Stan Kroenke is set to take full ownership of Arsenal in a deal valuing it at £1.8bn

[SirAF]

Of our own money, not the Glazers. And you can argue that the Glazers have improved sponsorship all you want, but that's not true either. The club is benefiting from an enhanced TV deal and our past successes under Sir Alex. The Glazers only started allowing the club to invest its own money into the team when we finished outside the top four. This year is another indication of how the Glazers intend to slow down spending on the first team to pocket the difference.

This.

 

[Josep Dowling]

Of our own money, not the Glazers. And you can argue that the Glazers have improved sponsorship all you want, but that's not true either. The club is benefiting from an enhanced TV deal and our past successes under Sir Alex. The Glazers only started allowing the club to invest its own money into the team when we finished outside the top four. This year is another indication of how the Glazers intend to slow down spending on the first team to pocket the difference.

100% this. People act like the Glazers have done so much on the marketing side when football has naturally progressed that way anyway. Its not like the Glazers were the first to try any new form of sponsorship.

We were doing US Tours before they arrived and our commercial side was one of the best in the world in 2005. We only just got a sleeve sponsor this summer when it could have been done last season.

Why do so many fans try to defend them? They have ultimately ruined the club's chances of ever being elite again as once we get close, the manager isn't provided with transfer funds. Ferguson got them out of so much trouble. Ultimately the Premier League is being ruined by foreign owners. They should have put the same scheme in as the Bundesliga whereby fans own 51%.

UK fans will eventually turn away from the sport, maybe not yet. It won't be long until the Community Shield is moved to China, or we have 39 games, 1 in the US, or a Super league for the big clubs. This is what will happen in the next 10-20 years when these billionaires have so much influence.

 

[ivaldo]

How? Because they hired marketing experts?

So everyone else is a moron because they haven't been able to compete with Uniteds marketing dominance, despite it being just a case of hiring a few experts. Our revenues have quadrupled since they purchased the club, and you're trying to convince me they haven't had anything to do with that? Seems like the green and gold brigade can't admit they were wrong.

 

[goin4glory]

Disaster for Arsenal, this guy couldn't give two fecks about competing at the top end. Great for us.

 

[VanGaalyTime]

100% this. People act like the Glazers have done so much on the marketing side when football has naturally progressed that way anyway. Its not like the Glazers were the first to try any new form of sponsorship.

We were doing US Tours before they arrived and our commercial side was one of the best in the world in 2005. We only just got a sleeve sponsor this summer when it could have been done last season.

Why do so many fans try to defend them? They have ultimately ruined the club's chances of ever being elite again as once we get close, the manager isn't provided with transfer funds. Ferguson got them out of so much trouble. Ultimately the Premier League is being ruined by foreign owners. They should have put the same scheme in as the Bundesliga whereby fans own 51%.

UK fans will eventually turn away from the sport, maybe not yet. It won't be long until the Community Shield is moved to China, or we have 39 games, 1 in the US, or a Super league for the big clubs. This is what will happen in the next 10-20 years when these billionaires have so much influence.

Completely agree here. The Glazers have drained over a billion pounds out of the club. Yes, the past owners weren't great and they cost us money in terms of dividends. But they also supported Ferguson completely. The match-going fans were turning on the team a bit last season - that's after spending decent amounts last year - can you imagine how much this will turn if we fail to invest this year? The Glazers and Woodward should be well aware that United's fans are the reasons we're in the position we are. We need to be respected, and there's simply no way that Woodward, the Glazers, even Mou can say with a straight face we will win the league or Champions League this season given the current team. This should be the aim every season.

 

[Mb194dc]

Bad news for Arsenal fans. Kroenke is absolutelv indifferent to whether his teams are winning silverware or not so long as they are good enough to keep making him money. Look forward to seeing them finishing 4th for years to come.

This probably applies to all the teams in the league bar City. All the top clubs are businesses trying to make a profit, winning trophies is secondary. It is possible to do both, I can't see anyone challenging City for the title for the foreseeable future. Other clubs still have a good chance in the cups though.

 

[King Kana]

Unlucky

 

[King Kana]

I thought the Arsenal fans wanted him out. This wont please them..

That said, he is sort of backing their new manager..

Yeah, with the huge outlay of 70m.

