Three Welcome Points, But A Takeover Storm Is Brewing
Apr 10th, 2011 by 'holic
What a strange day. Almost surreal from start to finish. Regular readers know I had a solemn morning lined up, and as Arsenal kicked off at Blackpool I was enjoying a lunch in the company of people who had been important to the ‘holicdad for all of his adult life. The wonders of the V+ box meant I was able to take in the game, ‘as live’, at just after four.
As a designated driver today I enjoyed my first Guinness as the game got underway, so therefore was a little more sober than usual when I was informed that ‘we’ve just heard that Jens Lehmann starts in goal for Arsenal’. Now come on, admit it, most of us felt a mixture of relief and tension at that. Needless to say he was a pivotal figure in the match that followed.
For the opening quarter of an hour or so I am guessing most were thinking that we had not paid any heed to the midweek inquests that happened at Shenley. A sign of what was to follow came when van Persie was released but lacked the chest control to create a clear opportunity. At the second time of asking he got it right, and fed Diaby for the opener. This was the same Diaby who had started the move in his own half. If only he could consistently produce at this level he would not be to the fore when the discontented discuss the summer departures.
The celebrations had barely died down when another tip for pastures anew, Emmanuel Eboue, smashed a quite spectacular second home with his left peg having exchanged passes with Jack Wilshere. Three minutes transformed us from a troubled outfit to contenders once more, and yet we owed a great deal to the left leg of the returning Jens, and a Cesc clearance, as the half drew to a close. Blackpool were not dead.
You have to admire the way that Ian Holloway sets his side up to play. It reminds me of the West Brom of two years ago. They went down, and I fear Blackpool may follow suit, but just about everybody who cares for football is behind them as they bid to survive. In the second-half they threw everything at us. They should have been four or five down, but weren’t. I have to say I thought it was about time we enjoyed a bit of good fortune, and no doubt it arrived.
The main moments of the second period were about two potential penalties for the hosts. They had other appeals but none of any value frankly. They were looking to tumble cheaply from the off. Having said that the two key decisions went our way, and I thought Lee Mason got one right, and one wrong. The Blackpool goal arrived courtesy of a moment of smart refereeing. Doubtless you will be shocked to read those words here, and I will return to the refereeing topic in the week, I hope.
How many of us think we may have won the Champions League in 2006 if Lehmann had not been pinged and sent-off and Barca had been allowed the opener? Here was the situation again. Mason allowed play to continue, Blackpool scored, and Jens stayed on. A bit of a result you have to say given that we did not have a substitute goalkeeper after Almunia was withdrawn from the starting line-up. It still heralded a very sticky patch in which we could, perhaps should, have been pulled back level.
I don’t think we can argue that Koscielny took out Taylor-Fletcher with his trailing leg, and it was in the area. If that happened at the other end we would have been incensed. We would argue we are owed, if things really do balance out over the course of a season, but that will be of little comfort to Blackpool sympathisers. The introduction of Walcott for Arshavin enabled the arguments to be rendered pointless. Diaby freed him to set up van Persie for the clincher, and keep the title race alive.
Is Lady Luck turning our way at last? Can we make the most of this three points and add to them next week against Liverpool? Let’s worry about that next week. I am loathe to get into repeating the mantra I repeated last season, because ultimately it didn’t apply, but all we can do is…
WIN THE NEXT MATCH.
So Much For Multiple Ownership?
Reports tonight confirm the mutterings of last week that Stan Kroenke is going to finally take the logical next step and complete his takeover of the club by agreeing a deal for the shares belonging to Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith. The 32 % of the shares they hold, allied to Kroenke’s all-but-thirty percent, clearly make him the majority shareholder and oblige him to make an offer for the remaining shares.
Those close to the club will be presenting this as the acceptable option of the two available at this time. Forgive me if I wait to see what Kroenke brings to the table, how Usmanov reacts, and whether enough shares are kept out of the grasp of ANY potential suitor to ensure we do not become one man’s plaything. Grateful though we should all be to the American for keeping us out of the grasp of Red and White Holdings until now, that doesn’t yet stretch to a wholehearted welcome for the ‘silent’ one.
It’s time to tell us what you plan, Stan.
117 Responses to “Three Welcome Points, But A Takeover Storm Is Brewing”
Heh, Holic. Sounds like you enjoyed your surreal day. I’m pleased. We saw the game similarly.
Beachside Blast Bemuses Bleaters
While demonstrating his Spanish beach game skills to sun-bleached Seasiders in the warm up, Manuel sprained his left brain cell and immediately fell out of the saddle at Beachers Brook and had to be put down to the bench. Blackpool Tower stands 518 feet 9 inches high. The man who walked on to replace the hapless waiter stood the full 519. Mental Man Jens was back for the battle of Bloomfield Road!
The sun shone down throughout and Blackpool enjoyed its full quotient of summer sun in a single 90-minute spell. Deck-chaired Gooners, fresh from a north beach paddle, sat and sizzled under knotted hankies with trousers still rolled at calf length. Toffee apples were munched under “Kiss Me Quick, Eboue” hats. Then they were off, down the straight, and Arsenal came close to a fall before the first fence.
The 1950’s Tangerine footballing power set out to expose an Arsenal mid-field designed only for attack. Arsenal’s defense gave a great demonstration of the “Blackpool Rock” and melted like candy-floss for the first ten minutes. Chorister Clichy gave a fine rendition of “I do like to screw up beside the seaside” as orange waves rolled relentlessly towards our beleaguered Franco-German beach defenses. They chose the route down their right and poured crosses and corners at Jens – who was up for it when My Pal Al would likely have flapped and panicked.
The Central Pier of Arsene’s strategy was Fabregas. Though El Capitan looked short of his best, Cesc layered perfect ball after perfect ball forward as if on Blackpool promenade tramlines.
