What is the long term ambitionof our club????

[LDG]

Right, so we get a bright shiny new stadium. We're told it is to ensure the long term stability of Arsenal FC. We're told we no have plenty of money available. We're told we're after super quality.

Yet. We sell our two best (ish) players. We scrimp and save every penny we can in the transfers we have made, ditch a load of the youth project players (Vela, Bender, Traore, Denilson etc etc etc) and bring in more experience, but some players on the wane....

What excatly is the long term plan? We were building for the future. Now we're replacing the bricks that fell out. There are some bricks being laid which have no foundation, and some bricks which seem to be building something entirely different.

Far from careful planning, and looking to a bright future we were all promised before the stadium, we now have a owner content on raping the club, a manager who is more concerned with keeping a staus quo rather than pushing us on, and a board who seem spineless and completely out of touch with its fans.

We just seem to be trying to tread water, but the current is actually pulling us under a bit.

This whole thing is a mess. I've no doubt that we'll carry on keeping up with the top four (there or thereabouts) but this club is worth more than that. Some of the shackles need to come off, because we don't look ambitious. We look lost and hanging on to the coat-tails of champions league football.

Where the fuck is this club going??

[Letters]

It seems to me they're trying to 'compete' best they can while paying off the stadium debt as quickly as possible.
If they can then we could be quite well placed although our commercial dials are poor relative to our competiters and the billionaire owners thing has made it damn near impossible to compete with those teams.

[Özim]

or it could be that we don't really care too much about winning and are just inerested in profits and share prices.

[Letters]

or it could be that we don't really care too much about winning and are just inerested in profits and share prices.

Which, in the modern world, are driven by winning. You don't make profit in mid-table.
I'm not saying they're not interested in money but the two ambitions are at least compatible.

[IBK]

Which, in the modern world, are driven by winning. You don't make profit in mid-table.
I'm not saying they're not interested in money but the two ambitions are at least compatible.

In a sense they are (compatible) - or would be if the clubs ahead of us didn't have the money making part to worry about. In the EPL and in Europe - silverware is only compatible with losing money, and having creditors or sugar daddies happy to absorb the losses.

This is the problem. Arsenal may be a shining light as regards managing its resources properly, but it ain't going to win us anything. And it doesn't feel great as a fan having the so-called moral highground.

[Letters]

In a sense they are (compatible) - or would be if the clubs ahead of us didn't have the money making part to worry about. In the EPL and in Europe - silverware is only compatible with losing money, and having creditors or sugar daddies happy to absorb the losses.

This is the problem. Arsenal may be a shining light as regards managing its resources properly, but it ain't going to win us anything. And it doesn't feel great as a fan having the so-called moral highground.

We'd have won a trophy or 3 in the last few years had we had the mental resolve to go with our technical ability. Some of our lack of success has been down to lack of investment but that isn't the reason for the complete lack of success. OK, the Carling Cup isn't prestigious these days but it would have got that monkey off our back and us losing the final wasn't for want of ability.

[IBK]

It seems to me they're trying to 'compete' best they can while paying off the stadium debt as quickly as possible.
If they can then we could be quite well placed although our commercial dials are poor relative to our competiters and the billionaire owners thing has made it damn near impossible to compete with those teams.

Letters. I have to put this one to bed. I met the partner from PWC who has done the stadium financing deal over the Summer. He shot me down on this theory big time, by explaining that the bonds cannot be paid off any more quickly - without the club incurring an early repayment penalty that would effertively make any interest saving pointless. Also, the company with the liability for the phased repayment of the bonds is the company to whom all gate receipts go - and match day income is the source of the repayments.

This is the main thing that has made me question Kroenke's intentions for the club. IMO he is a 'custodian' only in the sense of maintaining the status quo and (presumably) insulating the club from the prospect of an investor borrowing further against the club to fund a purchase. I don't think he has any interest in doing more than ensuring the running a profitable business - which he has worked out he can do by maintaining CL football. he is not an Arsenal, or even a 'soccer' fan.

My only faint hope is that part of this treading water is waiting for the financial fair play rules to kick in - but it is a rapidly diminishing one.

[Letters]

Letters. I have to put this one to bed. I met the partner from PWC who has done the stadium financing deal over the Summer. He shot me down on this theory big time, by explaining that the bonds cannot be paid off any more quickly - without the club incurring an early repayment penalty that would effertively make any interest saving pointless. Also, the company with the liability for the phased repayment of the bonds is the company to whom all gate receipts go - and match day income is the source of the repayments.

Fair enough. Just my thoughts on the accounts I saw whidh I'd be the first to admit I didn't fully understand.

[IBK]

Fair enough. Just my thoughts on the accounts I saw whidh I'd be the first to admit I didn't fully understand.

Aye - I agree that paying off the stadium debt would appear to have been the logical reason behind what the club is doing. I was left totally nonplussed by the reality.

[LDG]

Aye - I agree that paying off the stadium debt would appear to have been the logical reason behind what the club is doing. I was left totally nonplussed by the reality.

What do we need to develop all this other land that has been talked about?? Is some of this cash going towards that??