Kroenke spent just over a billion buying the club and now arsenal are worth 2 billion. For all the profit and all the cash he has it really wouldn’t hurt if he signed a player every once in a while. He could easily fund the rebuild we so desperately need.

I'm counting down the days 'til that Nigerian billionaire fella takes us over

Anything chelsea achieve is, for me, always on the back of the money Roman put in. They were about to go to the wall, administration, selling all their best players, ‘another Leeds’. Right now they are incredibly well managed and don’t need the financial doping from Roman because they’ve built the brand, have huge sponsorship deals and work the transfer market better than arguably any team in the world - particularly the loan market. The example I always use is Zouma, they bought him for £15m, loaned him to Stoke for a £7.5m loan fee and then did exactly the same on loan to Everton, made sure his contract was kept up to date and now he’s back playing for them having already paid off his transfer fee from 2 absurd loans.

Haha

he’s got an interesting negotiating tactic that fella, tell the world and it’s mother he wants to buy the club THEN negotiate the price

You’re right Top Gun. There’s little difference in the chances of the Nigerian billionaire taking over and Arteta putting me in Arsenal’s starting team tomorrow. Neither will happen.

Apart from here, it’s not really mentioned that much. Abramovich took over Chelsea in 1993 as his first season there was our unbeaten league campaign. That’s 28 years ago. Nearly thirty years is a hell of a long time.

I’m wholly unimpressed when people use the excuse for our decline as not having enough money to rebuild the squad. Check Zed’s link. Abramovich has a bit more personal wealth than Kroenke, but there’s not a huge difference. Also, if Stan asked his ‘old woman’ for a few bob, maybe she give it to him as she’s stinking rich (also a multi billionaire) and together they have appreciably more than Abramovich. The reason Arsenal can’t rebuild to the extent some want isn’t so much a lack of money. It’s more to do with Stan refusing to put a penny (or cent) into the club.

No Aubameyang or smith-rowe for tomorrow

Don't know of a single Arsenal fan who enjoys the club being owned by Kroenke, so not sure who you're arguing against.

He could, but won't get in players, unless he gets a good resale value straight away or on loan. So no Mbappé.

Reason for no Mbappé, Stan wouldn't spend that much to get him.

Bernard,
I think you mean Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 not 1993. Oh to have been Ken Bates and bought Chelsea in 1982 for £1, turn around and sell the club to Abramovich for £18M I'm 2003. But, wouldn't want the club debt of around £80M prior to selling.

To be fair, Dein had good intentions. He saw where the league was going. Sugar daddy owners and thought we needed one as well. From what I understand (and I could be wrong...as I'm often so and am reminded enough ), the board at the time didn't want to go that route.

So he surreptitiously went that route on his own and positioned himself to run the club the way he saw fit with Kroenke being an absentee owner. It didn't work obviously and the board found out of his duplicity.

I wonder what we would look like today had the board not sold out to Kroenke. Some of the board members wanted to sell their shares anyway. It wasn't their intention to sell it to someone like Kroenke or later on Usmanov, which I fully agree with. But as we know they had no choice, found themselves between the proverbial Scylla and Charybdis. They went with what they believed was their best option. Better of two bad choices.

How many of the old board are still alive? Dein is. I know a couple have passed away. I'd love for someone to do an interview or even a short docu or show on what was going and their thoughts after the fact. As well as their present view and opinion.

Like almost all billionaires since 2008, Kroenke's wealth has exploded upward. He got the club roughly around the great recession of 2008. The 1% has increased their wealth exponentially since then. I think he was worth around 3 billion or so I think at that time. I can't be sure but he's probably doubled or tripled his net worth since then, as did other billionaires.

The pandemic has been great for some CEOs and owners (Amazon, etc) and bad for others (Starbucks, etc). Kroenke would have be placed in the latter.

The one big check on Kroenke that is different than his American sports properties is that the British/global Arsenal fans are much, much more vocal than their American counterpart. There is a line and he knows it. The passion of football fans is well known in America. We see the passion as being more than ours to some extent. I mean, we don't fight other fans over it..lol. (sidenote: a Brit friend said its interesting that we will do a mass shooting over literally anything but not sports).

One of the reasons Kroenke bought Arsenal I assume is that he knows the support is very loyal and will come no matter where the club is in the table. He is canny enough to understand that if he oversteps those same fans will be much more vociferous than the fans of the L.A. Rams or any of his other properties. I'd suggest that the L.A. fans are the most compliant of all his sides. The Denver teams have been in that city for much longer and in a much smaller city where the pride is much more. The Rams have to build a fan base among the young. You'd have to be over 40 or 45 to have much of a memory of the Rams when they were last in LA.

While I think there is little chance Dangote, the Nigerian billionaire will get the club, Kroenke has to be aware of his interest and at least knows if or when he wants to sell, he has a willing buyer. Dangote, I would assume, will spend to win things. Just like Usmanov would have. He has the resources to do it. PR wise, and at the risk of getting into 'identify politics' it would be a milestone I assume to have a black owner and make us look 'progressive'. Obviously, none of us (I hope) wouldn't give a sh*t the colour, religion or even gender of an owner as long as that person is of good character, loves the club and is earnest about seeing us win things.