Robin should have scored early from a first peach-melba pass through the sunshine, but just failed to control after a perfect chest down. Moments later though, Diaby won the ball for Fabregas to Robin to Diaby who’d continued his run to slam a knickerbocker glory home. The BBB loathe Diaby and didn’t know whether to cheer or whine. They “Boooed” inwardly instead, thinking, “I hate fecking Diaby”.
Then it was Eboue’s turn. From a beautiful through ball from Wilshere, the man the BBB say should never be seen again in an Arsenal shirt went Walking on Sunshine and thumped a left foot rocket for 2-0 and more inward Boooing and “sell him before he scores again” grunts from the BBB.
And then (Surprise!) Arsenal contrived to miss four golden chances, Sami coming closest off the post with Cesc featuring in each. Cesc cleared off the line just before HT as we wobbled. Still, I’d have taken two-nil at the turn before kick off.
Gooners know better than to dream that a 2-0 lead means a full time win. And it looked like castles in the sky would turn quickly to sand when Blackpool began the second by throwing every bucket, spade, cockle, anchor and lobster creel they had at Arsenal. Arsene turned from a whiter shade of pale to a ghastly sea-sick green as a failed Wilshere foul was converted despite a Lehmann drag down that might well have seen Jens bathe early had the Seasiders not scored. A very fair shout for a home team penalty was denied and then Blackpool scorned another opening. Arsenal’s backbone looked frailer than a jellyfish floating listlessly in the Irish Sea.
But Arsene Knows Best. He brought on Theo. Theo sped forward, crossed to Robin for the kind of chance that he never misses and it was 3-1.The BtM Crystal Ball looked up with a “told you so” sheen on its crystal – but the ‘Holic pound could so easily have wrung a welkload of cockles from the bookies.
Make no mistake, this was no seasonal waltz around the Tower Ballroom for Arsenal’s quick-steppers on a Sunday afternoon Come Dancing matinee. Although they peppered shots at the Blackpool goal like ping pong balls into goldfish bowls and air pellets into stuffed ducks, insufficient gilt-edged chances were converted.
But don’t forget, the deeply indebted Man IOU team that the BBB reveres only won 3-2 at Bloomfield Road having been two goals adrift. So “ten points adrift” is now “seven points behind with a game in hand”. Win it and it’s a “four-point gap” with Man IOU v Chelsea and Man IOU at The Emirates still to come.
Aaron Ramsey looked like a man full of purpose when he came on. Hopefully he’ll feature prominently in the last, magnificent seven. And for the record, the crystal ball is predicting Chelski will thump Man IOU in the BPL – although it hasn’t disclosed the Chelski score, the Manure number is a very clear NIL.
Anything wet, windy, with occasional bursts of sunshine, barman, please before we put the full court press on King Kenny and his recently acquired 54M pair of kippers (sorry, I meant to say strike force there) that many of a BBB persuasion told me they envied during our sojourn to Barca.
Excellent BtM. You could have saved me the bother of staggering up from a wine fest in the garden with the neighbours to write my tripe!
I have a feeling today is destined to become more pivotal than just as a result of beating Blackpool. I pray the crown jewels are not being presented to an LBO when we are so close to realising the rewards of financial prudence.
A little bit of me is very, very worried tonight.
Yes. Silent Stan has a rather too large stable of sporting pedigrees. None seem to shine particularly brightly. We’ll have to watch that our thoroughbred isn’t the last horse to be shod, if I may mix my whatsits.
Time will tell. The folks that have banded together to give PHW and Arsene their advice on how to run the club/pick the team may now have some real and potentially valuable work to do.
‘Holic and ‘holic
Weird day to be this early at the bar……..horrible golf keeping me up late.
Cesc’s passing today was out of this world, Diaby started plays for 2 of our 3.goals after winning possession……we only need to beat the scum – or so says Mad Jens- and we’re back in it, and for the first time in my entire existence am enjoying golf 🙂
Back to golf.
*’holics, of course.
Still not seen the game yet. Family matters saw to that. Like you holic I will rely on the V+ for full viewing. But 3 points is 3 points. I will take that all day long.
I agree with you re silent stan. We have prided ourselves for years on the way we have been run. I only hope that we can trust lady nina and Danny.
The folks that have banded together to give PHW and Arsene their advice on how to run the club/pick the team may now have some real and potentially valuable work to do.
Oh yes…
I’m off to pick up my pitchfork and flaming torch, maybe 😉
Mr Holic,
Hope everything went ok today.
I cant be filled with anything other than total pessimism about the takeover. Liverpool were fucked, United are fucked, and only Aston Villa have a good American owner, and where are they?
And I hate the Rams so much, they are the Manure of the NFL.
And, to cap it all, my stupid brother in law who plays off a 3 handicap and supposedly knows about golf, persuaded me to put ten quid in McIlroy.
In his defence…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/10/stan-kroenke-control-arsenal
Great stuff ‘holic and BtM. I’ll have some crystal drink if BtM’s ball allows it.
I thought Lehmann might be sent off, to go with Jack’s yellow. Three points make it easy to forget, but that was a shocking period of the match, a shambles. If it’s a step toward better form, then great, but I thought some of Arsenal’s defensive organization today was a shambles. What was going on?
Great three points, though!
Well, we’re no different to the rest of them now, it seems: one man sugar-daddy ownership. Fuck. A sad, sad day for the Arse.
BtM’s ball is as generous as Zico with its offer of drinks, Ollie.
433,
We cant defend. We have a 5th choice goalkeeper, and 3rd and 4th choice centre backs. We have to start each game knowing we are gonna leak a goal and try to counteract that. We have to live with that.
I thought Blackpool got it all wrong today, their back line was playing so high up, they were ripe for picking off which plays to our strengths.
But what do I know, had too much to drink as usual, especially following the takeover news.
Holic ’til the end, as ever.
People shouldn’t worry about Stan. His teams are in Denver and St Louis, and he’s done fine. Hicks and Gilette and the Glazers acted the same on both sides of the Atlantic – NESB specializes on small rabid markets. Finally Stan gets to play on the biggest stage.
Btw I heard the away support singing Eboue’s praise. And do you notice how Robin and Jack can have multiple Bendtner moments and never get a syllable of stick?
