"Unfortunately, Hill-Wood's attitude is : We are Arsenal, we have more integrity than other clubs, we've never renegotiated a contract with anybody in our history. That policy is old-fashioned, snobbish, and self-defeating. It's complete bollocks. Arsenal is a modern business like any other. And that's why they need a worldly CEO with some balls, rather than an administrator like Ken Friar."
- Myles Palmer, Arsenal News Review
I'm spending most of my time reviewing other Arsenal blogs. I really should rename this site "Fucking-Arsenal-Blogs", at least during the off-season. Observing how gooners react to Arsenal news is much more interesting than Arsenal news itself.
Myles Palmer has written a couple of really good posts lately, entitled "Arsenal: the big picture", about the finances behind the rather bizarre antics of this off-season. I don't presume to understand the credit crunch, or London property prices, or how a jittery financial market affects our 260 million pound loan. But it is interesting to read about it.
The above quote comes from the assertion that we're being shafted by our Emirates shirt deal. We're getting 6 million a year, compared to 14 million by Man Utd from AIG and 16 million by Chelsea from Samsung. We've got an shirt deal with an equivalent monetary value as Ajax's.
Moreover, we've negotiated a bunch of deals with a bunch of companies to finance our stadium deal. We've been shafted in the long-run, but we got the money upfront. And we're paying for it now because of the housing slump, because of the finanical meltdown, because Highbury Flats won't sell and we've got to put every pound we earn from the stadium back into the loan.
Problem is, we're being run by an idiot. Peter Hill-Wood is an idiot. There's no beating around the bush on this one. He's the scion of some very talented people, and he's got by on his connections, his wealth and his name. And he's the figurehead of a club that could become the biggest in England, but which is languishing behind Man Utd and Liverpool in terms of global reach, and which is being hunted down by a hungry, ruthless Chelsea. Isn't it weird that, for a supposedly big club, our three super-stores are all located in London?
We need Stan Kroenke. Not for his wealth, not for his connections, but for his business skills.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
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2 comments:
amen. read the same article. peter hill wood is the managerial equivalent of lemming covered in petrol running for an open flame, the naivete' of a toddler opposing an on-rushing hun army, the judgement of an effeminate gay guy looking for a date in an ex-con biker bar. the next time we hear from this unabashed, driveling imbecile he will likely state in a refined etonesque dialect that 'arsenal is declaring bankruptcy, it is the noble thing to do'. skating by on his connections? he's probably still breast feeding, 'mumsy, time for a wee suckie?' the managerial level at afc is just unacceptable. as he's once defiantly stated 'we don't need his sort', eh oh what sort might that be son?, the competent sort? at least the imbecilic managers at chels, pool and manu have the intention to see their clubs improve. hey, had fun on your blog today, i have to say it's certainly one of the more cerebral columns, not just another stir up and vent fest, cheers mate.
No, thanks for your comments, anon. Most entertaining, and colourful. Come back anytime.
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