Stringent spending and sensible running of the club by Arsene Wenger over the last ten years sees Arsenal as a well-run outfit, but has caused frustration to the fans due to being outgunned in the transfer market.

Despite the fact that Financial Fair Play rulings are imminent, Arsenal are in a position to splash the cash if the choose to this summer, and have been linked with a host of top-drawer players on online betting sites, including Wayne Rooney and Gonzalo Higuain.

The problem that Gunners fans will realise as the transfer window rumbles on, is that Wenger may have cash to spend, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will actually spend it.

Practical expenditure and living within the club’s means have become second nature to the French coach, and this has avoided the huge debts that other rivals currently have to bare. Just because all of a sudden there is a bit of extra revenue that can be spent, won’t mean that Wenger will splurge it – there will be no reckless spending or paying over the odds.

What will be interesting however is whether the club will break their current transfer record this summer to bring in a player of real quality to get the club back into the Premier League title reckoning.

Should Real Madrid play hardball and demand a certain figure that Wenger deems as unworthy for someone like Higuain, despite the striker having the ability to take the club to the next level, Arsenal may miss out on a player of real quality.

All Arsenal fans will urge Wenger to go out and strengthen the squad by spending what is necessary to attain players of quality. However, with no deals in place as yet, it may well be careful business as usual in north London.

Borussia Dortmund could be ready to hijack Arsenal target Julian Draxler away from Schalke this summer.

Draxler would be an ideal replacement for the outgoing Mario Gotze who has been sold to Bayern Munich for £32m.

Arsenal have sent scouts to watch the 19-year-old this season and Arsene Wenger is a big fan of Draxler.

But now Dortmund have joined the race and will have no problem shelling out £15m to meet Schalke’s reported asking price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YomMRelkqQc

It emerged over the weekend that Arsenal could be subjected to a takeover bid from an Arab consortium group who wish to remain anonymous at the moment. The bid will be around £1.5bn which is more than double what Arsenal was valued at last year.

The group are made up of Quatari and United Arab Emirates members and they are looking to take full control of Arsenal in a 100% buyout which will see shareholders Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov leave the club. Their main interest is to eject Kroenke from the board but they are thought to be happy to work with Usmanov.

They will offer Kroenke £830million for his shares which will enable him to leave the club with £400million profit after he invested £430million in 2007. According to The Telegraph the Arab group have already requested a meeting with Stan Kroenke to discuss this offer further.

A lot of my fellow Gooners have been asking my opinion on this takeover bid and my answer is simple- I absolutely do not agree with any single group owning Arsenal FC. We are a club built on history which has always dictated that Arsenal will not be solely owned by ANYONE and this is one principle I believe we should always keep.

Our current board are a mess and we are unsatisfied with the way they have been dealing with things over the last few years. I think majority of Arsenal fans are united in the opinion that somethings needs to change within the board.

We have two investors but only one with a seat on the board-Stan Kroenke who holds 66.83% shares. We all know there is no love lost between Silent Stan and the fans and that is entirely his fault. If he was as good a businessman that he and the board claim him to be, he would have been aware before investing that there are certain key elements that are important when you are involved with any football club.

Kroenke has failed to grasp the importance of appearance, if someone has invested their money then he should take an interest in his investment and attend more games. The fact that he only spends a matter of weeks in the UK every year is not good enough. If he had more interest in the club and the team as opposed to complete ignorance most of the time then I’m sure he wouldn’t be criticised half as much. If he was attending more games, then I think he would have more insight to how bad things really are at Arsenal or maybe the truth is that he really doesn’t care as long as he is making a profit.

His failure to communicate with the fans is disgusting and he has still failed to adhere to any promise of meeting the Arsenal Supporters Trust (AST) and other fan groups despite trying to say that he already had held such meetings. He is never available to talk, at a time when our football team are falling apart because it has been neglected to make him money, he should be out there giving at least 1 press conference to explain and defend why the club are failing. If Wenger can’t manage it then it is up to him and other members of the board to come out and give their reasons.

Our second investor is Alisher Usmanov who holds 29.96% in shares but he doesn’t have a seat on the board, despite trying desperately to engage with Kroenke to remedy this but so far the American has refused to hold talks regarding this matter as well. Alisher Usmanov is an Arsenal fan and despite all we have heard about him, he has still stayed loyal to the club and kept his investment there even though he doesn’t have any control. I am aware that he has only been an Arsenal fan for 10 or so years, but that’s more years than some of our fans so I don’t render it as an issue.