“Those close to the club will be presenting this as the acceptable option of the two available at this time. Forgive me if I wait to see what Kroenke brings to the table, how Usmanov reacts, and whether enough shares are kept out of the grasp of ANY potential suitor to ensure we do not become one man’s plaything. Grateful though we should all be to the American for keeping us out of the grasp of Red and White Holdings until now, that doesn’t yet stretch to a wholehearted welcome for the ‘silent’ one.”
Absolutely spot-on ‘Holic.
It’s been a long time in the making, so it had that air of inevitabilty to it, but that doesn’t make it any more welcome, as far as I’m concerned anyway.
I had one too many mojito’s yesterday night (i know, I know) so I’ll just settle for some JD please (now that’s an American you know what to expect from 😉 )
BTM @ 1
Cannot argue with any of your summation of the game.
Whether it is enough to restore the obvious fragile confidence within the Team,i guess we will find out against Liverpool.
We really missed the Songbird today,as there was absolutely no defensive cover,which allowed the Tangerine Dreamers to run at the back 4 all afternoon.
Then again it’s not every day you look up and see 5/6 opposition players storming your ramparts every time they go forward.!!
What is encouraging is JL looked like he had never been away,and despite some absolutely shambolic defending his calm authority and sheer professionalism stood out a mile.
If he plays next week,Andy Carrol will need Body armour.!!
At least for the first time in quite a while,we can enjoy the week ahead.
cheers
Clive
BtM, I owe you an apology. Last weekend when all around me were losing their heads…well I lost mine too and tried to disguise my panic reaction to the Blackburn game with a ‘well-balanced’ drink ostensibly ‘weighing up’ the merits of Arsene staying or going. Your drink, meanwhile, spoke of bairns spitting dummies across Europe, also on the back of isolated displays by their respective teams.
And when you look at it the way Holic has put it, the Deeply Indebted are nowhere near home and hosed. I don’t know, perhaps I was left punch-drunk by the sickening news of not only another “famous Man U comeback” and therefore excuse for the press to spray copious amounts of jizz over laptop screens from Land’s End to John O’Groats, but also, to sour things further, a frickin hat-trick for that Shrek-a-like yob Rooney.
Instead, all I can say is, “This is going to be interesting!” And over on Yahoo Sports the puk-puk-puk of spat dummies grows deafening.
Just seen the highlights on motd. 3 points is 3 points. I know brief highlights are no true reflection but from what I have seen I agree with those above that thought defensively we were a shambles. It does worry me.
Tomorrow will be an interesting day. I guess we all have some trepidation about what lays ahead for or club.
BtM the image of Eboue walking on sunshine is pounding around inside my head. One of the technowizards should post a video of Eboue’s goal today on continuous loop with that song as the background.
We werent a fucking shamblers and relying on motd2 highlights is no way to judge FFS! We had a minor wobble when they scored for about 5 minutes and we came thru and should really have scored about 6 goals, but dont take my word for it, I was only at the fucking game.
Sorry holic, but these constant sniping fuckers do me in.
Good for you mug. Just an opinion that I quantified. But if you think we looked good at the back I bow to your superior knowledge. You clearly know best.
No need to apologise, Mug, but Steve is a ‘holic, puts his view generally with civility, and that’s all I ask.
We’ll never all agree with each other, but it’s great that we have a platform for people who disagree with each other to converse in a good atmosphere.
Help me keep it that way, mate…
and you Steve 😉
Sorry Steve, didnt mean to be such a full on fuckwit there! Just that I have heard so much shit said about the team, yet we are the only viable challengers to united FFS! And sure we had a few ropey monents, but its getting to the point where any defensive lapses are seized on with such venom you’d think no other team has to ride their luck at all!
United were fucking lucky they have the refs in their pocket almost every week. How many reds should Vidic have had this season?
And how many clean sheets have this shite AFC defence kept this calendar year? Its like because the mdeia have decided our defence is shit, lets forget the facts and jump on every lapse.
Rant most definitely, over.
Mug @ 22
Sometimes when you are at a game,you do have a different perspective from those who watch the game on television.
But having watched the WHOLE gameon the box, i can tell you catergorically we had some serious deficiencies in defense today.
But as i pointed out @ 18,we had no defensive midfield cover worth talking about, and the back 4 were seriously exposed for a vast majority of the game.
We gave the ball away regularly in our defensive third of the field during the 2nd half and Blackpool with a bit more composure could have scored 3 or 4 times.
Having said that, we could have scored 10 ourselves.!!
Glad you had a good day out by the Seaside.
cheers
clive
Exactly Clive.
I am feeling robbed. 2-4 would have been about the right score today. I should be a grand richer 🙁
Clive
Thanks mate. What I have come to realise is though, when watching on TV, you also have the added bonus (pah!) of the delightful commentary and pundits who constantly spout their own agenda driven bollocks rapidamente. Not saying that would influence you man, but it is a factor in the negativity espoused by sooooo many, if you ask me.
WE should’ve scored a bucket load today, we didnt and Blackpool might have scored a nother goal. so thats 8-2 to us then!
Fooking ell so this is where the drinks are eh?
Stone Roses I thought Abromavich wrote off Chelski’s 700 million debts? Surely Stan the Man could oblige!
But fair point on the comparisons. Wouldn’t like to end up like the other clubs!
From what I’ve researched, Mr Kroneke knows a thing or two about Footie!
Surely this would mean AW and CF will have to stay!
Yay! 🙂 AW with a pot full of money!
BTW –
I’m looking forward to next pre-season already re: getting richer 😉
Yep, our defense was shaky at times today. Not too difficult to discern the reasons.
Every time Alex Song is missing we go from having a balanced attacking/defensive mid-field to an attacking mid-field. This is particularly true when Cesc plays forward. Jack, Diaby, Nasri are NOT natural cover men/ They can build great attacks but position, tackle, do dirty work, hold balls in “the scrum” relatively poorly. This is the point Clive already made above, I’m just agreeing with him.
