Originally Posted by
Niall_Quinn
Wouldn't surprise me. Everyone looks at this in footballing terms, who would be a good replacement, what sort of cover do we have, etc, etc. But for me the question is how far can Kroenke push things before he has a revolution on his hands. That's assuming he's in this to bank the deficit between the current commercial deals and the new deals that can be signed in the near future. If selling is an integral part of the business plan (which it seems to be), then getting that CL spot and also attracting the sponsors makes it a difficult balancing act for the board. And this makes Wenger the most perfect manager for the situation. He can achieve that crucial CL goal, leave Ivan and the rest of the American crew coming in to sort out the shirts and billboards and Stan is quids in if he can keep the whole ship afloat for 4-5 years. Even if it's sinking by the end (or the plan allows for submersion) they can dump the whole mess of Usmanov who has already said he's a fan of kicking cash in to buy success.
I really can't figure how things look for us on the pitch any more. You could say that if we can keep RvP and add a few reinforcements we could challenge - at least for some insignificant pot like the CC. But from Stan's point of view, if he can keep things rolling using Wenger to build the assets until they become ripe to be flogged off, it all looks pretty achievable based on the past record. Could it really be as cynical as that? I would think so. Would love to give Stan the benefit of the doubt but it's hard to imagine he's here to build a team of champions.