What we do know about the Russian is that he is quite an astute business man, I really don’t think he would ‘chuck money’ at the Arsenal like his friend Abramovich has done. I think if he had his seat on the board Arsenal would genuinely be in a better place and he would work really hard to prove himself and he would definitely attend more games than Kroenke ever will and if my facts are right he already has.

We currently don’t know anything about the Arab consortium so it is hard to make a judgement on them without any solid facts, but I can’t help but feel that even releasing information about the bid to the media without indicating who you are is dishonest from the start. They talk a good talk when they give their objectives but I remember hearing a similar hype about a certain American and look what happened there.

Their objectives are to:

• Wipe out Arsenal £250million debt (which we will really owe to them instead of the current creditors)
• Reduce and cap tickets prices at a reasonable level so fans aren’t priced out of attending games
• Provide unlimited transfer funds
• Recreate the atmosphere from the Old Northbank

It’s easy to think with the group’s objectives how they would look like more prospective investors but I think that we would in the long run be such a different club and far from the Arsenal we know and love now. I just don’t think it would be a good idea to accept their offer, I can’t see a good future from this investment. We are finding it hard enough with Silent Stan as the majority shareholder and he is one of two investors.  If they took 100% ownership and it went wrong then we would be in a much worse position than we are now.

However I do believe that the current board will not be able to continue without changing the situation as it is. Someone has to be the bad guy and make a change where it is necessary. Whether it’s ousting Kroenke or allowing Usmanov a seat on the board the club need to realise that football must take priority over finances for a while. Arsenal have many wonderful years of history but they are now being tainted with the board’s greed, but in this case I think it’s better the devil you know.

Wenger Out

Photo : 1000s of Wenger out banners seen around the Ground

Well it wasn’t the best of weekends for Arsenal, in fact it was probably the worst in a while. It all started on Friday when Wenger made that stupid comment in his press conference

“I hope I get the praise that I deserve, I’m doing the best job I can”

This comment is ludicrous, he has had praise for all his previous achievements and he still has followers that praise him for that now but he doesn’t deserve any praise right at this moment in time, we can’t praise a man who isn’t doing anything to be praised for. If this is the best that he can do then Wenger has lost it or is openly lying, we all know he can do better but he just doesn’t want to because that would involve him admitting he was wrong, a change of philosophy again and spending money, 3 things we know he would never want to admit to.

When Saturday came it got a lot worse as I sat there and watch the game unravel into a big sloppy frustrating mess. I can’t believe how bad we played on Saturday, outclassed by yet another lower league team. My biggest issue seems to be the most discussed issue and that was team selection. We had a more of a shot at winning the FA cup than we do the Champion’s league so the logical option would be to risk it and field a strong team for the FA cup tie like all of the other top clubs did. Instead Wenger still chose to leave out a few key players, and even though you can use the excuse that the team should have still beat Blackburn it was not a game to risk that given our form this season.

There were no excuse for the way we played on Saturday and both the players and Le Boss are to blame. Wenger said in his press conference that the team lacked mental strength, Arsenal rarely lack mental strength, in fact we are always better when we are under pressure so I think that is utter garbage. We lacked on skill, pace, energy, tactics, control and confidence and most of all we lacked desire, that was the issue with the game.

The rumour mill went crazy after we got knocked out by Blackburn and I think the media are playing on the obvious divide between fans with half reporting that Wenger will leave by mutual consent/get sacked and the other half saying Wenger has been offered a new 2 year contract. I’d be shocked if either rumour was true but I don’t think they are. I think it’s lazy journalism to be honest and the fans could do with not being wound up anymore, it is adding fuel to an angry fire.

The pressure does seem to be getting to Arsene and that was made obvious by his Champion’s league press conference* this morning when he snapped at a journalist and ended up being quite awkward to interview. I think the trouble is Arsene is running out of things to say to defend him and the team and in my opinion there is no defence (and none in the team either)

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21498386

This has been a tough season for Arsenal fans and sadly it seems we are all dividing in our opinion which is sad because we all want the same thing just different opinions on how to get it. I think the club are letting this get out of hand, when fans are dividing and fighting it doesn’t matter who is right or wrong it matters that it is happening-and if fans are fighting it definitely means something at the club is wrong so the board need to wake up and do something about this situation in the summer.

