ARSENAL FC? PLC?

[john68]

It was Crossie's questions; "Why are they only moaning now?" and "Why didn't they moan in 2009 when we were spending shed loads of cash?" that got me thinking that most fans and Arsenal fans in particular just don't seem to fully understand what has and is happening to football at the top level....and particularly to their club.[strike][/strike]

The simple answer to the original question is that Arsenal felt their position as a CL qualifying club was secure and any threat posed by City could be dealt with by the proposed UeFA FFPR. They held that position quite comfortably until last season when only an end of season upturn and scramble got them into 3rd. For much of the season, they were trailing badly. This season, there is a real danger that they may even fail to qualify for the Europa League. They could probably handle missing out for one season but to allow themselves to fall below City, the rags, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton. The real possibility of a mildly resurgent Liverpool also overtaking them would be Arsenal's worst nightmare.
Hence the panic and their urgency to push through their newly proposed domestic FFPR. Sourgent for them, that thenext meeting is as early as February....For urgency you could use desperation.

For some reason, probably utter stupidity, Arsenal fans still regard their club as an FC. In fact many regard it as the ultimate football bastion and even the guardian of the soul of football.....Naive and clueless idiots.

I thought they should be educated....

[john68]

We like to think the rag's fans are stupid but at least some of them were bright enough to understand what was happening at the swamp when the Glazers took control. They alerted the World and quite quickly everyone was made aware of the true nature of things over in trafford.

Not so at the Emirates....where exactly the same scenario exists as the swamp but they really don't have a clue and if the media are aware, they ain't saying. I suggest that..."ARSENAL ARE NO LONGER A FOOTBALL CLUB, TRYING TO COMPETE FOR FOOTBALL HONOURS AND SUCCESS ON THE PITCH, BUT A BUSINESS BRAND, ONLY INTERESTED IN MAXIMISING PROFITS"...In fact I suggest that Arsenal haven't been a football club for quite a number of years.

On the back of their politicking and coercion of UeFA a long time ago, they and the rags created such a huge financial gap between themselves and the rest of the League that their annual CL qualification became assured and secure. When Chelsea came along, the CL qualification increased to 4 and they remained secure.

Then things in the boardroom changed, Dean left and was replaced and the player buying policy changed. To stay in contention with the rags and Chelsea meant spending big but that would eat the profits. Such was the gap and their security, they could cut spending, tick over and still qualify for the Cl. They could keep their coefficient high and therefore access the big money UeFA slush fund (they had helped design and create).

They got awaywith it by their sanctimonious pronouncements that they were doing things properly, in the spirit of football and buying and developing young players was morally correct. All bollox, all lies but the gooners swallowed it hook line and sinker.

But...Ooooops!.....they seem to have miscalculated and are in danger of dropping out of contention, maybe even from the Europa League...DISASTER!!!!
Panic...Panic...Panic....Blame City....panic...panic....domestic FFPR.....panic...panic.....:-)

Just maybe worth thinking about when you get shit from a gooner....They really don't have a clue...poor bastards....:-)

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

We discuss Arsenal and their sanctimonious fans many times, but it really makes my blood boil when I hear this 'class is permanent' shite.
This is not the model all football clubs should follow, how can it be good for the fans to be paying thehighest prices in Europe and still seeing lower quality football.
Read up on how they railroaded through their plans for The Emirates, riding roughshod over local people, relocating an incinerator plant right next door to a housing estate and putting many local businesses out on their ear. All this was done, not because Arsenal were in urgent need of a new stadium for safety reasons, but simply so they could increase match day revenue to hang on to 'nited's coat tails. It's a disgraceful tale.
Add in their corrupt involvement in bagging the Sky money, changing the rules by blackmail on the distribution of gate receipts and their position within the G14 cash hijackers, and you really do get a flavour of what a bunch of shysters this lot are.
Have a look at how much Dein (A failed importer/exporter) creamed off the top with his share dealings and huge remuneration package (he trousered around £100m over time) and it becomes obvious they are hardly fitting custodians of the game.
Utter Bastards.
And I can remember going there when their crowds were shite!

[Chinners]

I still think they will get top four. They were doubterd last season and the previous couple before that at this stage in the season and they still got it. Obviously, one season they won't but I don't think it is this one .... time will tell

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

You'd have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at the way arsenal are going.

[Ted Hughes]

The other common factor in the similarities between Arsenal & the rags, is the role of their managers.

