Category: #Soccer

Taking a step back to reality

21/8/2013

A blog post by @DanPinder_

A lot of talk about Arsenal this season, saying that it could be their year to win the Premiership with the manager merry-go rounds at Chelsea and both Manchester clubs, all they needed to do was add a couple of world-class players and they could challenge again.

After their opening day defeat to Aston Villa at home however, they need to take a step back and really assess the situation, can they win the Premiership? Can they even get top 4? Will they beat Fenerbahçe and get to the group stages of the Champions League? If they had spent big and got their signings before the season started the answer could have been yes to all of them. Jovetic, Higuain, Julio Cesar, Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney and Lars Bender are just a few of the big names that have been linked with Arsenal. The eighth week of the transfer window and the only incoming player has been a free signing in Yaya Sanogo from French Ligue 2 club Auxerre.

Arsenal play Fenerbahçe in the Champions’ League group stage qualifiers on Wednesday, with a squad of only what is rumoured to be 8 fit first team players. Fenerbahçe can’t be taken lightly, they have the likes of work horse Dirk Kuyt, ex-Lille striker Moussa Sow and ex-Newcastle and Inter Milan midfielder Emre.

The argument amongst the Arsenal fans is they know that the money is there to spend, after nearly paying of all their debt for the stadium, yet the board are more interested in having money in their back pockets and the interests of the Arsenal football club aren’t in their best interest. Week in week out the Emirates near enough sells out every game; fans pay a lot of money to see them; and many fans, including me, are priced out of watching them. After Aston Villa scored their third goal; the Emirates crowd soon turned to the board and choruses of “Spend some ****ing money” where heard around the Emirates.

What needs to be done?

These next two weeks are big for Arsenal, firstly they have to be focused on beating Fenerbahçe on Wednesday and an away goal is key at the Surku Saracoglu stadium. Arsenal then have Fulham away on Saturday, which is never an easy game, before their second leg against Fenerbahçe. In that time Arsenal still need to sign players. Today’s papers have linked us with Paul Pogba, Yohan Cabaye and Ashley Williams. Yet you have to wonder why we didn’t go for these players before the season started to give them time to gel with the squad. You have to wonder now though, will Arsene Wenger be panic buying?

The answer to that is most definitely a yes.

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Gnarby, Akpom & Zelalem

3/8/2013

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A blog by @DanPinder_

Arsenal’s recent Far East Asia tour has yet again given the clubs younger players the opportunity to impress Le Proffeseur. The games against Indonesia XI, Vietnam, Nagoya Grampus and Urawa Red Diamonds have seen three players in particular stick out; Chuba Akpom, Serge Gnabry and Gedion Zelalem.

Let’s start with the German youth internationals Gnabry and Zelalem. The Germans were relatively unknown to many Gooners before the tour, but pre-season has seen them shine. Gnabry is known for his silky feet and dribbling; he has also been referred to as the German ‘Messi’. Should he become half as good as Lionel Messi then many of us will be happy. Serge also showed the strength and low centre of gravity; almost Arshavin like, proving difficult to get the ball. He did look a little selfish at times during some areas of games; but that isn’t always a bad thing, he looked very dangerous whenever he running with the ball.

After the Urawa Reds game, in an interview Arsene Wenger said: “He was very good. He is 17 years old and he has a presence, power, good technique and can play on both sides. He is a very interesting, promising talent.” [Arsenal.com]

Zelelam is the least known out of the three prospects. Scouted by ex-Arsenal player Daniel Karbassiyoon, the 16 year old midfielder has been likened to one Cesc Fabregas. During the game against Vietnam it was clear to see why people think that. His vision to pick the pass is more like a 25-year old rather than a 16-year old, but to then actually play the pass is another thing. A lot of gooners have been saying; ‘If you’re good enough, you’re young enough.’ As much as we would all like to see Zelalem play in a couple of first team games, the likelihood of that actually happening are very small. He will have to come up against the likes of Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky. We will likely be seeing the youngster in the Capital One cup this season, with the likes of Akpom and Gnabry.

Chuba Akpom scored 4 goals during the tour; one of them being a defensive mistake from Urawa Reds, however he showed the anticipation and composure. He showed glimpses of his shooting and movement; also he had good link-up play, dropping deep and creating space when needed. For someone who is still a school boy, this academy product has a lot of promise. Dare I say that he could become as lethal as a certain TH14 was when he is in his early 20s. He already looks very good for his age and it’s frightening what these three youth products could become.