Song’s return next weekend will improve this. Also, I’d start playing Ramsey to share duty with Jack.
Sagna was missing at right back. Eboue’s game as a RB has gone backward since the “engine in mid-field” experiment. Sagna’s return will improve this.
We miss Djourou and Vermaelen badly. The equivalent of Man IOU missing both Plug and Vidic.
Gael Clichy left his side badly exposed and was beaten too easily. He has these kind of games a bit too frequently.
We had a 41 year old retiree in goal – who did fine, and was stonger than My Pal Al – but Szcez – hurry back, mate. Please.
Glad we got back on track today…have to say when I saw Jens in goal I was actually relieved. Maybe he can get the back four somewhat organized with more time…not that there is much remaining.
Beware, Arsene is talking about mental strength again. As much as I support him, can we get on a roll (3 or 4 in a row) before spouting this proverbial kiss of death statement? I’m waiting for “we can still win the title” before the next cock-up. Don’t get me wrong boys, I am in full support and still believe…..but anyone that’s watching knows there is a consistent pattern here. All in all a good result today.
Re: Stan, he is a model owner as far as I’ve heard. No shenanigans with his US holdings. I realize being US owned is tough for long-time UK supporters of the club but this guy is solid.
@Bergkamp’s The Man
Dude, your write up is the bomb! I’m almost sorry I bothered to watch the game. Let me know when your going to do that again First I’ll read the write-up then watch the game as a lagniappe.
You got skills G.
@Steve T No, not the perfect game but I only came into it looking for 3 points so I’m a satified customer even without the 13th Donut so-to-speak.
Where is Behind the 8 ball but not Nasri? Have we gone grotto trolling?
Or perhaps groping for trout in a peculiar river?
(I got that one from your Bard)
By the way you Brits get so worked up about American ownership.
It’s as if you never owned the 13 colonies or for that matter most of the planet at a point.
Twice treble shame on Angelo to weed my vice…and let his grow.
Yup, the Bard’s. He’s almost as good as you Bergy.
Glad for the points, especially since our lead on Chelsea had slipped to a single point. We’re still in with a shout, and all we can do is keep the gap minimal until we play Manure. Then we need to show our credentials.
I’m worried about Kroenke. He may be an alright guy, but if he comes and and leverages the club after all the financial prudence we’ve shown in the past few years, I’ll be furious. As little as I care about Manure, you have to feel that the Glazer’s are one of the worst things that happened to them. I think it’s about time he’s made an official statement of his intent, as he’s not gaining much support by keeping quiet. He may well be the better of the two takeover options, but just because garbage smells nice compared to sh*t, it doesn’t make you want to smell garbage.
Also, what is with the timing? It’s not like we’re going for the title right now… last thing we need is a circus going on in the boardroom.
Here’s hoping that this turns out well, and that we don’t lose in the league again until Szchesney looks like Lehmann.
Looking at Man Utd’s remaining fixtures (and their away form), I still think we’re going to do this.
Those 6 fixtures:
Newcastle (A) a draw isn’t out of the question
Everton (H) home win you’d assume?
Arsenal (A) no comment needed…
Chelsea (H) first home defeat? a draw at least….
Blackburn (A) not a given win…
Blackpool (H) should stroll…but they will be playing for survival
I’d be more concerned if those fixtures included Wigan, Sunderland, WBA or Wolves…but I don’t see any nailed on bankers? Am I delusional?
That’s to say nothing of the other game’s they’ll have….odd as it sounds we need them to progress in Europe and The FA Cup at all costs….(and lose in both finals ideally).
Seeing as every club outside the top 8 needs every point possible for survival – every game but Everton should be tight.
Three months ago I said 85 points would win it and thought we were on pace for that, now our best total would be 83 pts, if Man U W 3 D 2 L 1 they’d reach 80. If we draw one more match it’d come down to goal diff….we’re not gonna close that after today I fear. I think that Newcastle game is huge….
Odds remain 5/1 against us doing it…I’m doubling my bet tomorrow.
@Tim
Dude, I did that one last year and made myself quite ill with it. I hope your wiser than me and don’t dreamtoo speculatively. It’s a nightmare when the scenarios all play out wrongly. And in sports it is almost a given that at least one will.
Never-the-less good luck and here’s hoping you may be right.
Cheers!
Great joy to watch the team un-handbraked in the first half- that first goal was a thing of beauty, of truly 2004 vintage if you ask me. I have to agree that our defense- Squillachi’s tracking no one in particular for their goal as a costly example- needs some work. But on the day, I’ll leave it as a minor point on a great performance overall. Also, great to see Lehman back in action- I fucking love that he wore number 13, ever the trickster. As happy as I was to see him, I will be happier to see Szczencny back. If Djourou comes along too, we can at least end this season riding high, whether champions or not.
Also, Holic, not to be dense, but I feel un-privy to the context for specific Usmanov ire. If you don’t mind at some point, I’d love to hear in a post some of your thoughts and reflections on this ownership process as one much wiser and informed than I. Cheers, a pint of Guinness for anyone who’ll join me on this warm, spring night! (Excuse all the name spelling errors tonight!)
Can somebody please explain to me why everyone is against Stan Kroenke?
Anyway, re the match – Diaby MOM. Lehman came out HUGE with 2 excellent saves that kept us comfortable. Both at 2-0 and at 3-1.
Personally speaking Snir, I have absolutely nothing against Kroenke the individual and am only too glad about his involvement to date that has kept us out of far grubbier paws.
I am against anything that removes plurality of ownership of the club, although I accept that is almost bound to come to an end at some point.
Anybody who sees the financial mess that has been caused at Manchester United and Liverpool will be fearful of the consequences of getting into bed with the wrong American owners.
So in a nutshell, let’s see what his plans are, because as an individual we have no reason yet to doubt him. As supporters of an historic club we have genuine and understandable concerns about where he may take an organisation that has been run with impressive prudence over the last five years, I think.
