Alisher Usmanov and Red and White Securities have written an open letter to the Arsenal board, the full text of which can be seen below.
Click ‘view fullscreen’ to read.
The timing of the letter itself really does lead to questions, but for now just have a read.
Easy to see why he released it now, he hopes to tap into angry fan feeling towards the board. I’m not in the mood for another backroom tussle though.
They are saying the truth. We need them to wipe off our tears. Mr Kroenke is fool of shit. If this was happening once in a while we can understand but it is happening every season with our best players. I don’t know if you guys are feed up, for me i am quite frankly pissed off.
Wow, you fell for that letter pretty quick.
Yes, i fell for it. Am not in any way doubting Wenger here but even he most have taken this news yesterday very hard if indeed it was his first time hearing it. Kroenke and Gazidis should come forward to explain things to the fans.
Yes AG! He did, but do you really trust our present Board that Arsenal will be strong again? I do wonder how would you feel if they sell Walcott and Song and then Wilsher and Ox?
No one outside knows who’s telling the truth or not. Perhaps the board have been feeding us lies about Red an White , and the fools are the ones who believe them.
Our best playing will be leaving for the second year in a row. That’s not the message Arsenal should be sending out. Something needs to change.
Well said Tee.
Forget about Usmanov and Red & white Holdings for 1 min.
tell me there’s an Arsenal fan thats happy with the fact that we keep losing our best player every season and then we call them cunts!!!
They cant all be cunts, the board is incompetent, whether we like to admit oit or not!
How can Gazidis not know that Usmanov has shares in Megafone?
Somethings not right, and we all know it
Not sure if trolling.
You do realise that David Dein is Usmanov’s right hand in this? And Darren Dein is his son? Darren Dein has seen off more Arsenal players than a rabid cross of Martin Taylor and Ryan Shawcross’s giant mutant love child
The whole thing is the bullshit you get when you add capitalism to football. It’s not going to stop, and it sure isn’t going to get better if you put a shady character like Usmanov in charge.
Ideally I would want the club to be owned by the fans, but wishful thinking (that Usmanov’s letter is full of) is quite different to reality.
Clubs like Montpellier prove that money isn’t everything. And if QPR didn’t roll over for Citeh like a bitch people would be singing a different tune.
The Owl is awake and its not even night time.
Ever had of a gigantic waste of time?, well analysing some fatcunts letter is.
He’s just who wrote a letter, i’m sure each and everyone of us can manage that if asked to.
ROBIN VAN PUSSY
John the mindless dick!
Hey lapidj, you’re annoying. You’ve made your point several times. We understand where you stand. There’s no need to keep beating a dead horse. Say something constructive or fuck off.
Fuck off Frog
how does it feel if every arsenal fan in the world says ‘oh i love arsenal but i watch it only on TV.we don’t go to the emirates’
just like this everyone at the club is pretending as if they give an arse
except arsene
Mr. Kroenke is just a business man and has never been a fan of Arsenal. The feelings of not winning a tittle doesn’t carry the same weight to him as they are to most of us. In contrary, Usmanov and his team are all vivid Arsenal fans and they carry the true feelings of a fan despite having invested in the club. We need passionate investors not just money making Bain Capital type of investors.
you on his payroll eh
hahahahaahahah the fat git is a manchester united fan he try to buy them before, you now fell in his trap, i m not glory hunter i dont want a fat rich cunt paying his way to league title and sacking manager after manager like the twat chav.he dont give a shit about you or any other fan like all football owner,thats include stan. people are deluded if they think any football team owner give a toss about fan. do you really thin roman give shit about any chav fan,no he is self glory seeker ,he just using chelsea as… Read more »
I don’t know enough about Usmanov to really comment, but I am confident in saying that Kroenke is not the man for the job. Being from the states I know what he has done to the Denver Nuggets and St. Louis Rams. Both teams in recent years are constant disappointments, selling away marquee players and falling from relevance in their prospective leagues. It appears as though Kroenke has brought this same attitude across the pond. I am positive that he does care about Arsenal and most likely does not know the first thing about football. He saw the majority ownership… Read more »
I don’t know enough about Usmanov to really comment, but I am confident in saying that Kroenke is not the man for the job. Being from the states I know what he has done to the Denver Nuggets and St. Louis Rams. Both teams in recent years are constant disappointments, selling away marquee players and falling from relevance in their prospective leagues. It appears as though Kroenke has brought this same attitude across the pond. I am positive that he does not care about Arsenal and most likely does not know the first thing about football. He saw the majority… Read more »
@Lit: I’m not a big follower of Kroenke’s Colorado teams, but lots of folks in New York think that the Nuggets did a nice bit of business with what they got in trade for Carmelo Anthony.
If R&W want more than a self-sustaining model… why don’t they donate some war chest and challenge Kroenke to match it 2-to-1 (in the ratio of shares)?
This is just shit-stirring and political maneuvering.
