal with the media and the questions thrown and he will bear the brunt of what is to come. And now the media has little choice but to leave Cesc to the World Cup and chase Arsene for answers.
Cesc has been brought up well both as a footballer and young lad. His confidence, passion and determination have given him the stepping stones to become a great of the game. A very large part of the media and even some quarters of the Arsenal fans argue that Cesc is a Barcelona product. But these people donot look at his career objectively. He was at Barca from the age of 9 where they taught him the basics of the game. And a large part of the media and fans believe that is where he became a fantastic footballer.
I disagree.
Wenger has looked for certain elements that make great players and they are things you cannot always teach. A great touch, vision and timing are some of the key elements for Wenger to pick a player that will further develop. Cesc had all of the elements at the age of 14/15 but he was nowhere near a complete player at the time. And there is no better education a player can get than to play in the first team in the most difficult league in the world. Barcelona could not have given him that at the time we did. And I believe that was the making of Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal. From the age of 16 onwards is when a player can really make his future (Wayne Rooney, James Milner, Rodwell, etc) and we gave him that opportunity and showed that faith that Barcelona wouldn’t. By profession, I am a Design Engineer in Control Systems. But I wouldn't say my primary school will get the credit for me being in a job today. They gave me the foundations but it was in University and A-Levels where major development in my education took place.
Someone please explain why Messi, Iniesta, Valdez and co all remained at Barcelona but Cesc chose to leave? Barcelona had a rich culture of promoting within their ranks. Why then did a boy of 14/15 leave his home town, his friends, family and club that taught him the building blocks of football and come to London - which let’s face it, most Europeans don’t like because its “too rainy” or “not enough sun”.
For someone like Reyes and Ibrahimovic who were/are at the peak of their careers, they can make excuses to dislike a city and not move because at that age you are independent and can resettle easily. However, for a boy of 14/15, the same cannot be applied. He left his education at Barcelona at a young age where his hero Guardiola was made and where he got the signed number 4 shirt from Pep. It doesn’t add up that he found it necessary to move to London.
As far as I know, Spanish law does not allow players to sign a professional contract until they are over 17 (correct me if I’m wrong), which is why we managed to sign him from Barcelona. Surely he had been told something different in regards to his future than what Messi and co were briefed. It wasn’t difficult to see Messi was going to be a great player at 14/15 and the same applies to Iniesta. Why then did the top clubs not “steal” them from Barcelona seeing as it was “that easy”!
All that can be concluded from that is Cesc was not put into the same band of players that would graduate from the academy and he felt it was necessary to go elsewhere to ply his trade at that age. He knew who we had at the club at the time – Vieira, Gilberto, Edu, Ljungberg, Romford Pele (Ray Parlour). He knew he wouldn’t be among the first team players in that first year at the very least.
When Wenger wants a player, he will go out of his way to get him. Aaron Ramsey speaks about the extra effort Wenger put in to meet him in person and discuss his development.
And just like when Arsene convinced Fabregas to come to England seven years ago, I do believe that Wenger might just have convinced him to stay another season. Arsenal fans are not stupid. We KNOW he will go back there one day and it is a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. Personally I had hoped for 2 seasons by which time I believed Jack Wilshere and/or Ramsey would be ready to be in the first team. But the last thing we want is someone having to play for us not because he wants to, because a paper he signed 2 years ago said he had to.
I don’t believe that Cesc is a player that kisses the badge as a PR stunt. His passion to fight for the team was demonstrated in the league game against Stoke City away. When we were 2-1 up, Cesc went in with a tackle from behind and fouled a stoke defender facing his own goal. The referee let it pass as the game was heated enough as it was and as Cesc ran back to his own half, he gestured a silence to the gremlin Tony Pulis.
Cesc goes on to say in the interview, "It's not up to me anymore and it's just now about Arsenal and wherever it has to be and that's it. I don't want to say anything else, I just want to be focused for the World Cup because it is the most important thing - the rest is the future and I'm not interested in the future."