If I had Bezos type money, I'd just offer Kroenke 3 billion or even 4 billion pounds for us. Sort of a financial version of Vito Corleone 'offer he can't refuse'. Ah...to dream.

Huge selection problem for Arteta today. He’s probably got no Ødegaard or Smith-Rowe to play the 10 position. No Aubameyang up front and no Tierney at left back. Plus he needs to think about resting players for next Thursday.
I predict we’ll see Ceballos in a 3 man midfield and being the one asked to push on in the No.10 position. Which will likely lead to a turgid match with little chances for us. Xhaka/Elneny/Ceballos midfield 3!....and Pépé/Lacazette/Willian front 3

Of course we should be starting fast, taking the game to the worst team in the league, but I expect us to yet again start slow, give them time to get themselves in to the game and find some confidence. There will be no consistent high press and we’ll struggle with the aggression, direct football and second balls. I really hope I’m wrong

8 games to go in the EPL. There can be no reason why Martnelli does not start in a majority of those games and Balogun must get some starts. We should be starting to plan for next season.

Eh? Have you been on the plonk?

Aubameyang said to be out the the flu. Just read an article that says public health england have not had a single case of the flu in2021. The chances of Aubameyang having flu are so so slim

I agree, but there is still the slim chance of snatching 7th and ensuring European football via the league. We’ve got the easiest run in. We need to overtake Leeds, villa, Everton and spurs. We should be, should be, winning 7 of our remaining 8 games. If we did I think we’d get at least 7th

Yes of course. Silly me. Genuine thanks Zed for reminding me of the dates. So make it eighteen years that he’s owned Chelsea for. My basic point about that still remains. Look at the fuss that was made about Abramovich when he first took over and compare it to now. It has reduced significantly over the eighteen years. In another ten years I imagine that’ll be even more the case. It’s the way time often works with history. But I do accept there will always be the occasional person who goes on about Abramovich with Chelsea’s status.

After all, I still hear the odd Tottenham fan here and there go on about Arsenal using personal ‘influence’ (more common words they use are bribery, corruption and such like) to get back into the old First Division and that was over a century ago. That possibly had longer-term relevance to the status of the North London clubs. Those Tottenham fans weren’t even alive back then. I tend to see them as ‘saddos’, and eventually I wonder if that word will becoming more associated with those using Abramovich’s influence decades in the future? Nevertheless, I do accept Abramovich will remain an issue for some in the long distant future.

However, despite that careless mistake I do still feel the post was a relevant one, as it covered other issues.

I can’t even put it down to having a bottle of Chateau Latour, as I didn’t.

The Blades sit at the bottom of the table with no hope of staying up. This game should 3 games in the bag but as we all know, we often play down to the level of the opposition.

It's said clubs in Sheffield's predicament have nothing to lose and play as such and would love a big name scalp as they are going down.

We should win this one pretty much no matter who we put out. Yes, respect the opposition and we don't have the luxury of taking the game for granted but we really should win this one. Anything other than a win is unacceptable.

As far as Aubameyang with the flu, its possible I guess. There aren't going to be zero flu cases. People still stay out in the outdoors or whatever too long and catch colds and flus. I take it, it seems 'suspicious'?

Martinelli is part of a 'too long' list of Arsenal players going back to Wenger that you wonder why they aren't playing. I'd love to have the real story of why. Saliba being the most recent and to a lesser extent Balogun.

Hi Rich. While you’re right with regards the maths of getting up the table, as I’ve said before the only consistent thing about our performances and results this season is our inconsistency. Accepting what you say about having a good looking run in, I will be surprised if we get the results that on paper we should. Today, as you say elsewhere, we play the worst team in the league. We should win comfortably and are thus firm favourites. But am I confident we will? The answer to my own question is a big, firm no.

Hi Rich,

Winning 7 out of 8 is title winning form. I'd be surprised if we win more than half those games given our inconsistency and ability to shoot ourselves in the foot at any given moment.

It's sad but thats where we are at the moment.

I can see us catching Villa and Leeds. However, I'd be happily surprised if we catch Everton who are 5 points ahead with a game in hand. Obviously, I think the planets will have to align perfectly to catch either Tottenham or West Ham either. Never thought I'd see the day when I'm saying that about Everton and West Ham. Although I'm very, very happy for West Ham. I read a lot of Dickens in school, maybe that's why.

Leeds is playing well (shhh...don't tell ltg) enough to keep us at bay. I don't think its a foregone conclusion we'll catch either.

Bottom line is we are all over the place. We aren't able to play well for a full 90 minutes against anyone. We haven't shown we can close out a match against anyone. We're our own worst enemy.

Again, I love the optimism of some but I'm a realist. And at the risk of sounding like a party pooper, I don't see us finishing higher than 10th if I'm honest to my own logic, reason and objectivity.

PS: We may be wise to be just as wary of Wolves or Palace as we are about catching Villa or Leeds.