So, what happens next? Well, Gnabry and Zelalem didn’t feature in the Arsenal XI game against Leyton Orient, this suggests that they will more than likely be a part of the Emirates Cup squad, likely to play some part against either Napoli or Galatasaray. Chuba Akpom will probably be the least fortunate of the three; he is still a second year scholar and with the signing of Yaya Sanogo and the likelihood of another striker coming in, his game time will either be in the reserves, Capital One cup as a push, but I think it would be best if he went out on loan to a League One team or higher. Chucks Aneke went on loan to Crewe FC last season; and that could have done him the world of good. Should we not be in the Capital Cup during the winter transfer window, I could probably see two, if not all three products been loaned out to lower league clubs.

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ARSENAL TRANSFER HYPOCRISY, TWITTER ITKs AND DEADWOODS

31/7/2013

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A Blog By @kpelumi

Good day lovely and amazing gooners. It’s been a summer of torture for we arsenal fans concerning transfers. By this time last year, we had signed Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud. This year, we have struggled to bring in even Bernard. At times I wonder if the Arsenal board actually pays the tabloid to write a story about arsenals interest in certain players. We’ve heard rumors upon rumors ranging from player to player. Most especially there have been quite some ITKs on twitter affirming different transfers that are yet to happen i.e. Fabregas to Arsenal all but certain.

First of all, I’ll like to discuss arsenals interest in Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain transfer to Napoli. Personally, I think one of the factors that have made Manchester united successful over the years the fact that Ferguson has always signed the best player in the premier league the previous season. He did it with Robin Van Persie. So signing Suarez is a welcome idea however I think we will not sign him because I think Liverpool won’t sell him to us. It would have been feasible to sign Higuain if Arsene Wenger knows he can’t meet Liverpool asking price for Suarez and what even Madrid doesn’t get Bale and they come in for Suarez, who do we go for?

Suarez has been in a lot of controversy in England. What’s the assurance he won’t get into another trouble when he dons the shirt of arsenal. However, I don’t hate Suarez but I feel instead of this delay in signing him because of funds why not get Higuain when you can. I feel Higuain was Arsenal’s to lose and Wenger doesn’t want to sign a player that why he is going for a less feasible signing. Besides, is Suarez the only player we intend signing? No DM? No Winger? Do we need another 8-2 before Wenger realizes his need to sign a player? If we are actually signing a player, why do we have to keep it late? What happened to the deal involving Julio Ceasar?

Secondly, despite the fact that I feel we have an edge over Manchester United and Chelsea in the title race, I just can’t help but see Arsenal finish fourth come May 2014 only and only if Spurs sell Gareth Bale to Madrid. With Gareth Bale in Tottenham with form of last season coupled with the addition of seasoned players like Soldado, Paulinho, and Chadli I can see Arsenal in another fight for fought with Spurs next season and eventually surrendering the position to them. When will Wenger learn his lesson? It won’t actually surprise me if Dick Law’s sole job is to be a decoy during transfer season, jetting around all summer doing nothing.

However I still haven’t lost hope in transfers. Perhaps, we’ll end up with either Leigh Griffiths or Kevin Doyle. How about our dream defensive midfielder signings? Ok, we’ll get Lee Cattermole and the backup centre back? We’ll get Roger Johnson. Thumbs up Wenger! Thanks for the torture. I can’t help but hope the ITKs are all but true concerning the transfers. If they are eventually true, come August 31st, we’ll actually have Cesc Fabregas, Blaise Matuidi, Luis Suarez and Julio Ceasar in our Starting lineup.

The only positive I can draw from this summer is the deadwoods being cleared up but there is still a whole lot of them.

I’ll be back next week. Hopefully I can put up a picture of a new signing during photo shoot.

You all should remain blessed and optimistic.

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A Divided Arsenal ?

22/5/2013

4 Comments

A Blog by @swales1968

On one side the so called AKB supporters who apparently believe in anything and everything Wenger says and does. On the other side we have the WOB who apparently do not believe in anything Wenger says or does. Then somewhere between we have the Stan/Board outs and the Stan/Board ins who also can be a part of the AKB’s or the WOB’s depending on their stance.

