Archive for September 30th, 2011

Stan breaks silence as Arsene hits 15 years

27 comments September 30th, 2011

Until now, the most we’ve heard from Stan Kroenke was a fictitious rap rant at Arsene Wenger.  Finally, he has broken his silence to give an exclusive interview to The Telegraph.  It is a fascinating and essential read.  What’s immediately clear is that Stan comes across as undeserving of his “silent” epithet – he seems warm, conversational and good-humoured.  I think his silence until now has been down to two things: a desire not to disrupt those who run the club day-to-day, and a geographical distance.

The headlines have been made by his declared support for Arsene Wenger.  Kroenke says:

“You know something: Arsène is one of my favourite people I have met in the last 20 years. He is a great person and I love the way he handles himself. I love his focus. He is a very intelligent guy. You can talk to him about anything and, when he starts talking to people, I really love to listen to him. He should hold seminars he is so good at it.

I have tremendous confidence in him. He is one of the great managers in the world.”

That vote of confidence, very much along the lines of Ivan Gazidis’ words to the press last week, won’t surprise anyone.  And as a businessman, his admiration for Arsene’s ability to “spend money and extract value” is clear.

Whilst he would clearly prefer to marry economic stability with success on the pitch (“It’s much more fun when you win”), after the sales of Cesc and Nasri – both deals, apparently, were Arsene’s decision – the new owner seems to be admitting that we may be in a period of transition.

“Maybe it is one of those times when we have to work our way through, maybe with some young players. Arsène has been really good at developing these guys, people like Alex Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere.There are some really good players that Arsène thinks can be special.

Sometimes you go through periods like that. Arsène’s our man. As an owner, that’s who we put our confidence in.”

Anyone hoping for a quick-fix injection of cash is going to be disappointed.  Kroenke is not about to play the generous benefactor, and hopes to continue with the club’s current model of self-sufficiency:

“Some people want their private benefactor. I don’t think it is sustainable. Maybe it is, maybe it [football] will always be the one place where there will be guys coming who are willing to pour money in. I don’t know. We have a self-sustaining model. We are committed to that model.”

In the meantime, he’ll be working alongside Gazidis to try and increase commercial revenue and increase our spending power in line with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations.

All in all, I think Kroenke comes across well.  He’s got a huge track record in sport, which is more than can be said for the majority of foreign owners, and is clearly passionate about the club and its values.  I look forward to his presence at Arsenal’s forthcoming AGM.

The quotes emerge on a significant anniversary for Arsenal Football Club.  It is 15 years to the day since Arsene Wenger officially took the reins as Arsenal manager.  It’s an extraordinary legacy, comprising an enormous contribution to English football in terms of both entertainment and education.  At this auspicious date falls, Arsene finds himself under great scrutiny than ever.  As Kroenke puts it:

“There are always going to be people with a point of view, particularly in this internet-laden 24-hour news cycle with the ability for anyone to say anything. That’s just part of the game. Sure it is a challenging start to the season. I know everyone thinks it is always going to be like that [pointing upwards], but it’s not. We would all love it if it did.

If you look at the Arsenal’s history, it has not always been that way. To finish in the top four 14 times in a row is just unbelievable.”

Unbelievable indeed.  We will look back on Arsene’s reign in awe.  Win on Sunday, and we might even start enjoying it in the present again.


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