Official Gooners Thread - A New Hope

[ross4life]

A Sad Day I think

Agreed.

So Arsenal will become another Man City,Chelsea?

[ONeill]

Not a big deal really, this fella has been part of the club for years.

[muppet]

Not a big deal really, this fella has been part of the club for years.

Now he is the club.

[ONeill]

Not a big deal really, this fella has been part of the club for years.

Now he is the club.

He's not. I cannot see anything changing apart from maybe a more astute marketing side. Arsenal are not a Utd who let someone waltz in and throw debt into the club. Silent Stan has been part of the furniture there for years. Any of his soundbites over the years have been supportive of the status quo. I never really took to the Russian fellow. I'd imagine the club have encouraged those who sold to Kroenke to do so for the same reason. Whether the Russian sells the rest remains to be seen.

[muppet]

Not a big deal really, this fella has been part of the club for years.

Now he is the club.

He's not. I cannot see anything changing apart from maybe a more astute marketing side. Arsenal are not a Utd who let someone waltz in and throw debt into the club. Silent Stan has been part of the furniture there for years. Any of his soundbites over the years have been supportive of the status quo. I never really took to the Russian fellow. I'd imagine the club have encouraged those who sold to Kroenke to do so for the same reason. Whether the Russian sells the rest remains to be seen.

He has been on the Board for 3 years and around for 4.

If he gets sole ownership of the club it is his baby. Up to now the ownership structure of Arsenal has ensured its stability, now it will be reliant on one man for stability. He may be rock solid but all the eggs are in one basket. If he makes a mistake (Sean Quinn?) who knows what the future might hold.

[ONeill]

What is crucial here is that Stan has bit by bit taken over the club by winning the trust of the major shareholders (some of whom were totally against him at the start) reassuring them that he will continue to run the club in a financially self-sustaining model.

I know it's a wait and see element but I don't think you'll see any change atall. Wenger will still try to scour Bulgaria for a 16-year old left back.

As a few have stated, this 'foreign ownership' is a laugh. Arsenal have been over 50% foreign owned for a good while now, as well as having a foreign manager and employing mostly foreign footballers with a foreign sponsored stadium.

[Dinny Breen]

But it will be the first single owner in 80 years and in those previous 80 years the share holders never cared about profit....you think Stan is in it for the love of the club?

[ildanach]

just read the statement on the club website. board is remaining the same, and the club is not being used to secure the debt ala man u and liverpool. so imho it is a good thing for the club. I have a feeling that we might see David Dein back as well. Wasn't he all for getting him on the board when he was at arsenal. Wenger and Dein had a great relationship in dealing with transfers and contracts so hopefully this will mean bigger transfer budget and holding on to what we have - except bentner and arshavin and allmunia and clichy they can all get their coats now!

[ONeill]

I don't think there'll be any change at all. Kroenke has never been a spender.

Q Will Kroenke be borrowing large amounts to buy the club and saddling it with a huge debt, like the Glazers at Manchester United?

A Arsenal say not. In their statement, in which they recommend that shareholders take up Kroenke's offer of £11,750 per share, the board said: "Kroenke Sports Enterprises [the purchasing vehicle] has stated that the offer will not be funded by debt finance secured against the club." Kroenke's deal values Arsenal at £731m, which means he has to find around £500m in cash if he is to buy up all the remaining shares. His fortune is estimated at £1.77bn, made through real estate and constructing shopping centres, and business developments, so he is not short of cash. His firm KSE own the St Louis Rams NFL team, NBA basketball franchise, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche NHL ice hockey team and Major League Soccer side the Colorado Rapids.

Q Will Usmanov now decide to sell his shares?

A Not just yet. He was reported yesterday to be furious that the other large shareholders were selling to Kroenke and was disappointed that the Arsenal board had recommended others did the same with their shares.

Q So how has Kroenke gone from the "wrong sort" to a "safe custodian"?

A When Kroenke first bought 9.9 per cent of the club in 2007, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said of 'Silent Stan': "Call me old-fashioned but we don't need his money and don't need his sort. He knows sweet FA about our football." Yesterday, Mr Hill-Wood said: "We are confident that he will be a safe custodian of its [Arsenal's] future," in reference to the man who has agreed to give him £4.7m for his 400 Arsenal shares.