Lit, you have no clue what you’re talking about. First of all, there’s no selling of players in the states. The Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony, and they’ve been much better without him. The Nuggets haven’t won a title under Kroenke, but they’ve NEVER won a title, full stop. They’ve always been good and under his ownership they’ve been one of the more creative organizations in the NBA. As for his ice hockey team, the Avalanche, they’ve won the Stanley Cup (the championship) under him. Colorado Rapids, his MLS team? Won the title year before last. His NFL team, St. Louis… Read more »
So Usmanov is not causing unrest by writing an open letter when the club’s ‘ambitions’ are being put under the microscope – playing the fans off against the board and finding fault with everything the current board is doing? Must be the same way RVP didn’t disrespect the club by not divulging what his disagreements about the club’s ‘ambition and direction’ were while telling the club he won’t sign a new contract and doesn’t believe his teammates are capable of winning trophies all in a public forum. I don’t really like Kroenke and am wary of Gazidis most days but… Read more »
Well said AR!
Haha.. just watched Arsenal last 5 seasons…
1 word SHOCKING.
last 3 seasons since Gazidis came.
AMAZINGLY SHOCKING.
carry on feeding Stan with the expensive tickets, he wouldn’t mind… he would also continue to sell players to repay his own debts.
The truth of the matter is im fucking fed up being the only “top club” that endures this transfer saga every year for the past decade. I love that we have a self sustaining model, but howcome it is arsenal that seem to be playing by rules that noone else has to. If it is a case of FFP, then how the fuck are all the other clubs continuing to spend and we do not. Is it a case that when FFP is introduced, Arsenal will be the only club from england in the champions league? people go about the… Read more »
Jabba Want Arsenal
At one point I thought Usmanov should be given a chance, but this opportunistic behavior has shown me that he is bad news. Since things were going well with early signings we heard nothing from him, soon as there a sign of trouble he comes out of the woodwork for his own agenda.
Spot on cas.
I actually stopped reading the fucking thing half way through.
Fat cunt…..
I respectfully disagree with your comment because at the beginning the signings and the impression for the fans by ( AW, management ) was that RVP will stay and that kept us all calm, but now what is happening is copy paste last year and we will not even hold RVP for this year because that will be just stupid: 1. He doesn’t want to stay. 2. We lose him for free next year. If us fans are thinking of nationalities of people running the team then excuse me we are fools, this letter IF TRUE!!!!!! Just indicates that someone… Read more »
No, it just indicates that it’s very easy to put a finger in the wound, especially as this new one is just one day old.
And the timing is most excellent although a bit too obvious. Well, not for everyone it seems..
Your red tinted glasses seem to be a fashion staement on here. Too many people are on the Kroenke gravy train. At least Usmanov is telling it how it is and almost ensuring that the board will now have to openly respond and state their position. i think it was a great thing to do even if it is timed to perfection on his part. I’m certainly no Usmanov fan but I think if he was given a place on the board we would know a lot more as fans. He is also spot on regarding investment. How much has… Read more »
“I’m certainly no Usmanov fan but I think if he was given a place on the board we would know a lot more as fans.”
I certainly get that feeling by the way he gets his lawyers onto people who keep asking the wrong questions about every single one of his previous businesses.
Usmanov is an avid Arsenal fan unlike Kroenke who doesn’t even know the important players. We need passion in the boardroom and Usmanov team has it. Remember David Dein, as a CEO, he led the Arsenal to successes and is in Usmanov team. On contrast, Gazidis is a fan of Manchester City since childhood. Will Gazidis care on our feelings, absolutely not.
npojpp are you trolling us ? Whether or not Gazidis is a City fan (first I’ve heard btw) is not really really relevant. You have plenty of similar cases in board rooms up and down the country – these guys are professionals though and do the best for their employer despite any past sympathies.
And if you want to play that game, it’s been well documented that our dear friend Jabba is a United fan – so I guess he wouldn’t have our best interests at heart either.
“We don’t want to create confrontation…” It’s right up there with “teh cheque is in the post” and “I won’t come in your mouth, promise” what a horrible devious thing to do, an open letter which carries direct appeals to the fans reading it on the internet, prepared for just this moment god football is a shit business to follow sometimes wish we could just roll on with the new season. full house at the grove, warm august afternoon, the air of excitement and expectation (despite the knowledge it will be deflated at some point over the season), can’t fucking… Read more »
You’ve made me smile today, thank you 😀
I usually dislike your posts Sam, but in this case, cheers. Well said. Fuck this shit.
Also up there with:
“Out of my huge respect for Mr Wenger, the players and the fans…”
and
“I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens.”
“” It’s right up there with “teh cheque is in the post” and “I won’t come in your mouth, promise”
what a horrible devious thing to do, an open letter which carries direct appeals to the fans reading it on the internet, prepared for just this moment “”
Are you referring to Usmanovs letter or Van Persies “Dear John” letter ¿?