This just dropped into my mailbox, I assume many of you are members and got it as well but in case not I’ll quote it below:
Dear Member,
I wanted you to know that that an offer has been made by KSE, UK, INC. (“KSE”), a company wholly owned by Mr Kroenke, to buy Arsenal Holdings PLC. The Independent Directors of Arsenal are recommending that shareholders accept the Offer.
KSE is proposing to continue to run the club along the existing self-sustaining business model and has invited the Board to remain in place. This includes myself as Chairman. Mr Kroenke is also fully supportive of Arsène Wenger whom he has stated is a wonderful manager.
From the Guardian article that was linked to above:
Unlike other American owners of Premier League clubs, Kroenke is therefore believed to be unlikely to push for 100% control and delisting of Arsenal
Doesnt’t that mean that he can’t do an LBO? Don’t you need to own 100% of the shares to do that?
Lars @ 42 and 43.
All of Stan’s Sports team buys in the US,include Supporters as minority shareholders,giving them a tangible reason to follow their team.
He is the one who instigated the dsame setup at Arsenal with the Supporters Trust.
Not one of those US buyouts have been saddled with debt,and he has already stated that won’t happen at Arsenal.
As far as i am concerned he is a friendly force from over the ‘ Pond ‘
who genuinely loves his sport.
He loves the histoy surrounding our beloved football club and won’t do anything to change or upset that.
As far as i am concerned he is a breath of fresh air,and will bring long term financial stability to the Club.
He will alo give Arsene the funds to make some serious player purchases if he so wishes.
But their will be no pressure to do so.
Unlike Chelsea and Man Utd owners,Stan is a sports enthusiast who only wants the best for Arsenal Football club.
But not at any cost.
And yes you do need to own 100% of the shares to do an LBO,but it won’t happen at our Place.
cheers
clive
Do we now have a (record???) three goalkeepers injured?
I’m already fantasizing about Craven Cottage, last game of the season, it’s 5.30 and we have to hold on to a one-goal lead with Bendtner deputising in goal to win the title.
Valium please barman!
Cheers Clive, you have just calmed my nerves a whole lot!
Time and leftcoastgooner
Our run in looks equally as tricky. It’s def out of our hands. But it’s not impossible.
Did anyone else think that Cescs’ long lobs over to RVP were a breath of fresh air yesterday? Could you imagine Chamakh-Attack getting on the end of those?
Stonie –
SS reckon we’re worth 731 Mil (seems like LSE agree). Wouldn’t that make our residue on the cost only 200 mill?
Sorry tim I know your name’s not time!
I agree with the optimists. If this eventual take-over takes place and is done in the right way it can only be a good thing. Stan the Mans credentials stack up so far. He would have been monitored for a very long time (many years), as opposed to us having to accept out of desperation
The pessimists amongst us always say we should invest more in the transfer window. So if we’re able to do this plus keep the club solvent, we should consider it.
There are reasons behind the scenes for the shares being sold and it would be better if they went to Stan at the moment.
“It’s time to tell us what you plan, Stan”.
Holic,
Think you may have the same trepidations as me with regards to the new ownership but just found this statement below, hopefully this will ease some of our fears, however think Stan still needs a few lessons on communication.
Lets hope we get more from him soon?
Kroenke, who first invested in Arsenal in 2007, will not be loading any debt onto the club which was confirmed in a statement made to the stock exchange.
“The offer will not be funded by way of any debt finance (banks loans, payment in kind loans or other debt or quasi-debt interest bearing obligations) for which the payment of interest on, repayment of or security for any liability (contingent or otherwise) will depend on the business of Arsenal,” the statement said.
Agree re the comments about missing Song. I think we have looked shakey at times this season at the back because of the balance of the side. I have said on more than one occasion that the gap between the midfield and the defence is often huge. It allows for opposition teams to play into that space and puts extra pressure on the back 4.
Interesting message released from the club. My immediate reaction is I wonder what Usmanov was planning? Did he have irons in the fire that have forced Stan to react? I personally would prefer to leave the club as it is but Stan has always seemed to have the best interests of the club at heart. Time will only tell I guess.
@Robin’s Chocolate Leg
You can add Mannone to the list, so that makes FOUR goalkeepers out with injury.
Though whether Almunia is truly injured, or indeed if he can even be considered a goalkeeper is up for debate. 😉
Steve,
Not sure about Usmanov plans myself, think the timing of it has more to do with Danny Fiszman health myself, for me the surprising twist is Nina Bracewell-Smith selling to Stan after the way she was removed from the board a while back, obviously Usmanon was NOT offering top dollar??
Upon further analysis this deal looks more water tight than feared.
Kroneke does not want to borrow against the club (ie: like Hicks and Gillet and the Glaziers). His take over model has proven successful in the past (The most successful in the US).
My gut feeling is that Usmunov wil be more accommodating with his shares than meets the eye. He has a lot to gain financially and could still be a minority S/H. This process has an air of due diligence about it 😉
If we can keep the principles of the club in place with the ability to make the right adjustments on the pitch, then we are heading in the right direction! 😉
Apologies if this link has been posted before (as it is slightly out of date) but still interesting reading:
http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2010/03/is-stan-man-for-arsenal.html?showComment=1302483225370
As for yesterday’s game, can anyone confirm whether Diaby has an identical twin (as the guy who played yesterday could not possibly be the same person who plodded through the first half against Sunderland a few weeks back……)
BtM @ 14
I only buy virtual drinks….being a tee-totaller ‘n all 😉
I had to record yesterday’s game, the management is going away with OliverTheGooner this week back home so had to keep them company in the busy Oracle shopping centre in Reading. I did manage to buy few things for myself and I never have time to do that.
The first thing I did when I got back, remote control in my hand telly on, media centre recorded show…here we go Blackpool Vs Arsenal in HD. I didn’t know the score line of the game so I was eating my nails especially in the second half. Come on you REDS!
Blackpool definitely deserve their own praise for battling hard and trying to play football. They did try but we produced some quality finishes in the first and got almost caught out before the break.
