Gunners Safe For Now – But For How Much Longer?
Oct 4th, 2017 by 'holic
Since Arseblog News broke the story about Stan Kroenke’s bid for Alisher Usmanov’s shares we have been waiting for a response from the Arsenal’s second largest shareholder. Today that response came and after a quick scan social media responded positively to the apparent rejection of Kroenke’s bid.
“In recent days there has been speculation relating to a possible offer for my 30% stake in Arsenal. As part of that I can understand the anxiety that these rumours are causing to the fans as reflected by the Arsenal Supporters Trust. In light of this, I would like to be clear that I am not holding any talks with Mr Kroenke about a sale. My interest in Arsenal from the beginning was long term and my intention has always been to buy additional shares should they become available. I have always been, and will always continue to be, an ardent supporter of Arsenal and I see my 30% stake as an important aspect in protecting the best interests of the fans in the club. “
That’s clear then, or is it? Lest we forget, the Uzbek is in an awkward position as a major stakeholder with absolutely no say in the running of the club. What he currently claims to be a long-term investment is tying up money in an organisation which he cannot influence. The thought that he might be some sort of white knight protecting the club from falling totally into the hands of Kroenke is naive at best. But wait, in the next breath he adds,
It has been well documented that I have no say in the running of the club, that my views differ from those of the majority shareholder and that I would take a different approach to delivering footballing success. I would like to assure supporters that I am open to various future scenarios: a constructive partnership with the majority shareholder, the purchase of his stake either alone or in a consortium, or if a party appears who shares my and undoubtedly the majority of fans’ vision for the club, I could consider the question of selling my stake.”
So, he is open to selling his stake, and make no mistake, there is probably only one buyer who would pay top dollar for that 30% stake. What appears to be happening now are the first public signs of a negotiation. Two exceedingly rich men are playing a deadly serious game of The Price Is Right. The first bid and counter-bid are in and that is the base line set in stone. Now we wait, and hopefully wait some more, and then some, to see which of the two will blink first.
Kroenke holds all the aces.
78 Responses to “Gunners Safe For Now – But For How Much Longer?”
Someone else with even deeper pockets than both Usmanov & Kroenke, combined together, may be just around the corner! ? ?
OFAC shall soon be entering the International Football Business one is sure! Anti-terrorism financing anyone? ?️
Great point Holic. I was wondering if there was even an offer from Kroenke to Usmanov or whether it was just an effort from Usmanov to flush out the “fans consortium”.
Am I right to assume you cannot own shares in more than one club? If Usmanov wants to get involved in Everton, I assume he has to sell his Arsenal holding.
There is a fan consortium backed by middle eastern money who offered to buy Kroenke’s stake according to some papers, it may be that they buy Usmanov’s shares but at least it sounds like Usmanov will not sell to Kroenke which is the most important thing.
Also will be interesting if this does happen, what excuse Kroenke has for locking them out of the boardroom…
Wish he would just bugger off (or have a stroke).
Cheers H!
Exactly that, Louise.
Evening Esso!
NOBODY is going to control my foreign assets!!!
Even if I did have any.
Cheers ‘H. And oh gawd, that we’ve become the plaything of 2 bonkaaaahs billionaires; it makes the fact that our once genius manager has become way less than that seem quasi-inconsequential.
Ain’t that a wassername …
https://youtu.be/J8KJe8Ugtd8
Thanks for the round-up, H. A troubling situation and no doubt an indication of a troubling future. I really cannot see a minted saviour coming over the horizon any time soon.
I never anticipated that our second largest shareholder would turn out to be a white knight when he entered the fray but at the moment he really appears to be the only obstacle to the Arsenal becoming the plaything of a dilettante sports entrepreneur.
It’s not at all a good situation for our dear old club. And Lester’s link seems very appropriate. It is indeed, sir.
Agreed, and thank you both. This place has enabled me to share bread and wine with folk I respect a great deal.
Speculate all you like, the ways of billionaires are a foreign country. I’d suggest Usmanov is as likely to act solely in defence of Arsenal fans as play in midfield alongside Xhaka.
We can but pray … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDlcqhlzDqQ
My vote for the greatest singer of the ’50s.
How did Stan become the majority shareholder of my club? Who sold to him?
No big hopes of either. To have
one dodgy main shareholder is
unfortunate, but to have two
smacks of shittiness.