Opportunistic but an interesting slant on the motivations of the previous board
I agree. It’s like blogs always says, none of us really know what goes on behind the scenes so it’s very hard to comment, but I’m going to anyway. The letter seems to tick every single box that an angry Arsenal fan might have on his check list of ‘Things that piss me off about the Modern Arsenal’. It also supports the Manager which allows for the sympathy of fans that aren’t necessarily Anti-Wenger but still question the way things are being run. The timing of the letter will certainly give it maximum impact as well. All of the above… Read more »
Obviously this letter is designed to capitalise on the unrest caused by RVP’s statement yesterday but that doesn’t make the criticisms of how the club is being run any less valid. It is impossible to build a title winning team in one season and at the moment it’s like Wenger is playing wack a mole. Got the defense sorted? BOOM, midfield crisis. Etc. I’m not saying I want us to be a billionaire’s plaything but we need to be able to spend enough to keep our best players. If we can’t then we might as well focus our efforts on… Read more »
@ Titsan Arse – the letter is wonderfully constructed – reminiscent of Campbell in all his glory in the Blair Abomination (sorry administration!) the thought that Kroenke maybe no better than Usmanov long term has not crossed many minds…..
You did well with this post and the SP reference was spot on. I think the board has had any easy out for years now of substandard work and poor planning. They can and do regularly shield themselves behind Mr. Wenger the only person in the office with enough history and clout amongst fans to stand up and articulate their “plans” and then take the beating from media and fans that follows. I believe our financial positioning has not saved the club money, but rather cost the club money. Whether that be lower fees with regards to sponsorship deals and… Read more »
@ashburton Grover- I would like to assure you that the future of this club is in safer hands than with alisher usmanov. Be assured that the future of the Denver nuggets, I mean rapids, I mean rams, fuck Ivan which club is this again?
What the fuck is arsenal?.. are they from Arizona?
Ridiculously opportunistic I’d say – like a whore at a Star Trek convention.
he has a point though… Barca didn’t become Barca just by relying on homegrown players, they bring in 2 or one big names to the club to bring stability and depth to the club. The whole reason RvP is going and the reason Wenger is forced to sell our captains, our guns is because of the board just grabbing the cash
No, Barca becme Barca by building and maintaining an enormous stadium, investing heavily in a youth academy, and by taking a huge slice of TV revenue all for themselves. Arsenal have done steps 1 & 2, but cannot do 3, and the English top division is better and more competitive for it. Also, players get taxed much less in Spain… and that’s not working out too well for the Spanish economy…
barca became barca by paying no fucking tax! they owe something like 400 million euros!
@Mills7. I beg to disagree sir. La masia may be an amazing academy but if those kids were left in the tutelage of average players like the one we bring in then they will be wrecked by now and Barca would have had little or nothing to show for it. If you are not convinced let’s do a little maths. Right full back -Alves. Left full back – Alba anD Adriano (Valencia), abidal (not a la masia product), Central defense – Mascherano and Gerrard Pique. That’s just the defense. Factor in players like Villa, Sanchez and even Fabregas (La Masia-DNA… Read more »
Like Ibrahimovic?
& Hleb…
I wish this guy would fuck off!
Usmanov talks about wanting to match Chelski and Citeh but the only thing he wants to mimic is the fact that they are owned by dodgy billionaires. As for his respect for Wenger, it is hardly respectful to openly criticise the self-sustaining model that the manager has championed for over a decade. While the promise of player investment and silverware today may be tempting, the threat of unsustainable spending leading to reliance on one man and potentially bankruptcy (particularly given the opaque nature of Russian politics and business) is too great to be ignored. The fact is that Arsenal, by… Read more »
City owner is dodgy???? Keep telling yourself that to make you feel happy.
Villa, Sunderland, Manures, Liverpool and The Arsenal are all owned by yanks. What is in common between all of them? They are all blood suckers, they hand no feeling for the club.
You are a yank by the sound of it, I want to tell you this things run differently here and football it means more than just business to people.
Here is a question for you…..
What does Stand and all the yank owners check more The Arsenal and their clubs results or the account sheet??.
Mansour is the brother of an autocratic dictator who has gained his wealth by, in your terms, ‘sucking the blood’ of his powerless subjects. I consider that pretty dodgy.
I’m actually an Englishman who has lived in London for past 22 years. I think I’ve got a pretty good grip on how things are run here.
I have no idea what the yank owners check more but I certainly check the results first. That’s what fans do. Good fans also refrain from laying into fellow Arsenal supporters because they disagree…
I’m a “yank” and the only blood sucking I’ve done was to save up to fly over and watch my beloved Arsenal in person. That, and get up at ungodly hours to fist pump in the dark. Please don’t tell me I have no feeling for the club.
I disagree that the City owner is dodgy – there is plenty of evidence illustrating the fact that all the money he’s pumped into that club is as a result of him liberating it from the people of his own country, where such things are seen as more important than elected representatives or a free and honest judiciary or decent schools and hospitals or paying indentured foreign workers a fair wage. It’s also clear to see that statements like “Sports teams in America are soulless corporations, while teams in England are small, homespun family operations where the owner personally serves… Read more »
You’re both cunts. First poster, Why are you pitting Usmanov vs Wenger? They can coexist. Also youre generalizing every wealthy man from Russia… hoenstly. Second cunt, sounds like you just really hate Americans. Fuck off we know how sports work everywhere you prick. Bloodsucking billionaires exist everywhere, not just America. Cunt.
‘Autocratic dictator’ really? Why you watch so much CNN Davies?
Brandon, whilst I absolutely agree with your points, I think there’s no need for us to turn into a club of headless chickens. Let’s reserve the cunt labels for Na$ri and I’m sad to say van Per$ie and co. We’re all Gooners here, bro.
