Welcome To New 'Holic, And Dein Sensation
Apr 18th, 2007 by 'holic
It’s a big event in ‘Holic Towers tonight as we sneak surreptitiously into our new home. The fact that you are here means you have found us. Thank you. I had planned a load of cobblers about outgrowing the old home that meant so much, moving to palatial new surroundings to accommodate you and all the new ‘Holic readers, and then what happens?
For weeks us bloggers have been scratching around quite frankly, looking for scraps to lay before you. Tonight, however, a story is breaking that could prove to be a storm in a teacup, or one of the most significant moments of our great club.
We had twenty four hours notice that all was not well with the relationship between David Dein and the rest of the board. OK, there had been rumours for quite a while, but the first concrete evidence was presented in the form of chairman Peter Hill-Wood’s comments on Tuesday.
Hill-Wood was reported as saying that ‘the major shareholders’, himself, plus Danny Fiszman, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith and Richard Carr, would not entertain selling to Stan Kroenke. The name Dein was hugely noticeable by its absence.
So the announcement of Dein’s departure yesterday may have been a bombshell, the ‘parting of the ways’ perhaps made less so with the benefit of hindsight. I don’t mind admitting that a worrying few weeks lies ahead, for all sorts of reasons.
The press will feast on the relationship between Dein and Wenger, and those of a mind to stir up trouble will suggest another parting of the ways is inevitable. Nonsense, I say.
Dein has now been cast adrift by the holders of around forty-five percent of Arsenal shares. They may have won their personal battle, but the takeover war is far from over. Dein may yet be back as they pack their bags.
There will be a great deal of speculation over the coming days. I am even expecting to see Dein linked with Chelsea and Manchester United. All I can say to you is keep your bullshit filters unblocked, because there is a whole lot of the stuff heading our way.
Anyway, welcome to the all new Goonerholic. There are a couple of new features on the tabs at the top of the page. I particularly like ‘Hol-Picks’ which is where I highlight some of the other blog articles that have caught my eye in the last week. I have a feeling at least one Dein story will be there in the next day or two. If you are a new vistor thanks for dropping by. Why not leave a comment and let me know what you think before you go.
Up The Arse!
9 Responses to “Welcome To New 'Holic, And Dein Sensation”
Surprising news, coz I thought the club was going to sell to Kroenke, based on what I heard from Arsene and Edelman recently. DD has done a lot for the club, and I wish he didnt have to go.
Its predictable to have apprehensions abt Arsene’s future coz of this, Dave. In fact, thats the 1st thing that occurred to me as well, as Arsene’s contract runs till 2008 and he has been conspicuous in his silence regarding an extension.
Btw, I quite like the hol-picks section. Good going.
A sensible balanced perspective Dave. You are right that the bullshit filters will need to be set to maximum over the next few weeks. I wonder how much Wenger will look to harden stability? He usually leaves any contract extension to the last minute which means that though the ‘no sale’ agreement between the shareholders should ensure no take over in the next twelve months we could be facing increasing speculation about Wenger throughout next season. Hopefully this won’t have to disruptive an effect on the club next season.
Splendid new home GH. I look forward to your daily dose of common sense!
Thanks guys,
What a load of old holics have appeared today!
Hallo there, today’s news is all a bit fishy I think. Taken at face value I say fair play to the board and AW has always stated that he’s against foreign takeovers. So far so good. But, if the board (bar DD) are so unanimous in that decision and were already aware of Kroenke’s buying up of the ITV shares, why the blazes would it be okay for Fiszman to see any of his without knowing where they were ending up? Seems a little foolish to me.
Congrats on the new site.
Congrats on your new site – I always enjoy reading your balanced views. I’ll try to leave comments more often.
Re the DD situation, I haven’t got a clue what it will mean for the club, but at least we know that no takeover can happen in the next year. As long as Arsene is here to continue with his team building, I’m hopeful that next year will be even better for The Arsenal.
The new site looks good mi ol’ holic. All this with DD is both intersting and worrying. It could usher in a new era for the second time in as many years or it could spell disaster for the common fan. If Kronke does come in for the club then I hope he brings Dein back. Despite being vice-chairman he has probably done more for Arsenal than any other board member.
Seems that Wenger has moved pretty quickly to stabilise his position announcing that “his position remains “very strongly†linked with the Club”. Seems to set the right tone for me.
Good luck with the site. If the comments section can avoid the nonsense that afflicts other blogs this should do well.
Thanks again for the coments and for visiting.
Amos, one thing I have learned is that nonsense is different things to different people, but I know just what you’re saying.
The one thing I hope you all get from this site as a whole is that I am just one voice, and there are a lot of others out there with much to say that is worth reading. I’m just glad you included me on your tour today.
Cheers,
‘Holic.