Did you know that there are actually people in this world, who switch their clubs just so that they don’t get ripped off by others? No, I’m serious, there are actually people who switched Football Clubs so that they can tell people that “we won so and so….but what did you win?” It’s not pretty, and I know how low and degraded one may sound when he says that “I ‘use’ to support whatever club.”
For these people, life is not very bumpy as they just want to spend the times in which ‘their’ club is on top. After that, its time to move on…
We know that Arsenal’s current season is not a standard supply curve, and lets face it, the team is nowhere near as what we want it to be, but that was obvious wasn’t it. Supporting a club which maintains so much discipline, not only in its financial structure, but also in its maintenance, is a very demanding task. We don’t have an oil Magnate, nor do we have a Sheikh. It’s a self-sustainable, system which has been installed in the roots of the club, and it will kick in soon. In fact it probably has..all the debt on highbury has been cleared.
Here is what Gazidis said on property debts:
“When I spoke to you last year we had about £120million of debt on Highbury Square and I remember a lot of the questions revolved around that and our property development activity,” he said.
“We have put a lot of focus behind that and I am pleased to announce that Highbury Square is now debt-free. So now every sale of an apartment at Highbury Square is generating profits for the Club that come back in and are available for reinvestment.
“The other thing that has happened has been Queensland Road on the south side of the Stadium. The affordable housing part of that development has been sold to a developer so we are entirely debt-free on the property side.
Yeah, there are some Gooners out there, who will say ‘so-what,’ how does the clubs debt situation help the club in the sporting sense? Arsenal have not won anything in the last 5 years. Yeah, we all know that. In fact that is probably the media’s second favourite thing apart from Capello! But nobody sees the conditions behind Arsenal, nobody. It’s all the time spend, spend, and spend!!! Its very easy to say that, you know. We need a Messi, we need a CR7 and we need a Vidic! Arsenal need this, this and this, so go to the supermarket and purchase one of each. But its not that simple, its not.
First, the question arises whether, the club shall break its discipline, and most of the time it is yes, because as you know we don’t spend a lot ! Second, if we get pass barrier one, whether the player wishes to come. And third, the wage structure, which is majorly related to Question 1…United won the league, Chelsea won the league, Spurs won the Carling cup…but Arsenal did not win. Yeah, ok , Arsenal did not win, but that does not mean the club shall lose its discipline to win. If you can’t buy something, that does not mean you are going to steal it ! That goes against your morals, so similarly some stuff which we want the club to do, it just can’t be done because it goes against the clubs morals…
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not for Wenger, in the sense that I don’t feel he is tactically very good. In fact I have never seen him use a really good tactic ever, you know, something like Guardiola using the tactic of “widening the defense” to crush Real, or Mourinho suffocating Barca at the Nou Camp with Inter. Moreover, when we lose I do swear at him, getting really pissed of, because he goes into the game unprepared. But as a person for the club, he is a gem, in fact for any club he would be a gem. A man who has shown his loyalty for the club through thick and thin, and who has helped the club become stable in such an environment where you see clubs spending 25 million pounds on players like – James Milner, and 30 million pound for Adebayor!
I do oppose Wenger regarding some of his decisions and tactics, (yeah I’m being honest,) but I shall never oppose the fact that the club keep its discipline. That is what is Arsenal, and that is what it stands for. What we do, should be followed by others, and lets face it…its hard. Chelsea tried it, and look at the them. I go to some Chelsea blogs, and majority of the articles surround around a plea for Abrahamovich to spend! City’s transfer spending is about 126 million pounds. 120 million as you know, was our debt on highbury last year, and this summer our transfer spending was a little less than 12 million pounds…..So you can see the difference in utilising money.…
Life is like a rollercoaster ride, there are ups and downs, while you sit still and experience all of them. If you support Arsenal, and if you are a true Gooner, you’ll know that it’s just the same.
Arsenal till I die, and even after that..well atleast I hope !
Cheer-i-o,
Submitted by DKD
