Arsenal AGM 2017

[Mark Tobias]

Must tell Sp**s that who are spending huge sums developing a new stadium or Liverpool who are expanding theirs or Everton who are seeking a new ground and Chelsea as well. They should just stop.

Or maybe they are right to do it because let's face it we generated over 400m for the first time and 100m came from match day revenue. So clearly there is a lot to be gained.

I think the issue is we done it all wrong. And nobody anywhere in senior position is willing to admit that.

Especially @Makingtrax .. erm, I mean, Ivan Gazidis

 

[Makingtrax]

Must tell Sp**s that who are spending huge sums developing a new stadium or Liverpool who are expanding theirs or Everton who are seeking a new ground and Chelsea as well. They should just stop.

Or maybe they are right to do it because let's face it we generated over 400m for the first time and 100m came from match day revenue. So clearly there is a lot to be gained.

I think the issue is we done it all wrong. And nobody anywhere in senior position is willing to admit that.

Of course everybody wants a shiny new stadium. But will that increase in revenue make much difference to their transfer dealings?

 

[Mark Tobias]

Of course everybody wants a shiny new stadium. But will that increase in revenue, make much difference to their transfer dealings?

Then why does everybody want one?

 

[Makingtrax]

The way you say that so flippantly says everything. Exactly Sp**s, of all teams.

Trax, there's no point discussing it with you because whatever the club spin, you're happy to accept. That's fine and I respect that, you're happy with how the club is run, the manager and our performance.

I'm not, I'm not happy at all. I think we are arrogant, I think we've milked our fans and I think we've sold our soul for no return. That's how I feel about modern day Arsenal. I think we are owned by a gutless, rich American man who doesn't understand football and is building sporting club portfolios to increase his already vast riches with no intention on creating a winning legacy and a super club which is the whole reason we risked everything to move from Highbury to where we are now. If this was how it was going to be, we're left with a club that has no genuine desire to compete then we should have just stayed put at Highbury because at least we would have still had our home and history at that site to cherish. We're becoming nothing more than a franchise. Yesterday was just another farce to add to an ever growing list of embarrassing moments for Arsenal.

Whatever you think of the board, Gazidis is right, 'spend to points' we've done well over the years and better than most.

I know you're a passionate supporter and I enjoyed your stories about meeting the players and Wenger as a lad. But those were the good old days and everything's changed.

Security's as tight as a duck's arse, and the romance of a good manager drilling xi good men and true and taking them to the top of the league has gone.

As much as I hate to say it, Poch is great manager and I can see the similarities with Wenger's early days. He's built a team around a couple of cheap players that have turned out like gold dust, and rarely get injured. Like Henry, Kane is a goal machine. But I don't believe for one minute that was planned, it was just chance, and Poch has made the most of it like Wenger did.

But today, still Poch can't win anything against the oligarch money. Poch Klopp and Wenger are excellent managers but Pep, Mourinho and Conte have a huge advantage.

Wenger is not mediocre, regardless of Kroenke. He's a class act and doesn't deserve to be tarnished with the same brush. He's busting a gut to compete and has dedicated his life to the club.

 

[Makingtrax]

Yes but why haven't we got the cash, is a worthy question. We're being left behind both on and off the pitch.

It's all about status, growing your fan base, increased security and increasing revenue.

Eventually, it should pay for itself too. But my point is firstly, unless you have someone like Abramovic who will at least pay for some if not all of the stadium, it takes some years to pay back. And secondly, will that extra revenue be enough to make a club like West Ham say, be able to compete with United! The answer to that is, no.

 

[Mark Tobias]

It's all about status, growing your fan base, increased security and increasing revenue.

That is a rubbish argument Trax. These clubs are more focused on growing their international fan bases these days. That is what earns the money these days. It is why the TV money is so huge... The security reason I can sort of get my head around. Increasing revenue? Then why has our stadium failed?

 

[Makingtrax]

That is a rubbish argument Trax. These clubs are more focused on growing their international fan bases these days. That is what earns the money these days. It is why the TV money is so huge... The security reason I can sort of get my head around. Increasing revenue? Then why has our stadium failed?

Don't see how it's failed. It looks magnificent and holds more people than Highbury.

It's quality footballers that get you a league title not a stadium.

 

[Mark Tobias]

Don't see how it's failed. It looks magnificent and holds more people than Highbury.

It's quality footballers that get you a league title not a stadium.

So then it is a failure, by nature of the current footballing landscape... They promised this stadium, pretty as it is, would lift us to the top. Which it has not. Therefore it is a failure and we should not have done it.

