By Tony Attwood
Running a football club is about two things: surviving and winning. Obviously if you can’t do the former, then the latter is out of the question.
So far, only one club in the modern era has fallen from pretensions of greatness to a desperate attempt to survive: Leeds. Other supposedly big clubs have fallen from the top to the bottom however – I recall Manchester City in the 3rd division in 1999, and Wolverhampton and Portsmouth in the 4th (I watched them at Torquay when living in Devon for three years).
The fact that it hasn’t happened for a few years now, and the fact that Manchester City has recovered, and the fact that somehow Portsmouth don’t really count (two cup finals and they don’t count – an interesting thought), means the thinking is, top flight clubs don’t go bust.
Let’s just pause on Portsmouth. They won the FA Cup, and we haven’t won anything for five years. So if winning is everything, we should be like them, spend and spend, and then notice that there is no club left…. Maybe not.
I seem to recall Sky saying that Manchester City has bought £78m worth of players this summer – and it is this that dominates the thinking, not survival. For some people the thinking is that we have to keep up with them, no matter what.
But the truth is that survival is not a God-given right. Liverpool and Manchester United are on the edge. Manchester City are just a change of mind (or a coup, or a heart attack) away from total collapse. Tottenham are utterly dependent on the continuing largess of a man hidden in tax havens and a policy of endlessly buying players and flogging them at what any sane person would call a loss, but which for accounting purposes is a profit.
Aston Villa are dependent on Randy Lerner (although I doubt he would walk, given the profit he is making out of his loans to the club), Everton are dependent on one man who is desperate to sell. So it goes on.
What we are looking at is a pack of cards. If one topples, the banks and the owners are going to get very nervous, and all hell springs forth.
Survival is not given, it has to be earned, and most clubs are not earning it. Except at Arsenal where we seem to be able to go around posting half yearly profits in excess of £35m.
But even that doesn’t give the full picture, which is this: Arsenal are coming to financial dominance just at the moment when all the other clubs are either dependent on one man who is irreplaceable, or are already entering collapse mode.
And that is before we factor in the new anti-doping regulations.
What Arsenal have done, and indeed what Arsene Wenger has done, is redefine English football – not just from the point of view of how the game is played, what food is eaten, how we train, worldwide scouting and everything else in that arena, but also how the game is financed.
When Wenger was interviewed for the job at Arsenal Danny Fiszman asked him about his ambitions. He is reported to have said, ‘That when I leave, it will be in a better state than when I arrived’.
The stadium, the youth arrangements, the scouting system, the 12 years in the Champions League, the doubles, the unbeaten season, and the continuing profits – I think he’s done that a dozen times over.
The fact is that the expenditure of Real Mad, Man Arab and Barca-loan-us is unsustainable, as witness the fact that no one can unravel Real Mad’s accounts and Barca ran out of money this year. Although some, like those three, live in a world of total madness, most clubs are trying to claw their way to sustainability, but for most it is extraordinarily difficult, and will take years.
Of course we now want to return to the era of winning trophies as well – and we will do so, of that I have no doubt. But the main thing is to make sure that the sustainability of the club is assured, for without that we can slip backwards.
How different is our position from Man IOU.
For the last ten years the most profitable sporting club in the world has been Man IOU, making profits of between £40m to £80m a year – the sort of figure Arsenal is now moving into.
But in Man IOUs case almost all of that money goes to service the debt. Now it can be argued that this is a special case – but the fact is that the previous owner sold to the Glazer Gang knowing that this was the ploy. What Arsenal has sought to do is diversify its ownership, and thus attempt to stop such a buy out. Had they not done so we could be exactly where Man IOU is. Boycotts, turning up in a funny mix of club shirts and 100 year old scarves, unsold season tickets…
Chelsea of course are in a different position – although they are dependent on the mental and physical well-being of one man, and their ability to adjust to meet the anti-doping regulations.
But supposing we had had a pre-season like Chelsea’s. The cries of anguish when we won in Poland could be heard across the ether – what would the Anti-Arsenal Arsenal blogs have done with a defeat? (Actually I am not sure that many clubs have fans who would so berate their players for scoring six in a pre-season friendly, but that just shows how deep the AAA has got.)
Back at Man IOU the bond issue they had revealed to us that the Glazers will take out almost £130m in cash from the club this season. That is in addition to the straightforward payment of interest on the bond of around £45m – a total of £172m out of the club a year.
