15 Aug 2016 16:22:49
After watching Henry and Souness talk about the clubs transfer policy, one thing really stood out to me.
Henry said how at the end of last season, the club said that the money was there and that we would be able to compete with all of the top clubs financially, and then, weeks before the start of this season, apparently we don't have the money to compete with the top clubs.
Call me a conspiracy theorist but I'm starting to notice a trend here. For the last three summer windows we've gone out and done a bit of business early on, make one marquee signing (Sanchez, Cech, Xhaka) and then nothing for the rest of the window, excluding any deadline day panic buys when the injuries inevitably come rolling in. It's been the same case the last three summer windows.
This leads be to believe that the board are only willing to sanction one senior transfer throughout the whole window (until the injuries hit) for the sole purpose of making an early signing as a sign of intent and ambition from the club, to get the fans to renew their season tickets. Once that's happened, the board have achieved their goals for the summer, the fans are yet again deceived, and the money comes flooding into Stan's pockets. They know most fans are at the end of their ropes, and we know that they see the club as nothing more than a cash cow. Makes a lot of sense really. Fans get excited, spend their money on tickets, shirts and other merchandise, and then come August we're back to square one.
We moved to the new stadium to compete, yet we're less competitive than we ever have been. The stadium generates enough revenue for the club to compete with Europe's elite in the transfer market, yet that revenue is not being reinvested into the club. We have the money to sign whomever we want - but only enough for one player. Oh and now we can't compete with anyone in the transfer market. How convenient you tell us, Mr. Gazidis after we renew our horrendously overpriced season tickets, memberships, and buy this season's home and away jerseys at 50 quid a pop.
Luckily, I live too far away from the Emirates to be able to go to matches, so I'm not so much out of pocket.
In fact I'm not out of pocket at all. I've cancelled my membership, and haven't bought anything Arsenal since the season we signed Ozil. I will always support Arsenal and will never abandon the club, but I refuse to let any of my hard earned money go towards the men in control of the club, who blatantly couldn't give a monkey's toss about the fans, the people to whom they should be grateful for being the reason why they are so hideously wealthy.
I'm done with being lied to.
15 Aug 2016 20:26:50
Stan kroenke is only a majority share holder
The money in the bank belongs to the club.
15 Aug 2016 21:33:38
Does it though Malaga? What's to say Kroenke and the other board members aren't embezzling funds from the 'war chest'? This is only speculation, as its not like we have access to the club's books, but with the stadium being paid off and the fans still being made to pay astronomical ticket prices, you have to wonder where the money is going. In the last nine windows we've spent over £200 million less than Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs, and Arsenal is supposedly the seventh richest football club in the world. Richer than Juventus, who were still able to fork out nearly 80 million for Higuain. Richer than Liverpool, who have spent almost 100 million during this window.
Every football fan and his dog know that there should be money available to invest in the squad. Gazidis can't make his mind up as to whether it's there or not. So where is it?
I think we're getting beyond the point of blaming the manager, incompetent as he may be. We need to start asking serious questions of the board. Is there or isn't there money to spend? If there is the can we get some for of tangible evidence that there is? If its not being used to reinforce the squad then where is it going? If there isn't then why not? Before the club can move forward in any way, I think there needs to be a bit more transparency from the board, instead of them constantly telling us one thing and then the complete opposite as and when it suits them.
15 Aug 2016 21:43:47
There's a reason that the Ed's advise to keep talking about the money side of football to a minimum.
15 Aug 2016 21:51:32
We do have access to the clubs books
There's an AGM every year
Did you know Wenger had the final say on Gazidas employment
Wenger has the final say on everything.
15 Aug 2016 22:02:36
Everyone has access to the books - they are freely available on Arsenal's own site - google it, they really are not hard to find.
Stop with the conspiracy of this so called "warchest" being used as the board members personal piggy bank, the cash reported in the accounts will be backed by independent confirmations from Arsenal's bankers. Deloitte, who are our current auditors, then sign that balance off.
If the club doesn't spend the money, that's a club decision. Yes, there have been mixed messages with regards to what we can spend but that doesn't mean that within the space of a few weeks, the club has lost £200 odd million down the back of the sofa.
If Arsenal do not spend the money, there is very much a decision behind that.
15 Aug 2016 22:12:51
I'm absolutely sure every penny is very accountable and as it should be, I think we're within our rights to question the clubs ambitions but not their integrity without very good reason to do so.
15 Aug 2016 22:39:50
Okay, I may have made a few misinformed points there. My bad. It just doesn't add up though. At the end of last season, the money is there, enough to compete with the rest of the big clubs in europe. The start of this season we spend £34 million and now we can't compete, while clubs with less financial power continue to outspend us.
If there is a decision behind it like you say, Joker. Then we as fans, the people who put more money into the club than anyone else, have a right to know what that decision is, rather than being fed the ambiguous nonsense that Wenger and Gazidis keep spewing out.
G62. I believe that we are well within our right to question the integrity of individuals who tell people one thing and do the exact opposite, or to tell people the complete opposite a number of weeks/ months down the line. Even if there is fiscal transparency within the club, I feel we're still having the wool pulled over our eyes, in some way, shape, or form.
15 Aug 2016 22:56:39
I don't call Xhaka a marquee signing.
15 Aug 2016 23:19:10
Xhaka is not a marquee signing. Potential but not marquee.
15 Aug 2016 23:47:21
At £34m that makes him the third most expensive player we've ever signed. It makes sense to think that Wenger and the board view it as a marquee signing even if none of the fans do. Either way, spending that amount so early in the window is a pretty strong statement, which once again has not been followed through on.