 

[Mark Tobias]

He's busting a gut to compete and has dedicated his life to the club.

He has Trax. He really has. But he's also earned himself over 100million doing so. Let's not act like he is some completely selfless martyr.

 

[Makingtrax]

He has Trax. He really has. But he's also earned himself over 100million doing so. Let's not act like he is some completely selfless martyr.

True, but he's the one on the front line. Gazidis gets £2.6m. What does he do for that?

Pep gets nearly double what Wenger gets and also a lot more resources to help him?

 

[Mark Tobias]

True, but he's the one on the front line. Gazidis gets £2.6m. What does he do for that?

Pep gets nearly double what Wenger gets and also a lot more resources to help him?

Pay me 100million pounds and see what I do for it.... Particularly as I am used to earning in Rands.
I get your point though. Could be earning more for doing less.

 

[Makingtrax]

Self sustaining model is a load of bullshit. Rich man speak for the workers will pay. We generate what 100m match day revenue per season, we the fans have paid for our spending we paid for Lacazette. We got short changed 50m.

Puma gave us 35m because nearly a million people each year buy Arsenal shirts. That's a million walking advertisements for Puma gear. Everything that is self sustaining is about us the fans ponying up our money for tickets, for sky, for merchandise and not one investor in this club putting a penny of their own money in.

You're an absolute sucker if you buy this self sustaining nonsense.

I read your post and as a socialist agreed with it. But, the more I think about it, I'm not sure.

At the end of the day Arsenal is a business and I'm just a punter paying my Silver Membership and buying tickets etc. If I don't like the entertainment I could bugger off.

When I buy a Mars Bar, whilst I don't cheer them on, I enjoy it occasionally. I don't think, '**** you Mars and your self sustaining business model, if you shareholders that take out your big dividends put your hands in your pockets I could get a bigger bar'.

What am I missing here?

 

[Makingtrax]

Must tell Sp**s that who are spending huge sums developing a new stadium or Liverpool who are expanding theirs or Everton who are seeking a new ground and Chelsea as well. They should just stop.

Or maybe they are right to do it because let's face it we generated over 400m for the first time and 100m came from match day revenue. So clearly there is a lot to be gained.

I think the issue is we done it all wrong. And nobody anywhere in senior position is willing to admit that.

How did we do it wrong?

 

[Mark Tobias]

I read your post and as a socialist agreed with it. But, the more I think about it, I'm not sure.

At the end of the day Arsenal is a business and I'm just a punter paying my Silver Membership and buying tickets etc. If I don't like the entertainment I could bugger off.

When I buy a Mars Bar, whilst I don't cheer them on, I enjoy it occasionally. I don't think, '**** you Mars and your self sustaining business model, if you shareholders that take out your big dividends put your hands in your pockets I could get a bigger bar'.

What am I missing here?

No, but you might say "**** you mars" if you paid for chocolate and you bit into a piece of poo. The fans are paying for chocolate and getting poo.

 

[Makingtrax]

No, but you might say "**** you mars" if you paid for chocolate and you bit into a piece of poo. The fans are paying for chocolate and getting poo.

That's a sh*t analogy

 

[redanddread]

 

[Makingtrax]

Nothing changes under the sun. Loved the term malcontents

Emotions run high in football. There are always people who think they know how a football club should be run, who to pick for the team and what the manager is doing wrong.

And there always will be.

 

[BobP]

Nothing changes under the sun.

Emotions run high in football. There are always people who think they know how a football club should be run, who to pick for the team and what the manager is doing wrong.

And there always will be.

Yeah, **** democracy, right?

How dare ordinary people try and chime in, trying to partake in things which they are clearly invested in? And I don't just mean emotionally in the case of the AST.

Let's just let the higher ups run things, we should keep our heads down and gratefully accept whatever is thrown our way.

Your attitude towards supporters is as disdainful as that pig Keswick.

 

[redanddread]

Nothing changes under the sun. Loved the term malcontents

Emotions run high in football. There are always people who think they know how a football club should be run, who to pick for the team and what the manager is doing wrong.

And there always will be.

I think there was a lot of fallout due to the chairman's arrogance & unwillingness to answer questions from his shareholders. Who as shareholders have a right to ask questions.

 

[redanddread]

Yeah, **** democracy, right?

How dare ordinary people try and chime in, trying to partake in things which they are clearly invested in? And I don't just mean emotionally in the case of the AST.

Let's just let the higher ups run things, we should keep our heads down and gratefully accept whatever is thrown our way.

Your attitude towards supporters is as disdainful as that pig Keswick.

That's not what he means bro - come on now. That's jumping to a hell of a conclusion.