He has always maintained that his future will be Barcelona, but it seems to me he’s not quite ready to leave us yet. Perhaps this is just being optimistic and I have my red tinted glasses on. However, there are few that could argue with Wenger when he says that the Spanish league is in disarray. To be in a league where 99 points won the title sounds exciting. But when you look down the list you realise the gap between 2nd and 3rd is nothing short of a joke and the competition is lacking in that league.
Whether the Spanish league picks up again or not, whether Fabregas will be our number 4 or not, the fact is we have moved on from major disappointments in the past and we will move on when Cesc leaves. For a while it may seem like the end of the world but that's just nothing short of a sad feeling which will diminish over time. There is still a long summer ahead and let’s not hit the panic buttons until the end of August at least.
Keep the faith!
The one player that may/may not be with us is El Capitan Cesc Fabregas. He has come out to say his future is in Arsenal’s hand. And bless the predictable media writers getting so excited with the Barcelona rumours you would think they’ve just had an overdose of Viagra pills. Then again, every time Cesc has come out to say he wants to stay in North London, the media somehow interpret that differently to how regular people see it and convince the rest of the world by changing the geography of the planet to say that North London is actually inside Catalonia.
Some Gooners along with myself see his words differently. Undoubtedly, most of the footballing world following this story would love to know the content of the conversation Cesc has had with the manager. Wenger’s philosophy and his trail of thinking is very deep and apart from Adebayor and possible one or two others, every player that has worked with him have had nothing but respect for the man.
Cesc and Arsene have always held a father-son type relation similar to how Alex Hleb saw his relation to Wenger.
Even in such a turbulent point in his career with fans calling for his head, media scrutinising and the Daily Mail going as far as putting him in the list of top 50 flops in the premier league this season, Wenger has asked Cesc not to let his football get affected. Such is his concern for Fabregas’ development, Arsene will not let anything get in the way of Cesc becoming a great footballer and he knows himself that one day Cesc will leave. Nor does he care that when he does become the best midfielder in the world he may have blue stripes down his red top and even be among those that will play against Arsenal in the Champions League.
Arsene will never stop a player from achieving his best and this is a man who doesn’t just work for the greater good of Arsenal, but also for football as a sport which is why he told Cesc that he will deal with the media and the questions thrown and he will bear the brunt of what is to come. And now the media has little choice but to leave Cesc to the World Cup and chase Arsene for answers.
Cesc has been brought up well both as a footballer and young lad. His confidence, passion and determination have given him the stepping stones to become a great of the game. A very large part of the media and even some quarters of the Arsenal fans argue that Cesc is a Barcelona product. But these people donot look at his career objectively. He was at Barca from the age of 9 where they taught him the basics of the game. And a large part of the media and fans believe that is where he became a fantastic footballer.
I disagree.
Wenger has looked for certain elements that make great players and they are things you cannot always teach. A great touch, vision and timing are some of the key elements for Wenger to pick a player that will further develop. Cesc had all of the elements at the age of 14/15 but he was nowhere near a complete player at the time. And there is no better education a player can get than to play in the first team in the most difficult league in the world. Barcelona could not have given him that at the time we did. And I believe that was the making of Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal. From the age of 16 onwards is when a player can really make his future (Wayne Rooney, James Milner, Rodwell, etc) and we gave him that opportunity and showed that faith that Barcelona wouldn’t. By profession, I am a Design Engineer in Control Systems. But I wouldn't say my primary school will get the credit for me being in a job today. They gave me the foundations but it was in University and A-Levels where major development in my education took place.
Someone please explain why Messi, Iniesta, Valdez and co all remained at Barcelona but Cesc chose to leave? Barcelona had a rich culture of promoting within their ranks. Why then did a boy of 14/15 leave his home town, his friends, family and club that taught him the building blocks of football and come to London - which let’s face it, most Europeans don’t like because its “too rainy” or “not enough sun”.