 

[Ramshock]

well shit if Arsenal are worth that we must be close to £3B...never getting rid of the Glazers now.

 

[Revan]

How? Because they hired marketing experts?

Uh, yes. The United's marketing department before Glazers had 2 employers, and our revenue from marketing had stagnated.

 

[ivaldo]

We were doing US Tours before they arrived and our commercial side was one of the best in the world in 2005. We only just got a sleeve sponsor this summer when it could have been done last season.

As of 2015 we had 150 people working in our commercial department. When they took over we had two, TWO!!

You lot can undervalue Glazers influence on the financial strengthening of this club all you like, but our growth in an increasingly competitive league is unmatched, and our strategies are being carbon copied by everyone.

 

[ivaldo]

Uh, yes. The United's marketing department before Glazers had 2 employers, and our revenue from marketing had stagnated.

Incredible isn't it? Doesn't matter how much information or data you put in front of them, they'll continue to ignore it.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

I'm gutted. Our only hope is that his son takes over and that he actually cares.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

RIP Arsenal

 

[JSArsenal]

I hope every Arsenal fan thanks David Dein for this, you know the man who brought Kroenke into the club and made a tidy sum while doing so.

The same David Dein whose son actively engineered moves away from the club for his clients.

All I can hope is that Kroenke simply leaves the club alone and doesn't burden it with any debt.

Why did Dein even bring him on board?

Did Dein not do any research into Kroenke to find out how he runs the sports team that he owns?

Its one thing to sell the club for a bag of silver, its another to sell it to a man who could not care less about the club winning trophies.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

Kreonke has apparently borrowed money for his now over-budget stadium in LA. He's borrowing money fyi purchase the club too. I feel a fleecing is coming on.

Someone please allay my fears.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

The only way I can get behind him is if he personally introduces Dembele to the fans tomorrow.

 

[RoyH1]

I'm gutted. Our only hope is that his son takes over and that he actually cares.

I wouldn't get my hopes up. Her's what he said back in 2013 in an interview when he got a vice-president position at KSE.

"This new position allows me the opportunity and flexibility to work closer with employees, fans, sponsors and community leaders to strategise and celebrate the power of sports and entertainment.
I am particularly looking forward to sitting down with entrepreneurs and technology leaders to bring innovative platforms to connect and engage our millions of fans around the world 365 days a year.

"From our venues to our teams to the fan experience, I am incredibly excited about the future of KSE and about working with all of our teams and businesses to create memories that keep our fans coming back time and time again."

Same old corporate hoopla. They're in it for the money and will want to turn the Emirates into Disneyland

 

[VP]

So everyone else is a moron because they haven't been able to compete with Uniteds marketing dominance, despite it being just a case of hiring a few experts. Our revenues have quadrupled since they purchased the club, and you're trying to convince me they haven't had anything to do with that? Seems like the green and gold brigade can't admit they were wrong.

Everyone's revenues have increased significantly over the last 10 years. Glazers could've driven growth but the key question is what would've happened without the Glazers? We don't know but my guess is we'd still be pretty rich.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

I hope every Arsenal fan thanks David Dein for this, you know the man who brought Kroenke into the club and made a tidy sum while doing so.

The same David Dein whose son actively engineered moves away from the club for his clients.

All I can hope is that Kroenke simply leaves the club alone and doesn't burden it with any debt.

Why did Dein even bring him on board?

Did Dein not do any research into Kroenke to find out how he runs the sports team that he owns?

Its one thing to sell the club for a bag of silver, its another to sell it to a man who could not care less about the club winning trophies.

Why did Dein bring Kreonke in to begin with? I admit I never paid attention to these happenings back then as they aren't as relevant as now, what with the oils running things.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

I wouldn't get my hopes up. Her's what he said back in 2013 in an interview when he got a vice-president position at KSE.

"This new position allows me the opportunity and flexibility to work closer with employees, fans, sponsors and community leaders to strategise and celebrate the power of sports and entertainment.
I am particularly looking forward to sitting down with entrepreneurs and technology leaders to bring innovative platforms to connect and engage our millions of fans around the world 365 days a year.

"From our venues to our teams to the fan experience, I am incredibly excited about the future of KSE and about working with all of our teams and businesses to create memories that keep our fans coming back time and time again."