Of course Wenger loves the model. Who wouldnt love a model in which he is paid the famous 200K a week. He wont allow his players to get it, but he can get it? I’m seriously tired of Wenger. People keep saying he’s great, he’s awesome! Really? Cant win us any trophies, keeps loosing the best players, cant attract any big players, has opinions about everything from California to Osaka through Paris and Delhi, repeats the same shite about mental fucking strength and imaginary resilience… Wenger is a not a top-four-in-the-world manager and he should stop pretending to be, and… Read more »
The Davies…. Obviously you know nothing about the UAE (7 states all self govern Abu Dhabi, where his father was the ruler, not his brother is the richest of them all) and where Mansour came from. You just read what the Sun and likes tell you and you come to open your mouth here like you know it all.. As for C, my apology, I didn’t mean the normal yanks I was responding to that person as he made it sound as if all other club owners are dodgy and the yank owners are the only one that clean. THEREISBEARCUM,… Read more »
Cygan’s Left Foot… Here are a few things I know about the UAE and Mansour: 1) His brother is the Emir of Abu Dhabi – hence my reference to him being the brother of an autocrat 2) The UAE is not an electoral democracy. All decisions about political leadership rest with the dynastic rulers of the seven emirates, who form the Federal Supreme Council – hence my reference to it being a dictatorship 3) The judiciary is not independent, with court rulings subject to review by the political leadership – hence THEREISBEARCUM’s well placed sarcasm 4) The UAE’s mostly foreign… Read more »
“The income of an average person in the UAE is the highest in the world”
It’s actually not. In fact it’s not even in the top 25.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Ranking_of_Household_Income
But let’s say it actually is so I can use the line “That must be how they can afford to pay all their slaves! LOL”
The problem is that it`s not “Wenger or Usmanov’s” vision it`s Kroenke or Usmanovs vision.
Kroenkes vision? Shit he must have some.pretty good eye site to see all the way from Denver
Pfft. Poor timing (or excellent timing, depending on how much pure evil you hold in your soul).
Ah well. Arsenal were in a worse situation last summer, and we all made it through that. Let’s just stick through all the shit that gets thrown our way and remember that our beloved club will still be standing for centuries to come.
Good one…about time some1 who has some standing with regard to the ownership of the club stepped up and questioned the high & mighty
So a drug trafficking rapist is the guy you want questioning the morals of our “high and mighty?”
Get a grip, mate. Seriously.
Arsenal board room battles in the public sphere? That’s the Arsenal way!
Erm…
this is a bit underhanded to say the least. I don’t want this man anywhere near the club, his money was made under extremely acrimonious circumstances, and I just get a bad feeling surrounding him. releasing this letter right now given the Van Persie news yesterday is a ridiculous power play. please guys, don’t fall to his ploys. The model we have now is the right one for the future, establishing a self sustaining business is key to maintaining a club that can remain among the top for decades to come. the board haven’t made a ton of great decisions… Read more »
Ivan??? I thought you were in holidy!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Where is the fun to watch football anymore?! It’s becoming more like a god damn fucking drama between 2 fucking rich billionaires. All I fucking want is my Arsenal to have just 1 fucking preseason without drama. Too many freaking Primadonnas and power/money hungry bastards in the game nowadays.
*sigh* All I want is cheering during game. Fuck all this shit.
Wake up me next month.
As I mentioned on a couple of other threads, Arsenal have never won anything by buying big. The Invincibles were not multi-million pound buys and most of the players we brought in weren’t exactly household names. Henry wasn’t a household name, neither was Viera. You don’t solve everything by throwing cash at it unless you have the bottomless pockets that Man City’s owners have. Even then, they barely managed to win the PL last season and probably won’t win it this time around.
Not true at all. You show a limited knowledge of the history of the club – just the thing you’d probably accuse Usmanov supporters of doing. Arsenal’s rise to greatness in the Thirties coincided with huge (for the time) expenditure on players and a reputation as the “Bank of England’ club as there seemed no end to our wealth. Success in any period – whether linked to spending or not – is relative to the competitive environment a the time. Today, in an league which has turned into a Billionaire Boys Club, we are no longer competitive. We are not… Read more »
Tell them Sam, most don’t know we were called the BANK OF ENGLAND for a reason. We use to get any player WE WANT.
Now we just a THE FEEDER CLUB OF ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
It hurst? Yes I know.
Maybe in the 30s but I wasn’t alive then. I don’t remember us splashing huge amounts of money to buy players for the double winning team in 70-71 or the double winning teams in Wenger’s era.
How dare he criticise our club’s glorious financial model, which we as fans hold so very dear.
I can’t wait till February – and Deloitte’s new money league table – so that we all have something to celebrate.
My friend, we are not competing to top the Deloitte money league table, we are competing to win on the football pitch. What will that get us if we Cannot compete?
I believe catbiscuits was employing something known as ‘sarcasm.’
I sense you missed the sarcasm…
Some folks are just irony deficient.
What the hell is going on at our club!
We can dismiss Usmanov as opportunist cunt all we want but we can’t bury our heads in the sand!