Then comes me, well there are probably plenty of other me’s but I can’t think of a name or acronym for us or me so ME will do for now. I could call the group fans but I am sure other members of the above groups will not be happy with that, anyway I am drifting from the point.

Now of all the groups I have yet to actually meet an AKB supporter, I know quite a few Arsenal supporters and chat on the forums so I think I know what I am looking for in an AKB supporter. They should be steadfast in their support of Wenger and his tactics, they should be adamant that his 70 minute substitutions are always correct, they should be happy with his activity in the transfer market and playing players out of position. The AKB brigade I would of thought hang on every word Mr Wenger gives in his press conferencesf rom the funny little quips and digs that go over the media heads to his “we showed mental strength” after every defeat or draw.

Just to point out that I am taking this from a group of about 40 or 50 people who I know so if you do know somebody who fits into thiscategory then that’s fine…. Anyway

I do know supporters who will back Wenger as manager at Arsenal to the hilt but they do not go as far as not criticising his overly tactical decisions, substitutions, buying and selling etc that would make me think they are AKB’s. In fact I would say some of his strongest supporters are his harshest critics. When asked about should Wenger go their reply is usually “well who would you get in to replace him”

The WOB’s on the other hand are loud and almost proud and known to me, they're almost constant posts on the forums, Twitter and Facebook leave me in doubt where they stand. Within the ground they are vocal and in some cases very argumentative to those with a more Wenger positive viewpoint. The WOB’s are adamant that Wenger is past his best and he has been for 6, 7 or 8 seasons depending on their viewpoint. He is stale, lost his mojo etc when asked about Wenger leaving its “anybody but Wenger will do”.

The Stan/board stays or goes thing is a bit more difficult to look at, there are some like the BSM who want Stan gone or at least have Usmaniov on the board next to him. Then there are other who want Stan and Usmanov gone while there are those who just want Usmaniov on the board and those who just want Stan. Oh and not forgetting those who want David Dein back.

The Stan’s out think he is doing a poor job in not giving Wenger cash to buy players but would Wenger do something with the cash if he is stale as the WOB’s say or would he buy the best as the AKB’s would argue. Would Usmanov give Wenger money to spend if he got in but again what would Wenger do with it? Does that mean Wenger would be sacked? What would be the reaction from the AKB’s towards Usmanov and the AKB’s then? If we had them both on the board would there be a stand off which would affect how the money was distributed to Wenger or whoever the manager would be? Would Usmaniov demand that dividends are paid and would he push for a share issue? Will Stan just sit there watching his share increase for him to make a huge profit or is he here for the long term?

Ahhh too many questions that I don’t know the answers to, which brings me on to me or you if you are not in the above categories. So welcome to my world or I could be coming into yours!!!

I am stuck in the middle I can see Wenger’s faults as a manager but I can see the positives and what he has been doing for Arsenal over the past decade. His faults are there to be seen by one and all. Wenger has a philosophy on how the game should be played and like all men/women should understand when things need to be tweaked and changed. Again like all great leaders he is stubborn which can be seen as a good thing or a hindrance. I am not an AKB although I can see the good he is doing for the club I can see hisfaults but that does not make me a WOB it makes me ME.

As for the board stuff, if the club is running well and money from the new sponsorship deals etc is made available to the manager whoever that maybe in the next 5 years or so. Does it matter if it’s the American or Russian or Middle Eastern as long as Arsenal as a club is still here and for us to go to support?

(Of course if the Belgium lawyer is successful in defeating the FFP rules then goodbye Stan and welcome in Usmanov get whatever manager you want… loyalty in football who needs it)

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Gonzala Higuain to join Arsenal ?

15/5/2013

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A blog by @DanPinder_

Giroud, Podolski, Walcott have got 33 goals between them in the Premiership so far in this campaign. The trio of strikers on paper sounds really exciting, unfortunately this season they haven’t lived up to expectation according to most Arsenal fans, some would argue that it is because this is Podolski’s and Giroud’s first season.

Gervinho is another one of our strikers who hasn’t been living up to expectation since his move from Lille; people criticize Gervinho for his decision making and finishing, although his ability to run and players and take them on; and his dribble rate is nigh on best at the club.

Just this week Arsenal have reportedly agreed a fee of around £19million for Gonzalo Higuaín from Real Madrid. There has been speculation that the transfer will only take place should Arsenal finish in a Champions League spot; which is vital for the club; and more importantly the fans, finishing above Tottenham.