Same old corporate hoopla. They're in it for the money and will want to turn the Emirates into Disneyland

They want teams that make that cash money.

I guess in that case hopefully they make the club rich through their 'innovations' and as a by-product we are able to spend more money, which we have earned.

 

[Mastadon]

Meh it doesn’t make any real difference. Kroenke isn’t selling and he already owns more than 2/3 what’s the difference if he buys another 30 odd percent? The current situation with Usmanov as minority shareholder hasn’t done much to help either. If anything the animosity between the 2 major shareholders must be having an effect on the clubs ability to act.

These Americans aren’t stupid they know the value of the club comes from winning trophies and qualifying for the CL. He’s not going to do anything to harm that nor has he actually done anything during his time as owner to indicate he would do. In fact he’s going to continue doing what he’s done all along = absolutely nothing.

Usmanov would have been the better owner obviously but the Arsenal as a classy club joke meant the other shareholders preferred to sell their shares to an American who cares nothing about it apart from making money. Too bad that boat has sailed and this is all we have. At least he’s not taking dividends.

 

[JSArsenal]

Why did Dein bring Kreonke in to begin with? I admit I never paid attention to these happenings back then as they aren't as relevant as now, what with the oils running things.

He wanted us to be like Manchester United and their ownership, being on the stock exchange and what have you.

Small snippet on the BBC about it from back then: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/6571099.stm

I always find it ironic when Arsenal fans bemoan our ownership situation then in the next sentence say they want Dein back. The reason Dein was sacked is because he's the one who brought Kroenke to the club in the first place.

Another of his bright ideas was for us to rent out Wembley instead of building the Emirates.

 

[Massive Spanner]

Everyone's revenues have increased significantly over the last 10 years. Glazers could've driven growth but the key question is what would've happened without the Glazers? We don't know but my guess is we'd still be pretty rich.

I don't see how a 'key question' could be one with almost infinite possibilities and tangibles that's essentially impossible to answer.

What we can definitively say is that under the Glazer's we have seen our growth as a club absolutely skyrocket over the last thirteen-odd years. That is a fact, and anyone who's claiming that it would've happened without the Glazer's anyway is talking pure speculation, and as such trying to use it as an argument against them is completely baseless.

It's not a surprise that the posters arguing against them here (not including you) are the same ones who defend Jose and moan that the club aren't giving him enough money. Damn Glazer's and their stingy pockets only giving poor Jose £400m!

 

[ivaldo]

Everyone's revenues have increased significantly over the last 10 years. Glazers could've driven growth but the key question is what would've happened without the Glazers? We don't know but my guess is we'd still be pretty rich.

We wouldn't be close to what we are now if we didn't change. A cursory look at our set up prior to the takeover confirms that.

Yes they have. But have they increased to the degree ours have? Absolutely not. We had Deloitte publically questioning the viability of the Glazers takeover, and they have been made to eat their words. So this growing belief that Joe Bloggs could've transformed the club in the manner that they have done, is complete nonsense and just a reactionary view after being proven so wrong about the initial takeover bid.

 

[cyberman]

Everyone's revenues have increased significantly over the last 10 years. Glazers could've driven growth but the key question is what would've happened without the Glazers? We don't know but my guess is we'd still be pretty rich.

Everything is obvious in hindsight.
What's truly remarkable is the ability to do this during the worst period in our history for what? 30 years?

 

[Eboue]

kroenke is a parasite

 

[FujiVice]

Hey a 6th place finish does look good on your portfolio when you are on the boat with your billonaire friends. The fans might not like it, but Big Stan The Man couldnt give a feck.

 

[Arruda]

I don't see how a 'key question' could be one with almost infinite possibilities and tangibles that's essentially impossible to answer.

What we can definitively say is that under the Glazer's we have seen our growth as a club absolutely skyrocket over the last thirteen-odd years. That is a fact, and anyone who's claiming that it would've happened without the Glazer's anyway is talking pure speculation, and as such trying to use it as an argument against them is completely baseless.

It's not a surprise that the posters arguing against them here (not including you) are the same ones who defend Jose and moan that the club aren't giving him enough money. Damn Glazer's and their stingy pockets only giving poor Jose £400m!