We have been knocked out by Bradford and Blackburn and after Saturday’s game my optimism for beating Bayern Munich is dwindling. Our bad luck seems to come in B’s this season. The two B’s we have faced so far have outplayed us and the third have a real chance of eliminating us. I think it might be another repeat of last year’s AC Milan fiasco but you never know which Arsenal will turn up on the night, I hope it’s the Arsenal that remember how to play.

Theo Walcott struck a late winner as Arsenal edged out Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 in an exciting FA Cup tie at the Amex Stadium.

Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock for the Gunners with a fabulous finish in the 16th minute, only for Ashley Barnes to draw Brighton level before half-time.

Another fine strike by Giroud was cancelled out by Jose Ulloa as Brighton again hit back to make it 2-2, but Walcott’s deflected strike five minutes from time took the Gunners through to the fifth round.

•  Arsenal Ratings
  Szczesny (6) Made a great early save mins before we took the lead. But was at fault for the 1st goal.
  Mertesacker (6.5) Looked in control at the back but was day dreaming for the 2nd goal.
  Koscielny (6) Pace gets him out of trouble but he is prone to the odd mistake.
  Santos (3)Very poor yet again by the Brazilian Andy Reid. Everything he did today was pathetic. £6m flop!
  Jenkinson (7)Played well and looked the part.
  Diaby (6) dwelling on the ball at times but good to see him play the full 90mins.
  Rosicky (5) Not match fit
  Oxlade-Chamberlain (5)Looks to have put on 2 stone. Not getting enough playing time and looks off the pace.
  Ramsey (6)Did the job but wasteful with his passing
  Podolski (7)Played well again and also played the full 90mins
  Giroud (9) Our best player by a mile. 2 great goals and starting to look the part.
• Substitutes
  Walcott  (7.5) Great pace and made us look more dangerous on the break. Scored the winner via a deflection
  Wilshere (7) Came on and controlled the middle of the park
  Gibbs (6.5) Anything is better then Santos

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Tomas Rosicky returns to the team. Cazorla, Sagna, Gibbs, Walcott & Wilshere all drop.

Starting : Szczesny; Jenkinson, Kosicelny, Mertesacker (C), Santos; Diaby, Ramsey; Ox-C, Rosicky , Podolski; Giroud.

Arsenal subs: Mannone, Sagna, Gibbs, Wilshere, Cazorla, Arshavin, Walcott

Last week I called for a boycott of Arsenal matches because the greedy b#stards are taking our hard earned money and pocketing it and not using the funds to try and improve the football squad. Not only are they pocketing the money we give them in the form of merchandise and ticket buys, but they also appear to be pocketing the money received from the team’s betting partner Betsson.

What the hell is a betting partner you ask? Simply put, they are the folks that are in charge of taking the bets in relation to Arsenal. During football matches, they take bets at the stadium, which is more money going out of our pockets and into the pockets of the greedy bastards. Next, they have setup online websites where fans can supposedly win money by playing casino games and can even win seats to the WSOP. Of course, the house always wins, which means more money in the greedy bastards pockets.

Betsson signed a deal with the team back in 2011 back when they were still on bwin owned poker network Ongame. You read that right, our betting partner was on the network owned by our rival’s sponsor. Does anyone know how much the deal was for or how much of that money, if any, has been reinvested into the team?

What good is having a sponsor if their sponsorship dollars are not being reinvested into the team to make it better. Yes, football is a business to a degree but if you continue to put together a shit product, then you will end up losing your customers that made you a success. It takes money to make money and it seems that our team has lost sight of that.

In addition to a boycott of Arsenal games, maybe it is time to boycott our team’s betting partner as well and let them know that their sponsorship dollars are not being used to improve the product. If they are any type of smart businessmen at all, they will realize that they are putting in good money chasing after bad and maybe threaten to pull out if Arsenal doesn’t change it’s ways. What can it hurt?

From some of the traveling Arsenal fans going to the FA CUP game vs Brighton today.

Via @franksav63 on twitter

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Betting on which teams will secure the much-desired Champions League places is always a popular option for football betting fans, but like any other type of sports betting, it is advisable to have some understanding of the subject before trying.

While you can always research it at tips sites, if you are not a natural football fan, this can be hard-going. Another option is to combine this with playing a football game, like the Game On slot at Lucky Nugget online casino. Online casinos have taken the lead it seems in the casino industry, with the choice of slots and card games rivalling any land-based casinos and of course users don’t have to travel anywhere so long as they have their phone.