Q Will the change of ownership make any real difference?

A Not too much on the face of it. Arsenal have effectively been in foreign hands for the past four years, and nothing drastic has happened. And Usmanov still owns 27 per cent of the club and as such can prevent any major structural changes to the company. However, Kroenke will have the power to appoint a new manager, or new directors, as he likes. In his other sporting clubs, Kroenke has been a supportive owner, so it is unlikely he will sack Wenger, bring in Jose Mourinho, and order a £200m splurge on new players. There will undoubtedly be changes. A more aggressive marketing strategy is likely, with a focus firmly on the Far East. Wenger has managed to resist the club's desire to tour Asia, but it is a losing battle and they are heading to Malaysia this summer, after a trip to Japan was cancelled following the tsunami. There will be money available to buy players, but that has been the case for years at Arsenal – it's just that Wenger refuses to spend it. Kroenke is well aware of the Arsenal way of nurturing young talent and is not expected to start changing the club's transfer policy.

Q So will he be able to end six years without a trophy?

A He certainly thinks so. Kroenke said yesterday: "Arsenal is a fantastic club with a special history and tradition and a wonderful manager in Arsène Wenger. We intend to build on this rich heritage and take the club to new success." But he is no Roman Abramovich – he is not about to plough his personal fortune into the club. His policy will be to allow Arsenal to continue to the self-sustaining strategy of the previous regime. Money, however, will be there for a couple of new players in the summer, and Kroenke does have an excellent record of delivering trophies in American sports.

Q Isn't Kroenke a close friend of former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein? Will Dein be returning to the board?

A Dein did indeed give Kroenke his backing in 2007, recommending a takeover of the club which resulted in Dein falling out with board members and losing his job. Although Dein later that year sold his 14.6 per cent stake of the club to Usmanov for £75m, he is still close to Kroenke and a return to The Emirates cannot be ruled out.

[Dinny Breen]

Good for Arsenal to keep the unbeaten record going.

[AZOffaly]

Good for Arsenal to keep the unbeaten record going.

That's a bit of a sickener for the Gooners. I can understand how Wenger must be absoloutely fuming, but it was clumsy by Eboue.

Maybe the pressure is off Arsenal now though. United are not great, by their standards, so maybe there will be a couple of slips and twists between now and then.

[brokencrossbar1]

In case you haven't seen it  

[Dinny Breen]

I'd say Wenger was fuming out of frustration - frustrated in the immediate that the ref didn't blow for full-time once the free-kick was blocker, frustrated that Arsenal couldn't hold the lead for 2 mins and and also the fact that Liverpool were time wasting towards the end but they received the benefit, always an anomaly that one. But over all I'd say deep down he knew that was the last chance, cannot see Man United dropping 7 points.

Daglish did what any sane person would do and told Wenger to piss off, doubt either manager will give it a 2nd thought.

The league final defeat has left a bad hang-over on this Arsenal side and I can't see any seeds of recovery as their form since has been very poor. They might never recover.

[brokencrossbar1]

Dinny, O'Neill et al, 6 years, no trophies and let's face it no real sense that they can close the gap to the top, has Wenger maybe gone as far as he can? Seriously doubt any other manager in the top 6 would last that long and while he is not necessarily a big spender, he still has spent a fair bit of money.  Maybe time to get a fresh face, Pep will be free and I reckon could do something with Arsenal.

[ExiledGael]

Dinny, O'Neill et al, 6 years, no trophies and let's face it no real sense that they can close the gap to the top, has Wenger maybe gone as far as he can? Seriously doubt any other manager in the top 6 would last that long and while he is not necessarily a big spender, he still has spent a fair bit of money.  Maybe time to get a fresh face, Pep will be free and I reckon could do something with Arsenal.

Pep will definitely not be free. Pure contract negotiations.
Arsenal would be foolish to get rid of Wenger and I'm certain they won't. He does need to have a long hard look at his transfer policies though.