"Obviously nothing instills pride in our fan-base more than winning, but there's many things we do that make our fans feel proud, Developing young talent and finding those players in the marketplace make our fans feel proud. Whether it's Serge Gnabry, who is a 17-year-old player in our reserve squad, whether it's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whether it's Theo Walcott, we look at these young players and have faith in our manager to develop them as the players for the future. And the fans come to a stadium that the club built really at a time 10 years ago when the board decided to build that stadium. Everything was going our way, it was Manchester United and Arsenal. But we made a very bold decision and we built that stadium on time and on budget - that makes our fans very proud. When they see that we can attract - even though we haven't won a trophy in seven years - one of the top global brands in the world for the type of money and financial commitment they're making, that makes our fans feel proud. So our brand is defined by more than winning." http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s...ief-tom-fox:-winning-isn't-everything?cc=5739 This club is completely doomed with board members like this, and a manager that also believes and spouts in this bull ****. I don't know what this imbecile **** is talking about, but speaking as A SEASON TICKET HOLDER, the fan he thinks he speaks for, I could give a flying **** about the brands we attract to sponsor us, I'm not "very proud" at all by the sponsors we get, yes, it's good, but that's all. What really matters to me, and what will make me "very proud" is to see this team win things, or look like a team that's capable of winning things. And what's this **** talking about? Bringing young players and developing a team? That line of argument has long gone by, because for all the youth players we've 'developed' to make into a team, we've had nothing to show for it, and heck, most young players we help build up, have decided to jump ship! Yeah, how ****ing proud, we get young players, develop them, only to sell them off. These ****s need to stop repeating the same rubbish, it's going to be 7 years since we moved to the Emirates next August, how long are they going to keep going on about how proud we must be of building a new stadium? It's done, it's in the past now, or 20 years from now are these ****s going to keep telling everybody how proud we should be of moving into a new stadium on budget? I swear to God, wouldn't it be so ironical if Theo leaves? He mentions Theo as one of the young players we develop, so it will show you how ****ing clueless these ****s at the club really are, and how they're well and truly talking a load of ****. This club is going to go down the gutter with board members who think like this, very very sad as to how bad the direction of this club has gone, we've basically become a corporate whore of a club, no longer about the football or the results, but about the 'brand'.
I could not agree with you more!!!! Amen to that brother. When did winning things become 2nd or 3rd choice? Where's the ambition gone? We are in 10th place, yet the club acts as if it's business as usual. It's just so so frustrating! Thank you Arsenal87! Great post.
a bit too many profanities for my liking but agree with the sentiment. Business is their to reinforce on field success not the other way round.
A Spurs fan agreeing with you,i couldn't belive what i was reading,fans want teams that win titles,not corperate brands.
Top post. The board member should be tarred, feathered and placed on a donkey to be marched through North London. Total disgrace of a board member. It's all about being competitive and striving to win things. You think Wenger would still be in the job if it wasn't for his early success? Jokers....
If he talked about things like our work in the community, our partnerships with charity's etc, then I could understand. However, we're supposed to be proud about what sponsor is on our shirt? Who cares whether we have Poundland or Ferrari on our shirt, it makes not one jot of difference to me! Being proud that we built a stadium 'on budget'? I'm sure they employed plenty of accountants and architects who's job it was to maintain the budget. It's surely a minimum expectation that they do their job. Lastly, I'm not sure what he means about Theo and Oxo, they aren't from our academy. Yes, I want to see them do well for us but I wouldn't say I feel pride. I'm sure Southampton's academy coaches are the one's that feel pride. Laughable quotes.
Yes the club is an American franchise now. It is not a sport where victory is everything. It is an entertainment where cashflow is the king. Some say that you can not earn without winning things. Well, this is not true. To win things now you have to stretch your finances. This is a risk, because the trophy is not guaranteed. This is not an optimal model. Optimise the performance to maximise the income. Not the other way round. This is true to all Kroenke businesses. Marketing, merchandise, image, charity ****, global fan base, sponsors money. Mid-table? Not a problem as long as we are profitable. The problem is - the fan's interests now seriously contradict the owner's interests. I wonder when will they start selling popcorn at the Emirates. And yes Tom Fox is an idiot. But only because he said what his boss and other board members think.
I don't know. I think you are reading too much into his comments and looking at them in the worst possible light. As a board member, he has to deal with what he controls, and that is pretty much everything except winning trophies. His job is to increase the club's spending power and make it a more desirable destination for players and fans, through business operations. His job is to lay the foundations that will make the club greater over time. I think he was making the point that as long as the club is growing and getting stronger, even a bad run is not a disaster, because next year the club will have a better chance of success, regardless of what happens this year. It isn't dependant on this year's performance; unlike a lot of clubs, our success is not dependant on a run of success and a snowball accumulation of wealth, that can be derailed by a bad season. So, whist I agree that he is as dumb as a bag of nuts for saying what he did, the point he is making is somewhat valid.
These morons have completely lost sight of what football is. Its a SPORT . Sport is about WINNING . Football is a game we have ALL played since we were old enough to walk and kick a ball . We played to WINand always have done.. You have taken OUR GAME and turned it into a business. I dont care how much money you make or what sponsors you attract. This is OUR GAME . Greedy pin striped , back slapping bastards.
Excuse the swearing, but when I read the article, I just got so angry. Whoever the PR man at Arsenal is, needs to tell the board members to shut the f--k up, because they're attempts at soothing things, only makes things worse.
It is very very dependant on results, let's say we drop out of the top 4 this year, then you can bet there will be much more empty seats at the Emirates next year, because fans aren't going to keep putting up with this rubbish, and that in turn will help the finances of the club. EVERYTHING is eventually linked to what happens on the pitch. One bad season can well and truly derail a club, just look at Liverpool, they had one bad season in which they dropped out of the top 4, and it's led to a very bad cycle for them, there's no reason we can't find ourselves in the same position as them.
I actually agree with something Arsenal87 is saying - even one season finishing outside the top 4 could have bad consequences. Without the CL money we eat instead into our reserves which means longer before we can properly spend and compete financially. It also makes it harder to attract the very top talent and if we finished outside the top 4 for a couple of years running we could end up looking like Liverpool! Winning isn't everything, but maintaining a position at the top table is!
I think the point this gentleman is trying to make is that this NOT the case with Arsenal. As I say though, I don't think that he will convince many people of this, or that it will offer any consolation to any he does convince. I agree with the others that say he should have kept his mouth shut. There was nothing to be gained here by opening it.
Do something about it. It takes all these years for a couple hundred to make any form of protest. You have let these American businessman get away with it all this time. Your apathy is reaping your anxiety . Wenger and the board are on the gravy train. A run of form will only paper over the cracks. How much more will you take?
I reckon you all need to calm the **** down personally. The bloke is a corporate lackey and this is the sort of stuff he's paid to do. Results on the pitch are down to Wenger and the board backing him with money to strengthen the squad. At the moment it seems like our fans are just jumping on anything they can get their hands on because they are frustrated with our recent results.
PISKIE, With respect, the man has just come out & said that attracting big sponsors makes fans just as happy as winning trophies. How is that not a ridiculously idiotic thing to say?
