Recently I've noticed the clamour to instigate a usmanov takeover has intensified. I can understand where people are coming from but in my mind it wreaks of desperation. The guy is corrupt with a very dicy background and would be very much in the abrahamovic mould. He wouldnt understand the ethics and tradition involved in our club and would treat us very much like his personal toy. We may temporarily relive our glory days but in the long run its going to damage our club. I'm all for spending money but not at that expense. It's going to get very boring and tedious and I don't trust his intentions.
the way we are run now i wouldnt change but gotta give it to the guy for trying with the 100mil bond issue(whatever it was) to pay off the stadium bill so we could concentrate on building the squad, so he does know what hes doing, i can see him putting in an offer very soon, he brought facebook shares few years back so if he comes to sell them he will buy arsenal
To be honest, it's extremely unusual for a major shareholder not to be offered a place on the board. Whatever Usmanov's intentions or motives, I would have thought that the board would want to keep him onside and in the loop. There's an old saying, keep your friends close, your enemies even closer. I read a while back that both Kronke and Gazidis are not opposed to Usmanov coming onto the board and investing some of his personal wealth into the squad, but that it's Hill Wood who doesn't want to entertain it (presumably he feels 'we don't need their types' like he did with Kronke....)
The Usmanov issue is a distraction. We have everything we need right now financially to seriously compete for every trophy available.
Hill Wood is an embarrassment. ... and Usmanov has just pocketed another 6 billions after Facebook IPO. I can only imagine how far can we go with his money. The guy is no worse than Abramovich, only richer and possibly not that footballistically stupid.
I'll never forgive Hill Wood for ousting David Dein for trying to bring Kronke to the club, and then embracing him into the club less than a year later.
Is that why the bloke spent 6 year inside for extortion and has been accused of rape only for the woman to "disappear"?
Doesn't this site have a word limit for your posts? If so we might have to wait a couple of posts to get the full list
You list 'em. I can tell you for certain he has never been convicted of Extortion! this scumbag is 10 times worse than Abramovich & I suggest you read up on what Abramovich has done for the people of Chukotka while he was governor! He has been accused of allegedly doing many things but never convicted, and RAPE??? sums Usmanov up really. No wonder the Arsenal board don't want him anywhere near the club.
as for 'its all Hill-Wood's fault' - what a load of cobblers. If silent Stan wants the Ruskie to have a seat he would have one.
Not necessarily. Hill Wood is the Chairman, so ultimately he has the final say. He's been quite vociferous about who he wants on the board in the past and hasn't stopped at kicking off people that he doesn't agree with. Kronke is still subject to Hill Woods decisions regardless of being the majority shareholder.
casting vote (the Chairman) is only required when a Board meeting vote is equal.... so you are telling me as many vote against Kroenke as for? yeah right.
Usmanov is currently under investigation for tax evasion, racketeering, corruption of justice and for using intimidation as a business tactic. In Russia he is often referred to as a gangster. It's that simple.. Arsenal don't want to associate themselves with a man who has 'allegedly' had business rivals 'taken care of' and acquired much of his wealth in an unsavoury manor. (most companies hire private firms to investigate investors and i'm sure that was the case with Arsenal and Usmanov) Saying that Arsenal fans are just soo sick of our boards lack of ambition they are crying out for some kind of change.
Sunday Times today - BUSINESS section page 11. Alisher Usmanov - an iron ore tycoon who lives in N.London, crystalised a profit of > $2.5bn (or £1.6bn) on Friday. How? - he had invested $300m in Facebook shares ( using Digital Sky Technologies that he owns) about 3 years ago. He sold just over half the shares...... lucky chap. Makes paying RVP £200k per week seem small change.
Abramovich has conducted far more criminal activities than Usmanov including loan-fraud, blackmail, bribery the quote below gives a perfect example of what the man is capable of: “In 2008, The Times reported that Abramovich admitted that he paid billions of dollars for political favours and protection fees to obtain a big share of Russia's oil and aluminium assets as was shown by court papers The Times obtained.[30]” He even allegedly left his wife for his mistress, CFCTEL you can say what you like about Usmanov, but it is a bit hypocritical given your owners’s dodgy past.