Compare that with the dividend paid to shareholders at Arsenal this year. And last year. And the year before. Zero.
So what we have is the best stadium in the world, a club that is making a profit and in no danger of failing to pay its players, a club that has set up magnificent training facilities, world-wide scouting on a scale other clubs can only dream of, and not the slightest problem with financial doping, and 12 years in the champions league.
I want this club to be here for my grandsons to enjoy, and under this regime I think that is likely to happen.
Untold Arsenal – Arsenal for this year, next year, and another 100 years.
Woolwich Arsenal, remembering 100 years ago
Making the Arsenal – from the day the club went bust, and vowed, never again.
Hallelujah Tony. That’s is it all there in a perfectly crafted piece of writing. How anyone can read that and disagree or complain about Arsenal is beyond logic and reason .
Hi Tony — Excellent post. That’s a great rallying cry for all Gooners to stop the bickering and get behind our manager and players.
But please try to find another nickname for Man City. Most are brilliant — especially Barca-loan-us — but Man Arab gives a bad name to our Middle Eastern friends.
I agree with most of what you say, especially what Arsene has done for the club, but the purpose of the manager is to win silverware and whilst he has done that, his failure to adequately strenghen so far this year beggers belief. We are at least 2 CB light and go into the first game at Anfield with a choice of jokers between the posts. Arsene has established us on the road to financial security and done his finance directors job and it’s about time he focused on the managers job and look to win a bit of silverware again.
I waited so long for something like this.We love the ARSENAL!
I can imagine that if you are 20 you will maybe think : what? Grandchildren? And you want succes now.
But when you, like I a come in phase of life when grandchildren are possible in the next years, you fully understand what Tony is saying.
And I share the same feeling. The fact that when I come to the Emirates I have some of my children with me is great. But the thought that in some 15 years or so I could be going to Arsenal not only with my son but with my grandson/daughter and the 3 of us supporting Arsenal together is making me already emotional.
And with the current board I know this could be made possible.
The future looks great, the future is Arsenal.
Fabulous article once again – it is exactly this type of ‘big picture’ thinking that is so sadly rare in the football world, and as such anyone daring to express these views are outnumbered in the extreme.
Under the current regime, we will be secure for decades to come. Which gives us chance to get success at any moment, not just this year. So many others are not in that position, happy as they may be right now.
I wrote an article yesterday: http://justarsenal.com/wenger-runs-arsenal-for-profit-not-success/4918/comment-page-1#comment-31043 that shows the other side of the coin. I always read your blogs Tony. You are brilliant but you leave out some information. I’m proud to be an Arsenal fan and the club is sustainable. But read my view on Wenger. Success is truly defined by trophys and not a healthy balance sheet. Arsene has released 4 centre backs and bought one unproven centrehalf. Are you telling me that a club of Arsenals size and structure cannot afford to buy a better than average keeper and defensive cover. You forget he has around a nett spend of 4 million so far. He has lost 6 first team players and reduced the wage bill on last seasons. Arsenal make mega money and a close look at their finances reveal he could invest some of the profits in the transfer market as well! Wenger for me is a great man and manager but maybe he needs to move upstairs as he acts more like a boardroom member than a manager hungry for success. Football is first and foremost a sport and its aim is to compete and win. At the end of last season he stated we must strengthen! I see us is a worse position now! Arsenal will always be a big club and not slip down due to lack finance. But they can afford now to buy the players we badly need and its a goalkeeper and centrehalf (if not 2)! And to compare us to Portsmouth is pretty stupid. They were a small club with a small fan base who over achieved and got into massive debt. I don’t think spending the money on the right players that we need will affect us in the slightest! And I would ask you to carefully look at the squad and say they are as strong as they could and should be??? I’m fed up being lied to by Wenger as an Arsenal fan. He did state we must strengthen and he has not done anything of the sort. I’m sure you like to settle for second best as long as he makes a profit year in year out! I would hate Arsenal to spend 78million like city! I think they only need to spend on areas that need to improve that the academy can’t offer as of yet! And they are big and rich enough to do so!
Well buyin a world class goalkeeper and a centre back is not too much to ask for, is it? Its not as if we buy 2 players now that we’ll end in huge losses or our grandchildrens wont see arsenal. You hav to question ur motives, whether this is a business venture or football club.
