Hello again and a happy Tuesday to you all. A special mention to the Seattle-based Gooners out there who made up 93% of yesterday’s comments. You guys are alright.
I said yesterday that the lack of Arsenal news floating around meant I was having another day off today. But fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it – there is some pretty juicy news to get stuck into this fine Tuesday. So here I am, Peroni in hand, to give my thoughts to you about it all.
The first bit of juicy, sweet, tasty news is the announcement that Hull City have compiled and delivered their “Cesc Fabregas is a spitting Spaniard” statement to the Football Association and Arsenal have been given 7 days to compile a response. According to this informative piece by The Guardian (which cheekily contains a couple of very subtle slanderous comments aimed at Hull – “Brown’s public annoyance that Arsenal’s captain was dressed in “jeans and a hoodie” is irrelevant” – is a particular highlight) Hull’s manager Phil Brown as well as their assistant manager Brian Horton and fitness trainer Phil Rush have given evidence.
The key point identified in the article is the absence of any independent witness outside of the Hull City system, a fact that will undoubtedly see our captain go free as long as he sticks with the story that he never spat at Horton’s feet. In short, any Arsenal fans who are worried about Fabregas being fined or suspended can rest easy because there’s no way in hell that Hull have provided enough evidence to prove our captain wrong. As Cesc said only a couple of days ago, compulsory FA response aside, this is very much a closed case and one that will make Hull City look very, very stupid.
Anyway, enough on that. It’s time to move on to the other big story of the day (or was it yesterday) – Stan Kroenke has bought shares off Danny Fiszman to significantly increase his stake in the Arsenal Football Club. As outlined in another fine Guardian piece, the American has increased his stake in the club to 20.5% after purchasing around 8% from Fizsman’s, who now holds an overall stake of 16.1%.
I’m no expert on financial matters but everything I’ve read about Kroenke’s purchase suggests that it is a good thing for the club. It appears that Kroenke and Fiszman have struck up a partnership in order to keep the majority of shares away from the deplorable Alisher Usmanov (who owns a 25% stake), a man that has spent six years in jail in the 80s for crimes committed in the USSR and is known as the “the hard man of Russia”. At the end of the day, good owners are the ones that have the best interests of the clubs at heart and baring that in mind, I’d be far happier with Kroenke at the helm than a convicted criminal and Russian oligarch.
Upon selling his shares, Fiszman made the following comments about Kroenke’s involvement with the club:
“Stan’s long term commitment to sport in general and football in particular has been well documented. I am therefore delighted that he has shown this desire to deepen his ties with Arsenal.”
While Kroenke added:
“After having been invited to join the Board last year I am delighted to be able to increase my shareholding in Arsenal. I will continue to work closely with my Board colleagues to maintain the stable environment in which the Club operates and to preserve the self-sustaining business model enjoyed by the Club.”
It’s clear that both men seem to have the best interests of the club at heart – particularly compared with Usmanov – and as a supporter of the club one can only hope that Kroenke and Fiszman acquire the shares they need to keep the Uzbeki out of the leadership position. Good luck to them.
To finish things off today with football-related matters, it appears that we will be without both Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner for the weekend clash with Manchester City after both players were injured on International duty. Bendtner suffered a knee injury playing against Malta while van Persie injured his groin during training with the Netherlands. I’ll have more on those injuries as things develop.
Anyway, that’s all for today in surprise Tuesday blog. It was long and fairly detailed but hopefully you were able to follow. If not, my points in short were:
- Hull City bad
- Fabregas good
- Usmanov bad
- Kroenke and Fiszman good
Thanks for reading, talk to you again tomorrow.
Have your say on the Hull spitting incident or Kroenke’s share increase by leaving a comment.
A very informative post .
Keep up the Good work SF!
It’s winter in Kenya but i am enjoying my coffe here in the office.
Stan and Fizman will keep the club going and as for Hull City, i wish they get the wrath of the Arsenal curse ,are fined by FA and relegated at the end of the season.