Both are 100% involved in the crimes & happy to see football money taken out to line people's pockets rather than invested. They are staunch supporters of the way both clubs are being run.

How they get away with this, with barely a hint of criticism, amazes me. If the team underachieves, they both recieve criticism for that, yet their support of their owners rarely gets a mention.

[Chinners]

Rather apt for this thread from today's Bollox ...

Arsenal and others will go to court to get Financial Fair Play
A small group of top clubs is willing to take legal action if nothing is done to stop Chelsea, Man City and possibly others evading Uefa’s financial fair play system.
Having put their concerns in writing to the League, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U and Tottenham, are now openly stating that the full financial fair play rules should be introduced into the League. And that if Uefa is seen to be issuing minor fines of no significance to clubs that break FFP, the Group of 4 will go to court.
The grounds of the G4′s proposed action is that club owners have taken business decisions based on Uefa’s clear statements that it will be rigorous in introducing FFP, and if they don’t they will be guilty of having misled investors.
John W Henry, owner of Liverpool, has said that he bought Liverpool in 2010 on the basis that FFP would change the way football works and levels out the finances of clubs. He and others have been encouraged by the fact that the transfer dealings among top clubs had been in decline since the period of the initial run up to full FFP introduction.
Arsenal are in a similar position, with the club’s entire financial system based on the existence of FFP – a system which largely generates a profit for Arsenal. Meanwhile Man City are willing to lose around £100m a year at a time when FFP allows only a total of £38m loss over this season and last season.
The notion that Man City will make a profit of £62m this season in order to balance the loss is extremely unlikely, and so it looks as if Man City think they have found the loophole in the plans. All they have done so far is halved the insane losses of the previous year.
The notion that clubs are going to get around FFP and that Uefa will treat FFP avoidance as they treat racism, is given a boost by the fact that we have seen clubs counting the accounts in strange ways – such as with intellectual property rights sales being counted as income.
For Man C the centre of everything is Ethiad airlines which now spends hundreds of millions each year on promoting itself – and yet never once makes a profit.
Chelsea are doing the same, introducing £18m “exceptional share profit” into their accounts, as revealed on the http://www.financialfairplay.co.uk website.
The same oddities are showing up everywhere as PSG have put up a deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority as a source of income. Qatar is of course a prime destination for Parisians each summer. Or perhaps it is just the owner of PSG.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi knows that Uefa has to show that this deal is between two organisations that are related. If they can’t prove what we all know – the Qatar owns football clubs – or if the fine is measly then FFP is shot, and the G4 will be the first group to take renegade Uefa to court.

[Ted Hughes]

Rather apt for this thread from today's Bollox ...

Arsenal and others will go to court to get Financial Fair Play
A small group of top clubs is willing to take legal action if nothing is done to stop Chelsea, Man City and possibly others evading Uefa’s financial fair play system.
Having put their concerns in writing to the League, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U and Tottenham, are now openly stating that the full financial fair play rules should be introduced into the League. And that if Uefa is seen to be issuing minor fines of no significance to clubs that break FFP, the Group of 4 will go to court.
The grounds of the G4′s proposed action is that club owners have taken business decisions based on Uefa’s clear statements that it will be rigorous in introducing FFP, and if they don’t they will be guilty of having misled investors.
John W Henry, owner of Liverpool, has said that he bought Liverpool in 2010 on the basis that FFP would change the way football works and levels out the finances of clubs. He and others have been encouraged by the fact that the transfer dealings among top clubs had been in decline since the period of the initial run up to full FFP introduction.
Arsenal are in a similar position, with the club’s entire financial system based on the existence of FFP – a system which largely generates a profit for Arsenal. Meanwhile Man City are willing to lose around £100m a year at a time when FFP allows only a total of £38m loss over this season and last season.
The notion that Man City will make a profit of £62m this season in order to balance the loss is extremely unlikely, and so it looks as if Man City think they have found the loophole in the plans. All they have done so far is halved the insane losses of the previous year.
The notion that clubs are going to get around FFP and that Uefa will treat FFP avoidance as they treat racism, is given a boost by the fact that we have seen clubs counting the accounts in strange ways – such as with intellectual property rights sales being counted as income.
For Man C the centre of everything is Ethiad airlines which now spends hundreds of millions each year on promoting itself – and yet never once makes a profit.
Chelsea are doing the same, introducing £18m “exceptional share profit” into their accounts, as revealed on the http://www.financialfairplay.co.uk website.
The same oddities are showing up everywhere as PSG have put up a deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority as a source of income. Qatar is of course a prime destination for Parisians each summer. Or perhaps it is just the owner of PSG.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi knows that Uefa has to show that this deal is between two organisations that are related. If they can’t prove what we all know – the Qatar owns football clubs – or if the fine is measly then FFP is shot, and the G4 will be the first group to take renegade Uefa to court.