Every big club in Europe has grown a lot in the past decade and a half. As a percentage of revenue, all of Bayern, Real, Barcelona, Atletico, Tottenham and Arsenal have grown more than United between 2004-2013, plus, of course, all the sugar daddy clubs. Even Liverpool is only slightly below, only the big Italian clubs are significantly lower on the list. Source: https://www.google.pt/url?sa=t&sour...FjABegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw2GzpdEG0GY-5VAjonqARKg

Obviously it's safe to say that without the Glazers you would grow anyway, and on a comparable ammount, unless an abnormal cataclysm had happened. The whole of the industry grew in that time.

 

[KM]

The only way I can get behind him is if he personally introduces Dembele to the fans tomorrow.

Even that shouldn't be enough. Unfortunately for Arsenal fans, it looks similar to when Glazers bought out United. I won't be surprised if Kroenke transfers the loan which he has taken from Deutsche Bank(around 550m pounds) to the Arsenal club accounts.

https://www.fnlondon.com/articles/k...tsche-loan-for-full-arsenal-takeover-20180807

We had the world's greatest manager(Ferguson) at helm, and still the Glazers takeoever has affected us.

 

[FujiVice]

Although his spokesman says otherwise, Usmanov has been rumoured to be taking over Everton as soon as he got out of Arsenal. He's unbelievably rich, and if he does take over Everton and makes them a force, Arsenal will be the first club dropping out the peaking order in the Premiership.

 

[breakout67]

As of 2015 we had 150 people working in our commercial department. When they took over we had two, TWO!!

You lot can undervalue Glazers influence on the financial strengthening of this club all you like, but our growth in an increasingly competitive league is unmatched, and our strategies are being carbon copied by everyone.

What have the glazers done other than have lots of leverage? It seems you are crediting the Glazers with the work of Ed Woodward who is by all accounts a marketing savant. Didn't Woodward also faciliate the takeover, so the Glazers wouldn't even be here without Woodward?

 

[Sultan]

Done!

Thanks! Appreciated.

 

[ivaldo]

What have the glazers done other than have lots of leverage? It seems you are crediting the Glazers with the work of Ed Woodward who is by all accounts a marketing savant. Didn't Woodward also faciliate the takeover, so the Glazers wouldn't even be here without Woodward?

So Glazers didn't do a thing other than employ Woodward? I think you might need to do a bit of research into Malcom Glazer if you aren't willing to credit him with any of our success.

 

[Nanook]

As of 2015 we had 150 people working in our commercial department. When they took over we had two, TWO!!

What’s you source? I find that hard to believe.

 

[ivaldo]

What’s you source? I find that hard to believe.

Of course you would. It's fairly common knowledge. Search it and you'll find plenty of references to it.

 

[Kapardin]

Arsenal are fecked if they can't get rid of this trophy hunting leech.

 

[breakout67]

So Glazers didn't do a thing other than employ Woodward? I think you might need to do a bit of research into Malcom Glazer if you aren't willing to credit him with any of our success.

I don't know that's why I'm asking. I'm willing to credit Malcom Glazer if he's actually done something, not assume because he was successful in other projects that he contributed to this one (except for buying it out).

I'm reading that the main contribution of the Glazers is purely in the funding aspect. They took on some debt and the club also took on some debt for the sake of purchasing the club. They restructured the debt through the use of bonds to get a lower interest rate. I'm also reading that the death of Malcom Glazer was inconsequential to the running of the club, so what did he actually do?

 

[Karappa]

Bad deal for Arsenal, the American investors want to see a return on their money. The only people in football pouring in money primarily trying to get results on the pitch are the Arabs at PSG and City and with certain limitations some Russians (although the guy owning Monaco has made a big return on his investment there).

 

[Nanook]

Of course you would. It's fairly common knowledge. Search it and you'll find plenty of references to it.

The onus is on you to prove it not me. I did I quick Google search and nothing came up. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I just find it hard to believe.

In 2003/2004 a breakdown of United’s full time employees was as follows

Players - 69
Ground staff - 90
Ticket office and membership - 47
Catering - 108
Administration and other - 190

Average number of employees - 504

In 16/17 it was

Players - 74
Football technical and coaching - 136
Commercial - 120
Media - 90
Administration and other - 445

Average number of employees - 865

No mention of commercial staff in 2003/04 unfortunately.