There is a lot of truth in that open letter & I refuse to be a sheep & follow the masses! Deny it all you want but if Wenger leaves we are seriously fucked!
I am not a big Arsene fan. But, with the budget he has and losing his best players EVERY year and he keeps us at this level is not short of miracle!!!!!!.
Well said….our reign is coming
Board fighting is not good for the club, but it’s only fair for someone to ask questions when things aren’t going right, I don’t think is hard to at report a loss for one season buying 4 good players for 15 mil and release the ones who will not make. Yesterday was 1 of the worst day of my life when I read the statement by rvp, I cried, watching arsenal makes me happy when I sad, anything to make arsenal better I’m up for it. Gooners forever, life or death
go buy fulham ,you fat fuck
Usmanov you piece of trash go pick a club your own size
Surely this just stinks of Dein involvement? perfectly chimes with RVP’s statement… all very convenient! On the other hand they do make a very valid point in stating that while no dividends were taken the former shareholders have made a fortune through selling those shares after loading the club with debt. It may be a roundabout way, but if they were genuine they would have used the increased share value to create a rights issue in order to release equity from the intrinsic value of the club and pay off the debt? The value of their investment would have stayed… Read more »
they’ve made a fortune selling shares because Jabba has been hoovering them up so desperately that their value is sky high, another little factoid omitted from the red & white screed
if he really wanted to make a point he could sell those shares to me, say, for a fiver. that’d value the club at £15 and really fuck over kronke.
come on usmanov, why don’t you? you want the fans involved and on the board after all?
pfft, what a sack of lying shite
You could say the same about Kronke, why not ask him to sell all his shares to you for a fiver?? Forget about Usmanov & Red and White holdings, the way the club is being run equals no success and when Wenger leaves it’ll get even worse. Every year our players leave saying more or less the same thing yet we choose to ignore what they say and believe the guys(board) that never say shit!!! Are you guys that afraid of change that you cant see what’s happening right in front of you??? Its almost like you’ve been brain washed,… Read more »
Please can no one weak up The Only Sam, he is happy with Stan the Man, how the club lose all our top player/s EVERY year and us being called a Feeder Club!!!!!.
Correct!
“Odd” how this letter – mentioning van Persie’s note of 5.30 last night – was all written and ready to go this morning…
Or maybe not so odd. This is no coincidence.
Exactly! This, and the timing, is what makes me wary of Usmanov.
Indeed. David Dein, ally of Usmanov. Darren Dein, agent of RvP. Imagine they have been having a little chat, father to son. Any group who would employ this sort of power play with a club they supposedly love, instantly strikes sour with me. Taking power through opportunity – work and bread…
Example – David Dein… go figure
Any gooner who thinks Jabba would be good for Arsenal needs to ask themselves: when we were getting all riled by RvP’s back-stab yesterday afternoon, what were Red & White up to? Wetting themselves with excitement, that’s what. Seeing it as an opportunity to rub salt into the wound. Giving each other high fives and whooping with joy that after signing a couple of experienced goal-scoring international players they finally had their chance to twist the knife. Not really sure I can see how they’d be good for our club in all honesty, but I can see a hell of… Read more »
Actually no Sammy.
I don’t think they were, I think they knew it was coming. This letter wasn’t written in haste, it was well written by yesterday afternoon and ready to go.
In fact Robin’s “post” on his website now looks to have been written by the same person that wrote this. “Future direction of the club” etc etc.
Come on Robin, front up. Out of that famous “respect” you claim to have for us all.
I take it you both happy how things are!!!!!!.
Not really CLF. Do I want Robin OUT NOW!!!! Yes I do. The boardroom shenanigans though I find repellent and duplicitous. I admit admire the way we have stuck to our guns wrt the correct running of the Arsenal enterprise. And I really admire Mr Wenger. Would I like to see more investment and more success, yes – do I want to throw the “well run club” baby out with the bathwater – absolutely not. There is a happy medium I think. But not with a Russian oligarch please, or a sheik. This is Arsenal after all, not one of… Read more »
“Since the purchase of our first share in the Club, we have not only steadfastly adhered to a policy of non-interference in the running of the Club, but have consistently supported the management and given no reason whatsoever to be accused of subversion and sabotage.”
That self-serving statement simply is not true, while the rest of the letter is plainly designed to do exactly what R&W denies here.
“non-interference in the running of the Club” etc…
By including this very statement and opening such a can of worms therewith you ARE interfering with the running of the club.
Look at the divisions already.
Divide and conquer as they say.
Will Red and White holdings stop at nothing until they get what they want? Gangsters the lot of ’em.
Opportunistic or not ..
RVP had a burden on his chest to mask why he wasn’t happy and in his last statement spoke up to the fans and cleared his conscience.
Fat Jabba did the same ..
What RVP and Jabba said is exactly what the vast majority of Arsenal fans have been saying on Forums for the past few years ..
We can’t keep paying top dollar and mislead by the club .. Financial prudence my arse !
A COLD MARKETING CALL .. What are we trying to sell ? cheap broadband ? Disgusting !