Bring it on.

[Ryan95]

They don't like us sitting at the top table do they, on the throne. So is there any chance this will go anywhere?

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

They don't like us sitting at the top table do they, on the throne. So is there any chance this will go anywhere?

Their argument seems to be that restraint of trade needs to be adhered to, when in fact it is illegal. Strange argument if true.

[Arjan Van Schotte]

Arsenal's net transfer spend in the last twenty years is shown here: http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league- ... today.html

(Scroll down).

If I was an arsenal fan, i'd be asking where exactly has the money gone... Their net transfer spend per season is below the likes of West Ham, West Brom, Stoke, QPR etc etc. Astounding really. maybe arsene really has been doing an amazing job...

On the other hand, I feel sorry for the real working class arsenal fans who can't go anymore. Their club, almost certainly more than any other has seen them shafted right royally, in favour of tourists/JCLs and middle class lovies who once saw a film based on a nick hornby book

[Ted Hughes]

Arsenal's net transfer spend in the last twenty years is shown here: http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league- ... today.html

(Scroll down).

If I was an arsenal fan, i'd be asking where exactly has the money gone... Their net transfer spend per season is below the likes of West Ham, West Brom, Stoke, QPR etc etc. Astounding really. maybe arsene really has been doing an amazing job...

On the other hand, I feel sorry for the real working class arsenal fans who can't go anymore. Their club, almost certainly more than any other has seen them shafted right royally, in favour of tourists/JCLs and middle class lovies who once saw a film based on a nick hornby book

It's been a long term plan to shaft the fans for as much as possible, back from the days when they were still at Highbury & selling 'bonds' & Wenger has been complicit.

I feel sorry for the real fans too.

[john@staustell]

If they think it through fully FFP could be their downfall, whilst City rock on bringing in the cash.

Their commercial income was 'flat' last year. Much more trophy-less years, infighting and poor performance wont get them many new fans in China, and their income will reduce. They wont be able to spend much on players and they wont be able to beg Uzmanov for help, because they've banned it!!

Arf arf

[City64]

I personally take great happiness in Arsenals fall from the elite .......

Seriously odious fans who spout utter shite and who deserve a club of the stature of maybe Leyton Orient dumped on them.

What on earth has Wenger turned into ????? A seriously brilliant manager who had Arsenal playing some of the most beautifull football in the history of our game years ago , now it seems as the 2nd highest paid manager in the UK who has won fuck all for 7 years just lies through his back teeth and signs gutless cheap has beens after selling some of the very best players in the world !

WTF is all that about ???? FUCK EM ! ;)

[sheblue]

Its really strange whats being going on there, they wont make the top 4 this season, then the shit will hit the fan.

[Beefymcfc]

I notice that the article finishes off with the new name of the corrupt, G4.

One thing that was somewhat glossed over was Arsenals 3rd place finish last year. In no way am I saying there was anything going on but the fact that they beat West Brom with what could only be described as 'Dodgy' goalkeeping to take them above Spurs does make you wonder. If I remember right Arsenal hadn't won a game in about 4 before they faced West Brom away from home (Hodgsons last match) whereas Spurs had come into a bit of form and were faced with Fulham at home, which they won 2-0. If Arsenal drew they would have finished behind Spurs and it would've been Arsenal who lost the CL spot to Chelsea instead.

That 3rd goal for Arsenal, the one where the keeper basically punched it near enough into his own net, made them an extra 30 million (at least) from the CL. Nobody talks about it because of Chelsea taking Spurs spot but the reality was that the way they made it into 3rd was truly shocking.

[john68]

Valid point Beefers mate.
...and despite the WSC survey of professional players showing that match fixing is considered a problem, the mainstream nor sports media have still failed to mention it.
Funny that.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

I notice that the article finishes off with the new name of the corrupt, G4.

Funny how they call it the G4 and not the ManU4, that group of 4 clubs desperate to keep the poisonous rags at the summit of the table. Utterly shameful and anti the best interests of football. However, the only surprise is everton's name isn't there as they are part of the group of 5 clubs that started all this shit in the 80s.