So Robin Van Persie revealed his true colours as a money-grabbing scallywag with the integrity of a 15th century mercenary. He turned down the chance to become an Arsenal legend (and get a decent pay rise) to go and sit on the bench at either Manchester or Turin and get paid a great deal more (not that it registers when you’re being paid as much as he is).
He cited lack of ambition as a major factor, despite the fact we’d signed two strikers to take the strain off him. There are other signings in the pipeline. There is ambition here. The fact he hasn’t waited to see who we signed shows he made up his mind months ago. When he claimed he was waiting until the end of the season to think about his future we should have realised he was never going to sign, that he was being tapped up by Patrick Viera and the rest to go and play for Manchester City, with all the other mercenary fools.
You could say he ‘deserves’ to win trophies, and won’t get that at Arsenal. He’s only ‘deserved’ to win trophies since he managed to spend a year of the treatment table, where he suspiciously had no issues with the club’s direction (and no interest from City). Comparisons to Matt Le Tissier are a little unfair, because Arsenal do have at least a chance of winning a major trophy every season, they’ve just fallen short. If Van Persie hadn’t been injured in the 2007/8 season, when we came so close, who knows what might have happened when Eduardo was injured and Adebayor’s form suffered?
Arsenal are not denying the chance to for him to win trophies, they’re bringing in players to try and make that a reality. Everyone was fine with Arsenal’s direction this year until he released his statement.
And yet this is the Arsenal board’s fault?!
Arsenal have a policy of only spending within their means, with money they actually have and can replenish themselves. This means that the books are always balanced, and there’s no danger of financial difficulty a la Rangers or Leeds United. The majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, is admittedly very much in this to make money for himself. However, he is allowing Arsenal to stay fiscally balanced, and isn’t interfering. It’s unfortunate that since he joined two captains have left. This is not his fault. These are two players who decided to move to further their own interests without a moment of care for the club that made them great. They didn’t want to stay and there was no point trying to make them.
Robin Van Persie wouldn’t have stayed if we’d signed Eden Hazard and Ezequiel Lavezzi. He wants money. Fine. Trot off and have your money, you tool.
Cesc Fabregas was desperate to return to his hometown club. Signing Juan Mata would not have made this change.
Samir Nasri is a twat. Never mind.
Alisher Usmanov has taken it upon himself to stride in condemning the board’s ‘vision for the club’, suggesting we are only interested in making money, and don’t care about the football. He is claiming that he wants Arsenal to ‘be successful, with a big enough war chest to attract top players and pay them top wages.’ You mean, like, the wage restructuring Arsenal are working on at the moment?
It’s the war chest comment that really rankles here. Next year THREE new sponsorship deals will give Arsenal an 80m cash injection, made purely by themselves (that’s Ivan Gazidis and Stan Kroenke there, kids). This sounds like enough money to buy some players and pay them a smidge more. Because let’s be honest, footballers are only really interested in money these days.
Furthermore, Arsenal are not a team that signs stars and only stars. We sign players who will work as part of our team and do not put themselves above the Club (Hi there, Robin). Splashing out on a team of mercenary prima donnas will make us as bad as City. Arsenal is honestly three signings and some better defensive work away from challenging from the Premier League title. You did see the Man City game, right? I know that’s a common phrase often trotted out, but the appointment of legendary defender Steve Bould gives me some hope for that. And the whole, you know, Podolski, Giroud, possibly Yann M’Vila or that other chap from Toulouse thing. Players that will not cost zillions, and are all proven internationals and in some cases winners?
Where were Red and White Holding’s comments when we qualified for the Champions League yet again, despite being written off? And when we signed Lukas Podolski, who chose us over mega-money from Russia? Nowhere, because his statement was only released to capitalise on the bad news that our beloved captain is evil (and don’t ever think it was a coincidence), to incite division in the Arsenal board and fans, and to make himself look like a loving and benevolent person.
He isn’t.
https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/nov/19/football.russia
That article is a good start, and do some more digging and you’ll find yet more dirt.
He is only interested in making money from the Club, but unlike Kroenke, if he loses interest he would financially ruin us, wanting as he does to purchase players from his own pocket. He could sign a sponsorship deal to give us a cash boost, but he won’t. He is instead trying to take full control of Arsenal for his own gains, regardless of what it’s doing to the team.
Arsenal can very easily do even better without RVP, he’s one player. He scores because others make him chances. But Alisher Usmanov is playing on our frustrations to put himself in power, put money in his own pocket, and turn Arsenal into the very evil we’ve been fighting against since Roman Abramovich turned his oil-stained head towards Stamford Bridge.
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