Nice to see you wont post my response
Tony! You are exaggerating so much and so full of praise for Arsene that you forgotten the feelings of mot supporters. Will you be so supportive if Arsenal came in 5th this season? How will you react? Your grandson will not be an Arsenal supporter at all in 20 years if we remained 5th every year.
When Arsene “we can win title”, is not so much about talking and also actions to see that it can happen. But seriously, if more injuries and inexperience players like Nordtviet play for Arsenal this season, then we can forget about the title. what make you think we can win title with such young kid and our style of football are well anticipated and predicted by Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool alike.
Absolutely spot on.
Arsene Wenger’s greatest achievement is not winning the doubles, premierships, FA Cup or unbeaten seasons.
Its paying for a stadium in the middle of London, which today would cost the minimum of £800 million and keeping this club in the top four whilst doing so.
Our debt is nearly gone, when all the our other competitors have accrued massive debts, or owners who milk their clubs, can’t manage their clubs, or have ulterior and unsustainable motives for running them.
Its not about winning trophies, its about supporting the club, whilst we go through this necessary transition. Anybody can support a club just because its winning. If all you want to do is win then you are a consumer, not a supporter.
In Arsene we trust
It is the buy a man a fish or buy a man a net argument.
We have the net now.
Youth talent forging ahead.
The futures bright.
The futures red and white.
great post, sensible, accurate and encouraging.
I am replete.
You are an eternal optimist Tony. Your articles fill me up with hope and joy. But surely even you can see that we need atleast one or two CBs and preferably a good GK who can command his area. Wenger has done miracles for the club, and nobody can deny that. But hasn’t he been too stingy lately? Nobody is asking him to make the club bankrupt like the examples you give. But turning a slightly less profit for a year or so would’ve got us some trophies. If Chamakh had arrived in January instead, we would’ve been closer in the title race at the end of last season. If we had a backup for the injured Flamini and the misfiring Adebayor two seasons ago we wouldn’t have thrown away a 12 point lead in January 2008! Its not as if we would’ve turned a loss if we had made a few essential signings over the past three years.
I really hope the Professor doesn’t leave us thin in the essential areas this season as he has done for past few years. What is the use of all this megaprofits otherwise if not to strenghten the team when needed (and thankfully, due to Mr. Wenger’s ingenuity, we don’t have to break the bank to do this).
Either going bankrupt OR spending hardly any money at all are not the only two ways to run a club. Even Cesc Fabregas has run out of patience with this approach as he hinted in his last statement, I am but just an ordinary fan. As there is a saying in economics – “In the long run, we are all dead”.
I hope you do publish this comment and respond to it, cos even though I might find it hard to agree with everything you say, God knows I love Arsenal and Arsenal Wenger and 99% of his methods. I just don’t understand his reluctance to complete the final piece of the jigsaw by reinforcing the areas which we’ve been so openly lacking in past few years.
Nice Post Tony, But please don’t tell me that with this great scouting network built over the last 12 years that we cannot find a CB and a Goalkeeper. I think to be going into our first game of the season without these glaring gaps filled is completely remiss of Wenger & his team. We have been very financially prudent over the last 5 years built a magnificent stadium and we are posting as you mentioned very healthy profits.. So no excuse for not getting in the players needed.. I would also like to Congratulate Wenger for signing a New contract as i still believe we have the best man for the Job..
How about teaching his team to defend? Will that make arsenal disappear in 20 years for ur grandson? How about changing tactics to exploit our opponents’ weaknesses? How about getting rid of fabianski n the rest after they’ve been given all the chances in the world but haven’t taken them, rather only cost us points? How about keeping the experienced players we had longer so the kids could learn from them rather than on their own? Oh, Man Utd, Barca, Madrid, Chelsea n City will all around n competing in 50 years. Nothing is certain…u are only hoping!
For those who think we don’t publish your comments, like Adam, we do in fact. But if it is the first time you comment you have to be approved. As Tony is in Italy for the moment and I am in charge of things for the moment it can take a while before some comments become visible. I do have a live outside the internet so excuse me for having it and not immediatly approve all comments.
More info on commenting and how it works is on this site. Please read it before drawing some conclusions.
I cannot speak in behalf of Tony and he is away so he cannot react directly.
But if I may react to some I can say that in the comments on this, in my eyes great article, there is the clear visible line between people who just look at today (what did we win today) and those people who see a bigger picture.
