Arsenal Thread 2014/15

[squirtyflower]

i know about that one as it was big news but i was talking about during our time of 'austerity' if you like, so from about 2005-2012. during the time when we apparently couldn't compete for top players or even keep our own players. i was suggesting that during this time if our shareholders were talking massive dividends (I'm talking millions) out of the club whilst we are being told we don't have money for players due to stadium debt, there would have been uproar.

i know about the £3m stan took out last year and even then there was some anger amongst fans but that was more because of the nature of how it was done - i remember even wenger having a dig at the owners in one of his press conferences. if the club is spending money and competing and winning trophies, i don't think fans mind/care as much what shareholders are doing. i mean the arabs hardly brought city for your benefit did they? they may have had an interest and might well care about the club now but but i gaurantee the main purpose of this project was so it can be used as a marketing vehicle for their own country/business.

we have to accept now that billionaires don't buy clubs cos they love them, its purely for business reasons either simply making a profit or using it indirectly for marketing. if they take dividends then so be it, as long as its not to the detriment of the most important side of it for fans which is on the field (ala newcastle and ashley who purely operates as a business and to the detriment of the playing side of things).

Less of "the Arabs" please

why? genuinley asking because i'm not aware of it being insulting or anything.....im asian myself and its no different to saying the indians or the americans or the aussies....or the brits for that matter....after all the people that brought your club are arabs....

I made a polite request
Either heed it or you can fuck right off.

 

[halfcenturyup]

To be fair to the guy, maybe he doesn't know that the use of the term "the Arabs" has been pretty derogatory in the press since the takeover, so we are all a bit sensitive to it.

I would suggest to him that, with that in mind, that if he wants to hang around, he should use some other terminology that is more acceptable on here. Like "your owner".

Less of "the Arabs" please

why? genuinley asking because i'm not aware of it being insulting or anything.....im asian myself and its no different to saying the indians or the americans or the aussies....or the brits for that matter....after all the people that brought your club are arabs....

I made a polite request
Either heed it or you can fuck right off.

 

[afc16]

Less of "the Arabs" please

why? genuinley asking because i'm not aware of it being insulting or anything.....im asian myself and its no different to saying the indians or the americans or the aussies....or the brits for that matter....after all the people that brought your club are arabs....

I made a polite request
Either heed it or you can fuck right off.

i don't really give a fuck either way to be fair...i come on here for the odd bit of friendly banter and cos its a great forum overall but if you wanna have a wank over something so trivial go ahead...

 

[GaudinoMotors]

To be fair to the guy, maybe he doesn't know that the use of the term "the Arabs" has been pretty derogatory in the press since the takeover, so we are all a bit sensitive to it.

I would suggest to him that, with that in mind, that if he wants to hang around, he should use some other terminology that is more acceptable on here. Like "your owner".

why? genuinley asking because i'm not aware of it being insulting or anything.....im asian myself and its no different to saying the indians or the americans or the aussies....or the brits for that matter....after all the people that brought your club are arabs....

I made a polite request
Either heed it or you can fuck right off.

To be fair, he made a polite question.

 

[CelesteItis]

SCUM!

Oops, wrong thread.

 

[Ronuja]

See for me this is where Arsenal supporters just can't see the wood for the trees and I have to applaud the owners for being able to con so many of them

Time after time they talk about not being able to spend yet somehow have built up cash reserves of over £200 million. Ok about 10% of that has to be let in reserve under the terms of their bonds but year after year they went on a PR crusade telling everyone and their daughter how wonderful they were to produce these large profits and what did they do with the money? Quite simply put it in the AFC piggy bank while supporters fell hook line and sinker for the old line that they didn't have funds to compete and lined up to pay the highest ticket prices in the country because they have a shiny new stadium
The real kick in the pants is going to come when someone licks their lips and breaks open Arsenals piggy bank to put the dosh in their piggy bank and I am not talking about a couple of million

I suggest a good read is the bid document produced by KSE and also the point re the cash reserves

Here's the thing - the con may have worked on some Arsenal supporters, but not all. I'd say not even most. The years of super high ticket prices and close to zero net spend sparked huge fan discontent, see the almost militant Black Scarf Movement: http://www.blackscarfafc.co.uk/. It's another matter that many of the most unhappy fans have been priced out and replaced by less raucous fans, so the club doesn't really give a shit about them. What's important from the club's perspective is seats sold, rather than filled, regardless of the muting effect it has on the volume insidethe stadium. Financial shenanigans have not gone unnoticed by fans, see here:(<a class="postlink" href="http://a...g.com/2014/09/kroenkes-mo ... pstanding/</a>).