Another relaxing summer for Arsene then! Wonder what he makes of it all. Usmanov people just saying what people want to hear- though they would nt be able to do this if things were better at AFC. Its untenable to keep losing our best players so something needs to change- more of a modification of our model than an overhaul I reckon. Have no desire for Usmanov at the club but don’t think they are going away any time soon so will have to work something out- its not the Arsenal way to be airing their business in public. Sad… Read more »
He is a 30% shareholder and supporter, yet people want him to keep his mouth shut while they talk shit all day about how great Wenger and the board is.
If he is not happy about the way the club is being run as a minority shareholder, he has an option. Sell off his shares.
my only doubt is if this letter was for arsenal board how did it get leaked to twitter and other sites?
or is it the board finally gave what usmanov wanted business dealing to be made public.
we are not liverpool. this is now getting depressing was looking forward to next season but because of some cunts and their cuntishness.
it is stated as an “open letter” that means you send it and publish it.
I think the comments about the board are valid, however this letter is way too opportunistic. Usmanov really has no seat in every board he could be a part of, but other than that this sounds like he is trying to win the fans when they are being emotional about RvP. Still I think Kroenke needs to go, all the clubs he “leads” are mediocre at best, except for Arsenal so far. I worry he will turn us into a mediocre club just so he is successful. I doubt Kroenke has any real interest in Arsenal FC itself but just… Read more »
Timing is dubious but the points he makes are not. We are in a circle of decline and supporters need to wake up and smell the coffee. The less we are able to attract and pay for top players, the lower we will sink in the League (notice I don’t say win less as that would be impossible). The lower we are, the less we can recoup through commercial avenues. We finished 3rd last Season mainly because of RVP’s efforts. This season is going to be interesting.
I’m with Usmanov only because everything Kroenke touches turns into shit. Look at the teams he has a hand in in America. All garbage. Total. Fucking. Garbage.
So you looked at SK’s other assets and formed a view. That’s good. Made a similar effort to look into Mr U’s assets and background? No? Thought so. Stick to American football buddy-joe.
Thanks for jumping to the assumption that I hadn’t looked into Mr. U’s assets. Wouldnt expect anything less from a limey bastard such as yourself. Ha!
What a stupid comment you make. You need to compare apples with apples for this to have any weight. Usmanov doesnt own any sports franchises to compare to Kroenke’s. The fact is, Kroenke does not really have an avid interest in football, just the turnover it creates. Usmanov has stuck around on the fringes for almost 5 years. Would someone who diodnt have a vested interest really do that? I think he would have cleared off ages ago and invested his money elsewhere if he didnt want to see the best for our club but you carry on being dilussional… Read more »
Actually most of Usmanov’s investments have been pretty good. He’s shown himself to be an astute business man capable of getting the right people to run companies.
That was a very long and carefully worded letter to write so quickly.
Unless they already knew what RVP was going to write in his announcement …?
Or maybe young Darren Dein wrote both of them?
???? – Dont you think they have professional writers?? If my company have to release a press statement they can turn out a 100 page dossier in a day so this two pager is nothing
I think your conspiracy theory is way off track. Next up the twin towers for your thoughts mate
Vomit. Eeeeeeeuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrgggggggh. I’ll be amazed if the original didn’t come dripping in slime.
A public letter of this length, detail and signed by Mr U himself takes several days to write. This begs the question of Mr U’s involvement (if any) in RVP’s announcement and vice versa of course…?
Either way it’s clearly self-serving bollocks. Disgruntled shareholders always have one option: sell.
Being the subject of Mr U’s attention is like being circled by a vulture crossed with a buffalo – a Buffaluture or, perhaps, a Buffacunt
I don’t know what to say, laugh at you or answer you!!!!!!!.
Do you think RVP has any connection with “Mr Us”?????.
Some people will go to any length to defend their beloved “SK” or “IG”.
UNBELIEVABLE.
Well the Dein connection is highly visible in all of this. David Dein is in with Red & White (as he has always stated) and Darren Dein is van Persie’s agent but you go ahead and bury your head in the sand while claiming “if i can’t see it, it’s not really there” if you want.
I don’t care if the club was on the verge of ‘doing a Rangers’.
I would not want that **** or a single penny of his money anywhere near my club.
It’s what makes us different from the Russian gangster’s bitches.
He owns 30% already
Hes obviously a ‘picture person’ and didn’t read/know how to read the letter. There is quite a few of them on Arsenal sites. They also swear at you if you disagree with their opinion.
cunt$
I’m horrified… by the use of such a common font.
better than comic sans
Times New Roman, its the official font of USofA and USSR.
Think its just called Russia now mate/dude.
So they cold shoulder him as an Arsenal investor but ry to extract money via sponsorship from a telecom company he part owns – except Gazedis doesn’t appear to realise he does own it !! No wonder Usmanov wonders if the Arsenal Board know what they are doing -and he’s not the only one. Very good letter with plenty of pertinent points. I wonder if the Club and Gazedis in particular, will have the courage to publicly respond ? I think we all know the answer to that one. It’s the same as whether van Persi stays or goes. But… Read more »
@Rob’67: Fat U’s dig at Gazidis contacting one of Mr U’s companies is a pathetic, PR-driven piece of snivel-shit. It’s also a very, very, very (have I made my point?) similar dig to RVP’s about Gazidis being on holiday when he wasn’t.. ie it’s cheap emotional/political jab aimed at de-stabilising the club. Why would Gazidis contact Mr U about commercial sponsorship? Mr U isn’t on the board so has no executive control (pffft!). I think Mr U owns shares in Facebook – you suggesting that Gazidis should contact him about the club’s account on FB? I own shares in Coke… Read more »
“I own shares in Coke but, boo hoo, no-one asked me if they should sponsor the Olympics…”
You own 50% of Coke? And you still have time to spend on Arsenal forums 🙂
Sorry but if the 2nd biggest shareholder of the company you lead is the biggest shareholder of another company you target as a sponsor then it’s basic sense to contact him first and not just send a cold call letter, even if just for the curtesy for him to be informed.