For someone like Reyes and Ibrahimovic who were/are at the peak of their careers, they can make excuses to dislike a city and not move because at that age you are independent and can resettle easily. However, for a boy of 14/15, the same cannot be applied. He left his education at Barcelona at a young age where his hero Guardiola was made and where he got the signed number 4 shirt from Pep. It doesn’t add up that he found it necessary to move to London.
As far as I know, Spanish law does not allow players to sign a professional contract until they are over 17 (correct me if I’m wrong), which is why we managed to sign him from Barcelona. Surely he had been told something different in regards to his future than what Messi and co were briefed. It wasn’t difficult to see Messi was going to be a great player at 14/15 and the same applies to Iniesta. Why then did the top clubs not “steal” them from Barcelona seeing as it was “that easy”!
All that can be concluded from that is Cesc was not put into the same band of players that would graduate from the academy and he felt it was necessary to go elsewhere to ply his trade at that age. He knew who we had at the club at the time – Vieira, Gilberto, Edu, Ljungberg, Romford Pele (Ray Parlour). He knew he wouldn’t be among the first team players in that first year at the very least.
When Wenger wants a player, he will go out of his way to get him. Aaron Ramsey speaks about the extra effort Wenger put in to meet him in person and discuss his development.
And just like when Arsene convinced Fabregas to come to England seven years ago, I do believe that Wenger might just have convinced him to stay another season. Arsenal fans are not stupid. We KNOW he will go back there one day and it is a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. Personally I had hoped for 2 seasons by which time I believed Jack Wilshere and/or Ramsey would be ready to be in the first team. But the last thing we want is someone having to play for us not because he wants to, because a paper he signed 2 years ago said he had to.
I don’t believe that Cesc is a player that kisses the badge as a PR stunt. His passion to fight for the team was demonstrated in the league game against Stoke City away. When we were 2-1 up, Cesc went in with a tackle from behind and fouled a stoke defender facing his own goal. The referee let it pass as the game was heated enough as it was and as Cesc ran back to his own half, he gestured a silence to the gremlin Tony Pulis.
Cesc goes on to say in the interview, "It's not up to me anymore and it's just now about Arsenal and wherever it has to be and that's it. I don't want to say anything else, I just want to be focused for the World Cup because it is the most important thing - the rest is the future and I'm not interested in the future."
He has always maintained that his future will be Barcelona, but it seems to me he’s not quite ready to leave us yet. Perhaps this is just being optimistic and I have my red tinted glasses on. However, there are few that could argue with Wenger when he says that the Spanish league is in disarray. To be in a league where 99 points won the title sounds exciting. But when you look down the list you realise the gap between 2nd and 3rd is nothing short of a joke and the competition is lacking in that league.
Whether the Spanish league picks up again or not, whether Fabregas will be our number 4 or not, the fact is we have moved on from major disappointments in the past and we will move on when Cesc leaves. For a while it may seem like the end of the world but that's just nothing short of a sad feeling which will diminish over time. There is still a long summer ahead and let’s not hit the panic buttons until the end of August at least.
Keep the faith!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
David Moore proves Arsene DOES know best!
The Times newspaper today has published the letter sent to them from David Moores (Former Liverpool owner).
Reading through the letter as an Arsenal man, it just increases the respect for Arsene Wenger and what he has done for our club. Liverpool are a club that has thrown the word "history, tradition, culture and Gerrard" so often it almost makes me cringe to hear those words coming from them now. No denying that they are a top club and have been for the best part of the last 40 years. And with the current situation of the club, you can have nothing but sympathy for their fans and respect for those making movements to do something about the situation.
Reading the letter written by Moores, it highlights the delicate situation football clubs are in today. It also shows the thin line of naivety that people can fall into when they are making sound financial judgements with the passion for greater good of the football club at heart.
