What’s up my darlings? You good? I hope you are. Fat? I hope you are.
The Premier League looks to be edging closer to a restart. The Government said LIVE sport could resume behind closed doors from June 1st.
Finally a decision.
Clubs are also close to agreeing to scrap the idea of neutral grounds. Should work for Arsenal players, they’re used to playing in silence lolololool still got the heat in these HILARIOUS fingertips.
Danny Rose is NOT happy about this. He said, ‘fuck the nation’s morale.’ How dare he. Just kidding, he can think what he likes. It’s a tough one, because really, it’s not about the nation’s morale, it’s about the survival of a game that pays him £15.6m over 5 years.
It’s down to the players though. It’s their decision. Just as it’s the decision of a builder as to whether they want to go back to work (reckon most builders I know would risk Ebola to get out of the house atm). There will certainly be players that decide against returning, the big question is what the clubs do in that case?
I would hope clubs are respectful of players that don’t want to risk it… that said, would you be surprised if clubs used it as an excuse to terminate rebels contracts? I wouldn’t.
Arturo Fernandes, Portuguese rep of Portuguese agents reckons transfers will change dramatically (BBC).
“The clubs with bigger finances can do whatever they want but they will go very low (with fees) because they know everybody is in crisis,”
“I believe this market will bring us swaps, loans and small transfers, and that there’ll be more inside the same country because we’ll be unable to know if everybody can travel.
“The UK, France and Spain will look inside mostly because it makes things easier for the players, their families, even for the agents, to travel around. Imagine if I bring one player to PSG and the same day I need to come back to London or Portugal and they obligate me to stay in quarantine.”
That sort of chat is exactly why I think it is an absolute nonsense that Arsenal are close to signing Thomas Partey. Firstly, we don’t know if the season will finish. Secondly, we have no money. Thirdly, why would Arsenal, a club with very little money, be negotiating the top rate of his buyout when they might be able to pick him up for cheaper.
So much is up in the air, but one this is clear, the big clubs, the managers and the agents are all saying the same things… the market will be vastly different this summer. I can’t wait. I feel like this is a levelling of the playing field for Arsenal in a weird way. Fernandes added more weight to that view.
“I remember the fantastic Espanyol of Mauricio Pochettino and young players like Jose Callejon. I remember the fantastic team of Sporting Lisbon with Paulo Bento as coach, and players like Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso.
“Why? Because they were in big crises with money so gave the opportunity to cheaper players, the young players from the academy. It would be great for these players and for the clubs because they will find, in three or four years, that their biggest profit will come from these boys.”
Arsenal has a lot of very exciting kids coming through the ranks. We’ll have more of an excuse to shift players off the books for less money. Players like Mesut Ozil might seek out the security of longer deals on lower wages because who knows where the game is going.
I also think we’ll go into overdrive to sell ourselves as the best place for young kids.
‘This Arteta chap turned Mustafi into a modern-day Baresi’
Young kids want playing time, elite coaching, and London. We have all those things. Could be very exciting for us if Edu and Raul can resist the looky-looky agents that’ll be flogging their fine Italian wares as soon as it’s acceptable.
Flamengo’s Brazilian Gerson has been linked, his dad had this to say.
“Nobody knew about Arsenal, but now that I’m telling you, everyone will know,”
Pablo Mari for the win! We do need a number 8. This guy has a powerful engine, but my oh my, does he like that left foot. Struggle to see Arsenal signing a central midfielder that one-footed. We’ll see.
Have a great day!
Marc
Maybe covid-19 will be the start of something positive in football.
Ownership structures to change and clubs to be run as proper business.
You know, with balance sheets and all that jazz.
“work commitments” 😂😂😂
Micheal
Arsenal are worth a couple of billion quid – what’s going to make Kroenke just give that up? Who’s going to put a load of money into an investment that doesn’t pay a return if they only own a small part of it?
Graham
Again whilst I’d like to see it I just don’t see how it could happen with the way many PL clubs are now owned.
Marc
I know, you’re right.
One can dream though.