“except Gazedis doesn’t appear to realise he owns it !!” OR perhaps he does and is calling Usmanov on a bluff? Usmanov keeps saying he wants what’s best for the club and saying he thinks major shareholders should throw their money at the situation. Well, here you go Usmanov, have your company sponsor Arsenal. I’m sure the board would be happy to have MegaFon giving them millions more each year. The problem is that wouldn’t give him any control of the club. Why can’t people read between lines? He says he doesn’t want a place on the board for “himself.”… Read more »
Just what a Man Utd fan would say after the star striker says he wants out. Well done Mr Usmanov, You really do have Arsenal’s best interests at heart!
NOT!
Anybody seen that youtube video of that fine gunner venting out to robin van cuntri?
We all have internet connection but to do that it takes balls!!!.
That right there is an arsenal legend.
can you post a link? would love to see this… go da man.
http://m.talksport.co.uk/magazine/virals/120705/funny-rvp-rant-video-angriest-arsenal-fan-ever-175903
Came by it…….lol.
Ok the guy in that youtube vid is a fucking legend, said everytying that was going through my head yesterday and managed to make me have a good laugh about it today – bless you whoever you are haha!!
“We own…almost 1 in 3 seats in the stadium”. Nauseating. No, you own 1/3 of the company. This is not the same. A cheap rhetorical trick to seek alignment with the hard of thinking. If a trick as cheap as this is not below Red and White then what is?
I don’t get you people, fine I know his letter had an under motive but truthfully was anything he said a lie, we have gone from a cup who wins trohpices to a club who prays to make 4th so we can play champions league not just so we can win it but just to make more money, we used to buy players who could win us something, now until last season we just bought players who had resell value, RVP has not lied about the club not wanting to win anything how do you explain selling our best players… Read more »
It is true that our position is slipping and we find ourselves at present having to lose players but you can’t put it down to poor management. The reason is that we don’t have a white knight or sugar daddy with bottomless pockets.
So what is your solution? Sell to Usmanov? No fucking likely. Arsenal is a class club and will remain so.
We are not doomed to failure because of this; it just admittedly makes it a damn lot harder.
Actually it can be put down to poor management off the field…..
Your wrong its poor management are you telling me a bank manager who keeps loosing his top customers for 2 years in a roll still be allowed at the bank, we have a board who does not want to win anything, my people say there is no smoke without fire, if one person leaves thats ok but when you have more than 2 then something is wrong, cese left to win stuffs, clicly left to win stuff fuck face Nasir left to win now RVP who is the next in line to leave,
The point is what we’re being asked to accept in order to rectify the situation. The fact is, Arsenal are not some mid-table always-room-to-improve side – Arsenal are one of the top 10 sides in Europe: The margin between winning big and coming oh-so-close is super thin. Therefore, the only plausible ways to get that extra step is: – Rely on the patience and trust of players and support as the manager attempts within his financial means to build a team he believes can challenge for honours on a consistent basis. Or: – Bust out a cheque for £500m and… Read more »
Sounds like a bloody cold war! We honour our legends with statues, think we might have to change our policy and put a few headstones outside the emirates stadium: Fabregas, Persie?
We criticize RVP for his mercenary move from the club; deciding to drop integrity and class for short term financial gain.
Those who want Usmanov’s money are doing the same thing; throwing away AFC’s class and history for short term gain.
That logic is as distorted as possible, Der Springer. First of all Robin is not a mercenary because he wants to play for a bigger club (yes, Juventus is bigger), he is only a disgrace because of his open letter, otherwise he has the right to leave. Had he not damaged the club with such a partonising letter he wouldn’t be attacked so heavily. Seoncdly, how do you think Arsenal is 3rd in the league? By MONEY!!! Or do you think Stoke could afford Robin’s wages? Do you think Everton has got a similar training centre to Arsenal? We all… Read more »
@progman07: Yes, Arsenal are in the position we are in by money. The difference between your comment and a reasonable, properly thought-through opinion is that the money that has got us here comes from the pan-generational steadfast commitment of fans, shareholders and directors to slowly, but surely and safely drag us up the rankings in a secure way.
Sadly, the money you’re talking about is the one-off, flash in the pan, Sugar-Daddy ejaculate that the slow of thinking seem to be acquiring a taste for…
the stuff about the russian telecom deal is laughable if it’s true. at some point this afternoon will release a statement along the lines of “as a shareholder the board respect the rights of red and white to air their opinions. we have no further comment to make. robin van persie remains an arsenal player”. well done red and white for acting so swiftly on this. the gloves may well and truly be off now.