At the moment the best hope
seems to be Stan’s needing
money for his US business and
trying to attract some attention.
from a potential buyer. Seems a
pretty fucking forlorn hope I
must admit. Even the fan consortium
may not be good until we know who
is actually behind them holding
the purse strings.
I really wouldn’t like Stan to get
total control, he is a serial loser
with his US teams. Devil, deep
blue sea, etc.
This place has enabled me to share bread and wine with folk I respect a great deal.
You sound like a Catholic priest there, H. Careful now.
Down with this sort of thing etc.
As for Stan, aD, all of the board sold their shares to him, as did ITV PLC.
Usmanov bought Dein’s approx 15% of the club stock and picked up shares from various other shareholders, but the board all sold to Kroenke.
The fools.
Your comments are correct Cynic but Dein introduced Kroenke to the board in the first place.
What also pisses me off royally is the £919 million bonus for good old Ivan. What on earth would we pay him if he was any good. The club’s planning and PR is a shambles and he trousers more than most supporters will earn in a lifetime?
No wonder Kroenke wants to buy up all the shares and cancel the AGM . That should be very fruity this year. But at £28k a share not many mortals can afford to become shareholders even if the shares were available. Still good old Gazidis can and how he richly deserves it.
Come on Usmanov keep on going mate. You are our last hope- how has it come to this?
£919 million?? Is there a decimal point missing there, TTG?
…a fair bit more than I earned in my working lifetime!
CBA – If your head isn’t messed up watch this.
Job done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU0Kvzth5dY
I was going to say I hope it’s
919,000 but I wouldn’t like to
give Ivan even that, I could sit
and waffle bollocks for a lot less.
“Lest we forget, the Uzbek is in an awkward position as a major stakeholder with absolutely no say in the running of the club.”
And there, in that one sentence lays a great deal of the problems. It makes the whole system totally ridiculous. It demonstrates all thstviscwrinf with this great club of ours.
I don’t see Stan as being anything other than bad news for the club. I’m not convince that the Uzbek is much better than the lesser of two evils. I hate it with a passion.
If the two can’t sit down and talk about the future of this club then that simply is shocking. The fact that someone has a 30% share in the club and no say in what happens is embarrassing. Even more so when you look at the geriatrics and incompetents that have been placed in charge.
Sad times in my opinion.
Cynic @15 thanks. There should be a buy back clause somewhere in that document. One man shouldn’t be allowed to selfishly hold everyone to ransom by grabbing just a scrotum, I mean. It’s a pity.
I don’t often post here & haven’t met any of you as of yet so apologies for a selfish post.My first son,Milo,was born on Tuesday and carries on a long line of gooners including grandparents,parents,cousins,sisters,brothers & nephews.I now have the complete set & couldn’t be a prouder man.If he has half the amazing time I have had for the last 40 years supporting the Arsenal & meets such fantastic people as you guys then I will be one very happy man!!!
Many congratulations BergkampToes.
An early morning toast to your son and to wet the lad’s head. ??
Likewise Guvna @10. ?
Cheers Bath.If I still lived in Bath (1993-2015)I would have a dram with you!!
Congratulations Bergkamp Toes,
I’d suggest multiple pints in The Star, The Bell, The Raven and The Old Green Tree would be just the ticket, unless Bathgooner knows of a better boozer?
Bergkamp Toes,
Congrats and all the best to you
and Milo. Many happy years of
Arsenal watching to you both
(and all of us come to think of
it) 🙂
I was always a fan of the Hop Pole,Hobgoblin & Pig & Fiddle-but let’s be honest,other than the Weatherspoon’s in Kingsmead Square,all pubs in Bath were well worth a visit ?.Thanks for all your kind words.UTA.
Welcome, and all the best to you and Milo, Bergkamp Toes. ?
Chris,
Twas late at night after an awards dinner ( in other words I was a bit pissed) and I of course meant k instead of m! So a mere almost million quid is a drop in the ocean!
Anyone bought a share for about £400 as a birthday present and who has hung onto it is quids in .
Congratulations to BErgkamp Toes and the burgeoning BT family. Milo is a great name albeit for a cat in my case. 🙂
Good stuff BT. I was delivered my first grandson 18 months ago, and I can’t help looking at the little guy (now running around into everything, while ‘talking’ in strange noises he probably learnt from the dog rather than his parents – his first word was ‘cheese’ apparently) and wondering what sort of world we have provided for him.