Moore says, “Gillett and Hicks produced a very substantial offer document containing all the key assurances RE: debt, the stadium, investment in the squad and respect for Liverpool F.C’s unique culture, traditions and legacy. It was impressive stuff - and it did the trick. For the motion to be carried we needed around 90% in favour. Over 1700 shareholders voted and the result was 100% in favour of accepting Gillett & Hicks’s offer“.
That quote defies everything that businessmen can be. Huge promises only to be left with nothing but media scrutiny, a Europa League qualification place and Insua. And despite Moore’s sincere apology in the letter, it seems he let his emotions get in the way of making a stable decision. And it is not as if he didn’t know who he was selling the club to. He goes on to say “We retained Price Waterhouse Coopers to advise us on the fabric of the deal, and they received assurances from Rothschilds, one of the most respected and respectable names in global finance, who vouched for both Tom Hicks and George Gillett.” That’s TWO large organisations who advised him wrongly and that is why I do hold some sympathy for the man – albeit he should have sniffed some bias as Rothschilds apparently made some money from Gillett and Hicks in the sale.
With the current financial situation globally, it seems almost impossible to be in a situation where a team can go ahead and invest money to get a new stadium and better their position as self financing football club.
Arsene Wenger identified the elements needed to establish Arsenal Football Club as a long term top level club and despite the trophy-less seasons, all Arsenal fans should be grateful to Wenger that we are not in the same situation as Liverpool today. He has established us as a top force in Europe and engineered through a stadium well before the recession that is now the envy of every premier league team (yes I include Manchester United simply because despite their bigger stadium, Arsenal are able to generate more, income due to the London factor).
Moore further states, “Rick (Parry) was always vocal about planning for success, and after much soul-searching from everybody close to the club we bowed to the inevitable. We began to accept that the only way we could continue to compete was by building a new stadium.”
The plan for Liverpool (made in 2001 – I’m open to be corrected on the year) was to have their stadium ready and running for the 2009/2010 season. The season has gone by and they have not yet laid a brick for the foundations, instead finding themselves finishing 7th despite having potentially the world’s best striker (not N’Gog), Steven Gerrard and one of, if not the world’s best defensive midfielder in Javier Mascherano.
It defies belief that fans can be so fickle as to call for Wenger’s head when there is living proof all around them of the situation other clubs are in. I would much rather be where we are today than where Manchester United are in with their Carling Cup, fan protests against the Glazers and Norwich City scarves (seriously United fans - return them to Carrow Road, they’re ridiculous and Norwich isn’t too far from London)
More important that winning trophies in the short term is to know that your football club will exist 2 years down the line (see “Portsmouth FC” on wikipedia).
I am not blind to the fact that Arsene should invest some money into players. I do believe some surgery on the squad is needed over the summer period. However, patience is the key and from David Moore’s letter, it is visible to all what impatience can do to a club that has been on the higher end of one of the best league’s in the world.
Football fans must understand that the game is no longer a level playing field. Huge investments may see short term solutions but eventually, every club will have to balance their books come the 2012-2013 season. And it would be interesting to see then how teams like Manchester City and Chelsea pay their big stars and generate the income.
Moore says, “Anybody who cares to dredge the archive will find myself on record as finding the decision difficult to come to terms with; but looking back now, the thing I was finding most difficult, was the transformation of the game I loved. Football clubs were beginning to be seen as a source of profit rather than a source of pride; they were as much financial institutions as they were sporting legacies. The Abramovich era was upon us, and I knew that I could never compete.”
He makes a fantastic point about how football has transformed as a source of profit. This is something that too many fans of all clubs fail to realise. Everyone is calling for trophys regardless of what it is. Throw a piece of aluminium sheet in front of these fans and they will be stepping all over each other to grab it without dissecting the element.
He does however sound pathetic saying he could not compete. Why not? Is he so afraid of seeing rich men with money that he threw the towel in along with the fate of Liverpool FC? How scared can you be of Abramovic. Does he look so violent to anyone that he will throw some Russian gold coins that will take your eye and blind you forever so you can no longer see Benitez flapping his arms like a duck? I’d be more afraid of seeing Denilson make the Brazil squad to be honest. Arsenal have lived through the Abramovic era without selling out. Yes, changes had to be made but they were the RIGHT changes!
