Most people have a negative view of the arsenal fan base, which is understandable. But you have to understand the club had a very unique situation on its hands over the last few years.

People forget we had a good set of fans before all this AKB/WOB nonsense. The fans know we do not have a divine right to win things, our lean spell over the last decade or so taught us that. They know were not a Barca or Madrid.

Wenger was given years before the fans really turned on him. As long as we can see a clear plan, the fan base will be ok.

If the club get it wrong this summer, things will remain relatively the same. If they get it right, things could be reaaaaaaally good. I'm hopeful.

ioag, perhaps but the point is that those two signings were not exactly indicative of a transfer policy similar to Dortmund’s. The financial competition inthe premier league is higher but Arsenal are the third wealthiest club within that league, and among the top ten in the world.

Whether the are able to exploit that to their maximum potential financially is another matter, and where the fear of Kroenke’s ownership places huge question marks over their future.

But they have been spending a lot of money for years now and I don’t see them going down the Dortmund route of signing youngsters with an eye on making profits on them just because they have their head of recruitment, as their actual policy hasn’t indicated any of this which is why Sanchez wasn’t sold sooner and why Ozil was never sold.

If they can combine a similar policy with the big spending they have been doing could stand them in good stead, providing the recruitment of coaches and players are good enough.

There hasn't really been any clear plan behind the big spending though, other than getting hold of players who seemed to be available for less than their apparent market price.

It did feel from a distance that those signings were being made mainly on that basis, more than actually being needed in their respective positions or for the style of play being sought.

Off the top of my head, almost all the big wonga signings fit that pattern, as if bargain buys were the preferred approach to team building.

Either Arsène had totally lost the plot, or that was the most he was allowed to do.

A head of recruitment will need a bit of time to get his scouting team to do what he wants them too, and if Mislintat does go down the youngster route and is afforded patience, then it could be a good thing.

As stated, the two main worries would be whether the fans will stick with the new management team, and whether the owners would be able to resist the temptation of cashing in on big returns on investment.

That, and the players themselves being willing to stay put if Arsenal aren't mixing it with the big boys.

Yeah I agree that the transfer policy has looked a bit haphazard, but the suggestion was that Arsenal - and Kroenke in the main - may be planning on a profit naking scheme with transfers whereas Arsenal just haven’t been doing this for years.

You may be correct but as of yet there’s not really evidence to suggest this will happen at Arsenal, other than appointing a head of recruitment who has previously worked at a club that have to operate in that way.

Arsenal’s transfer strategy with the new guys will be interesting. As Tu Meke mentions it may also depend on what type of coach they appoint as well, a bigger name would have more influence in the decision making process you would expect.

It's a suspicion, yeah, not fact-based at all.

Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but I think you get that suspicion from that article about Kroenke and his American franchises that you’d read a while back.

It makes for grim reading, but if you look at the financial side of Arsenal they appear to be quite different in how they are run.

Hopefully for Arsenal that style never takes hold. What was apparent from that article though is that the Kronk couldn't really give a flying one about the sporting side of the operation and doesn't come across as someone I'd feel at ease with as my club's main shareholder.

This bearing in mind that AFC have enjoyed relative stability and growth under AW, but are about to begin a journey into the unknown.

I get that for many fans anything sounds more exciting than the Arsène-induced coma, but I'm just not sure I'd want to embark on it with Kroenke potentially having the final say on things.

Yeah he’s clearly not someone you’ll be happy about being your owner. Does appear to be a bit hands off with Arsenal which has its pros and cons. With regard to finances it doesn’t appear to have been that damaging to Arsenal - Wenger spending it on shiiiiiiit and not being able to build a good team has been the major issue.

I think Gazidis is the man that is really accountable for how Arsenal enter their new era without Wenger. It apppears he has some strategy with the new appointments at the club, as well as forcing Wenger out, so we’ll have to wait and see how it goes for them.

The problem now is that they are changing hands after experiencing a turbulent couple of seasons rather than trying to build on the stability that Wenger had brought them years before.

He should have left years ago, as many have said, and it wouldn’t have been such a big task maintaining or even going up a level to become a big player at the top of English and European football.

Hope Gerrard does well at Rangers. Then he can get the Liverpool job and crash and burn.

Gerrards the only one who can stand up to Rodgers...

I wonder if he’ll huddle all the Rangers players around him for ht team talks.

Rob gets so many bites with his articles about Martial. It’s like shooting fish in a barrell.

He should have left years ago, as many have said, and it wouldn’t have been such a big task maintaining or even going up a level to become a big player at the top of English and European football.

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Couldn't have said that any better myself.

Kroenke is a big issue, and I said when they announced wengers departure we'll see his true intentions.

I'm hoping it's more of the same from him. Letting us spend what we want whilst taking out a few millions for himself. That obviously isn't ideal but it seems the best of a bad situation.

Bit similar to how the Glazers have been with us. Although what they’ve done with their man Woodward has really facked us up since Fergie left. There’s a lack of foresight and strategy at the club in part due to the laxk of real footballing men at the top of the club.

We’ve got enough money for it not to be too disasteriys for us, and owners and a man at the helm who aren’t afraid to spend it, so we can spend our way out of trouble and you’d think that in due course it’ll lead to some real tangible success.

However, it’s frustrating not having a good strategy in place from which we can take actual advantage of a wealth and standing - this is where Arsenal need to learn from our mistakes, although not exactly comparable situations.

This is one thing you’ve gotta give City credit for. We can talk about their money all we like but they are a very well run club. And they now look like asserting their dominance in England for the next few years.

Gazidis, Sanllehi and Mislintat seem to be our equivalent to Woodward. I'm hoping for big things from Mislintat in particular.

But how the fack did Woodward get so much power at a club like Utd though? I mean, who was he before he got that job?

It's been funny seeing utd fans moan about him, but his output hasn't been good for the English game really.

That’s a better trio as they have lots of experience with running the football side of things.

Woodward was an accountant, he was an advisore to the Glazers when they bought the club. They brought him into the club and he became the man in charge of the commercial side of United. He’s very close to the Glazers for this reason which is why he’s now top man.

His accounting and commercial background is what drives the club as a brand under him, and explains a lot of the signings.

It’s a facking joke really that this man has so much power at Manchester United without having the first facking clue about football.

City are a well run club because of how Gulf royalty generally go about their business. They're far too busy living kings' lives to bother about the minor details.

They want something done, they say get the best and get it done, without much of a second thought or worry.

My brother was in the direct service of one of these dudes for a while, he has some great stories about their whims.

Yeah they seem to be pretty ruthless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afz_hYAtvYk

Joaquin speaking "Italian"

Sandy on another filtering spree.

Banned me for asking if his username was inspired by Olivia Newton-John's whiny schoolgirl character in Grease.

Barnet relegated by a biscotto between Coventry and Morecambe!

comment by Tu Meke Ainsley (U3732)
posted 3 minutes ago

Poch in, poch out, shake it all about

Don't filter me pls,

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posted on a Sandy article, guess what happened

comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 1 hour, 57 minutes ago
Barnet relegated by a biscotto between Coventry and Morecambe!
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They are my local team