🙏🍺
Graham
What we could do however is string the fuckers up who oversee the “fit and proper person test”
It is feasible to run these cowboys out of town. Putting the current (hopefully temporary) financial problems aside, the underlying economics of football are fundamentally strong – high attendance levels, huge TV income, sponsorship, merchandise, etc. The Emirates is still capable of getting 60,000 per game and appearing on Sky, regardless of who owns the club. In general, much of the wealth generated by the current ownership model goes into players’ wages. But we could force owners (like Kroenke) to divest at least 60% of their equity and replace it with shares owned by fans. Clubs would be forced to… Read more »
51 % fans ownership should become a law like something similar in Germany.
Micheal
Are you saying fans would buy the shares?
“Are you saying fans would buy the shares?” In one form or another. I am no financial consultant or banker. But it should be possible to devise a scheme allowing people to invest in a club and for the on-going revenues to repay the debt to the former owners over a long period. I am not sure how the German model works, but others here may be able to shed some light. For example, when countries nationalise assets they issue bonds to the companies in exchange for ownership. Either way, the existing ownership model operates against the best interests of… Read more »
Micheal
You’d get tied up in legal battles for decades if you tried anything like that.
I’m all for the fan ownership model with the proper controls in place but when you look at the number of clubs owned by very rich businesses etc with very good lawyers it just won’t happen.
Fan ownership will be possible after the European spring, when the billionares will be brought down like the dictators during the arab spring, the only advice would be for europeans not to have a better plan for the aftermath than the arabs
You heard it here 1st!
* to have
Sid and Cunty G are poison.
You heard it here first
Don’t even bother replying to them. Just a couple of ingrates spouting nonsense for there own idiotic aggressive agenda.
#haveanice
“You’d get tied up in legal battles for decades if you tried anything like that.” I agree it is a possibility and there would be lots of ramifications. Because it is difficult, it does not mean it should not be considered. I don’t think anyone seriously believes the current rich man’s playground is good for the game. Governments make laws. The UK is one of many, many countries around the world who have taken control of individual companies – we did it a few months ago with a railway company. Provided the legislation passes through Parliament, it would be law… Read more »
Michael
Marc – “Are you saying fans would buy the shares?
Michael – ”In one form or another”
How else would fans own 51% of shares?
You do know that 50% of 1 billion is a lot of money.
Where will fans get that type of money?
Do we let a few wealthy fans just buy all the shares and we can have 100 Kroenke- type fans instead of one kroenke.
It’s a pie in the sky idea.
My recollection regarding Overmars and Petit was the other way around. Overmars had been angling for a move and had started to stop working for the team. We let Petit go because Barcelona were offering a high salary that we could not match. Getting Arsenal players to rejuvenate Barcelona had been a promise by the club president candidate, but the coach did not want any of them. Petit revealed that the Barcelona coach did not even know in which position he played. Between the niggling injuries and the loss of form he did not adapt there at all and tried… Read more »
Dissenter
It’s a nice idea but as you say not in any way practical. Also if you limited a “Kroenke” to owning 40% does that mean you could have 2 Kroenke’s and a half Kroenke owning 100% between them!
“Fan ownership will be possible after the European spring, when the billionares will be brought down like the dictators during the arab spring”
A complete demonstration of being a moron – as Arsenal, Liverpool and ManU are owned by Americans, City and you assume Newcastle are owned by Mid East owners, the Spud’s are owned by a tax exile based in the Cayman’s and Leicester by someone in the Far East (I can’t be bothered to go through every club) a so called “European Spring” would do precisely fuck all.
“It’s a pie in the sky idea.”
I am not saying it would be easy and billionaires never, ever let go of their wealth and power without a fight.
I am simply saying that we should explore the issue, look at the German model and find a system which benefits the game and the fans. The model at the moment suits slugs like Kroenke, Russian mobsters and barbaric Middle East dictators. It’s game fit for billionaires – not the people who watch it.
” Also if you limited a “Kroenke” to owning 40% does that mean you could have 2 Kroenke’s and a half Kroenke owning 100% between them!”
Jesus. Think before posting. No individual, institution or organisation can directly or indirectly own more than 40% of a football club.
Micheal
Jesus – try to engage your brain. According to your idea you could have 2 shareholders with 40% and 1 with 20% so you’d have 3 shareholders controlling the club.