The picture of : where do we come from, what have we done, how was it done, what are we doing now, what are the difficulties we face, what can the other teams afford and how do they pay for it, and most of all how can we secure our future and still compete.
And yes I say “COMPETE” because there is no way that you can make sure you have 100% succes and win.
Competing is like fighting for the title in April like last year and then lose almost the whole team with injuries. Winning is being lucky, dont have the injuries and then maybe you can win.
Not even spending all and everything on new world class players would be guarantuee succes. Ask Real Madrid and City last season.
And for those who only are fan for being succesful I just feel sorry. But I think they are just a reflection on how society is right now. Wanting everything now, at all cost no matter the consequenses. Maybe those people cant help it, they are just a victim of how the media tells us to think. Media who only highlight victory and only praise victory. Because victory is holy.
I sometimes wonder if we would win something this season. I think the untold-people will love it and enjoy it for months. But the “I want to win it know”, how long would they enjoy it? Till the next day, next week,next month? Because there will always be somthing that is being won by another team and you will always remain unhappy because we didn’t win it all and we should have won it all because we are Arsenal and so on….
But this is my view and not Tony’s view. For his answer you will have to wait a couple of days.
great article tony, every single one of your articles are absolutely fantastic, when i finally pop over to england for an arsenal match i would love to meet you sometime, this is easily my favorite arsenal blog, good job mate
I wish people would refrain from ruining a great article with all their negativity. So now the latest stick to beat Wenger over the back with is “we need a GK and a CB”. So boring. When we get in the GK and CB then it will be “we need a new DM”. The first time we fail to score for 90 mins it will be “we need a new striker”. I could go on but I think the point is rather clear.
Arsenal fans have become a massive part of the “problem” at Arsenal. When Liverpool were having a torrid time last season I don’t remember hearing a fraction of the complaints from their fans (and well done for that Liverpool fans!). They just backed their club and a surprisingly large number of them backed Benitez too.
Arsenal fans (not all of us of course!) only seem to know how to complain these days. Blah blah blah, bitch bitch moan moan moan! Honestly, when even Stoke fans (Stoke fans for crying out loud!!) can easily take the mickey because we’ve not won a trophy in five years surely its time to realise that the best thing to do is pull together and back our club.
Newspapers constantly write Arsenal stories with a negative slant now because they know that of all the fans in the country its the Arsenal fans that are the easiest to wind up and turn against the club and each other. And all we can do is carry on bitchin’ and moanin’. Its just pathetic.
Neither Chelsea or Man U have a perfect squad but if you talk to their fans right now you will find that they are positive, rather than focusing on the one or two things that are wrong within the camp. Why can’t we do the same? We came 3rd last season, not thirteenth but to listen to fans moaning you would think we just avoided relegation on the last day of the season.
I no longer care why you feel you have the right to complain, but there is a time when unswerving support is whats needed in order to progress and that time is NOW.
Great article Tony, and I apologise for the rant. Your site is simply my favourite Arsenal site, so please keep doing what you do.
Tony Attwood the only view worth considering. Adam Kemp you are disgrace. How on earth you have the cheek to call yourself a support and then kick Wenger in the same breath I’ll never know. People like you probably thought O#Leary/Risdale were doing a great job at Leeds United showing so much ambition. Goes to show you haven’t a clue. Man City have spent nearly £300m and would be out of it against be out of it against Spurs except for Joe Hart a player they bought for £1.5m. 3 year extention, I am delighted. LONG LIVE THE KING!
It’s laughable how people can read a wonderful post like this and just trot out the same thoughtless crap in response. New CB blah blah new keeper blah blah, yawn zzzzzz.
Do you idiots actually not have the ability to form an opinion or must you repeat the drivel you read in the press or hear on the radio?
As to the question what will Tony think if we come 5th – that says more about the poster than Tony. You think Tony hasn’t supported Arsenal when they’ve finished lower than 5th? You think he hasn’t supported them no matter where they finish? You think we all didn’t read the same bullshit last season and then watch the team go on and improve on the season before?
boring…………….dis site is full of utter morons who dont know what d taste of winning is…….
Great article! cheers Tony
You AKBs are just delusional.
There paying down the debt to sell to the highest bidder.
No finacier will pay without leverage.
Its not about tropheys.