So very few fans know that the prize money of an FA Cup win is less than finishing 17th in the league. How then should a club operate if they are expected to ignore the £30m prize of champions league football for a £3m FA Cup triumph with qualification to the Europa League which hasn’t ever held value?
What Arsene Wenger has done for our club is not something many managers or even a collection of board members with strong economical background has foreseen. We have our stadium BUILT! And yes re-read that word BUILT. We have done it without relying on a single entity that would have held us to ransom for the finances injected and we built it in time and braced ourselves with a fixed term mortgage that has secured our position during global recession.
It is easy to sell a club with such large generating income as ours but it will NOT pay off in the end! There is the easy way and the hard way and the hard way will always be the right way which is why it’s the more difficult route to take.
We should support Arsene Wenger as he has shown he really does know best. I am not saying the man is immune to making mistakes; we did have Igor Stepanovs in our books once and we do need a new goalkeeper. However, it is time some Arsenal fans stopped being intimidated by the media and others around taunting us about trophies and rose above it all to show what being a TRUE fan is.
I do realise there’s no open bus parade for having a balanced book but atleast I’m not walking around like fool wearing a green and gold scarf with riot police standing in front of our stadium with protective equipment ready to clobber me as soon as I take a step forward while I protest against our owners. But criticizing a man that has given a life times hard work into permanently establishing us a top team makes us no different to mercenaries like Adebayor.
We are a club blessed with the opportunity to go to a fantastic stadium and watch the likes of Vermaelen, Song, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Andrey Arshavin and ofcourse the one and only Emmanuel Eboue.
Keep the faith!
Reading through the letter as an Arsenal man, it just increases the respect for Arsene Wenger and what he has done for our club. Liverpool are a club that has thrown the word "history, tradition, culture and Gerrard" so often it almost makes me cringe to hear those words coming from them now. No denying that they are a top club and have been for the best part of the last 40 years. And with the current situation of the club, you can have nothing but sympathy for their fans and respect for those making movements to do something about the situation.
Reading the letter written by Moores, it highlights the delicate situation football clubs are in today. It also shows the thin line of naivety that people can fall into when they are making sound financial judgements with the passion for greater good of the football club at heart.
Moore says, “Gillett and Hicks produced a very substantial offer document containing all the key assurances RE: debt, the stadium, investment in the squad and respect for Liverpool F.C’s unique culture, traditions and legacy. It was impressive stuff - and it did the trick. For the motion to be carried we needed around 90% in favour. Over 1700 shareholders voted and the result was 100% in favour of accepting Gillett & Hicks’s offer“.
That quote defies everything that businessmen can be. Huge promises only to be left with nothing but media scrutiny, a Europa League qualification place and Insua. And despite Moore’s sincere apology in the letter, it seems he let his emotions get in the way of making a stable decision. And it is not as if he didn’t know who he was selling the club to. He goes on to say “We retained Price Waterhouse Coopers to advise us on the fabric of the deal, and they received assurances from Rothschilds, one of the most respected and respectable names in global finance, who vouched for both Tom Hicks and George Gillett.” That’s TWO large organisations who advised him wrongly and that is why I do hold some sympathy for the man – albeit he should have sniffed some bias as Rothschilds apparently made some money from Gillett and Hicks in the sale.
With the current financial situation globally, it seems almost impossible to be in a situation where a team can go ahead and invest money to get a new stadium and better their position as self financing football club.
Arsene Wenger identified the elements needed to establish Arsenal Football Club as a long term top level club and despite the trophy-less seasons, all Arsenal fans should be grateful to Wenger that we are not in the same situation as Liverpool today. He has established us as a top force in Europe and engineered through a stadium well before the recession that is now the envy of every premier league team (yes I include Manchester United simply because despite their bigger stadium, Arsenal are able to generate more, income due to the London factor).
