Chris Moore
Emotions are high, because Arsenal are on a low. Our season has collapsed and we are hoping to cling onto a 3rd place finish, just to maintain some semblance of respect.
Arsene Wenger has a team of midgets, wimps, inexperienced boys etc.
Wenger is tactically naïve.
Wenger must go.
The AMG brigade seem to be whipping themselves up into a right frenzy.
For me, after all the success a decade or so ago, supporting Arsenal recently has obviously been a bit of a downer too.
No heart, no bite, no loyalty, no Bergkamp.
But just stop for a minute.
Yes, we are all suffering, but calm down and maybe consider the bigger picture?
Let’s be optimistic…
It appears that Arsenal is making someone happy. UEFA.
UEFA think that Arsenal are the model football club.
Why is this? Is it of any importance?
I think it may be.
There’s been a bit of a crisis going on out in the real world and football has not been escaping it. On the surface football appears normal; Man U and Chelsea spend big money and compete for the Premier League title, Man City and Liverpool spend big money and don’t compete for the Premier League title, whilst Arsenal spend big money... oh hang on, no they don’t. Under this thin façade of normality, major upheaval has been taking place. Clubs are making huge losses, some clubs are almost going under and some of the richest clubs are in massive debt.
This is not to be ignored. Football is business now and business can’t operate like this. UEFA know it, the FA and the clubs know it.
Arsenal Football Club is on a set course and has been for a number of years - financial stability and sustainability. They clearly do not intend to deviate. This club want to be a profitable business and ultimately achieve success off the back of this.
Arsenal Football Club is on a mission. Wenger has been instrumental in Arsenal taking this path. But Wenger is not alone or responsible, the Arsenal board are set on this course too and undoubtedly the new ownership too.
And it is the right course.
UEFA have, quite rightly, brought in their new rules regarding balancing the books at football clubs. Maybe they were inspired by the Arsenal. A club that can balance the books and still compete even when all others throw money to the wind.
The UEFA rules have not had any impact at the moment, possibly due to football being all about the here and now. However, when the penny drops I think there could be a shockwave as well as a potential disaster for some of the more profligate clubs.
This is when Arsenal come to the fore. Arsenal play by the rules already. We don’t need to change. But similarly, don’t expect us to. Supporters’ pleas for massive spending in the summer will remain unheard.
For the next couple of seasons we will have to put up with the same Arsenal we’ve had for the last six. Which for some, who haven’t known Arsenal under previous management, may feel like an eternity. In my opinion Wenger is the best man to guide us through this period. He frustrates the hell out of me too but the financial model is in place and will not depart, even if Wenger does.
If you want Wenger to go, just consider whether your replacement will get us into the Champions League without spending. He would have to. So Wenger it is, and you never know, we may even win something in the next couple of seasons anyway.
Just wait it out a little longer. In a short while it will dawn on clubs that they will fail to balance the books and as a result face exclusion from immensely lucrative UEFA competitions. They will have to take drastic action to curb their expenditure if they wish to remain competitive in the long run. This is likely to hurt all of our competition.
All the while Arsenal, whilst quietly paying off a manageable stadium debt, will be raking in the gate receipts and will ultimately emerge the triumphant dominant force in a pared down Premier League.
See, it’s not all bad.
Besides, the Champions League will be a lot easier to win when you are the only team allowed in it.
