Ivan Merc
Dear Ivan,
I have been to the Stoke game, I bought my ticket from a season ticket holder in advance. But I could easily have bought one 15 mins before kick-off on the Holloway Road. I saw at least 2000 empty seats, most in the upper stands and premium seats. During the second half there was a declaration of a 60,041 attendance.
If this figure is about SOLD seats I can’t argue. But if about attendance as it was stated – it is falsehood. Why does the club lies to its fans? Does it show the club’s attitude to his fans? If not – what does it mean? Only a blind businessman does not realize that if you start to lose attendance – finally you will lose the revenues. If the people don’t attend – they will eventually stop spending to attend.
So Arsenal Football Club is on its way to lose supporters? And revenues? We all realize that the just declared half-year loss is not a real loss, but it is a sign.
Every time our manager loses a vital game or the chance of a trophy you, personally you, Ivan, are in a hurry to support him. Why? Does any Gooner believe that the likes of Denilson would play in any top team in the world except Arsenal? Do you personally believe it? Or maybe Arsenal is now not one of the top teams? Do you feel your responsibility for this, Ivan?
When the manager asks to improve the huge wages of proven losers, why do you support him? Why do you pay him personally more than the stadium debt repayment?
I think I have an answer. You repeated many times that Arsene Wenger is the club’s main intangible asset. I guess it is a massive business mistake. The main club’s intangible asset is its fans. Fans are the base of the club. And when you lose fans you lose not only season tickets and replica shirt money. The Arsenal brand is also becoming less attractive to the sponsors and TV and all the efforts of your commercial team will be buried under the loss of the fanbase.
And also the notion that the “manager is the main club’s intangible asset ” is a massive disrespect to all the fans from your side. Fans finance 45% of the club budget. Can they get an answer as to WHY you spend on losers’ wages and don’t spend on top players? The absence of top-quality signings involves not only a lack of trophies. It reduces the interest in the club from all over the world and prevents the growth of its fanbase.
Arsenal are going to visit Japan in the summer. Do you know Japanese people a bit? They ALL like the winners. Unlike English people they always support favorites. They love Beckham, Federer, Tiger Woods, Rooney and Gerard. Can you expect any commercial success in Japan with six years drought and ONE big signing (Arshavin) during eight years? Which shirts are you going to sell them? Diaby’s? Koscielny’s?
I completely understand that the major shareholders don’t care about the sport part of the FOOTBALL club. But you are a soccer professional and you definitely understand – AFC is A FOOTBALL CLUB. It is not a restaurant.
Initially, this looks like an advantage, because if people don’t like food in your restaurant – they will choose another one. But if people don’t like the results of a football club – they will stay and wait. And wait and wait and wait.
And when you start to think that they will wait forever (at least during your contract period) – they begin to leave. And you will never stop them. And never get them back.
A FOOTBALL CLUB must get sport results. If not - it loses competitive ability and therefore financial stability. And AFC is on the verge of losing revenues.
The “glamour” games – for which you are charging £1800 pounds per CL ticket - can only elongate the start of the falling down. And these prices will NEVER attract new people and corporate custom.
As for transferring the VAT increase to the fans. Do you realize that the total amount of this increase for ALL of the season ticket holders totals just a half of Fabianski’s wages?
AFC has the most expensive tickets in the world. And these prices ultimately buy Koscielny/Squilacci? And pays Bendtner the same salary as Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos?
In my mind it is huge disrespect to fans and to the club finances also. It is an inverse world. A world where football manager elects the CEO (or declines the CEO in the case of Vodafone’s Paul Donovan) is also inversed.
So, Ivan, it doesn’t matter how, but you are in charge and you are responsible. And you are aware. If AFC continues the current way of disrespecting fans the hard times will come much quicker than anybody can imagine.
Of course, I’m not talking on behalf of all fans, I’m just talking about myself.
My story is:
This season I don’t buy Club Level packages.
And I don’t buy the goods in official store.
And I will not renew my red membership.
And I will not renew my subscription for Arsenal TV-online.