Moore further states, “Rick (Parry) was always vocal about planning for success, and after much soul-searching from everybody close to the club we bowed to the inevitable. We began to accept that the only way we could continue to compete was by building a new stadium.”
The plan for Liverpool (made in 2001 – I’m open to be corrected on the year) was to have their stadium ready and running for the 2009/2010 season. The season has gone by and they have not yet laid a brick for the foundations, instead finding themselves finishing 7th despite having potentially the world’s best striker (not N’Gog), Steven Gerrard and one of, if not the world’s best defensive midfielder in Javier Mascherano.
It defies belief that fans can be so fickle as to call for Wenger’s head when there is living proof all around them of the situation other clubs are in. I would much rather be where we are today than where Manchester United are in with their Carling Cup, fan protests against the Glazers and Norwich City scarves (seriously United fans - return them to Carrow Road, they’re ridiculous and Norwich isn’t too far from London)
More important that winning trophies in the short term is to know that your football club will exist 2 years down the line (see “Portsmouth FC” on wikipedia).
I am not blind to the fact that Arsene should invest some money into players. I do believe some surgery on the squad is needed over the summer period. However, patience is the key and from David Moore’s letter, it is visible to all what impatience can do to a club that has been on the higher end of one of the best league’s in the world.
Football fans must understand that the game is no longer a level playing field. Huge investments may see short term solutions but eventually, every club will have to balance their books come the 2012-2013 season. And it would be interesting to see then how teams like Manchester City and Chelsea pay their big stars and generate the income.
Moore says, “Anybody who cares to dredge the archive will find myself on record as finding the decision difficult to come to terms with; but looking back now, the thing I was finding most difficult, was the transformation of the game I loved. Football clubs were beginning to be seen as a source of profit rather than a source of pride; they were as much financial institutions as they were sporting legacies. The Abramovich era was upon us, and I knew that I could never compete.”
He makes a fantastic point about how football has transformed as a source of profit. This is something that too many fans of all clubs fail to realise. Everyone is calling for trophys regardless of what it is. Throw a piece of aluminium sheet in front of these fans and they will be stepping all over each other to grab it without dissecting the element.
He does however sound pathetic saying he could not compete. Why not? Is he so afraid of seeing rich men with money that he threw the towel in along with the fate of Liverpool FC? How scared can you be of Abramovic. Does he look so violent to anyone that he will throw some Russian gold coins that will take your eye and blind you forever so you can no longer see Benitez flapping his arms like a duck? I’d be more afraid of seeing Denilson make the Brazil squad to be honest. Arsenal have lived through the Abramovic era without selling out. Yes, changes had to be made but they were the RIGHT changes!
So very few fans know that the prize money of an FA Cup win is less than finishing 17th in the league. How then should a club operate if they are expected to ignore the £30m prize of champions league football for a £3m FA Cup triumph with qualification to the Europa League which hasn’t ever held value?
What Arsene Wenger has done for our club is not something many managers or even a collection of board members with strong economical background has foreseen. We have our stadium BUILT! And yes re-read that word BUILT. We have done it without relying on a single entity that would have held us to ransom for the finances injected and we built it in time and braced ourselves with a fixed term mortgage that has secured our position during global recession.
It is easy to sell a club with such large generating income as ours but it will NOT pay off in the end! There is the easy way and the hard way and the hard way will always be the right way which is why it’s the more difficult route to take.
We should support Arsene Wenger as he has shown he really does know best. I am not saying the man is immune to making mistakes; we did have Igor Stepanovs in our books once and we do need a new goalkeeper. However, it is time some Arsenal fans stopped being intimidated by the media and others around taunting us about trophies and rose above it all to show what being a TRUE fan is.