They certainly started the second with more belief in them and got rewarded for it. Some sloppy defending was the reason for it, however I’m glad they scored otherwise Jens could have been sent off.
Lady luck on our side you say Holic? I would agree lately we were not so fortunate so I’m glad we got away with it this time around. Let’s not forget that Blackpool are a very physical side and I’m sure Jack Wilshere still feels after effects of yesterdays game. That was a barge and a half on him I say.
I don’t really care how it was won, yes we should have scored 8 but only scored 3. Three points in the bag is all that matters now.
As for Stan, well let’s wait and see I suppose. Only time will tell if this is good or bad, the less we will talk about it in the near future it would mean everything is running smoothly as it should.
WIN THE NEXT GAME!!!!!!!!
Zico Diaby’s twin was on fire yesterday 🙂
Understandably, the talk seems to be about the takeover.
May be it is a welcome distraction. Takeover was inevitable and Stanman seems to be a decent chap. So, let’s hope for the best.
I am more worried about our injury situation.
When is Schezzer coming back? and Djourou?
@ #8 Stone Roses Rams won the SB in 99 and have sucked since then lol….. surely the Cowboys of Dallas and their annoying owner Jerry are more like Man USA?
Silent Stan only excercised his right for full control over the Rams last year…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/americanfootball/7585210/Arsenal-shareholder-Stan-Kroenke-to-purchase-NFL-side-St-Louis-Rams.html
Ok after spending time digesting the news a few thoughts,
Firstly its only right to wish Danny F all the best in his on going battle with that shit bag disease i dont agree with many things that have happened over the past 6 years but understand the reasons why they had to happen and hes done a magnificient job in taking the club into the new ground and his vision will outlive us all,
Secondly some of my Family moved stateside a few years back and i can confirm that Stan is very well thought of that side of the pond and they dont think we should be to worried about the direction the club will go under him.
But if we are taken over by debt forced upon the club i can steadfastly say ill never step into the Emirates again and will be one of the first over there voicing my displeasure with many of here id guess – What is the point of all thats happened for it then to be chucked in the fans faces by a LBO would disgust me and all the others that have followed this great club over the years.
Finally if any are going to the AST meeting tonight can you ask them to ask the new owner if we can have our badge back as its sorely missed and will go down well with the masses (Not a bad thing to do if you want us on side)
Chippy, I think the badge issue is non-negotiable – it was changed I believe to protect Arsenal’s copyright which they didn’t have with the “real” one – and the new one allows them to prosecute anybody who uses it without us (the club) getting a cut.
But then you probably knew that…..
Indeed but surely they could amend it ever so slightly – much rather a Badge than a logo 😉
The takeover can only be good news for us. It ensures stability, and we now have an owner who presumably won`t put up with another trophyless season, and will maximize off-pitch commercial income, an area where we have been conspicuously lagging behind our main competitors. If Kroenke is to be believed, he has promised to do this without loading any debt on the club. I believe him, as this is not something Kroenke has apparently ever done. It is also good that the somewhat complex share ownership will be simplified. Finally, anything that leaves Jabba well and truly out in the cold is good news.
What I have been hearing today.
Usmanov is quote ‘hopping mad’. Well, sorry, but he has been fucking around with his 27% for ages. Bracewell-Smith’s shares have been marketed for what, over a year (albeit overpriced), he could have bought them.
Also heard that Stan isn’t of the mind frame to purchase all the shares, which is indeed excellent news as that precludes that dreaded L word we have all been panicking about. Also means our smaller shareholders can keep their shares and the AST can continue their work.
Also heard though that Stan wants the club to continue to be self-sustaining which means no £100m transfer pot. Anyway, not sure AW would know what to do with £100m 🙂
Unfortunately it seems PHW is to continue as the muppet chairman and we have to pay for 24/7 babysitters to stop him saying anything stupid.
From everything I have heard, Stan appears to be an ok geezer, but it would be nice if he would just say something, even if it’s just that he thinks Rooney is a fat fuckpig. That really would be nice.
– Watson , the sun still shines , and the hostelries of London are open , so why the furrowed brow , the down-turned mouth and the expression of a man who’s just lost a shilling ?
-Ah Holmes , perhaps you can help , it is the baffling case of The Royal Arsenal Football Club , which continues to perplex .
– Talk on Dear Fellow , for , as a man of some enlightenment and intellectual gravitas , I too follow the fortunes and failings of the boys in cherry red .
– Well , Holmes , as you might know , our boys recently took on the happy seasiders and played some scintillating football , scored 3 , might have scored 13 , but still looked , in the London vernacular , … dodgy at the back … and at times resembled a chocolate convention for the under fives in the way they organised themselves .
-I am indeed aware having perchanced upon the game myself . But , Watson, you are familiar with my methods ; – embrace ,study and analyse the facts . A careful examination of the team might reveal to you a missing goalkeeper , 2 missing centre halves , a missing right back , and a missing defensive stalwart .
– But , Holmes , come come , Manchester Utd often have key players missing , and still manage to cope admirably .
-Nonsense , Watson . Witness the capitulation at the Boleyn , or indeed at Liverpool more recently . Further , they seem to have enjoyed great vatfuls of fortune that is not usually afforded our boys .It is also my belief , founded upon my experience , that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than those that currently inhabit the muddy marshlands of Old Trafford – collusion of ex-players masquerading as managers , the odd gift or two to an officiator – yes , indeed , a more comprehensive investigation would reveal a very murky background to some of The Knighted ones’ successes .
– you might be right , Holmes , but what about these people who continue to denounce Monsieur Wenger , who is , if i might be so bold , your intellectual equal , and equally adept at solving riddles ?
– I wouldn’t go that far Watson . The man is indeed a genius but even he would have struggled to solve The Hound of the Baskervilles mystery . The answer to your question is in fact elementary , Watson .