@ ArsenalKenya – Thanks buddy. It’s starting to get wintery in Australia now. It’s hardly unbearable but give it a month or so and I’ll be freezing 🙁
yeah man right on… usmanov is nothingbut a uber-fat piece of shit… atleast kroenke gives a shit..
but here’s to hoping RvP and Bendtner are both fit for the weekend
Apparently Duffen would now be happy with an apology, which presumably means they dont have anything to go on. If that is the case, why did they take it all the way tothe FA and make themselves look like twats.
Probably to take the spotlight away from their freefall back tothe championship.
@ nickynicknick – Spot on. Although once they made the accusation they didn’t really have a choice but to stick with it. Otherwise they would have looked like outright liars.
You omitted to mention the one other very relavant paragraph.
Otherwise you don’t seem biased – not!
No matter how thin you slice it there are always two sides to it.
Great news. I dont like that Usmanov bloke, he seems like a greedy bloke who’s looking out for himself. Kroenke on the other looks like he has the club’s best interests at heart, his role in Gazidis’ appointment is proof of that, id be more comfortable if he took over the club. Lets hope Lady Nina will sell her shares to Kroenke not Usmanov. Fingers crossed.
All this boardroom manouvering is a bit unnerving – we could easily see a lot of what has been achieved in the last 20 years go down the toilet if the wrong decisions are made.
I know things can’t stay the same forever – but I don’t want to be bought out by another Abramovich type – if Kroenke is a good guy then thats ok, but it is worrying..
Way to bring the blog together in the end. And a mighty fine choice to go with the Peroni. That’s one of my main picks when I require some refreshment.
ArsernalKenya—you wanted to make me laugh….winter in Kenya? Excuse me! or winter means something different here?
It seems the news of Kroenke’s purchase has been well received by the Arsenal Supporters Trust.
LINK
Its not an closed case until the FA says so. Let’s just hold on before we rant about what Hull are alleged to have claimed. It would be just like the FA to nail Cesc and Arsene, because they’ve been looking for a chance to for a long time.
And “Apparently Duffen would now be happy with an apology, which presumably means they dont have anything to go on. If that is the case, why did they take it all the way tothe FA and make themselves look like twats.”
how would we have reacted if Pat Rice alleged someone spat at him? We’d say it was an open and shut case as Pat wouldn’t make things up… better to wait and see. Until the FA throw it out perhaps we’d better hold our fire, when they do THEN we go on the offensive against Hull but not until.
winter in kenya and oz dont make me laugh try ireland for a winter sunshine.
As for the shares malarchy kronkie might not be the good guy everyonr hopes he is a buisness man out to make money lest we forget and all that, but i suppose compared to the fat russian he’s mother fuckin theresa hey!
i read over on arseblogger that uzi nine mils finances have took a battering lets hope hes not up for a major takeover anymore.
@ Rob – I know what you’re saying there, but it seems pretty clear that Hull don’t have a case. They have no outside witnesses and unfortunately for them that’s not going to get them very far. There’s no footage and it would be completely incorrect for the FA to reprimand Cesc based on one person’s word over the other. It would be a complete joke.
I think you’re right in saying “let’s hold on before we see what happens” and while I normally don’t comment on situations like this until they’re completely sorted, I have no concerns about Cesc getting off.
Alan Shearer apparently in line to become the next Newcastle manager…
You know, despite all of the underachieving and injury nightmares you experience as an Arsenal fan, I’m glad I’m supporting a football team and not a circus.
Here’s hoping those injured three are back in action sooner rather than later. That’s the last thing we need to start losing momentum. Can’t Barry and Agbonlahor pick up injuries in the England training camp for once, instead of our SINGLE representative!
Fabregras looked amazing in that jacket.
Im with Alan…what an outfit…the sleakness of the leather jacket coupled with those -worn in look- jeans….the man should be gracing his presence on the Milan, Paris and New York catwalks…..not worrying about some two-bit jumped up tossers slanderous claims!
Two down out of the plethora of players that made their countries proud….bit gutted about RvP but can still see the silver lining what with Cesc coming back into the side for Sat…Come on you reds!
Kiviatu Kenya – Winter in Nairobi means to me the rainy seasons when one can not leave huis blanket in the morning to report to work and it’s raining cats and dogs(mice)
Have a cool day..
Perhaps Captain: Fabregas, Vice Captain: Arshavin?