um, maybe Liverpool needs the $$$ but I'm not so sure about the other three... The way this club is run, (and I appreciate the way this club is run) the $$ from the CL group stages along with fiscal frugality allows us to compete with the other clubs you've mentioned. Take that away and disparity grows even larger...
No, it seriously does. We made a half year loss even with CL revenue last year and probably swung around to a small profit for the full year. Losing out on CL revenue for one year will be a devastating blow, and missing it for a second year will put us in something of a death spiral*. *How do you strengthen the squad to get back into the CL when you are operating at a big loss?
He's been telling us to trust his judgement on signings for the last couple of years. Not in those exact words, but the same gist. He missed the window on his youth project. At some point you have to buy players now to fill out the squad. Now there are so many holes that there isn't enough time to fill out the squad. Players like Squallaci are fine for back up players, but the moment you have to rely on them as a regular starter is the moment you need to be looking for someone you trust to start every game.
Who's written them off? But are you telling me that I can expect any of our new signings to fully replace the void left by Cesc/Nasri/Clichy? The frustration that many are feeling is that we have the money from our fire-sale, and a disbelief that we cannot land a player or two worth their high price tag. This has been an Eden Hazard lovefest. Many professing that he is worth every penny of 26m. I havent seen enough of him to know if that's true, but if it is then we haven't we pulled the trigger? I think we'll have to fight for 5th place.... bc god forbid RVP, Wilshere, Rambo, or, here's a long-shot, Vermaelen get crocked again, we will be even more anemic than we already are. Frankly, I'm this pissy because its August and the transfer window turns all of us into raving lunatics, but I, like many others, we'll be right there supporting the team, whoever that may be when all is said and done. So to end on a more positive note, here is my hope... our boys, who will be considered by many to be top-4 underdogs, will feel the sting of derision and rise to the occassion to prove everyone wrong.
Catastrophic? Not exactly. A deep run in the Europa League would offset some cash losses in the gameday sense, and the club isn't in danger from it's debt loads anymore that 20M less earned would be catastrohpy. What would be catastrophic is limping to 5th and not ending the season with clear ambition to return to the top 4 and challenge for trophies, because then the club would truly lack the ability to lure/keep it's best players (RvP, Walcott, etc). Maybe missing the CL for a season helps Wenger and co. understand something more is needed from them? Sometimes it's hearing "I'm thinking of divorce" that makes you realize what a great thing you've got.
Wrong Right. Every club hugh named is better positioned to survive without CL money than we are. Chelsea/Shitty have their billionaires, Liverpool have John Henry, and Manutd are about to do a stock issue in Asia and raise a truckload of money in addition to their revenue which dwarfs that of every English club.
A: Buy inexpensive, high potential young players in bulk. Put some money away for a rainy day/season; ride the players that come good into a golden age of dominance once 'fair-play' comes into effect.
This takes into account that the club have been heavily repaying their development loans so as not to let the debt linger. On a year by year basis the revenue stream is more than large enough to sustain operating expenses and then some, but they're choosing to be more frugal while the opportunity is there. Hence one camps frustration with the lack of spending.
Someone take away my phone, I can't stand to be on Twitter all day. I've never hated the transfer market as much as I do right now. This summer has been a joke.
Financial fair-play changes everything. In the future, clubs that fall out of a CL spot will have to liquidate to compensate for the lost revenue - we're well poised to be consistently challenging without banking on a top 4 spot every season - the other teams are NOT.
Hahahahahahaha. Rebuilding season. We may be smack middle in the middle of a rebuilding decade. Rebuilding season, that's a good one.
High potential young players aren't going to get us back in the top 4 if we fall out of it and whatever quality we have left will head for the door. Fair-play is never going to come into effect the way we want it to (UEFA has already said that flouting the rules will not necessarily result in punishment, and it is up to their discretion whether a club will see their UEFA license revoked). This summer's transfers will seem extravagant compared to what we will see when we take a £40m hit to our books.
Rebuilding isn't the correct word. Competing with super rich rivals and running a prosperous and successful business. Doing it the right way. Developing players and showing more inclination to buy young and English. Wenger knows what he's doing.
If this is the new paradigm of English football, then it's a sad one and we all should long ago have come to accept that Arsenal cannot sustainably compete with clubs bankrolled by foreign billionaires.
I don't think it runs contrary to a good business model or even Wenger's youth project to reinvest the load of money obtained for Cesc and soon Nasri, in quality players for this season.
So I guess finishing in the top 4 the last 5 seasons, while being financially outmatched by the Utd, City or Chelsea, is not a good enough demonstration? All the perennial whiners out there, I really wonder what they would have done differently, w/out financially screwing the club?
I am worried about English football, frankly Euro football (watch Malaga the next few years). Arsenal can't compete in the transfer market with foreign billionaires, and I don't want them to. That's why FFP gave me some hope, but per my own philosophy on governance, I don't trust any of these corrupt governing bodies. Salary Cap with actual enforcement? Thread here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=24160002#post24160002
Some of you are being a bit too dramatic Once we get to 2014 the club can look towards new commercial deals. Right now we have the third highest match day receipts in the world due to the stadium. We have an excellent TV contract due to the Prem. However our commercial deals are abysmal because of the moeny taken upfront to build the stadium. We're talking about an extra £40-£50 million a year that the club will finally be able to make which is GIGANTIC in the grand scheme of things. We'll be able to raise the wage bill and offer transfer fees more on par with that of Man U. No we won't be able to compete on the same level as Cheslea or Man City. We certaintly won't be able to compete with scum like Barcelona and Real Madrid because they play in a corrupt country that lets them do anything. But with responsible decisions and a good youth program we'll probably be able to compete for CL finals, the Prem, etc. Of course I beleive a lot of this is probably dependant on maintaining our top 4 status until then.
Come on Man......You could have picked something else. . I am not sure a rant from perennial loser Herm Edwards is the right message!