Your totally delusional
fuck the assnholes
I think everybody has a right to their opinion as long as they present their case objectively. Anyway, I believe that Arsene has already said he is looking for at least another center back. And it looks like he is after Schwarzer as well, but Fulham do not want to sell. Likewise Mertesacker, etc. We can give a list of players that Arsene should get, but these players may not want to come or the club may insist on retaining them. Maybe paying crazy money will make the transfer happen – but paying crazy money and wages like Man City? Arsenal is richer than most clubs – but the truth is its nothing compared to the “financial resources” of Man City and Chelsea. At least until the financial fair play rules starts. Yes, I know the rules only apply to European Championships, but the clubs will WANT to join the tournament.
Lets use a bit of that money and buy a keeper and CB.
Walter you at least do not appear to be a delusionalist. So here goes.
Wenger way wont work. The goalposts are being moved consistently and Arsenal slowly are loosing ground against Chelsea Man U and now Mna City. Hell even the Spuds have been allowed to catch up. All we Are seeing played out is Wengers grand design.
Mourinho said hed looked at Wengers plan and it wont work.
Wenger will before the ned be run out of town.
You just cant sell the future forever.
I know Tony wont put this up but o for petes sake get a grip with this not spending.
This should be circulated to all the AAA blogs as well as North Korea!
You have to feel sorry for the wingers.We need a CB and GK they say “.No shit Sherlock” .Arsene has bid , as we now know for sure ,for at least 1 GK , and has said he is actively looking for a CB. So please take your negativity and stick it …………” up the Arse”
I think those who feels that we do not need to buy players are all morons of the same kind!
Great post Tony. It is a shame so people do not read it before posting though. I am sure you mentioned Portsmouth winning trophies. It means nothing now to their fans who would rather be in the EPL. The usual suspects trot out the usual rubbish from one site to another.
I have great grandchildren and you can bet their parents will bring them up as Arsenal supporters.
Abhinaba, I think most of us over here know excactly what is is to win things. But most on this site know excactly what is was like in the 70ties or 80ties when we sometimes facing relegation and had some narrow escapes. So those know that Arsenal was not always what we are know and that is competing.
Virtualgunner, whats in a name, I think no one over here is saying we don’t need another CB. But with the transfer market still open for 15 days we don’t cry like a baby. We don’t shout out the names we have heard of or have seen in a you tube clip and say: if Wenger doesn’t buy him he has lost it or he should be sacked.
But what we do know is that buying players is not as easy as it appears to be on some of those games they sell for computers.
Oh yes it could be easy if you do like City and Chelsea and pay over the odds to bring in a player. Then any transfer is easy.
hi Tony,
I agree with some of your comments but I dont think you are any more an arsenal fan because you agree with Wenger that Fabianski is a “top, top talent” than the millions of of true gunners who disagree.
Nobody is asking us to spend like Real or City, just a few decent signings where we are lacking in order to be more competitive. I dont think we’ll go bust by spending like 20 million pounds to fill those positions. Maybe we could have won something last season if we had done that in January (and the books will still look good).
Stop calling people anti-Arsenal because they disagree with your views and your “Lord Wenger”. What we need is a balance between profitability and winning trophies. The books are looking good now and a little spending wont harm us.
Wildly over optimistic forecast. People seem to be waiting for other clubs to collapse before we start to win something which is ridiculous. We should be looking to win on our own merits not solely through the failings of others.
We have problems on the pitch to be sorted like that game you speak about in Poland. We conceded five goals to a team that is forth in the Polish top-flight. No one would care if the defending in this freak result was an isolated case but it is not. Our defending in the past four seasons has been poor and cost us again and again. Steps that the manager spoke about in May have not been taken again.
People are also tired of paying the highest season ticket prices in the land for the never ending promise of tomorrow. No one wants Arsenal to spend £100m but what about the £30m left over from the sales last summer? More than enough for a World class Goalkeeper and Centrehalf.
Spending that will not mean Arsenal is not around in 100 years time
I think some people have forgotten the fact that the money received for Ade and Kolo, (DID WE REALLY RECEIVE IT ALLREADY??? look at Barceloanus and TH and Hleb money) has gone partly in paying off the remaining Highbury debt. Another part was used in keeping Cesc by letting him sign an extension and give him more money. And another part was kept in offering our squad longer contract so that there will be no more Flamini and Merida accidents who could go fro free.
