Liverpool and Spurs shame our owners ambition (Long Read)

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To make a bad weekend even worse, tragic news just dropped the Jose Antonio Reyes passed away after a car accident. A tragic loss of a young life. He was one of the most exciting ‘out of the blue’ signing from way back when and certainly an unsung hero of our invincibles era. Thoughts are prayers of everyone at Le Grove are with his family right now.

Onto football.

I took a pretty big swipe at our ailing manager yesterday, and many people felt I should focus more of my energy at the family running the show.

So let’s talk about what running a club with vision and purpose looks like. What better place to look than Spurs and Liverpool? (I know, it hurts so bad)

5 years ago, Arsenal had just finished the season in 3rd place. Spurs and Liverpool had finished 5th and 6th respectively. Neither team had broken 60 goals.

Arsenal were ahead of the game. We had built our stadium, we had better players, and we were still enjoying our superb run of Champions League football.

So what happened? As we wrote extensively at the time. The Kroenke family were happy to watch their fortune grow because they are real estate people. Sadly, they didn’t pay attention to the reality of what was going on pitch side. They couldn’t recognise the decline in the football, they didn’t understand what the influx of money was going to do to the competition in the league, and they only paid attention to the standard health metrics of the business… namely, that all financials were ticking upwards.

That said, here’s where so many fans get things brutally wrong. They’re not bloodsuckers. They have invested ample funds in Arsenal. We have had exactly the same chance at greatness as the rest of the teams around us. The single biggest failure of Arsenal was to keep Wenger on way beyond his sell-by date, the second biggest failure was on Ivan Gazidis for his cuck like behavior in not at the very least building an elite team around him. The third was the missed opportunities. Sign Sven Mislintat and Jurgen Klopp 5 years ago when we could have, we’re talking about a different Arsenal. We could have had Pep Guardiola. The list goes on.

Ivan didn’t have a real football vision for the club. He had some really nice platitudes that he’d parrot at the AGMs, but there was zero know-how for delivering his substanceless proclamations that we’d become like Bayern Munich (‘be like them’ isn’t really a vision).

No vision, no philosophy, no structure, and a bad manager was a recipe for criminal wastage… not just that, we had a placid fanbase that didn’t understand the damage their father like manager was doing (even now, people still talk about him like he’s an absent dad and it’s f*cking creepy).

Spurs and Liverpool didn’t have the same issues. They both embarked on a similar plan of attack. They hired in two managers that boasted vision, coaching skills, outrageous charisma, and absolute belief in the project they were taking on. A manager is step one, it’s always the simplest way to impact a club. Know what you want to do, then find people with the energy to deliver it.

Spurs wanted to bring through young players and coach them to elite levels. They wanted a core of British players that loved playing with each other and felt deep affinity to the manager and club (Arsene > Project Youth). They had a good crop of kids that blended in with very smart buys from around the globe. The football might not always be that technical, but the work ethic is a sight to behold. Their players are more than the sum of their parts, they are an uncompromising beast of a team.

Liverpool, it was simple, they wanted to play heavy metal football. Klopp made great strides in season one and slowly built players around his exciting vision. Power, pace, flair, aggression and warlike mentality from everyone was the absolute standard. No one has more fire than the manager, he’s someone they all love, and he loves them back.

Also, the fans knew what was coming, they bought into the energy and they saw actual progress on the pitch.

Both managers galvanised the fanbase.

‘But, but, but…’

The money, right? Stan K doesn’t invest, he’s a leech, he’s going to bring us down…

Not quite my friends. The Kroenke’s biggest weakness now is the one that’s going to sting them very badly moving forward. They didn’t take the time to understand what was going on at shop level. My guess is they haven’t wanted to be bothered because they’re making magic with The Rams. They don’t really get football, they’d like to succeed, but they’ve entrusted average people with the fortunes of the club, which was fine when elite average could get your top 4 every year, now the bar has shifted.

Arsenal has a net spend of €288m over the past 5 seasons. We’ve dropped almost €500m on players.

Liverpool, a team everyone calls cheque book these days, has a net spend over 5 years of… €204m! €84m less than Arsenal! Their outlay over 5 years is €710m, but 50% of that has come in the last two seasons because… the vision they implemented started reaping financial rewards!

