news and gossip (tid bits really)

[jazzypom]

Comments

[the4thjuliek]

Oh dear. It seems that Arsenal do charity not just for the underprivileged but the privileged as well. Our second largest shareholder, Alisher Usmanov has stepped in to help the Russian Football Federation pay Fabio Capello £3.9m in wages. And the funny part is that it's not even the first time he's bailed the RFF out. He even donated £2.9m to help them pay the coaching staff and the players before the World Cup.

Apparently, he's Russia's richest man (and shady as hell) which made go all "WHAAAAAAAT?!" because I thought it was Abramovich. But old Alisher seems to have been inspired by Silent Stan (Kroenke, our majority shareholder) and has no plans of being our sugar daddy (I don't even want a sugar daddy for Arsenal, tbh).

[chrysa]

Ugh they are both assholes. I think they're engaged in an on-going battle to buy up all the shares in Arsenal so neither of them feel like they really "own" Arsenal and therefore neither want to give us more money =_= like, "The other guy doesn't, why should I?" etc.

Tbh even if he's shady as fuck, I'd still rate Usmanov higher than Kroenke. It appears more like he bought a share in Arsenal because he likes the club / he likes football where as Kroenke seems like a collector and only interested in seeing Arsenal as a cash machine. I'm sure Usmanov has ulterior financial motives with Arsenal, but i'd rather still have someone interested in football than someone who's a distant asshole not even interested in the sport.

Speaking of which, have you heard that Kroenke wants to move his american football team, the St Louis Rams out of St Louis and into LA? HAHAHAHAHahahhahahah ಠ__ಠ St Louis (to give you a little context) is pretty close to where Ferguson (#i can't breathe) is and is not a very wealthy city in America, and plus the Rams

[the4thjuliek]

Yup. I'm not sure about Usmanov's motives entirely but Silent Stan has no intentions of giving us any money. In fact, he took out $3 million for his own use and most of the fans were pissed because they raised the ticket prices again. I think the cheapest seat in the Emirates is about £63!

Is he actually serious about trying to get the city to pay for a stadium? He's loaded with cash! He should be Stingy Stan not Silent Stan. What a cheap ass. I think when Arsenal decided to build the Emirates, the borough of Islington didn't give any money and it's created so many jobs (they even have a page on their website praising us, lol). And really, can L.A. even afford it?

[chrysa]

well Usmanov's criticized the club for "lacking ambition" or something in an open letter which...why are you being an asshole. You have access to the board, and I'm sure they could've all told you we didn't have any money and you have a fuckton of it. *tries to strangle him too* But he holds something like 26% of shares and Kroenke owns like 42%. I'm sure if he were the largest shareholder, maybe he would be more generous, but he's definitely not going to if he's the second. But based on the letter, it does seem like he cares about Arsenal winning (like a fan would!) rather than Kroenke who is happy to just get money from us and his other teams, no matter how well or shitty we're doing.

But seriously, fuck him. Sometimes I get these delusions of grandeur and I'm like WHEN I HAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS I WILL BUY OUT ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB FROM THESE ASSHOLES but that will never happen. also their corporate structure is so that it's impossibleee to get in really. :( sigh. I hope he croaks over and dies.

STINGY STAN IT IS

[the4thjuliek]

From what I read somewhere, the Arsenal board don't really want Usmanov to take over the club. He bid several times (he's BFFs with Abramovich) but they shut it down. I guess it's because no one wants the whole 'shady Russian sugar daddy' image hanging over the club like it does for Chelsea. And I think the fact that we've always been a top club (unlike Chelsea who were Europa League level at best) also contributed to it.

[chrysa]

that's true. We can still win without a sugar daddy 8)

I don't think there's such a thing as a benevolent overlord when it comes to football. Except maybe City's Sheikh. It doesn't seem like City fans have a problem with him :P

[chrysa]

OMG, GIRL, did you see this--

[chrysa]

i just tried this one my phone (had to put in london) and it actually does it o_o O_o o____O wow. someone has this kind of power and is using it....amazing.

[meliadoul]

Oh my that actually works!

[the4thjuliek]

*shrieks*

This is amazing! We even have Google behind us. Take that, Spuds.

(I'm still not optimistic about tomorrow's match but if we fucking destroy the Spuds, it would be the best birthday present a girl could get.)

E: It's not working for me :(

E2: But Shite Hart Lane is XD

E3: Sorry for flooding your inbox but now it's working, yay!!!

[chrysa]

https://www.google.com/maps/search/the+shithole+london

I think it might be attaching yourself to your geolocation. i had to add "london" after it.... it might not need that if you're actually in the UK

[the4thjuliek]

No worries, it's working for me now. I went to google.co.uk/maps and typed it and voila, the undeniable truth.

Did you hear that if the Spuds can't get a replacement stadium for next season, the FA might actually order them to play at the Emirates? Can you imagine those flops playing their home games at our stadium? I'm shuddering at the thought of it.

[chrysa]

I asked Jazzy about it and supposedly they're working something out with Milton Keynes (aka where Wimblydon went and went caput).

I did not hear about the FA though. Can they order two clubs to share? I mean it's money for us, and even more delightfully, their fans'd have to get off at the Arsenal station to get to the stadium because I think only one other station is open 8D

I can't decide what's worse/better. Maybe MK because then we can finally mock them for moving out of London AHAHAHAHA Plus, they better put in lots of provisions that if they try to destroy the Emirates, they'd have to give us lots of money. I don't want their hooligans knocking around our pristine home >C

yeah the FA can do

[jazzypom]

I know that Arsenal and Spurs were working on something, but Levy (Spurs chairman) is irascible, irritable, incorrigible, inflexible and all bad things with i.

MK might be too outside of London (it's not that far but still enough to be a concern, and Milton Keynes is kinda fug), so yeah, the FA might do so. Either that or West Ham (never mind how they fought over the Olympic stadium over there- ooohhhh).

Oh well, we will see.

RE: yeah the FA can do

[chrysa]

impossible? mmmhm

Well it seems like Arsenal and Spurs have to play at home on alternating weekends already so the traffic isn't terrifying, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was Arsenal the FA made do it. I know West Ham's chairlady was like "fuck no" because doesn't want anyone interfering with the play schedule at the new stadium.

Who knows. I think the olympic stadium would be a more neutral choice for everyone involved. It's going to take WH a few years to make it into their own stadium, whereas the Emirates is pretty "arsenalified". I can't see Spurs fans taking that well. I think Arsenal is the most overall logical choice, but WH/Olympic stadium is the most preferred and financially viable prefered by the Spurs fans. The only problem is the chairs of the two teams butting heads.

Re: RE: yeah the FA can do

[jazzypom]

Nah, the Olympic stadium wouldn't be a neutral choice. Trust me, the war of words between West Ham and Spurs owner over the fate of the stadium (accusations of espionage were flying around), it's just too poisonous. Surprisingly, Arsenal might be a less emotional choice all around, tbh. But again, we will see.