This is some kind of invisible spending and not very fancy in the tabloids but it is where some of the money went to.
Well said!! I want The Arsenal to win as much as the next supporter but I guess winning comes behind supporting the team and belonging to the club (if that means anything)! We ought not be so bipolar as to consider suicide if we go a couple of years without winning anything (after all the 60s to the 80s inclusive, weren’t exactly overflowing with silverware) nor so over the top if we do win (a champion in May can enjoy it until mid-August and that’s it) that we forget what it took to get there.
I enjoy the success of our club KNOWING that we shall be competitive year in and year out because of the support of our fans, the intelligence of our management and the loyalty and the stewardship of the owners. I don’t have that lurking dark feeling that some Sp*rs fans do that this year or the next may result in them being relegated OR the need to pray for the health of a wealthy benefactor as some poor Chelsea atheists do.
Onward The Arsenal!
Man City pay all money upfront. Only 30% of the proceeds(~£4m) of sales could have gone to pay down the debt due to restricts that were made when the Stadium debt was transfered into bonds. Fabergas was paid ~£3m. The higher wages were offset by ~£100,000 that was saved by the sales(with a futher saving in wages this year of ~£100,000). If all of the rest of the money was taken in wages that is bad financial management offering large wage increases to players who have not proven themselves capable of winning things yet and I refuse to believe the club would do something like that.
Very fed up with the so-called support I see on these boards. Article spot-on. Chelsea and City have financially doped the league. Everyone gets insecure and starts eating away at themselves from the inside because they appear not to be able to compete any more, since Arsenal pursue a sustainable model of finance….. But instead of reading the fucking papers and supporting the pundits more than your own team, why not look at the actual results. The Spuds had the most expensively assembled team of A-List superstars in Europe on the ropes today….with a team containing plenty of players who wouldn’t make it into our first team…how does that work with the AAA logic??? Hold Chelsea up as the model of how to buy the league if you like, but if that were the case, why haven’t they won every single Championship since Roman took over?
I don’t worship at Wengers feet. I think he’s sometimes kept faith in players a little longer than appears healthy for the team, but that’s also the reason why he made such successes out of disenchanted players. He’s not the best at engendering disciplined defense with his teams, but the flipside is his teams attack with freeform virtuosity. If his teams played like Inter they would not reach the heights of attacking football that take your breath away regularly throughout the season. Mourinho has never done this, and never will, and even if he wanted to could not. That’s fine. I’m still waiting to see the guy last more than a couple of seasons at any club. I’m wondering if he will go the way of Capello and get sacked from Real despite winning the league, because his teams are boring and defensive.
This club is built from it’s supporters, it’s board, it’s manager and the squad. Those people who turn on us the moment the team encounters a problem…just get lost, you chickenshit cowards. We have a manager, we have a team, we stick together we go places. We infight and we’re hamstrung before we’ve began.
i cant tell u how much u irritate me! i cant even bring myself to read ur shit anymore.manure is gonna b there 1 million yrs after u fukin die even though they r almost a billion dollars in debt. we r not askin 4 2 much, jst give us some reliable players…is dat too much. u want arsenal to b like fulham, birmingham etc? bcos cesc is leaving nxt summer, so is clichy, rvp maybe, vamaelen will def attract interest, maybe ur retarded son will paly 4 arsenal then u wanker!!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!
ADAM KEMP is like a metaphor for everything that is wrong with the current generation of Arsenal support. He completely takes the short term view where the here and now is far more important than ensuring that there is a tomorrow.
What makes it hilarious though is that he is representative of a certain type of character who craves immediate success and only lives in the now and wants what he wants immediately.
How can he be expected to see a long term view when he can’t even wait 6 minutes to see his comment published without posting a petulant/slightly paranoid comment?
We should set him up on a blind date with Verucca Salt eh 😉
i think it’s utterly hilarious that these dummies think you guys censor opinion.
tony and walter do not operate on the same level as le _____, i think that’s quite obvious. i’d tell you to leave this site and go over there, but damn, there are enough fanatic supporters.
i think you need to come up with a common sense ray tony (or walter), blast the whole lot of england. the AAA’s would call it an AKB ray i’m sure 😉
@ micheal your logic is floored, you state “We should be looking to win on our own merits not solely through the failings of others”. Every time Arsenal pays another club for a player we are showing our own failings as a nurturing club, Arsenal do “want to win on there own merits” they are just going about it in a different way. I suggest if you whole heartedly disagree with the youth policy then you can always Purchase Arsenal get rid of the current board sack Wenger and impliment your own policies.