These people never go away , they merely lurk , waiting for their next opportunity to besmirch , to abuse and to agitate . Even in the Golden Age , they often moaned that Patrick already had his bags packed for Italy , that Thierry was too sulky , that Denis was too peripheral , and Dreamy Bob was just too … well … dreamy .
I am of course the man behind the cunning plan to start Le Grove – a place where these people can go and make their absurd rants to their hearts content , without subjecting the wider Arsenal populace to it .
-A stroke of genius Holmes , but what about this chap from the colonies , with the Allinson ‘tache , the conversation of Charlie Chaplin , and the big bag of swag ?
Ah , another day , Holmes , another day . Wait for the evidence and then we shall probe . For now , i need opium . Let us smoke on the Pipe of Peace .
Toot anyone ?
As I see it, it would have been pretty pointless for Usmanov to buy out Lady Nina, as this would have merely provoked Danny Fizsman to sell to Stan, leaving Usmanov another £100m+ out of pocket and still behind Stan in the percentage stakes.
If that was the case regarding Usmanov then he was fucked from the start and should have sold up and got out. I really have struggled to understand what has been going on the last few years. Usmanov is no idiot, he should have seen what was happening. But what do I know about multi-millionaires? Nothing.
Usmanov will make a tidy profit if he sells at the offer price – not that he needs the cash .
I’m perfectly happy with PHW to carry on.
Brandy and your finest cigar, barman! 😉
The noises coming from Kroenke and the club is quite positive, so wait and see as ‘holic said, and I too am a bit saddened by the whole thing, but it had this air of inevitability for some time, and possibly and hopefully we are in decent hands.
So let’s hope this isn’t just noise but also a real positive sign of continuity.
SR @ 69. And there was me thinking the Stone Roses made decent money.
Nice one ‘holic, and a tip of the hat (or should that be dearstalker?) to TABS and BtM for some masterclass posting.
—
Unfortunatly nothing lasts forever, times inevitely do change and there’s not much most of us can do about it. The takeover has been looming for quite a while now and it was only a question of time ’till it happened. As far as I’m concerned I think we could of done a lot worse then Mr Kroenkie. As far as I can gather, from the articles I’ve read over the last year or so, he does his business in a good manner, he’s not in it for a quick buck and he doesn’t gain his assets by heaping debt on them.
Ofcourse only time will tell, but I’m pretty confident that he’ll do right by our beloved club. So let’s not get too panicy and go out and do something stupid like buying a yellow and green scarf. 😉
A cold frothy one please barman
Cheers
The Stone Roses made hardly anything. Silvertone screwed them totally and lets face it, they were the George Best of the music world. Ian Brown said that when they split up, his net worth was £100k (after deducting drug money).
SR@ 74 ,how much was he worth before the drug deduction ??
£74 million.
They should of been called Stoned Roses.
I have been trying to remember the rules on takeovers. From what I can remember, once you break that magic 30% holding barrier, you are obliged to make an offer for all the remaining shares. The shareholders can decide whether or not to take up the offer. However, if enough shareholders agree to the point where you have more than 90% of the shares, then, and only then, you can force the remaining shareholders to sell. I do stand to be corrected if I remember wrong.
So, although I think Stan says he does not want full control, he still has to make an offer.
Hmmm, think i need a drink.
H2H. VERY clever, I never thought of that 🙂
it’s so much easier on football manager 🙂
oh yeah…if you’re as confused as me check out Arseblog’s interview with Tim Payton at the AST which he’s added today. I sorta get it now….
Some opium for TABS, please!
SR at 76 -lol
and at 78 i believe your analysis is right – his offer to the remaining shareholders has , i think , to be at the highest price that he has paid for shares in the last 12 months .
catalan , thank you , didnt think anyone would offer !
TABS, the medicine cabinet has all you can desire. You just need someone to open it up for you!
My very basic take on the takeover; now we are in fear of what might happen. If it had been Fat and Orange then it would have been a certainty.
I’m going to be optomistic until given reason otherwise….
Where’s TS when you need him ?
Holic, you need to watch the goings on in this here bar – they’re now all whiffing opium at the expense of the liquid gold from the taps. Not the best business model for a boozer 🙂
True Storey must have been too pissed to lock up his medicinal compounds……
There have been questions about where Stan is gonna get the cash to buy us. Unfortunately all his companies are registered in Delaware which may not quite be Lichtenstein, but its not far off it. He is ‘estimtaed’ to be worth £1.6 bn which buys quite a few beers in my pub but not too many Arsenals.
However, one thing we do know is that his wife is the daughter of James Walton, who is in turn the son of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart in the US (who own Asda in the UK). In other words well fucking set. James is worth about £15 bn and has 4 kids so Mrs Stan is in line for another £4 bn. So she can buy us 6 times over and still not have to cancel her direct debits for the car loan.
So, that leads me to just one question. Why the fuck cant I get a wife like that?
Zico – don’t think the landlord doesn’t take a cut of the medicine cabinet takings! Now pull up a pipe….
SR @ 88 Heh!!! 🙂
Would love to get on here tonight – some great comments – what a lovely enlightened bunch we are.
Have to be on the road at 5am to Devon though, so drinking tonight is strictly curtailed.
Clive – some really good stuff, as usual.
Personally, everything I have read – the papers never make stuff up, do they? – points to Stan’s involvement being quite beneficial.
One owner is probably not the best model, but on the other hand it can’t have been easy lately anyway, to drive the club at board level, with Danny Fiszman sadly ill abroad and the Bracewell-Smith shares more or less dormant.
As the chairman is not a major shareholder, it must have been a bit like trying to steer a bike with no handlebars.
It appears Stan with not burden the club with debt and he can’t be preparing to bid a total of around £750 million in order to see it fail.
Definately cautious optimism here. Especially when considering the possible alternatives which historically have included dodgy businessmen and politicians from all corners.
A half, so far, may I suggest for Stan.
At least we won’t be forced into drinking that Red & White vodka.
Liverpool seem to have hit form just when we dont want them to.
SR @ 88 – nails on heads springs to mind!