Spurs success, as much as it pains me, is even more staggering. Their net spend sits at €42m over 5 years. Think about that, we’re out here crying that poor old Emery only had €83m to spend last summer! Spurs total player expenditure over a 5 year period has been €328m. (Numbers sources from Transfermarkt)

Wages paints an even starker picture. Liverpool has spent £990m on player wages (Swiss Ramble sourced) over 5 years, with Arsenal right up behind them having dropped a STAGGERING £975m. Spurs, a team in the Champions League final, having just built a new stadium, have spent £576m!

Let me put this into a harsher light… Spurs wage bill is actually £18m lower than ours was FIVE YEARS AGO.

Our weak leadership has consistently thrown their hands up and said we can’t compete because of money. As you all know, we’ve been saying that’s a loser mindset. The best thinkers always find a way to at least get themselves into the mixer. Atleti, Dortmund, Ajax to name but a few.

Luckily for Arsenal, all is not lost.

I have very little faith that current leadership is going to fix this mess. The vision for the club is meek at best, I don’t understand the action plan, and there’s no timeline against it. The shift we made this year is at least there’s now a loose idea of how a football club should be run, the problem is I’m not sure we have the expertise to deliver, even to the ‘proud’ part of it.

We’re going to feel the brute force of how a well-intentioned structure will always fail when average people are attached to its success. Arsenal is littered with people that don’t know what they’re doing, don’t understand the values of the club, and will ultimately fail. Also, please don’t think I mean that about everyone, the club is also full of a lot of absolute heroes who love the club and want to make it better.

There is hope. We are an institution, we are London based, we generate tremendous revenue streams, we have class, values and integrity… and we are a beautiful sleeping giant. When the Kroenke’s finally wake up, pull the wool from their eyes and take positive action by making people truly accountable for something exciting, we’ll be able to make the climb back up to the top.

… but what we can’t keep doing as fans is continue to celebrate average. We can’t keep groaning that it’s impossible to attain greatness. We can’t have such embarrassingly low standards.

Strong leadership shouldn’t be hard to find with the resources we have available. An exciting vision isn’t that hard to formulate if you are talented and ambitious. Moving Arsenal up a level in every department should be low hanging fruit.

… I just don’t think the reality has kicked in with those that own Arsenal.

Today is a dark day for Arsenal. Two teams that five years ago were in much worse positions commercially, financially and on the pitch are in the final of a trophy we’re not even good enough to qualify for.

The exec leadership can either lie down and accept it, or they can pull their finger out and get a little more serious about implementing an exciting vision for the future of our great club.

Let’s see where this summer goes, but for now, let’s all hide in a box and pray the worst doesn’t happen this evening.

x

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Dissenter

Origi too has been quite shit

PessimisticPat

Waiting for spurs to score, Liverpool look awful.

Next goal wins

Champagne charlie

Nearly fucking threw up there..

Alexanderhenry

Liverpool, so below par.

Paulinho

Spurs have started operation shoot on sight.

Dissenter

Lloriente to score own goal

PessimisticPat

Lol Charlie same,

Dissenter

Effing mistake

Penalty

Jay

VVD The difference. Spurs more composed in attack, liverpool are shitting the bed here.
Whoever scores next wins this game.

Goonah

thank god outside

TR7

Will be weird if a bad referee decision decides the CL.winner

Champagne charlie

Salah is a BTEC Robben

Champagne charlie

omg this is Eriksens moment to give me a massive fuck you…

Love you really mate, top quality

Dissenter

That’s why they spend so much on a goalie

Ishola70

Sound save Allison

Bob N16

Thank you….

Champagne charlie

This is Sunday league, GK’s ;literally hoofing it end to end and the rest rushing.

Chess Un naai? Seen more elaborate games of connect four mate.

Dissenter

ooooops

Sigh of relief

Marko

That’s it

Paulinho

Thank fuck.

Ishola70

Oriiigggiii

Siddharth14

Thank you and goodnight !!

Goonah

If we buy Doherty and Chilwell we are close to liverpool/city level in fullbacks

yes 2-0 ….sorted!

Champagne charlie

GET IN

Bob N16

Close up on Spurs fans please….