Adam that is without a doubt the most preposterous argument I think I have heard in relation to not buying players.
“Every time Arsenal pays another club for a player we are showing our own failings as a nurturing club”
Every player that plays in our strongest eleven has come from another club. Manuel Almunia-Celta Vigo, Bacary Sagna-Auxerre, Thomas Vermaelen-Ajax, Laurent Koscielny-Lorient, Gaël Clichy-Cannes, Alex Song-Bastia, Cesc Fabergas-Barcelona, Abou Diaby-Auxerre, Theo Walcott-Southampton, Andrei Arshavin-Zenit St. Petersburg. All of these except Fabergas (Compensation was paid from him) came for a fee.
Details of these transfers can be seen here:
http://www.transferleague.co.uk/index.php/Premiership-Teams-Transfer-History/arsenal.html
We are producing player that were with Arsenal from age 10 like Gibbs and Wilshire which is great and should continue. However NOW for this season we have three centrebacks, one who is only back from a year out with a knee injury so will pick up niggles 9has one now in fact) and another that has only played one season of top flight football so another Centreback is necessary. We also need a goalkeeper now.
Why not spend the money that was earned through sales last year on these.
Micheal did i write that i agrred with all the signings you mentioned above. I beleive a tranfer of a player shows a clubs failure within its youth set up. Read a comment properly.
So we should not have signed any players ever? Are you on a wind up mate?
Micheal Seems your a bit of an extremist(not in a bad way of course), It is an acceptable fact, the transfer market, but it is floored. I support all players that wear the arsenal shirt but would hold a special place for a player who has never played for any other club than Arsenal. It will probably never happen, but wouldn`t it be amazing to see an Arsenal first team line-up that consisted of all AFC youth products (and i don`t mean your fabs or diabys who i don`t consider part of the youth set up) whom have been at the club since the age of tadpole.
“extremist”
I do not know what you mean by that.
As for your other point it would of course be wonderful but will never ever happen in football nowadays. The Lisbon Lions (the Celtic team that won the European Cup in 1967) were a brilliant one-off like that.
For those who may take any offence on the comment of dresmith at 8.14 I have doubted a while to approve his comment. He is insulting the writer of this article and this is against the rules. However I did let it go for a few reasons.
First off all is that I am against censorship. I have even had people over here telling me they would hit me on the head with a baseballbat but I have insisted with Tony not to ban him. I am in favor of free speach and even am willing to accept people threatning me with words.
Second I just found it interesting to read mr. or mrs. dresmith comments. Or better said I found it interesting to try to decifer what he/she was trying to say. I am not an English native speaker and I must say that I normally never have problems with what most commenters over here tell. Most of them use the English language as I have learned it in school. Most people over here show that they can argue some points and can have a serious debate even if they disagree.
Thanks to Tony’s excellent article we have had a lot of new readers comming over. I must say that some of them have tried to argue and I want to applaud them even if they don’t agree with what Tony wrote. This is part of blogging I would say.
But we have also seen a few examples of some low quality comments. I don’t know if those people can read and understand what I try to say and just for this one time I will try to lower myself to their level and give them the message and listen very carefully because I will only say this once:
B4 u wr8 gain a shit cmnt pls read fukin main pg and if nt u wl not abled again in 1 million yrs. we r not askin 4 2 much, jst give us some sensible comments…is dat too much.
Oh and I will not call you retarded or your children or even call you a wanker. The sort of people like you who think by using these words are argumenting are one of the reasons that Tony has come up with those rules on the main page. I think mr. or mrs. dresmith is a fine example on why he had to do this.
You may find this a shit site with retarded people but no one on earth is forcing you to come over here. And I think no one on this site will mis you for one second if you never come back again.
Now off to see if there are any more comments to approve
Walter, I read a few words of dresmith’s incoherent rambling and then skipped by it. I have better things to do than try to decipher rubbish like that.
Now that Wenger has signed a new deal will the anti Wenger clan do what all good lemmings do?
They have a few options dupsffokcuf, I gave them a few in the next article.