Me saying 2 Kroenke’s and a half Kroenke was taking the piss out of a daft idea.
“You do know that 50% of 1 billion is a lot of money.”
Funnily enough, I had cottoned onto that sum.
£500m is a lot of money if you have to pay it back in say, 3 years which is a typical business loan. But make it 15 or 20 years. Most mortgages are for 20 or 25 years, some longer. Use your imagination and stop being a smart-arse.
“Me saying 2 Kroenke’s and a half Kroenke was taking the piss out of a daft idea.”
You need a humour transplant.
As Micheal is struggling I’ll amend that to:
“you could have 2 shareholders with 40% each and 1 with 20%”
I didn’t mean to confuse him.
Micheal
You need a brain transplant – my sense of humour on the other hand is doing fine even though it has to put up with fuckwits like you.
” But make it 15 or 20 years”
Fuck me – the interest payments on £500 million over 20 years would be astronomical forgetting that the club is actually worth circa £2 billion.
Or are you saying you’d force Kroenke to effectively make it an interest free loan?
Michael
Honestly football clubs aren’t profitable for small stake holders.
The only investment we need to make is buying season tickers [for home fans] and sporting merchandise.
There are more profitable places to put in your money than a football club.
Essentially, the bank still owns your home until you pay up your mortgage.
The banks will own that bit of Arsenal if fans have to take up mortgage type loans to buy Arsenal shares. Lots of banks will own bits of Arsenal. That will be a mess.
There will be no negotiations for share price or interest payments as they are dragged out of a hole in the ground or drain pipe
There already is provision both in company law and indeed FA regulations to have a fans run club where each member has one vote. The vast majority of these clubs are Phoenix clubs founded following administration or other types of insolvency events. The regulations regarding their borrowing capacity are rigid as are the requirements in terms of how the community can tap into the assets . To convert say Arsenal to such a club would require agreement at a general meeting with a significant majority agreeing (75%?) of the voting shares. That’s not going to happen. Of course legislation could… Read more »
“I got offered a new deal and I wasn’t really happy with it, but Arsene was doing everything he could for me,” Wilshere told Arsenal’s Lockdown podcast. “We got to a point where I’d almost agreed it then the news came that Arsene was leaving, and I just thought, ‘How can I sign a new deal that is based on appearances with a manager who I don’t know?’ “When Emery came in I wanted to sit down and have a conversation with him, we did and he said, ‘Basically if I were you I would leave – you’re not in… Read more »
Terraloon
I don’t think there’s a real fan out there who wouldn’t in an ideal world want the club to be owned by people who only want the best for the club and don’t expect anything out of it in return.
It’d be great if something like this had been put in place before the PL came into existence but football made a deal with the devil and is now locked into it.
Just as a point to those who think the current “situation” is going to massively change football in the long term.
We were all told how banning tobacco advertising would kill Formula 1 – never happened. New sponsor’s were found, new sources of revenue came on stream and the big teams are still being forced to limit spending.
The day we sold out to the Yankee dollar was the day we sold out in being interested in winning the prem again.
A team that’s always in the top 4 or so and still bringing in the coins will keep them happy.
This virus could be a blessing for the. club… weeds out the over payed..
Give the monies to the yoot coming through…
Be the best thing for us, maybe.
Pedro
Pull ya finger out lad…
If you want some nostalgia and have the time, the whole game against Man Utd in 1997 (3-2) at Highbury is on full repeat on Sky Demand.
Did anyone on here catch Sky’s ‘Classic Premier League games’ segment today.
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4
Arsenal 4 Spuds 4
Joyous torture!👏🤪😩😬
Arshavin was a special talent but was completely wasted.
Has there ever been a more diabolical defensive unit than ours during this period?
Headless chickens would be an understatement.
Sometimes we played like Barcelona but sometimes we also played like Barking FC!
Chris
David Platts header and PV4’s wonder strike.
Proper football match.
Marc
Could bring back a more direct style of play.
The rebirth of the true centre forward.
No more 800+ passes. ‘To you, to me, to you, to me’
Social distancing will help the game.