That’s right, with the right apps you can now have a go at outsmarting the dealer at poker wherever you are. Online bookies also share this advantage which helps for placing those last-minute bets. And unless you know something we don’t you may need to utilise some last-minute bets this season – the competition is stiff.

The need to learn a bit about the game is particularly great this year, as the stuff competition mentioned has teams with realistic chances of grabbing the last Champions League place than ever before. Of those, Arsenal and Tottenham are rated the favourites by most sports betting sites – with the odds for the Gunners at about 10/11 at most sites, while Spu*s are rated around 6/5 with most. This reflects the fact that Arsenal have so much experience of Champions League qualification, while Tottenham have invested heavily in their squad with the intent of becoming a regular Champions League team.

However, although these teams are the favourites they are not the only ones in contention – and many of those looking to bet on the issue will prefer to back one of those teams with slightly longer odds, as this will present the potential for a better return.

One of these is Everton, who currently have odds of around 7/2. They are currently placed fifth but they have a notably smaller squad and their chances could be affected by injuries and tiredness during the second half of the season. Liverpool, who have odds of 15/2 should also be considered in contention – but this would be a very risky bet, because they would need to overhaul all of these other teams to have any chance of grabbing fourth spot.

Arsenal fans pay the highest prices in the land for what? The money is NOT invested back into the team and all that keeps happening is that the money is wasted on sub standard signings. Paying high wages on overrated players and bonuses for the likes of Ivan Gazidis.

Wenger says that we have to charge this high rate on tickets in order to compete? What is he taking about? We have not challenged or competed for honours in years. The only prize we compete for is a Champions League place, but in the eyes of Arsene that is a prize.

Wenger says that if the fans don’t agree with the prices then they shouldn’t come back. What a totally disrespectful thing to say to the fans who have been priced out of going to Arsenal and it shows what our manager has become. For years Arsene has looked at the club as a project and a business. He has way to much power within the club and his only job should be looking after the team on the pitch and the teamsheet and not the clubs balance sheet.

How do Arsenal get a maximum return without any investment. But selling the clubs best TWO players each summer and replacing them on the cheap or maybe not at all. By charging the loyal fans an arm and a leg for tickets and merchandise. By making the fans believe that they are getting value for money by playing great attacking football. And finally by making the fans think that the money will be invested back into the playing stuff with propaganda lies and spin.

It’s a sad fact that players like Van Persie, Nasri, Clichy etc did NOT leave for money but only because they wanted to win things and they saw that under this manager that was never going to happen.

Arsene ALLOWED Van Persie to join Manchester Utd, our so called rivals. Would Barca sell Messi to Real Madrid. And when Arsene contacted Sir Alex and asked about Nani, and when Arsenal contacted Barca about David Villa the answer was NO SALE. That is because other clubs do NOT sell good players without A) having a better replacement lined up, or B) sell to a rival team to strengthen them.

Arsene comments that he knew Van Persie would win Manchester Utd the league is a disgrace and every goal that Van Persie scores for Utd Wenger and the board should hang there heads in shame.

Arsene gave his usual spin before the transfer window about signings 1 0r 2 players and as normal the fans started dreaming and drawing up a list of players that might sign. But so far its pretty much the same as the last 3 transfer windows with nothing but lies and being let down.

But even when Arsene has dipped into the transfer market his judgement on players has become “jaded” Signings like Park, Gervinho, Santos, Chamakh, Sqil and rewarding the likes of Djourou on mega wages was NOT the work of the board. The tactics are NOT the work of the board. Asking Ramsey to play on the wing is another example of how clueless Wenger’s tactics have become.

Arsenal fans will tell me that it’s not Arsene. It’s the board. Well if that was correct and Arsene is this puppet being used by the board, why on earth has he not resigned? Why would a manager stay if he has no power and is being undermined by the board? Why would he stay if the board were selling his best players and not giving him money back to spend? … If this was all true I would have respected Arsene Wenger for walking away, but he didn’t. He works in partnership with the board and he is rewarded for this with a £7m a year wage.

I’m sick of what we have become. I’m starting to hate this club that I grew up loving and this is why we have to make a stand for the long term future of our club.

Its clear to me that this board and our manager only care about making a profit.

I suggest we ALL stop pumping money and invested into the club until we see a return on our investment. IE, when they start to spend then WE will start to spend.

Our fans need to sacrifice a few games for the future of this club.

Wenger, Gazidis, Kroenke & Hill-Wood .. You have let us down its time for you ALL to get “OUT”

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