Maybe some stuff for another article.
its been 5 years mate..its too long…or we should just waiting for another ‘joke of the year’ from our GK..our world greatest scouts can even find a decent GK? i doubt that…seeing joe hart playing against Spuds is absolutely fabulous..younger than Fabianski but matured enough..
wen_detta, how long was it from 1971 to the next trophy? I bet without wikipedia you would have no clue.
Joe hart has won nothing. Fabianski has won the league title with Legia.
dupsffokcuf
Fabianski also falls over his own defenders legs (Against Legia Warsaw for us and against Cameroon for Poland), throws the ball into his own net, picks up back passes and is bullied by defenders (Leiga Warsaw, Cameroon, Blackburn, Wigan). In almost all important games (since the FA Cup Semi Final against Chelsea) he costs at least one goal. He is not a good keeper no matter how many titles he has won for Legia. He needs to leave Arsenal for our good and his own to save his career.
Michael, do you not remember what was said about Seaman in his early career by Eddie Gray? Seaman was an exceptional keeper but it took time for him to get there. Personally Szczesny is the keeper for me in the future.
dupsfucka… u shld be supporting west brom and not arsenal.u guys r so content with mediocrity.u have made no point since ur crooked hands started to type.fabianski is shit. r u BLIND?
dresmith: you ramblings have not improved. If you cannot put forward any sensible argument please be quiet.
Terence
Long live the AKB! Just insult anyone you disagree with. Its OK as long as the editors agree with you. Personally I find this kind of intolerance offensive.
All of those who think fabianski can be our number one for this season really are out of their minds. Fabianski is good but not for another 2-3 years. Infact Mannone is much better than him. We had all agreed that we needed a couple of experienced centre backs and a fumble-proof gk. But now u all hav seem to lose ur minds. You still think that there will be no injuries to Vermaelen or Koscielny. Stop being in your dream world. If any of our defenders get injured, then we will again lose out on the title. Maybe you guys are forgettin what problems we had in our defence in the last part of the season. So please stop your hypocrisy about we dont need any players. Coz you guys would be the ones complaining about it when some of our defenders get injured. And please dont tell me the Nordviet is ready to be our centre back in the premier league bcoz he’s not. He too requires another 2 years of experience. So hopefully Wenger can rationally think how we lost last season and make the necessary changes. Bcoz according to his words ‘it would be a disgrace’ if we dont win the title this year.
dresmith, may I ask you to write in English so everyone can try to understand it.
And please read the main page and what is said about commenting.
Sometimes an argument stated with facts could help a bit to improvve a comment.
The ranting in the style you do and the insulting our own players, the insulting the writers or articles, calling people retarded or their children retarted are no arguments. Just insults. If you want to insult people there are plenty of other blogs where you can find people who think the same and you can enjoy each other and try to make the most impression on who can insult the best.
We over here, are trying to have a civilized chat. I hope for you that in real life you are able to do this, but over here you are not able to do this.
So in order to not to disturb the majority of people over here who want some kind of civilized conversation I ask you to go elsewhere or to use arguments instead of insults.
1971 is not relevant anymore dear dupsffokcuf..pls consider from Invincible..we just ask 1 competitive cup..i believe it’s good for young lads..give them belief..then slowly we go for League and champions league..but we have to accept that AW has his own standard..
“You can sign players from all over the world in Spain. So why do they still produce players and we do not? It’s down to the coaching.”
– The Lord Arsene Wenger.
dupsffokcuf
There is being optimistic and there is being slightly delusional. Seaman was never ever ever anywhere near as bad as Fabianski. I can’t remember Seaman making as many mistakes in his 13 year Arsenal career as Fabianski has made in the last eighteen months. He is not good enough and does not have the mentality to play for a club like Arsenal. Unfortunately for his own career he needs to leave Arsenal and go somewhere he can rebuild his confidence (Much like Alex Fereguson has done with Ben Foster).
GoonerGerry I wasn’t insulting, I was stating a few tongue in cheek facts. Maybe I was the only commentator to get the irony of the subject matter in relation to the personal characteristics of the poster demonstrated by their ill-thought out 2nd post.
Anyway! Condescending isn’t insulting . Condescention is in fact an artform!
Not that you would know 😉
What a shame that people who hate Arsenal are trying to ruin this blog like they have so many others. I used to enjoy reading this, but as an Arsenal fan the comment section is becoming as poisoned as the rest of the net.
Easier to destroy than build for some I suppose. Fucking vandals.