HillWood

Thank Ickes for that

Dissenter

We dodged a massive bullet here
Could have been the banter club of London forever

Elmo

Poch is a fraud. Never won anything!

Yes!

loyika

Fcuk of Spurs cuntz..FCUK RIGHT OFF!!

Ishola70

Yes shots already of Spurs fans in tears.

They actually thought they could win the CL loool

Siddharth14

World class finish that from Origi.

TheBayingMob

As much as I dispose the scousers, thank fuck for that

TheLegendaryDB10

Yes!! C’mon pool of piss you can do it!!

I was holding back posting to avoid jinxing anything!

Samesong

Origi the hero

Paulinho

VVD and Allison have proven their worth in the last twenty minutes.

Stepped up big time.

Marko

Must be said the all English final is one of the worst in recent memory

TR7

That’s more like it

Jay

Fucking hell, i can enjoy my night now.

Alexanderhenry

What a relief.

TheBayingMob

Despise *

TheLegendaryDB10

No way would I have ever tolerated seeing the scum win tonight.

London gunner

Always said origi was quality.

Even when he was out of favour at liverpool and being loaned out.

Jay

Yep liverpool owe VVD big time.

Thomas

Lol how low have Arsenal sunk? The gloating is embarrassing really.

ARgooner

To quote Prince…this is what it sounds like when spuds cry…

Ishola70

Come on in your best scouse accents:

“We shall not, we shall not be moved”

Marko

VVD and Alisson have been stand outs. Worth every penny

izzo

And there you have it. Klopp master class with the subs.

Champagne charlie

It’s been like a pre-season friendly, total opposite of what was expected.

Thank fuck that lot didn’t win though. Nevertheless, fuck Liverpool and their mouthy cunt fans.

Fuck them both, up the Arsenal.

Dissenter

Spurs were unlucky with the referee
Not that I care

TR7

VVD now ahead of Messi in the race for Ballon D’or. Massive massive player

Receding Hairline

Thought they had their name on the trophy… Jammy pricks who should have finished 5th

Guns of Brixton

Wow.

So happy it aint spurs

May be telling how low we ve sunk but fml it aint spurs winning the UCL.

Thank god

London gunner

What’s peoples man of the match?

Marko

Liverpool’s Danny Welbeck is better than our Danny Welbeck

Alexanderhenry

Thomas

‘The gloating is embarrassing really.’

Not at all.

Dissenter

Kane shouldn’t have played. Pochettino should have kept the spirit of the side that got them so far.

Thomas

Worrying about what the neighbors are doing while the house is on fire.

The reactions on here really shows what small club Arsenal have become thanks to the specialist in failure and his loser culture.

Danny S

Haha Thomas you are a dick.

You can never, EVER gloat too much about spurs not winning the CL.

You cunt.

loyika

@ Thomas Easy there. Spurs fans gave us hell when we lost to Barca in 2006. I don’t get some Arsenal fans? So what we can’t laugh at Spurs again!? Are you expecting them to be in the UCL final again next season? If we had taken our chances in the league we could have pushed them out of the Top 4 as well (Auba here’s looking at you) We lost to the Chavs and so we will take any joy we can. You think United fans would not have celebrated if Pool had lost? Get off it mate. Pool… Read more »

Goonah

well deserved

fuck’em

Marko

You can see what it means to Virgil.

Words on a Blog

Poch, Poch, where’s your sauce?

Ishola70

Redemption.

Thank you Liverpool.

Liverpool bore most people to Champions League glory. Sign of a serious team tbf.

Moe

L’pool didn’t even show up today, just dared the scum to break them down. Masterclass from Klopp. He let them spread the ball to Trippier all day long. Only Seung posed a slight threat.

Awful game, bad advert for Epl. Spurs lucked their way to the final and it showed.

Dissenter

Takes some misery out of our misery

Receding Hairline

Klopp deserves this..

Wank performance but he deserves something for the work they put in

No team that loses 19 games in a season deserve to be champions of anything

Siddharth14

Horrible game.

Van Dijk has been an absolute monster at the back. What a signing it has been for Klopp.

I think Poch made a massive blunder by starting with Kane. Delle Ali has been so toothless.