Yep, I definitely don’t think we’ll win more than half either. I can certainly see us having the ability to throw in a very ‘meh’ performance in every one of those games.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7o4_fcK0qQo

Fast forward to 30:45 to hear Graham Hunters thoughts on Arteta. It’s a firm an endorsement of him as I’ve heard from anyone

A wine I haven’t tried yet. Any good ?

Looking online it seems a pricey one if your just having a sloosh if it’s not a fine dinner or special occasion

He kind of echoes my thoughts on this. “It’s Artetas team! Is it *%^@!”

There’s this huge pile of cow dung and underneath it sits Arteta and it’s impossible to pass judgement on it because of the huge pile of *%^@.

There’s a tactical structure there but probably not the right players to implement it and a general talent deficit as he described. So it’s left with our fans frustrated at a league position and micro analysing minor points in the belief we already possess the answer when we don’t.

I just can’t see it happening. For years we have been the ‘if only’ team. If only we won this game or that, if only Aubameyang had converted the penalty against Spurs we would have got CL, if only we signed...., if only we purchased a midfielder/ CB, if only ..... didn’t get injured. I don’t see us making it happen. Time to look at next season.

In my view it’s one of the very greatest wines in the world. Very consistent, as even in the lesser Bordeaux vintages they perform, in my view, better than other first growths. I remember going to a tasting of the 1961 (one of the Bordeaux vintages of the century) big eight for red Bordeaux. The five formal first growth (namely Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut Brion and Mouton Rothschild, plus Petrus, Cheval Blanc and Ausone) and the Latour was my own favourite. I like my reds to be full bodied and robust, and Latour is. Chateau Lafite can be a bit lighter.

I don't disagree with much of what Graham Hunter said, or implied, but by the same token we are on a very slippery slope and the further we fall down that slope the more difficult it is to climb back to the top.

Clearly, the circumstances in which Arteta is working are not ideal, both on an off the pitch. He has an unbalanced squad lacking quality in some key areas and he doesn't have £250m to buy his way back to the top. Not that splashing the cash is always the answer (ask United) but generally it is the most expeditious way to regain lost ground.

My concerns with Arteta are mainly with his man management and the fact that this group of players should not really be languishing in mid-table. It's an unbalanced squad but I am not sure he is making the best use of the resources he has at his disposal.

It was always a gamble to appoint Arteta because we were appointing a rookie manager who's only experience was as no. 2 and so he is effectively learning on the job. That said, I do feel he has failed to learn from some of his early mistakes and is still making some of them.

I have no idea what the answer is. Getting rid of Arteta is the easy thing to do, the hardest is to find the right man to replace him. I suspect he will get another season and another transfer window but if things are not looking markedly better by Christmas he could be in trouble, especially if fans are back in the ground by then.

Which brings me to another concern, the fact that Arteta sees the need to micro-manage the team from the sidelines, something that would be impossible with a full stadium. He clearly doesn't trust them to carry out his pre-game instructions or to adapt to changing situations within the course of a game. That is a damning indictment of the players.

Is it mostly the French wines you prefer as your usual go to? I’m actually quite partial to some of the Californian Pinot every once in a while.

He’s not the only manager micro managing his players soc. They are all at it ! Watch the opposing coaching team during the game. Watch Pep or klopp.

I think your right though that he doesn’t trust the players. I wouldn’t they aren’t good enough. We are better than our league position in my opinion but only by a few places.

When I watch us play I only really see 3 players who look capable enough of being slick on the ball to make something happen Ie pass, probe and create a chance. 2 from our academy Emile Smith Rowe and Saka and believe it despite his ability to frustrate Pépé.

Without horse trading we aren’t going to see a huge improvement and the season can’t end quick enough

Much of my collection is French, but certainly not exclusively. I have lots of wines from other countries. Must admit I’m not a huge fan of Pinot Noir because I do prefer full bodied wine, although I do collect lighter wines and sometimes drink it.

I remember buying the 1990 Domaine de Romanee Conti for £550 a bottle when it first came out in the early to mid-nineties. £550 pound was a lot more then than it is now. It’s the best pinot noir wine I’ve ever tasted. But it’s a long way from being my favourite wine.

I'm willing to wager its no better than a 50-50 proposition that Kroenke knows where we are in the table.

...and he may very well be the ONLY owner who doesn't.

Wow. Perhaps you could buy out Kroenke.

Another example in the Burnley v Newcastle game of a ref bottling a decision in the penalty area that would be given as a free kick anywhere else on the pitch. Burnley GK makes a save and it pops up to about neck height, the Newcastle attacker goes to head it in as the Burnley defender goes to hook it clear. Head, Foot and Ball all make contact at the same time at neck height but no penalty is given. In the middle of the pitch it is given for the high foot/dangerous play all the time and no one would complain.

Of course, we should be able to get three points. But I'm almost more confident that we'll get a decent result against Prague. Arteta's selections, and the seeming lack of focus on the pitch, in league games when we got a Europa game coming, is not confidence inspiring.

Must admit, regardless of any rights or wrongs of the decision, as I want Fulham to survive, I’m not complaining.