The transfer fee would break our current transfer record which was for Andrei Arshavin in 2008 for a fee of £15million. The move for Higuaín will more than likely see a couple of forwards leave the club; Bendtner and Park are just two of the possibilities who see their futures away from Arsenal; Arshavin’s contract is up at the end of the season, it is looking very likely that he also won’t be at Arsenal next season, rumours that he is thinking about retiring from football after falling out of love with the game. Bendtner and Park should bring around £8-10million to the club.

Real Madrid’s general manager; Jose Angel Sanchez released the following statement: ‘In a great club like Real, we believe we need two number nines of a high level. We have Benzema and Higuain, Higuain will leave, Benzema will stay and two others will come.’

Gonzalo Higuaín’s record in Spain, more predominantly in La Liga, is one of the best, this season he has played second fiddle to Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, but out of the 25 games he has played in La Liga he has scored 13, only starting 16 of those games. The 2011/2012 season saw him feature more regularly, playing 35 games in La Liga and scoring 22. In 2010/2011 playing 17 and scoring 10. Gonzalo is also a prolific forward for his country; Argentina, in the 2014 World Cup Qualifying, Gonzalo has played 10 games, scoring 9 goals.

Gonzalo Higuaín’s on goal percentage is 52% and can be lethal in and around the box; he is composed in-front of the goal, more so than some of our current players; he also possesses great movement and anticipation. He may not be the quickest with the ball; but technically he is up there with the likes of David Villa, who we have also been linked with; however Villa is 31 years old.

With the expected arrival of Higuaín to Arsenal, there are questions on how he would fit in. Many Arsenal fans would like to see us revert back to the old 4-4-2, as this is what we were best at; and also has a great deal of fluidity in both attacking and defending, as you could see a number of combinations upfront – Giroud/Podolski, Giroud/Walcott, Giroud/Higuaín or Higuaín/Walcott. Podolski hasn’t been given much of a chance spearheading the attack this season, but some would argue that he plays best as the second striker, sitting just behind the main striker, which could either be Higuaín, Giroud or Walcott. Higuaín is also a strong player on the ball, with a low centre of gravity; and can finish with either foot.

Although all the positives are there for a striker, it has been known that Higuaín can occasionally go missing in the bigger games, he hasn’t had much impact in the Champions League for Real Madrid, also in the El Clásico’s that he has played in. Also he featured in the 4-0 defeat to Germany at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he didn’t make much of an impact.

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Why Can’t I Be A Football Fan? Why aren’t women easily accepted into the fold by male football supporters?

7/5/2013

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A Blog by @goonergurl20

India – Where everyone’s supposed to be equal according to our laws and there isn’t supposed to be any bias based on caste, religion, or sex.

India is where I live, and India is where I’ve learnt to survive as a female football fan.

I’m sure there are many like me out there, but when it comes to voicing our opinion, apart from ranting on Social Media there’s nothing much we can really boast about.Society is so used to demeaning the status of the Indian woman, that at the end of the day, she forgets who she really is at times.

And when it comes to something like football, which is one of those typical “guy things”, I’ve come to realize that most maleswouldn’t appreciate it if a female challenged his skills or even his knowledge.

So what is it about the male section of our society?Are they jealous? Are they sexist?

To our faces, most men behave extremely sweetly and also pretend to be impressed when we say we follow football. Walk away and one will find them cracking slightly offensive jokes at our expense, which vary right from supporting a particular team to sporting a team’s jersey, and even about the offside rule.

Women have had to put up with some very patronising behaviour at times in the still fairly masculine world of football. We all recall Sky Sports dinosaurs Andy Gray and Richard Keys’ jibes at a female Assistant Referee – ’Do us a favour love, do you even know the off side rule? When male officials get it wrong, it’s because they’re inept. When female officials get it wrong, apparently it’s because they’re women?

Anyone with two eyes, a marginally functioning brain,and enough female friends, knows that women are a significant part of the football community worldwide, and now in India as well.

Women, and I’m speaking on behalf of all the female football fans I know, don’t watch or support a football team just because they have ‘cute players’. Also, supporting a team just because they’re winning trophies isn’t something a woman would do. But having said that, I won’t deny that there are a certain number of ‘plastic fans’. Those numbers, however, would be considerably less if compared with men, so the ‘plasticity’ of fans is common across both sexes.