Over the long spell of austerity fans were constantly wondering why Arsenal's financial reserves continued to grow healthier and healthier, while the squad seemed to get weaker every season. To make it worse, the coropates at the club repeatedly insisted that they were making the funds available to Wenger, and by around 2011 and afterward they were saying that the stadium debt was no longer a burden and was not a reason for inhbiting spending - that led many to wonder if it was Wenger who made the decision not to spend enough to challenge for the title, or indeed, even to secure top 4 in a comfortable manner. We wondered what held him back. A misplaced sense of financial principles? We didn't care, we just wanted to win things, and for that we needed better players. Wenger studied economics at University, if he chose not to spend it wouldn't have been out of ignorance. It was during this period that a lot of fans turned on Wenger, called him stingy and insultd him for treating Arsenal's finances as if they were his own. The chant 'spend some fucking money' became common (yes, I'm anticipating a city fan replying to this with the 'you can't buy class' image. It's as natural as the rising of the sun in the morning).

Personally, I think Wenger was made the fall guy. He was made to absorb most of the negativity in the period when the club really had to cut back in order to pay the stadium debt. I think prudence required the cutbacks to last longer than the club acknowledged, but the fan backlash was directed at the mangaer, because the board raised its hands and said the money is available. If it was always available, why has Wenger suddeny started spending large sums only since last season, while maintaining a net spend smaller than most clubs in the Premier League over the past decade? I suspect that the board lied and Wenger was willing to take the hit. That's just what I think though.

For much of the last ten years, Arsenal really were the same movie every season - long spells of shit, then a good run, salvaging top four. Embarrassing exits in the cups season after season. The reason Arsenal fans are feeling a little more optimistic these days is that last season we saw a different picture. Like all football fans, all we can do is hope the good parts outnumber the bad in the near future.

 

[Ronuja]

SCUM!

Oops, wrong thread.

Cheers! I guess you'll never hate us as much as you do the rags. Or if the day comes, we'll probably be successful beyond my current wildest dreams. So win-win. I feel that there should be more bonding on this thread between arsenal and city fans on hatred for manchester united.

 

[aguero93:20]

See for me this is where Arsenal supporters just can't see the wood for the trees and I have to applaud the owners for being able to con so many of them

Time after time they talk about not being able to spend yet somehow have built up cash reserves of over £200 million. Ok about 10% of that has to be let in reserve under the terms of their bonds but year after year they went on a PR crusade telling everyone and their daughter how wonderful they were to produce these large profits and what did they do with the money? Quite simply put it in the AFC piggy bank while supporters fell hook line and sinker for the old line that they didn't have funds to compete and lined up to pay the highest ticket prices in the country because they have a shiny new stadium
The real kick in the pants is going to come when someone licks their lips and breaks open Arsenals piggy bank to put the dosh in their piggy bank and I am not talking about a couple of million

I suggest a good read is the bid document produced by KSE and also the point re the cash reserves

Here's the thing - the con may have worked on some Arsenal supporters, but not all. I'd say not even most. The years of super high ticket prices and close to zero net spend sparked huge fan discontent, see the almost militant Black Scarf Movement: http://www.blackscarfafc.co.uk/. It's another matter that many of the most unhappy fans have been priced out and replaced by less raucous fans, so the club doesn't really give a shit about them. What's important from the club's perspective is seats sold, rather than filled, regardless of the muting effect it has on the volume insidethe stadium. Financial shenanigans have not gone unnoticed by fans, see here:(<a class="postlink" href="http://a...g.com/2014/09/kroenkes-mo ... pstanding/</a>).

Over the long spell of austerity fans were constantly wondering why Arsenal's financial reserves continued to grow healthier and healthier, while the squad seemed to get weaker every season. To make it worse, the coropates at the club repeatedly insisted that they were making the funds available to Wenger, and by around 2011 and afterward they were saying that the stadium debt was no longer a burden and was not a reason for inhbiting spending - that led many to wonder if it was Wenger who made the decision not to spend enough to challenge for the title, or indeed, even to secure top 4 in a comfortable manner. We wondered what held him back. A misplaced sense of financial principles? We didn't care, we just wanted to win things, and for that we needed better players. Wenger studied economics at University, if he chose not to spend it wouldn't have been out of ignorance. It was during this period that a lot of fans turned on Wenger, called him stingy and insultd him for treating Arsenal's finances as if they were his own. The chant 'spend some fucking money' became common (yes, I'm anticipating a city fan replying to this with the 'you can't buy class' image. It's as natural as the rising of the sun in the morning).