I say we, but Hitler, al-Qaeda, Bush jr, Isal, C&W musos, Godwallahs, Jimmy Savile and many others may have had more influence than me in creating the current mess.
It doesn’t look good, but then I was born during a world war and things improved after that. So where there’s hope…
Isal
Rough toilet paper = the destruction of humanity. Arse first.
😉
Isis if you prefer, Cynic. But as I’m sure you know that name was taken for the Egyptian goddess of health, nature and wisdom long before Islamic State. Here in the Ngaio dog park we have two dogs called Isis, both named before Isal came along, and the poor owners have both been abused for the name.
I imagine readers of Oxford University’s Isis Magazine may also cause raised eyebrows amongst the ignoranti. That Isis being the olde name for the Thames.
I missed the qualification of England tonight as I have journeyed to Bermuda with Mrs TTG. But from what I gather our deal with the Scousers for the Ox looks more and more like a mugging. Was this correct?
Well done Scotland !
RIP Tom Petty, this time for sure. Lots of nostalgia in saying goodbye.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BJXwNeKsQ
TTG,
Ox was poor. We got good money
for him, good if we spend it on a
better replacement.
I’m more concerned about
Sterling now, I really hope that
the idea of a swap doesn’t
resurface. Peppy must realize
sooner or later that Sterling
rarely actually achieves anything.
England were woeful against opposition who did practically nothing. Ox and Hohum Sterling spent most of the game giving the ball away. How they get to play while Theo and Jack can’t even make the squad is a mystery.
Theo and Jack don’t make the squad because they’re not playing first team football. Simples.
Unbeaten run plus international break makes for a very quiet bar. Watch the responses if we lose at Watford!
Jan target: Amadou Diawara, pls. Let’s solve the combative mid issue and let the rest ‘express’ themselves. He would suit us better than the slow Carvalho or Catalan-dreaming Seri.
Theo being linked with a January move away?
Amazing considering he is world class???
Theo
Swap with Van Dijk
Ozil
Swap with Thomas Miller
Sanchez
Swap with Draxler
Easy game this footie
Imagine those three in our team
Cech
Bellerin Van Dijk Koscielny Nacho Kalashnikov
Wishere Ramsey
Nelson Muller Draxler
Lacazette
Simples
You can be world class but if your manager stubbornly refuses to pick you, you will become available.
See Alexis at Barcelona
I won’t say Ozil at Madrid, because he’s bang average.
To me.
Mention of Diawara reminds me that the Mail did their 100 worst strikers in Premier League history this week and, quite surprisingly, Kaba Diawara didn’t get a mention. Neither did Bendtner.
Chamakh, Sanogoals and Park were our entries in the list.
Quiet bar, ‘holic? I could supply a few dozen anti-Kroenke drinks if needed. 😉
Picking up the mighty bt8’s bat-on (U.S. pronunciati-on) and running/semi-staggering, slighty (it’s a Fridee, for eff’s sake) with it …
This one’s a cheapo jibe (he’s worth it!) at our wig-wearing, weirdo-supremo …
https://youtu.be/4aQtqwIqnvE
Enos Nose!
Need more Hovis
https://arsenalonetwofive.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/040-zzz873.jpg
Stumbled upon the squad photo in high res
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/09/nintchdbpict0003524475581.jpg
Re: 48.
’tis a good thing Herbert Chapman never said they should eat cake.
Re: 49. What are they smiling about in the second row (Giroud through Elneny)? Whatever it is, Wilshere is not in on the joke.
Bit harsh on Chamakh I feel.
Be great if the fail did a 100
worst journalists list.
Starting with 12 could give us a definite advantage, TTG (#43). 😀
Theo isn’t world class, Steve T, just better than some who have regularly started ahead of him in recent years. AW prefers energetic show ponies to players such as OG and Theo who actually score goals.
Scoring goals should be a priority when your defence is as poor as ours.
I’m with AW – sod the defence
let’s go 3-2-5
Cech
Mus, Kos, Nacho
Coq, Kola
Feo, Aaron, OG, Danny, Laca
Leave out Ozil and Alexis as they’re
leaving anyway, then see how many
we can win 8-7 🙂
Chris.