In my opinion, there are three main types of female football fans:

The ones who love the game, and everything that has got anything to do with it. They’re the ones who won’t miss a single game for anything in the world, and even if they can’t watch the game live at the stadium, they make sure they watch it on TV.
The second type also love their team, however, they’re a little less dedicated (if I may say so). They’ll buy their team’s jerseys, support their team during their ups and downs and keep abreast with everything that’s happening. This section of fans is rather important for they’re the ones blowing up Twitter and Facebook, demanding that games get streamed if not aired live on TV; they’re constantly buzzing on Social Media when it comes to their team and football in general.
And the third type are the ones who’ve jumped on the bandwagon – just because everyone else was doing it! They know who the players are and they definitely know who the hottest players are, but ask them what was their team’s ‘back four’ during a particular game, and they won’t have a clue.

Too many times on Social Media and in person, female fans have been labeled “glory hunters” or “plastic fans”, which is rather uncalled for. I have to say this to all men, with due respect, that women are definitely aware of the “Offside Rule”, thank you very much. We cry when our team loses, cry harder when we win. A player’s injury affects us more than our own and it’s the end of the world when someone leaves our club.

We rant on Twitter not because we want to attract followers, but because it hurts us when our team doesn’t perform well. I don’t see a reason why people think we’re trying to boast about our knowledge of the game when we tweet about it; we just love the sport!

Growing up in India and breaking all the rules when I fell in love with Thierry Henry was the defining moment in my life. Football took precedence over everything else – even friends.

What was the case with me 12 years ago stands true until date.If my team has a bad game, my entire week is ruined. And if my team has a brilliant game, it goes without saying that I’d have a brilliant week.

Football is directly responsible for my state of mind.But no matter how much ever I love my club, and no matter how many tears I shed – not to mention the very colourful language I use during a game – I’ll always have that question mark on my loyalty. Speaking from experience, and I’m sure most girls’ experience, it doesn’t take long for a guy to point fingers and spew venom.

It’s really sad some of things women are told by various people, just because they love a sport.

“You’re fat and that jersey looks ugly on you.”

So if I’m not “sexy” or “hot”, I’m not supposed to wear my team’s jersey? Is that what all female football fans are perceived as? Sex symbols?

Just recently, I received a not-so-comforting tweet – “You’re a girl. What do you understand about football? Go make me a sandwich, *****!”

I laughed it off then, but somewhere inside it stung.Why can’t I have a place for myself in those hundreds and thousands of football fans?Do I need to prove my knowledge and love for the game at every single step?

A Nike campaign comes to mind at this juncture. Sometime during 2010, they released a new video – “Paving The Way” – which had young boys thanking the men’s national team for inspiring them, and surprisingly, it didn’t feature a single girl. The advertisement was subject to some criticism for the same, but the male community was quiet at large.

Just because I am a woman and I live in India, doesn’t mean my place is in the kitchen or inside the four walls of the house. We’re independent and strong women, and if we love a sport, as much as men can ever think of doing (or even more), it’s high time that they made space for us in their world.

We may be emotional goats, but we’re loyal football fans; and at the end of the day, that is exactly what matters.

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Why I think Usmanov will launch a takeover bid within the next 24 months.

3/5/2013

6 Comments

A Blog by @PR_WhoRu

On October 12th, 2012, Alisher Usmanov’s stake in Arsenal Holdings PLC was recorded as 29.87% by Reuters, a very reputable source of financial data, whilst Stan Kroenke’s holdings were listed at 66.83%. Today, Arsenal’s official website announced that Usmanov’s holding is 29.99% whilst Kroenke remains the same at 68.83%. Also today, 1 share was bought in Arsenal Holdings PLC at 11.18am for £15,000.

Broken down, this means that over the last six and a half months, Usmanov has bought 79 shares in Arsenal Holdings PLC and he now owns 18,663. Whilst the exchange listed bid ask price (the difference between you can buy and sell shares) is £15,000 (to sell to the exchange) and £17,000 (to buy from the exchange), on the ICAP securities and derivatives exchange, the volume-weighted average price is closer to £16,000 over that elapsed time period, meaning that Usmanov, and his business partner Ardavan Farhad Moshiri, have spent roughly £1,264,000 since October 12, 2012 buying shares in Arsenal Holdings PLC, the parent of Arsenal Football Club.