Cesc Appeal

It is going to take a blowtorch and some pliers to untightened my anus

Elmo

Kane looking more gormless than ever staring into the distance.

TR7

‘Thought they had their name on the trophy… Jammy pricks who should have finished 5th’

Rubbish ! I know you love to act as a super fan but Spurs are sadly miles ahead of us. Were the better side tonight as well.

Guns of Brixton

Liverpool’s Danny Welbeck is better than our Danny Welbeck

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

rollen

World football is safe!

gnarleygeorge9

Thankyou Liverpool, The Arse has just dodged a bullet

Champagne charlie

Anyone else numb to seeing Liverpool actually win it?

Just turned it over, but the sight of them celebrating didnt even anger me, I don’t feel we’re anywhere near that level so it’s like watching Barcelona when in fact the emotion should be disgust vs absolute devastation if the other cunts had won.

We’ve got some shit to get sorted this summer, fucking hope we make some strides. This irrelevant shit is not the one.

TheLegendaryDB10

Loyika

Thomas is Steve the rent boy cunt who comes here from time to time.

Danny

At least we can show our faces at work on Monday morning without some Spurs fan rubbing our faces in it!
Fuck them.

Cesc Appeal

Liverpool deserve that and so does Klopp.

Hopefully we don’t have to listen to Jenas go on and on about Spurs.

Redtruth

BOREFEST SNOOZEFEST SNOREFEST.

Nw9 gooner

Agreed-now they will have problems

Dissenter

Karius vs Allison

TheLegendaryDB10

Glad we have avoided years of gloating from the wankers down the road.

It would have been unbearable.

Dissenter

Oxlade Chamberlain has “won” the CL

Paulinho

Liverpool deserve it but boy are they mediocre technically once you strip away their power and nerve.

Ishola70

Champagne charlie
“Anyone else numb to seeing Liverpool actually win it?”

Well we’re not jumping up and down are we.

They deserve a trophy though this season.

Any pretend rivalry with Liverpool pales into insignificance today.

Don’t be jelly welly of them.

loyika

@ TR7

Being the better side means fvuk all on the night.

No one remembers the losers…we should know.

Were Chelsea the better side when they won it? Were United better than Bayern in 1999?

Bro Pool are a better side than Spurs regardless of the day.

We are behind both.

Redtruth

Liverpool playing poorly shows what level Spurs are at.

TR7

CL finalist last year ,97 points in the league and the CL winner now- pains to see Pool leapfrog us by such massive distance.

Samesong

but Spurs are sadly miles ahead of us. Were the better side tonight as well.

No they are not!

Cesc Appeal

Paulinho

Agreed.

When you face their physicality with physicality on their level they struggle.

They need an actual ST, Firmino is good, but they lack an actual ST and they should go all out for someone like Havertz I think to bring something different at CAM.

Dissenter

Some players just love to cry

TheLegendaryDB10

Watching the face of the Spuds despair just makes me smile.

A very small positive to our awful defeat to Chelski.

Moe

Spurs are not miles ahead of Arsenal, that’s a bunch of crock. A little better, yes.

Jesus, to think some of you dare to comment on the game. How the fuck did the Scum dominate this game. Pool just sat back and are gonna laugh all the way to the bank. Easy, peasy tactics.

PessimisticPat

My boss is a spurs fan lololololol I’m going to rub it in like no ones business. Arsenal are shite and Spurs fans always rub in our failures so fuck them, fuck them hard. Cunts

Moe

You can’t luck your way to a Champions League trophy………….scum lovers can go fuck off.

Versus

Er

Samesong

Poch still not won anything!

Cesc Appeal

Alexander Arnold looks like he’s a real professional, not overreacting, as if he belongs there.

Alexander Arnold and Wan Bissaka…England are a bit spoiled for choice.

Dissenter

Pessimistic pat
Hope you don’t get fired on Monday.

loyika

Klopp has been to 3 UCL finals, was bound to win one. So he and Pool deserve it.

They do things like a proper club and we should put our heads down and hope our owner sees sense to do whats necessary.

Pep will be pissed that they didn’t see Spurs off in the quarters.

Pool will push them all the way again in the league next season.

We will still be in transition mode sadly.