Your infatuation with Theo has bordered on obsessive at times. I fully accept that this is a place for the debate of different opinions but Theo has never been able to reach the heights we all would have wanted him to. He has shown glimpses of what could of been and had a period a year or two ago where there was an increase in both desire and Work rate. But it’s alk too little and too sporadic.
In the current formation I do not see where Theo fits in. Like many, I’m not a major fan of playing 3 at the back. However, if we go with that system then Theo does not even get close to starting. Why? Because he is not going to start as a wing back, he is not good enough to play the Central role and we all know he has very little defensive ability.
Theo sadly is just another one of those nearly players. He has had his moments and at times has looked as if he might have seen the light. But ultimately the end result is always the same.
Theo for me is a squad player and no more than that. The fact that we are in the Ropey will at least guarantee him games. That can only be a good thing. Will he ever be able to make the step up with any consistency? Sadly, I just don’t see it.
Theo for Amadou Diawara, Napoli
The BBC website currently has a feature on the top reasons why England fans should be cheerful, but they only have a video of a comedian giving the reasons and have refused to put the reasons in print.
“Funny” reasons that aren’t too funny as it turns out.
Cheerful news items must wait for later in the month, it seems.
Cheers bt8 for making me feel wanted 🙂 I do lurk, quite often, but now, thanks to you, feel more confident to re-enter this esteemed bar for a few more drinks from time to time. It is, after all, my first port of call to read a true reflective report of any match thanks to the Maestro ‘holic.
BGE. Wonderful to hear you are alive and lurking. 😀
In other results today,
Gibraltar (0) weren’t quite up to the ssyphean task of moving the Estonia (6).
Sisyphean that should have been. I looked it up in the dictionary. :whoops:
As previously stated I would not start Theo in the current formation either, Steve T. I’d start a front 3 of Alexis, OG and L’Exocet. But I would always start him ahead of Danny (or Ox as was) in any formation. The sooner we get back to 4 at the back, as played by all the best teams in Europe – Barca, RM, Juve, AC and Bayern etc – the better.
Also as stated previously I hope Theo leaves so he can get on with his career, and I can shut up defending him. 😀
Chris
You tumbled my plan
Play very small players and use twelve of them !
Then all we’d need, TTG, is a ref who can’t count and we’ve got it made!
SteveT @56 expertly summarises the Feo conundrum. He has failed to convince far too often. Nor has he shown sufficient evidence of progression to justify retaining him. Liquidate the asset please.
Guess am a bit late but congrats to Bergkamp Toes for our new Milo ‘D Gunner. Hopefully he’d not only be a fan but also a member of the Arsenal starting 11 who’ll do the UCL trophy back-2-back.
In other news, Iwobi saved Nigeria today. I think he’s going places.
It seems Sanchez saved Chile
as well.
Sadly, I think he’s going places
too.
Can a team as average as we have been afford to lose two players who scored 34 league goals and 49 between them in all competitions?
As bad as many of you reckon Theo is, do you think anyone we have if he left would be capable of scoring 19 goals from the wing? Welbeck and Iwobi?
Do you think we’d replace him with someone who can do this? That type of player doesn’t grow on trees.
There’s always been this weird thing with Theo in that with most players, our fan base kids itself that players who aren’t playing are brilliant (the old fan thing of players getting better whilst out of the team) but with Walcott he gets somehow incrementally worse the less he plays.
He is not world class, and he hasn’t improved massively (along with many others we’ve had in the last ten years, so maybe at least part of that is down to dreadful coaching – without wishing to let any players off for their own lack of progress) but he is still the best finisher we have apart from Alexis, and if you take it as read that he’s going, if Walcott goes as well we’re losing huge amounts of goal potential.
Maybe Theo’s problem can be solved if he is rebranded.
Seeing as his middle name is James, if he just starts calling himself James Walcott I bet half his critics would go away overnight.
bt8,
a cracking idea 🙂
If you haven’t used a false name
in life you’re just not living right!
Not church music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLaiVaIDw0
Unless you are lucky with your church. 🙂
bt8b: Martha Reeves’s grandfather was a minister, her family were active in his church and she was brought up on gospel. So if your church was the Detroit Metropolitan Church you were lucky.
And more belated congratulations to Bergkamp Toes and a new Junior Gooner.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thanks for the excellent team photo, Cynic. Somehow Wenger’s name has got buggered.