I do realise there’s no open bus parade for having a balanced book but atleast I’m not walking around like fool wearing a green and gold scarf with riot police standing in front of our stadium with protective equipment ready to clobber me as soon as I take a step forward while I protest against our owners. But criticizing a man that has given a life times hard work into permanently establishing us a top team makes us no different to mercenaries like Adebayor.
We are a club blessed with the opportunity to go to a fantastic stadium and watch the likes of Vermaelen, Song, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Andrey Arshavin and ofcourse the one and only Emmanuel Eboue.
Keep the faith!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
May 2010 - Victory for Negative football!
There's no need to second guess my general opinion regarding Inter Milan's victory last night. Bayern Munich went in to the game knowing what to expect and yet played into Mourinho's hands. And the special one clasped his hands gracefully as Diego Milito's double strike sunk Bayern.
One can't help but draw comparison between Bayern Munich and the Arsenal when we faced Manchester United and Chelsea early February. Arsene Wenger refused to shift his tactics to accomodate for Rooney and Drogba, which in turn resulted in total capitulation.
Jose Mourinho will go down in history for his triumphs. Unfortunately for him, a majority of the footballing world will be glad to have pages with his name lost in the books. The teams that will be remembered are Guardiola's Barcelona for the brand of football they played. Or the Real Madrid with Di Stefano. Or the many Brazil teams that created history with the football they played.
Players like Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Zinedine Zidane would be faces you expect to see in the Nike or Adidas adverts for the brand of football they so love. However, you would never find a Diego Milito or a Goran Pandev in these.
That is not to say that they are not good footballers. I for one would love to see Wesley Sneijder in the Arsenal team should the worse happen with the Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona issue (notice there are no developments today regarding that. May be because Guillem Balague is off on a Sunday).
The Inter team has been trained to play football without a football. At times during the match yesterday, it almost seemed as thought everytime Bayern lost the ball, the Inter players were puzzled amongst them as to what to make of the spherical object that is at their feet.
Despite all the negativity, Inter pulled off the victory and the Gunners watching last night should take note of how those players battled for each other on that pitch. There was a time when we were reduced to 120 minutes of absolute capitulation by Manchester United and still came out with our 5th trophy in 4 seasons.
Arsene Wenger has to re-build a team that are willing to throw everything on the pitch to achieve the prize. A team that has the determination to turn the dream into a reality rather than sit there hallucinating and imagining what its like to lift a trophy.
It's a long summer ahead so lets hope the stars are lined up waiting for their medicals and ready to be signed.
Keep the faith!
One can't help but draw comparison between Bayern Munich and the Arsenal when we faced Manchester United and Chelsea early February. Arsene Wenger refused to shift his tactics to accomodate for Rooney and Drogba, which in turn resulted in total capitulation.
Jose Mourinho will go down in history for his triumphs. Unfortunately for him, a majority of the footballing world will be glad to have pages with his name lost in the books. The teams that will be remembered are Guardiola's Barcelona for the brand of football they played. Or the Real Madrid with Di Stefano. Or the many Brazil teams that created history with the football they played.
Players like Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Zinedine Zidane would be faces you expect to see in the Nike or Adidas adverts for the brand of football they so love. However, you would never find a Diego Milito or a Goran Pandev in these.
That is not to say that they are not good footballers. I for one would love to see Wesley Sneijder in the Arsenal team should the worse happen with the Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona issue (notice there are no developments today regarding that. May be because Guillem Balague is off on a Sunday).
The Inter team has been trained to play football without a football. At times during the match yesterday, it almost seemed as thought everytime Bayern lost the ball, the Inter players were puzzled amongst them as to what to make of the spherical object that is at their feet.
Despite all the negativity, Inter pulled off the victory and the Gunners watching last night should take note of how those players battled for each other on that pitch. There was a time when we were reduced to 120 minutes of absolute capitulation by Manchester United and still came out with our 5th trophy in 4 seasons.
Arsene Wenger has to re-build a team that are willing to throw everything on the pitch to achieve the prize. A team that has the determination to turn the dream into a reality rather than sit there hallucinating and imagining what its like to lift a trophy.