During the same time, Kroenke, according to the figures anyway, hasn’t bought a single share. What we do know is that since October 12th, 36 fleet-float shares have been bought in Arsenal Holdings PLC meaning that if, in theory, they were all Usmanov, then, he will have bought 43 shares in the Over The Counter (OTC) market from private investors.

Obviously, it shouldn’t be discounted that other parties will most likely have bought shares given that fan schemes such as the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust offer an investment vehicle called Fanshare for fans to own equity in both ‘fan shares’ and category A shares. Given that Arsenal do not pay a dividend; however, it is unlikely that someone bar Usmanov bought the majority of these shares. This ultimately means one thing, Usmanov is, according to Arsenal’s websites, only 2.1 (3 rounded up) shares away from 30% that would, at most PLCs, enable him to submit a take-over bid for the club which has an approximate market capitalisation (i.e. market value) of £1bn.

However, Tim Payton and angryofIslington ensure that Arsenal have removed this obligation. He can, therefore, submit a bid at any point. Slowly building his portfolio of AFC shares at £16k a share means it will ultimately be cheaper now if he bids for Stan's shares which he will expect to pay a hefty premium on, if successful. What makes me think that Usmanov will submit a takeover bid, and perhaps not necessarily when he strikes 30%, within the next year or two, is that it simply wouldn’t make sense for him not to. If you look at the pricing pattern of the bought shares and the subsequent time elapsed between each purchase, it is clear that caution is given as not to spike the price.

There appears to be a slow-growth strategy. It wouldn’t make sense for Usmanov to launch a takeover bid for several reasons. Predominantly, these are 1.) illiquidity, 2.) no power and no 3.) no dividend.

1. Illiquidity refers to the ease with which you can buy a security (stocks, bonds, credit default swaps, etc) and, it is clear, that Arsenal share are illiquid, i.e. they’re not readily bought and sold especially compared with shares of leading FTSE companies like Shell and Vodafone. Usmanov’s stake is now worth, at current market value of £16,000 per share, £298,608,000. Even if the share price of Arsenal continues to increase, it is unlikely that Usmanov can easily sell those shares as few investors would purchase his stake for such a volatile and non-dividend paying share which holds such liquidity risk. If there’s greater demand to sell than there is to buy then the price will drop and this will wipe out his profit. Also, compared to Manchester United which has investment from large institutions such as Blackrock, Soros and Fidelity, there are no major funds interested in investing in Arsenal, only a handful of wealthy individuals and fans. Some Hedge Funds have found that they have bought so many shares in 1 company they rose the price so much that, when they came to sell and cash-in on profit, no one wanted to buy. This is liquidity

risk. 2. As it stands, Usmanov isn’t a board member and it seems unlikely that the Arsenal board are going to change their mantra any time soon that they will not care his sort in N5. This means that Usmanov is unable to influence policy such as dividend payments, commercial agreements and revenue streams, player transfers, ticketing etc aside from his pr campaign.

3. Arsenal Holdings PLC does not pay a dividend and have suggested that this policy will continue.

The question is, why would you hold nearly £300m ownership in a company knowing full-well that there is a liquidity risk to holding those shares, so even if the value rises it would be hard to sell, the club won’t listen to you and there is no financial reward if the form of a dividend for the huge investment risk you are taking?

My answer is that unless you are slow growth investor with ambitions to become the owner of the company, it simply wouldn’t make sense. That is why I believe, and I could very well be wrong, Usmanov will launch a takeover bid for Arsenal Holdings PLC within the next 24 months.

We know that there are roughly 2.44% (1,519) shares available for purchase on the free-float exchange market which could be snapped up by an investor with ambitions to launch a takeover bid. Follow me, @PR_WhoRu for information on Arsenal’s shareholdings.

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Arsene Wenger. One of Arsenals greatest managers or the man who has led this great football club into a cul-de-sac that it will never get out of?

26/4/2013

1 Comment

A Blog by @swales1968

Before Wenger, life of an Arsenal fan was nice and easy. The odd cup run interspersed with a good run in the league, unless you watched them in the 1930's I suppose. Nothing was really expected. Even in 1989, how many fans truly expected anything from the last game of the season at Anfield? We would go to away games and sing our hearts out knowing that it will always be the same. A more appropriate name would have been the Inconsistent’s rather than the Gooners.