Usmanov has a point, and the timing is obvious, I don’t see anything wrong with that. I guess they were surprised by Robin’s open letter just as we were.
Stop being hypocrites, FFS… you cannot blame Usmanov for attacking the board after attacking the board yourselves for years.
My guess is that they were not in the least bit surprsied by RVP’s letter at all. No sir-ee. They saw it coming a mile-off…
I dont understand why ppl r slating usmanov. He has a point in everything he has said. Not being run buy a Russian but by an American is making our club a laughin stock. Every year our best player and more often than not these days our captain is leaving because they have no faith that this barren run of trophy less seasons will not end. I dnt care who runs this club I want to see investment. And Kroenke needs to leave. He only cares about making money and when arsenal are clear of debt will sell his shares… Read more »
I keep seeing Kroenke buying teams, but I’ve yet to see him sell one…
It amazes me that people will continue to criticize Kroenke for his alleged motives (even though you know nothing and have no evidecnce of his true motives), and yet exalt Usmanov as a savior, despite the mounting evidence of his motives, telling us we should ignore his motives because he tells us what we want to hear!!
Kroenke’s teams are crap. This in-law of the Walmarts is strictly in it for money.
Yes because the Uzbek billionaire isn’t in it for the money at all, just the love of the club….give me a break!
The letter makes a lot of fair points but also has a lot of stinking bs in it.
Will be interesting to see what the reaction of the Board is to it.
Alot of people in here calling Usmanov all sorts of names.are you so blind to see the facts in the letter stated?if RVP who is only a player can speak up his mind about the direction and ambitions of the club then what do you expect of a person who owns 30% of the club?to sit down and sulk like we all do every season?celebrating a third place position like we won the CL?it is time we woke from our slumbers and embrace the harsh truth that the board is composed of greedy self-serving and totally disillusioned individual. He’s on… Read more »
Usmanov s blood is not blue enough for some of the arsenal fans! That s the only problem. I don t want us to became new fuckn City but what Board has been doing for the last 5 years is really full of crap. They are all about money so why Rvp has no right to speak, even if it was not very balanced letter? It s his life and he just opened some wounds from the last summer. Who is our next player to hate? Walcott? Song? Wilshere? Where it ends? we are not far from Everton despite the… Read more »
Yes, he is trying to get his way by releasing this at this point of time. But, he does have a point. Truth is that we haven’t delivered in the last 8 years now… It is all too natural that RvP thinks of us to be directionless.
I don’t care anymore as to who has the largest share of the Arsenal pie as long we’re reasonably stable and able to hold onto our ‘marquee’ players.
Honestly what is up with you lot??? Usmanov has quesioned the cureent boards motives. Thats exactly the same as we have all been doing for the last couple of seasons yet he get lambasted for it. I urge him to openly express his opinion and highlight what the real agenda is in our boardroom. Thats not to say I want him to take over but a seat on the board would be a start he seems to tell it as it is and is certainly more of a supporter of football than Uncle Stan. Usmanov appears to be in it… Read more »
The timing of Usmanov is excellent, trying to win the hearts of fans after a terrible day we fans had yesterday. And I think there are some points in his letter which are true. For instance, our captain, RVP, does leave, last year Fabregas etc. This seems a structural problem and it has to dealt with. However, the end of his letter sums up his intentions: ‘we will continue to purchase more shared in the Club’. The only thing he cares about is his money. Feels a bit similar to the statements of RVP yesterday: he loves the fans, has… Read more »
was this written by someone at le grove?
opportunistic or not – the letter is right, what he has to say about the running of the club. the old guard filled their boots with gold whej they sold arsenal FC, which was then laden with debt. they sucked all the cash out, inflated share prices from the new stadium and revenues, and took all that cash for themselves and now the club is struggling under this ‘self sustaining’ model as Kroenke looks to do the exact same thing. i’m not ‘pro’ usmanov – i want henry and wenger to own the club, with a large fan shareholding, but… Read more »
will the poorly educated please leave the running of football clubs to the men in suits. Armchair managers are bad enough thinking they know how to pick the team better than the manager. Armchair chairmen seem to think they know how to run the club. If you knew how to run a £1billion enterprise why are you living in a 3bed semi? Usmanov is the wealthiest man in England, and for good reason. He has many investments, and the second point made at the top of the letter is a total embarressment for the club and Gazidis. At my company… Read more »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MegaFon
Usmanov owns a company that owns 8% of MegaFon… took me less time to find out that he does NOT OWN the company than it took you to write that post accusing others of not doing their homework…
Doesnt he own 31.1% (23.1% through said secondary company) of the shares, according to the wikipedia link you posted? Which is still more than any other owner. Also, quoting wikipedia isn’t a good example of “doing your homework”. Atleast above secondary education level.
Very impressive – quoting someone of “not doing their homework” – I still read one link more than you!
if you would read the next line – it says there is a battle for control over the “secondary” company you mention. If he cannot control that company, the shares he has is pretty much useless.
Still, 23% is a long way off from being a 50% owner, as the article states… Being the largest owner means eff-all if you cannot form a majority…