There’s a thorough account of a question and answer event that took place in the stadium’s Diamond Club recently, in the form of a downloadable document from this page on the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust website. It’s extremely difficult to summarise the information relayed at the event by commercial director Tom Fox and head of marketing Angus Kinnear. So I’ll use this opportunity to give something of an impressionist view of proceedings, and more specifically how things are likely to change at the club with what is effectively a new broom.

In the days of Keith Edelman’s tenure in the managing director's office, the club lacked any real kind of middle management structure, meaning pretty much every decision was taken by Edelman with little in the way of delegation. As there was more work than one man could feasibly handle, what tended to happen was that a lot of things simply didn’t get done. As the club grew in certain areas, others were simply neglected. In the commercial department, it was really make do and mend. Additionally, you can see aspects like the Arsenalisation of the stadium as a symbol about how things are now happening with Ivan Gazidis in the chair, recruiting extra staff with the aim of getting things done. Edelman’s achievements in terms of the financing of the new stadium reflect his abilities, but once this had been achieved, it was definitely for the best that he was moved on. Edelman’s position wasn’t helped by the Highbury Square project which ultimately caused the football club some unforeseen financial constipation, with knock on effects for the quality of the squad which we have all suffered over recent seasons. So we now have a new man at the helm.

Gazidis quickly realised that there were areas of the club severely understaffed, not least the commercial department. The restaurant area at Highbury House is being converted into offices for extra staff. Tom Fox, with a pretty impressive CV has been recruited to oversee an area where the club are underperforming, whilst Angus Kinnear has been promoted from within. I’ve known Angus for a while, and can vouch that he is a real football man, so on that side of things the importance of the relationship between the club and its fans is well understood. Not that Tom Fox is unaware of this. The message that came through loudest from the two men answering Trust members’ queries was that the voices of those who they were there to service were the most important, and that they were willing to explain and justify any decision that was taken in their name.

Granted, there’s an decent dose of PR here, but it’s a healthier situation than in Edelman’s day, when the managing director was at times defensive when queried on some of the club’s commercial activities. Having said that, on non-matchdays, I remember seeing him stroll from Highbury House to the grocers on Gillespie Road to buy a packet of fags, and smoke one on the way back. In his suit, he looked halfway between a Reservoir Dog and a naughty schoolboy. It was an image that made him seem a little more human, even if he was largely disliked within the corridors of the club.

I digress. There were two things I took from the AST commercial session which will stay with me. Fox is doing his best to adapt to the culture of an English football club, but he couldn’t help but use the word ‘franchise’ when talking about Arsenal’s commercial possibilities. He’d be well advised to drop that kind of terminology as it is likely to inspire knee-jerk reactions along the lines of ‘Go Home Yanks’ from the some ranks.

However, more amusing was his decision to relate to supporters by using Charlie George as a specific embodiment of the historic values of the club. Doubtless he’s met Charlie, and been told of his significance in Arsenal’s history. He has probably noticed the friendly interaction that takes place with Charlie and those he encounters at the club. What he may not have been told about is the over-prominent role that betting shops and pubs play in this particular football ambassador’s existence. Stuff that many fans could relate to – in terms of Charlie as an individual – but not those which really embody the message Arsenal is trying to put out about itself. Tom might do better to select Frank McLintock as a symbol of the club instead of Charlie, although I appreciate what he is trying to do. I guess no-one’s told Tom the whole story.

However, more significantly, someone who knows much more about the commercial world than I expressed the view after the event that Tom Fox is very much a big fish in a small pond, and that his natural position would be working for a bigger organisation than one with Arsenal’s annual turnover. And his CV certainly backs this up. So, even if the interaction with supporters may need a little refining, where it matters, the club seem to have made an appointment that will have serious financial benefits.

The next AST event takes place on Monday 10th May, and is their annual question and answer session with the managing director/CEO – Ivan Gazidis. To attend you need to become a member of the trust. Details of how to join can be found here.