Calm after the crisis has Gunners feeling good Friday, October 18, 2013 A year ago, the atmosphere in the room was toxic and mutiny seemed on the cards. With the signing of Mesut Ozil (left) Arsene Wenger can now make proclamations about winning the Premier League title and not sound in any way foolish By Julian Bennetts Yet 12 months on, and the tension at Arsenal’s AGM appears to have dissipated. Instead there was a joke by chief executive Ivan Gazidis at Tottenham’s expense, and chairman Chips Keswick refusing to answer a question about the Qatar World Cup as he didn’t think he’d live that long (maybe you had to be there for the latter). There was some anger at majority shareholder Stan Kroenke’s refusal to engage more with fans and allow them to purchase more shares, but the meeting yesterday showed quite how far Arsenal have come in the past year. Some of that is due to outside factors — the retirement of Alex Ferguson and instability at other Premier League clubs being one — but Arsenal are finally nearing the end of their long winter of discontent. There have been eight seasons of financial restrictions due to the move to the Emirates Stadium, but increased funds and the purchase of Mesut Ozil have altered perceptions both within and outside the club. Now Arsene Wenger can make proclamations about winning the Premier League title and not sound in any way foolish. Optimistic, perhaps, but not foolish. Indeed, one of the most important issues was not even addressed — the questions of whether Wenger will be at the club after his contract expires next summer. It was left unsaid because it is virtually a done deal, a manager who has steered the club through choppy waters rewarded with a two-year deal whenever he wants to put pen to paper. Kroenke paid tribute to Wenger’s “values” when he made a short speech at the start of proceedings, but that was the last thing he would say during the day. The American prefers to delegate responsibility and public utterances to others and he was not going to change tack now. So it was that the question of Fanshare — a faltering scheme that allows supporters to purchase shares in the club — was unaddressed, as too was the issue of whether he will take a dividend from the club. In light of the fact Arsenal have just signed a €177m deal with Adidas, it is not a huge step to imagine Kroenke wanting a return on his investment, but the club insist that is not the case. Speaking on behalf of Kroenke, Keswick said: “Mr Kroenke has never taken a dividend out of any of the sporting organisations which he owns, and nothing in this policy has or is changing.” That is certainly not a ‘no’, but does suggest no change in policy is imminent. Neither is there likely to be more communication with fans, with Kroenke insisting his annual AGM appearance and a regular commitment from the remainder of the club’s board to meet with supporters is enough. Some principal supporters’ groups disagree, but Kroenke does far more than Roman Abramovich, the Glazer family, Joe Lewis and Mike Ashley. There are clearly other issues — the tough upcoming fixture list, for one — but the fact that a couple of jokes could be made demonstrated the change of feeling from last year. Asked about Tottenham’s incursion into the US market, Gazidis played to the crowd when he said: “Well there’s a Gareth Bale poster in Times Square but he doesn’t play for Tottenham now — he plays for one of our rivals,” in reference to the Real Madrid man. Keswick’s quip about Qatar — ‘I probably won’t be alive so I won’t be going’ — was rather funnier than it sounds, but as ever, the most impressive performer is Wenger. The Frenchman has a knack for saying the right things at these occasions and this was no exception. He explained his three-point plan for the future — developing local youngsters, using an extended scouting network to find the best undiscovered talent abroad and, lastly, the big-name purchases — and spoke of how financial pressures on him has eased. “I believe our future is very positive,” he said. “We have a huge advantage which is that our club is well respected all over the world as we have values, are not artificial, have traditions, are forward-thinking and give chances to those who deserve it. “I travel a lot and our club is loved for way we try to play football and the qualities our club has always defended. If we get all our players back I am very convinced we have a strong part to play [in the Premier League] and am confident that at the end of May we will be happy. “That is my wish and your wish as well. Therefore I hope at the end of May we can organise a very positive meeting and have the pleasure to meet you again.” * Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov revealed yesterday he has increased his stake in Arsenal to more than 30%. Usmanov, using his Red and White Holdings Ltd, had around 29% before the latest purchase. Usmanov and his partner Farhad Moshiri, who together control Red & White, have said they want to boost their holding and criticised the team’s board for its financial decisions after captain Robin van Persie left for Manchester United last year. © Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved irishexaminer/sport/soccer/calm-after-the-crisis-has-gunners-feeling-good-246737.html?
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 10:00:12 +0000
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