If Spurs were to draw at Newcastle, we need only win by 13 goals v Villa to nick 2nd

[Ash]

Don't forget that all of this Emirates project was really, really difficult to get done, and it's a stunning achievement in its own right.

The now allegedly much missed David Dein had preferred an alternative, simpler idea of knocking Highbury down and doing a permanent groundshare at the new Wembley with Spurs a la Inter/AC Milan at the San Siro. Of course in his mind that would have gone along with him running the FA as well.

Thank god (and Wenger) that that didn't happen.

Supposedly if they'd known how hard it was going to be to build Ashburton Grove, they would never have done it. What then, I wonder? Wembley with Spurs? Olympic stadium in 2016? Still in The Arsenal Stadium, as many grumblies would like to be? We could have ended up the only 'big' london club in a sub-40k capacity ground.

[Ears are alight]

Supposedly if they'd known how hard it was going to be to build Ashburton Grove, they would never have done it. What then, I wonder? Wembley with Spurs? Olympic stadium in 2016? Still in The Arsenal Stadium, as many grumblies would like to be? We could have ended up the only 'big' london club in a sub-40k capacity ground.

Well, who knows? I'm happier with what we've done than any of the alternatives you've mentioned. Staying at Highbury would have eventually failed us for lack of scale, although with perfect hindsight the ideas we had around the turn of the millennium on the need to prioritise growth in matchday revenue to catch up and compete with the 70,000 seat Old Trafford behemoth seem quite quaint now we know how ridiculous the broadcasting income has become in the meantime.

[Ash]

Well, who knows? I'm happier with what we've done than any of the alternatives you've mentioned. Staying at Highbury would have eventually failed us for lack of scale, although with perfect hindsight the ideas we had around the turn of the millennium on the need to prioritise growth in matchday revenue to catch up and compete with the 70,000 seat Old Trafford behemoth seem quite quaint now we know how ridiculous the broadcasting income has become in the meantime.

I do wonder if the most recent domestic levels of TV monies are sustainable, though. BT won the CL rights with a sealed bid for a commercially unrealistic sum, presumably subsidised by their landline infrastructure monopoly. Sky, under attack from BT, and whose existence surely depends on PL football, offered an even more ridiculous sum to secure the PL rights, which they are now passing on to the consumer as a higher price for much less product.

The whole thing is a farce anyway, as the laws on a competitor to Sky were supposed to benefit the consumer, and the consumer is clearly not benefitting. It would only be real competition if they could chose whether to watch a given match on either Sky or BT.

The whole thing all seems a bit ITV digital to me.

[redgunamo]

I do wonder if the most recent domestic levels of TV monies are sustainable, though. BT won the CL rights with a sealed bid for a commercially unrealistic sum, presumably subsidised by their landline infrastructure monopoly. Sky, under attack from BT, and whose existence surely depends on PL football, offered an even more ridiculous sum to secure the PL rights, which they are now passing on to the consumer as a higher price for much less product.

The whole thing is a farce anyway, as the laws on a competitor to Sky were supposed to benefit the consumer, and the consumer is clearly not benefitting. It would only be real competition if they could chose whether to watch a given match on either Sky or BT.

The whole thing all seems a bit ITV digital to me.

I think we'll have won the European Cup before the money runs out, so who cares about sustainable.

[Ash]

I think we'll have won the European Cup before the money runs out, so who cares about sustainable.

It should be others who have to worry more about sustainable. We'll still have the bumper gate receipts from our fantastically loyal fanbase.

We won't win the European Cup though.