OK mate...my mistake...I was referring to Sir Kenny Dalglish...I own up to that. Brand Finance focus on brands whilst the others tend to be more general hence using them is more appropriate (incidentally in Deloitte's Football Money League 2012 we were 5th compared to your 9th)....your comments about qualified research are subjective. I responded to a comment which clinically dismissed Arsenal as a global brand when compared to Liverpool. All research (including the names mentioned by you) clearly show that to be a stupid comment (indeed in many cases we still have our noses in front). The fact is both our clubs are facing the same dilemma as to how to compete with those clubs that are drugged up with the financial equivalent of anabolic steroids. Its looking increasely clear that FSG are moving closer to our model rather than Manchester Uniteds.
That's better; take the sneer out of your tone and you'll get a proper conversation. That too is my worry. I'm all for FSG setting us up to be self sufficient but as we are starting from behind I'm not sure it and even the great commercial work being done will be enough to overhaul the Mancs/Chavs. Inflexible rules upheld to the point of continual short term detriment (not there yet) will mean merely being participators. Arsenal might be calmer waters but they seem to have tensions at board level about the way forward too. United may or may not find themselves in a scary situation with those owners but I don't think so, not bad enough anyway. City & Chelsea might run the risk of their owners getting bored but while the brand is global the playthings stay prestigious. FFP might eventually make our two clubs front runners but I'm not sure there is the will from UEFA, particularly while Spain are the darlings of world football. But then I take note of the opinions of people like Dave who know more about the finance world than I do. At the mo, I've had my first real doubts about FSG's application of their doctrine. Nothing major but still...
Alonso was 28 years old and had performed to his maximum in 2 of his five seasons, and we made a £23.5 million profit, similar to what you did with Van Persie. Mereiles, he jumped out of more 50/50s than Jamie Redknapp, he was a good player, nothing special. Mascherano left because his wife couldn't settle in the UK, so he went somewhere where they spoke his native tongue being spanish. As for Torres, a £30 million profit for a player who lost a yard of pace and hadn't performed to his maximum a year prior to his departure was excellent business. Arsenal are a selling club, they have lost 4 captains in the last 5 years. Players aren't joining Arsenal to win medals, they are leaving Arsenal to win medals.
Rolls out what young players? Arsenal have home produced two players since 1999, and those are Ashley Cole and Jack Wilshire. If Arsenal fans are going include Fabregas, we're going to include Raheem Sterling, the common dominator is both were bought.
Didn't Torres say something about his choice being motivated by medals? Every single one of those players who left Liverpool have won more than they would've had they stayed...so one might argue that your point about our players leaving because they want to win medals perhaps equally applies to you? You're mistaken if you think Liverpool are in a better position when it comes to your ability to retain players when City, Chelsea, RM, Barca etc come knocking on the door (with a money no object attitude). Don't be so quick in believing the reasons players give...its almost always about money. Like I said before, you'd be surprised how similiar our predicaments are...history and stature suggest we should both be challenging for the title but alas this does not seem to be the case (at least this season anyway)...but I hope I'm proven wrong.
Oh it is Baz; he's almost set a factory up in its consistency; I think they've been great in what they developed. And would be an excellent starting point/framework to go from. But unlike in the beginning the graduating class if you like aren't getting that 2 years with the juniors; that's what stops them being league winners nowadays. I would like us to get to their point but then have the ambition at board level to kick on. One of the articles on baseball doing the rounds (sorry American sports but that is our owners background) shows how persistent also rans were more profitable for the owners than sporadic title chargers over decades. Arsenal mirror this approach. It scares me that our Owners as business men might for all their words settle for that.
I think when he said "rolls out the next batch" he meant spot and buys the next young talent...please read in the context of the entire paragraph. Agreed buying young talent is not the same as coming through the youth ranks....but a boy bought at the age of 16 and sold for £30m at age 23 must go through a pretty impressive process of development (facilities, coaching, management)...so the guy who spotted, bought and developed the raw talent deserves credit (ignoring the wider merits of such a process to the club as a whole)
Baz We're not doing too badly with our youth policy now either. Look at Liverpools under 18s, its relatively young, you will be lucky to find a 17 year old in there. Liverpools star players are 16 year old Jordan Ibe who has trained with the first team and didn't look out of place, and 15 year old Jerome Sinclair. There is also young Trinkett Smith who from what I've seen is a real talent.
I can understand that consistency year after year getting to the CL every year is desirable for an owner. But as a fan not winning anything for 7 years and being also rans in every competition they enter never really being in the running to actually win them must be incredible frustrating, especially as they have had the players to win and then being forced to sell them. Whilst Arsenal's fiscal approach is admirable their ambition isnt. I rather hope that when we get the young players and the squad up to a winning standard (Sterling, Morgan etc) we arent forced to sell them because we wont pay to keep them.
Completely agree with that point...I hope you guys keep those youngsters. Arsenal need to balance sustainability with greater ambition.
He deserves enormous credit. Go onto the official site and look for the reserve side of 2004, and then compare it to the current reserve side. There is an enormous difference. All this was Rafa's work.
Did you see the clip of when Brendan Rodgers told the young Liverpool players that they have to be like ''sponges'' and they have to take everything in, and they are lucky to be where they are, and not to get cocky and think they had made it? I strongly believe that is exactly what Fergie does with young players.
Now we are starting to get somewhere. However, please don't try and tell me that Brand Finance's methodology is anything more than 'fuzz'. If you read their methodology on Page 18 the only conclusion that you can come to is that it lacks any financial stringency and shows a very limited understanding of marketing or corporate strategy. The methodologies used by the other agencies I referenced can be questioned but at least have some credibility. I do however agree that in the present economic reality a 'tight ship' approach has to be in every club's best interests. However, there are significant differences in the player strategies between our two clubs.