It's a long summer ahead so lets hope the stars are lined up waiting for their medicals and ready to be signed.
Keep the faith!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Strange Unveiling of Chamakh
After months of speculation and probably one of the worst kept transfer secrets in the history of the Premier League, we have at last finally unveiled our new signing - Moroccan International, Marouane Chamakh.
However, life as an Arsenal fan has been very tough in recent days and with all the circus surrounding Cesc's alleged move to Barcelona, there isn't a massive interest among the Gooners regarding Chamakh's transfer.
It is rather strange that Arsenal have decided to unveil the signing in the form of a private photoshoot and release the video on their website, rather than at the training ground or the Emirates.
As much as we try to not read into it too much, the mind cant help but to think that this is a step the club has taken to avoid being questioned about the Cesc Fabregas saga.
According to BBC Sport, Barcelona's sporting director, Txiki Begiristian, Barcelona have made contact and are waiting for an answer as to whether Arsenal are willing to negotiate a deal. Personally, the feeling is that Arsenal are either discussing a move for Cesc or are much further in negotiations with Barcelona.
If we were fully committed to keeping Cesc and were confident that he would stay, some statement regarding this ugly episode would have been released by now.
I am still in hope that the silent treatment is just a way of Arsenal FC saying "We have had enough and will no longer comment on this stupid rumour".
And as several gooners have pointed out that previously, we have made unextravagant unveiling of Vermaelen and this may just be following a similar pattern.
However, considering the recent events regarding our club captain, everything seems too much of a coincidence if anything.
Many bloggers have shed positive light on the advantage of selling Cesc and using the money to invest towards signing several other key players. And in an ideal world this is what every Arsenal supporter would want, should Cesc return to his hometown club. Arsenal and Arsene Wenger probably do not agree and it should not be too much of a surprise that come July/August 2010, Chamakh is the only signing we complete.
As always, the money we make from Cesc's transfer will be used to pay off the debt and sign a 15 year old midfielder. These are tense times as a Gooner, but most of us would hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Ofcourse, we will only know the reality of it all come August.
Keep the faith.
However, life as an Arsenal fan has been very tough in recent days and with all the circus surrounding Cesc's alleged move to Barcelona, there isn't a massive interest among the Gooners regarding Chamakh's transfer.
It is rather strange that Arsenal have decided to unveil the signing in the form of a private photoshoot and release the video on their website, rather than at the training ground or the Emirates.
As much as we try to not read into it too much, the mind cant help but to think that this is a step the club has taken to avoid being questioned about the Cesc Fabregas saga.
According to BBC Sport, Barcelona's sporting director, Txiki Begiristian, Barcelona have made contact and are waiting for an answer as to whether Arsenal are willing to negotiate a deal. Personally, the feeling is that Arsenal are either discussing a move for Cesc or are much further in negotiations with Barcelona.
If we were fully committed to keeping Cesc and were confident that he would stay, some statement regarding this ugly episode would have been released by now.
I am still in hope that the silent treatment is just a way of Arsenal FC saying "We have had enough and will no longer comment on this stupid rumour".
And as several gooners have pointed out that previously, we have made unextravagant unveiling of Vermaelen and this may just be following a similar pattern.
However, considering the recent events regarding our club captain, everything seems too much of a coincidence if anything.
Many bloggers have shed positive light on the advantage of selling Cesc and using the money to invest towards signing several other key players. And in an ideal world this is what every Arsenal supporter would want, should Cesc return to his hometown club. Arsenal and Arsene Wenger probably do not agree and it should not be too much of a surprise that come July/August 2010, Chamakh is the only signing we complete.
As always, the money we make from Cesc's transfer will be used to pay off the debt and sign a 15 year old midfielder. These are tense times as a Gooner, but most of us would hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Ofcourse, we will only know the reality of it all come August.
Keep the faith.
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