Originally Posted by
Niall_Quinn
They must sit down at the start of a season and plan things entirely around the finances with football as the secondary concern. When you look at it from a financial perspective we've been very successful and that success is growing year on year. But we don't look at that, one way or another we pay money (contribute to those finances) to watch what's happening on the pitch (the secondary concern of the club). And we don't see success, that's for sure. The message from the club is to be patient forever because eventually there will be so much money the millionaires will finally be able to let a few quid drop from their table. Really, that's the foundation of their message when you boil it all down. Once they get their share (which is just about the whole pie) then we'll get our crumbs and if the next guy in gets a big pay off too and things continue to grow then, who knows, those crumbs may turn into morsels.
As you say, in the meantime we just have to hope the likes of Chelsea and City keep shooting their own feet off so the gap remains at least respectable. Utd are out of sight. Not because of money but because they are a well run club that places football as the number one priority, though let's not entirely forget some of their dubious commercial practices. Nevertheless you can see that in the way they work so hard to knit together a bunch of players that (like for like) really aren't that much better than what we have here. Not 20 points better anyway. And they have a manager who measures winning and losing by what happens on the pitch rather than on the balance sheet.
Our club (like others) got infiltrated by business sharks but our ex-shareholders' had their heads turned from the main purpose of the game. The stadium plan was hijacked and the team left to rot. They know the fans will keep coming back because the inertia in sport is probably greater than in any other industry. These are clever and ruthless bastards. They won't be spending £70mill in the summer either. Surely nobody is buying that bullshit? The £70mill is the carrot to get those season ticket sales rolling in. Every year we think the same, don't we? Surely, surely they can't pull this stunt again? But they do and they'll do it again.
The fans have to hold their nerve though. People clamouring for a Russian gangster to take over just so we can become another Chelsea drenched in blood money ought to think again. There's a middle ground rather than the two extremes you see when comparing Arsenal and Chelsea. Besides, here we are, a team starved of cash competing to the last few games of the season with a team that has blown billions trying to buy prizes. That's because the chavs aren't about football either, not since Mourinho left. Mourinho and Ferguson. It's all about the football and all about winning with them and the rewards keep tumbling in. Wenger? For him it has become pure business management and he does it really well. To the detriment of our football club but the delight of the board as they have said many times.
No, it won't be changing any time soon and I could even live with it if they would only put a bit more effort into producing entertaining football. Or football that doesn't plod at 2mph. But they won't even make that small concession.
Reply With Quote