Personally, I think Wenger was made the fall guy. He was made to absorb most of the negativity in the period when the club really had to cut back in order to pay the stadium debt. I think prudence required the cutbacks to last longer than the club acknowledged, but the fan backlash was directed at the mangaer, because the board raised its hands and said the money is available. If it was always available, why has Wenger suddeny started spending large sums only since last season, while maintaining a net spend smaller than most clubs in the Premier League over the past decade? I suspect that the board lied and Wenger was willing to take the hit. That's just what I think though.

For much of the last ten years, Arsenal really were the same movie every season - long spells of shit, then a good run, salvaging top four. Embarrassing exits in the cups season after season. The reason Arsenal fans are feeling a little more optimistic these days is that last season we saw a different picture. Like all football fans, all we can do is hope the good parts outnumber the bad in the near future.

@afc16 see this^^ this is an Arsenal fan who doesn't have his head stuck firmly in the sand.

 

[Shirley]

i know about that one as it was big news but i was talking about during our time of 'austerity' if you like, so from about 2005-2012. during the time when we apparently couldn't compete for top players or even keep our own players. i was suggesting that during this time if our shareholders were talking massive dividends (I'm talking millions) out of the club whilst we are being told we don't have money for players due to stadium debt, there would have been uproar.

i know about the £3m stan took out last year and even then there was some anger amongst fans but that was more because of the nature of how it was done - i remember even wenger having a dig at the owners in one of his press conferences. if the club is spending money and competing and winning trophies, i don't think fans mind/care as much what shareholders are doing. i mean the arabs hardly brought city for your benefit did they? they may have had an interest and might well care about the club now but but i gaurantee the main purpose of this project was so it can be used as a marketing vehicle for their own country/business.

we have to accept now that billionaires don't buy clubs cos they love them, its purely for business reasons either simply making a profit or using it indirectly for marketing. if they take dividends then so be it, as long as its not to the detriment of the most important side of it for fans which is on the field (ala newcastle and ashley who purely operates as a business and to the detriment of the playing side of things).

Less of "the Arabs" please

why? genuinley asking because i'm not aware of it being insulting or anything.....im asian myself and its no different to saying the indians or the americans or the aussies....or the brits for that matter....after all the people that brought your club are arabs....

Are you Asian or are you really a Brit?

 

[M18CTID]

SCUM!

Oops, wrong thread.

Cheers! I guess you'll never hate us as much as you do the rags. Or if the day comes, we'll probably be successful beyond my current wildest dreams. So win-win. I feel that there should be more bonding on this thread between arsenal and city fans on hatred for manchester united.

Not a chance it will ever get as bad as that. The trouble is, when it comes to the internet the more virtriolic comments stick out whereas the sensible ones don't tend to get the credit they deserve. Hence, you'll get some City fans tarring all Arsenal fans with the same brush and calling them bitter, etc, for hating on City since the money came in all because a few Arsenal fans on the internet said it. Or vice versa. And that mantra of generalising all football fans of a particular club will be prevalent amongst fans of many other clubs too. To be fair, I'm not averse to highlighting some of the ridiculous guff Tony Attwood comes out with on his Untold Arsenal site but I'd never imply that his opinions are representative of the whole of Arsenal's support base - put simply, they can't be because not only does he hold a dim view of City as a club, he arguably holds an even dimmer view of certain sections of Arsenal's support base. For him, any Arsenal fan that criticises the ticket prices down at the Emirates is a fully paid up member of the AAA (Anti-Arsenal Arsenal).

Back to City and Arsenal fans, the reality is that most fans of both clubs don't particularly hate on either club - sure, there is an added edge with City's new found wealth that has been compounded by all the players we've signed from Arsenal in recent years. However, I've found that I can still have a sensible conversation with many Arsenal fans face to face. When I was last down at the Emirates in January 2013 - the much-publicised £62 a ticket boycott game which wasn't really a boycott as City sent the 900 tickets back way too early and could've easily sold them - I and some mates instead of going in the normal pub designated for away fans (The Drayton Arms) went wandering off the beaten track and stumbled across a pub full of Arsenal fans. Not once did we feel threatened and we ended up having a good chat about all kinds of football-related stuff.