Then along came Mr Wenger, a Frenchman that our all-knowing media knew little about and almost overnight transformed The Arsenal. They had flair, skill and played the beautiful game beautifully. He brought in players that the great Dennis Bergkamp could work with, players who would flourish under Wenger.

Pass, move & speed was the game The Arsenal played, most PL teams could not live with it and were almost beaten before they stepped onto the green grass. Scoring against them was almost suicidal like taunting a wounded lion. League titles and FA cup finals were the norm rather than something to treasure.

Then it came Arsenal’s and Wenger's greatest or could it be said worst ever season. Something that in modern times had never happened and probably will never happen again. The Arsenal, the inconsistent’s, the team which I grew up watching never knowing what performance would appear from game to game went the whole damn season unbeaten, forty nine games in the league in total but the full season unbeaten. Wenger had almost promised this the season before but everybody all the experts and pundits just laughed but Wenger knew.

What Wenger did that season has ruined him, what Wenger did up to that point has made Wenger what he is seen to be today. A has been, a man past his best by a number of years. Fans have moved on from hoping and willing to demanding unconditionally. No more hoping for a good cup run, no more hoping for a good finish in the league. Fans now demand a cup final win, they demand a challenge for the league every season come what may.

Wenger was a visionary, he knew he wanted his teams to play the beautiful game the beautiful way. Alas, like all great visionaries his vision was taken, twisted and used against him. His beautiful football was turned from finesse to win at all costs. There was however, no beauty involved from the teams that adapted his vision. His perfect creation turned into his own personal Frankenstein. He has tried to move the vision on but has been stopped by brick walls, buses, one financial hand tied behind his back, greed and a lack of passion by some.

So here he sits in his cul-de-sac looking at the emergency gate at the end of the road, a small turning space is up ahead. Does he use the space to do a U-turn, go back on everything he has believed in and go in the same direction as the other Juggernauts, does he park up and leave with the keys in the ignition and engine running for somebody else to make the decision or does he push on hoping that by the time he gets to the gate he has found the key to unlock it.

Whatever his decision, I still look at Arsenal as the team I first started watching all those years ago, I still look forward to going, I still don't know what team will appear every week performance wise. I still hope for a good cup run and maybe a good run in the league, but for many it seems this is not enough and for that reason it must be looked at that Wenger has ruined Arsenal.

Wenger has not just ruined Arsenal he can I think be held responsible for the current state of the PL, without him and a bit of help from Manchester United the PL would not be anything like the draw it is today. Yes we had a few exciting seasons with Blackburn, Leeds and Newcastle but on the whole the PL was just drifting along. Then along comes Wenger and put a spanner in the whole thing, attractive attacking football, speed and skill. Wenger and his rivalry against Manchester United upped the ante, we had two great sides going at it hammer and tongs, men with more money than sense watched from the side-lines wanting a bit of the action. Russian, American and Middle Eastern money arrived. Far Eastern betting syndicates jumped on the PL band wagon and suddenly the PL was a multi nation commodity. Clubs were wanted worldwide not just the odd trip in the close season but whole tours designed to get more of a worldwide fan base.

What we have now is a league that only the rich teams can win, ticket prices are high, wages are high, the games moved left right and centre for the money on TV all because Wenger wanted to play the beautiful game beautifully. Wenger has ruined football in this country.

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FPP Rules for the Premier League

12/4/2013

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A blog by @ArsenalTrend

English Premier League clubs and their shareholders have ratified the rules governing financial regulation of football clubs, on Thursday.

The regulations have come about against the backdrop of UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rule initiative.

The plans promise two significant controls: To limit players' wage bills from 2013/14 season. It is also a longer-term measures that will restrict the amount of losses clubs can make to £105million over three years.

Clubs whose total wage bill is more than £52million will only be allowed to increase their wages by £4million per season for the next three years, but the cap does not cover extra money coming in from increases in commercial or matchday income.

The ceiling when the wage increase restrictions kick in will be £52million next season, £56miliion the following year and £60million in 2015-16. Only seven of the current top-flight clubs would be under that ceiling at the moment.

Despite many Premier League clubs not falling under the ceiling, about 95% of clubs in attendance gave their approval to the new rules as it is seen as an ideal measure for clubs to spend within their earnings

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FPP Rules for the Premier League

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