Excellent post, ‘holic, and I commend you your caution about celebrating Silent Stan’s takeover. There are lots of questions and the implications will have to be considered and developments watched.
One thing I noticed is that the various polls about whether this is good for Arsenal (whether on the guardian or soccernet etc…) seem to show a majority favoring the takeover. I can only understand this as a function of the disappointments of our season so far and how repetitious to many it seems. This development, by contrast, represents something a bit different with a bit of hope for some. Whether it does mean anything different for the club (and if so, whether positive or negative) remains to be seen, but many supporters are ready to celebrate any change that isn’t an obvious disaster.
Interestingly, when these sorts of announcements of ownership acquisitions are usually accompanied by testimonies of how the new owner(s) want to bring championships. What we have heard is that it will be sustainable development and no takeover debt… Our most exciting news seems to come from the boardroom!
But, hopefully, this distracts us from the supposed “civil war” and the Wenger out brigades can fantasize about Kroenke’s war chest (unlikely!) while we can focus on supporting the team to winning the PL this season. As BTM pointed out–win the game in hand and the gap is narrowed to 4; stay level with ManU’s results until we host them and win; watch them drop two or more to Chelsea while we defeat Stoke and we just stay ahead of them in the last two matches! This isn’t an outrageous scenario. We can do it.
We now have the joint second best defence in the league. Now that’s comedy!
Trev , one significant rumour doing the rounds , is that Stan buys now to force Usmanov to pay a significant premium when he , Usmanov , buys the club , outright next year . Doesn’t sound very likely to me , but who really knows ? Leave that red and white vod unopened , but suggest we keep it in the bar , should the worst occur .
SR , is it because of the way you dance , Ian Brown stylee ?
I admit Ian Brown cant dance. In fact, to be honest, Ian Brown cant really sing. Amazing what pitch adjustment can do 🙂
But John Squire, he can play.
TABS – what I read was that Danny F wnated to “settle” his affairs and create trusts for his children. As they did not want to maintain the ties with the club, he was looking for a sale as soon as possible.
That is seemingly what prompted Stan to act now, rather than have Danny F sell, of necessity, to another bidder, namely Usmanov.
City are gonna lose tonight. That means Spurs are only 3 points behind them, with a game in hand. Not good. Not good at all.
SR @ 92 Liverpool have been pretty impressive, I have to say, but Man City look like what they are – a bunch of mercenaries, happy to pick up their wedge with no pride in playing for the shirt.
And their defending, for the second goal in particular, reminded me of some of our darkest days this season.
The tempo that Liverpool have played at has been what has impressed me most – we will need to up for the game on Sunday based on that 1st half. A performance akin to when the Chavs came to the Grove should do it. 🙂
‘City are gonna lose tonight. That means Spurs are only 3 points behind them, with a game in hand. Not good. Not good at all.’
To be honest, even if Spurs make 4th City missing out would be hilarious enough to soften the blow. Plus Spurs still have to face us, Man City and Chelsea I think.
Trev , your scenario sounds far more plausible than the one i outlined .
From the Guardian.
“Wojciech Szczesny intends to make his return from a finger injury in the Premier League fixture against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal’s defence could enjoy another tonic with the return of the central defender Johan Djourou. ”
I’m not saying nothing, just cut and paste.
Great drinks all. Thanks.
Tomorrow night I’ll be back, with an old friend hopefully.
Arthur will be pleased 😉
The scuttlebutt from the pacific rim is that Usmanov is either slightly unhappy or totally pissed off about the Kroenke takeover move.
knowing as a powerless fan I can do nothing I’m trying not to get overwrought about the whole thing. However, the possibility of bad blood between these two has me worried.What I want is for my team to be successful on and off the field but by the right means.
So far that’s how we have done it but can it work that way as one mans toy or twos object of contention.
leftcoastgooner: Speaking as an American born and bred on the Left Coast, What scuttlebutt can there be about Arsenal from the Pacific Rim? Is this another case of what Martin Keown derides as the Americanisation of Arsenal, or do you know what Usmanov had for dinner last night?
What a whole load of excitment 🙂
It’s very late here, yet I’m still up. Why did I have that cup of coffee at 10 PM?!!
Anyway, here’s a story from the Telegraph, not sure what to make of it, but apparently Lady Bracewell-Smith has refused Usmanov’s late er.. advances, and kept her side of the bargain despite potentially “losing” a few quids (£12.36 million to be precise 🙂 almost enough money to settle Lars’s tab here ) in the process.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8444423/Arsenal-takeover-Alisher-Usmanov-failed-with-two-late-offers-to-stop-Stan-Kroenke-taking-control-of-the-club.html
…
Goodnight 😉
Goodnight GT.
I’m off to bed too.
😉
RVP@109 Heh! A drink for me on Lars’ tab please, barman
Brilliant posts by SR, TABS, Trev and all others as usual
SR @103- Fingers crossed
Great comments all round.
On the takeover front – as far as Im concerned, the fact that Wenger is backing Kronke is good enough for me. He’ll have worked with him long enough to make his own mind up. The fact that he’s issued public statements of suppport on the business front, is most unusual for AW.
BTM,
May I briefly say what a joy it is to read your posts. You are a treasure to this wonderful site and long may you continue to flex your fifer foghorns in defiance.
Beware the wily king Kenny though. His strike force may be inflated, but the work ethic since his arrival is as honest as you’ll see!
Joe, we will most definitely have our hands full on Sunday. However, if Djourou and Szczesny really are back then I feel a lot less worried. We will of course still have to produce a top-level performance, but doing that will be made a hell of a lot easier if those two are back.
…and now some more food for thought
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/frimpong-looking-to-wilshere-reunion
wheres holic’s historic obituary post – expect a long dwindling article saying how he knew him…shared a drink in the pub…and all kinds of rubbish…
Although Arseblog’s post marking his death is top class – must say!
a gunner, feel free to concentrate your reading on those places that do not write rubbish.
Thank you for sharing your considered opinion with us on such a sad day.
I appreciate a great wit, and you are truly half way there.