Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking
03-03-2013, 09:16 AM
First things first, if we become Chelsea or ManCity then there's nothing left for me of the club I've supported since I was a lad. Being a fan, of any club, is about belonging and pride, and I see nothing that would make me want to belong any more, and nothing to take any pride in. Any trophies won in "Championship Manager with cheat mode unlocked" (thanks Jorge, an apt description) are utterly worthless.
I appreciate that not everyone will feel this way, but I'm sure there are a fair few others that do.
But why, then, might Kroenke be any different? Aside from apparently being "stingy", and not flooding the coffers with transfer cash from his private bank accounts.
This takeover attempt feels like its been brewing since Dein sold out. Kroenke was our "white knight", rescuing us from the clutches of Usmanov.
But I've always been uncomfortable with him. I've never been able to see what he gets out of Arsenal. He hasn't taken any money out of the club, he hasn't put any in. Yet he's spent hundreds of millions acquiring us. Why?
As far as I know - and perhaps Chief could clarify this for us - he's running Arsenal exactly as he does his other sports teams. He buys them, he doesn't ever sell them, he doesn't finance them and he doesn't milk them. I don't even see any tie-ins with his money-making business ventures that could offset some of his investment. There are no major tax breaks for owning a sports team. His businesses are legitimate and he doesn't need a whitewashing or money laundering service. Once he's bought them he does little more than install a CEO and walk off. So why?
It's possible that he's playing a very long game, and all his sports teams will be up for sale at some point in the future, but there's no real sign of that, as far as I'm aware. It's also possible that he'll switch tactics and start pulling money out of them, but again, he hasn't done it yet.
He doesn't even seem to be particularly interested in football as a sport, or Arsenal as a team, so I can't see how it plays out as a status symbol or even collectors item.
It puts us at the mercy of an owner who we just can't second guess, whose motives are opaque. I don't like it at all. But as things stand, still better than being bankrolled by an oligarch.
While we try and compete by the sweat of our own backs there's still just enough left of my boyhood team to take pride in. But we have no guarantee from Kroenke that something nastier isn't around the corner.
I have the feeling that whatever happens in the next few months / few years, I won't have a club in ten years time.
I appreciate that not everyone will feel this way, but I'm sure there are a fair few others that do.
But why, then, might Kroenke be any different? Aside from apparently being "stingy", and not flooding the coffers with transfer cash from his private bank accounts.
This takeover attempt feels like its been brewing since Dein sold out. Kroenke was our "white knight", rescuing us from the clutches of Usmanov.
But I've always been uncomfortable with him. I've never been able to see what he gets out of Arsenal. He hasn't taken any money out of the club, he hasn't put any in. Yet he's spent hundreds of millions acquiring us. Why?
As far as I know - and perhaps Chief could clarify this for us - he's running Arsenal exactly as he does his other sports teams. He buys them, he doesn't ever sell them, he doesn't finance them and he doesn't milk them. I don't even see any tie-ins with his money-making business ventures that could offset some of his investment. There are no major tax breaks for owning a sports team. His businesses are legitimate and he doesn't need a whitewashing or money laundering service. Once he's bought them he does little more than install a CEO and walk off. So why?
It's possible that he's playing a very long game, and all his sports teams will be up for sale at some point in the future, but there's no real sign of that, as far as I'm aware. It's also possible that he'll switch tactics and start pulling money out of them, but again, he hasn't done it yet.
He doesn't even seem to be particularly interested in football as a sport, or Arsenal as a team, so I can't see how it plays out as a status symbol or even collectors item.
It puts us at the mercy of an owner who we just can't second guess, whose motives are opaque. I don't like it at all. But as things stand, still better than being bankrolled by an oligarch.
While we try and compete by the sweat of our own backs there's still just enough left of my boyhood team to take pride in. But we have no guarantee from Kroenke that something nastier isn't around the corner.
I have the feeling that whatever happens in the next few months / few years, I won't have a club in ten years time.