Arsène Wenger told the
Arsenal AGM that groups with differing opinions must work together for
the ‘common strength of the club’. Photograph: Wang Lili/Xinhua Press
The scene was set by a group of geezers loitering in the drizzle
outside the entrance to the Royal Oak Suite with their black banner
hung for all the Arsenal
shareholders to see as they made their way to the AGM. "Let's Kick
Greed out of Football" was their message writ large, and their leaflet
had a none too complimentary list of Ivan Gazidis's job description as
they see it. Among the key points of their satirical take on the CEO's
role was to ensure that the best players are sold each summer, to keep
on that the top four is a trophy, and to claim a package of £2.15m a
year. They even came up with a new Latin motto for the club – Lucrum
Super Omnia. Profit Over Everything.
Arsenal have never seemed further removed from their original dictum. Victoria Concordia Crescit (Victory Through Harmony) seemed like a distant memory as supporters made clear their discontent, and the board members snapped back. Some of the exchanges were personal, prickly, and the atmosphere became quite sour. It was not such a surprise to see the shareholders aiming verbal bullets at the board members on the plinth, but it was highly unusual for the snipes to be returned. All in all, it was the spikiest AGM since the days long before Arsène Wenger arrived in the mid-1990s.
At one point, Stan Kroenke namechecked a representative of the Arsenal Supporters' Trust whose line of questioning evidently left him cold. At another, Gazidis had a sharp retort for someone who lamented that Robin van Persie's departure was humiliating. "I'm not sure if that is a question or an expression of angst," smarted the CEO, before ticking off another dissenter for monopolising the microphone as he tried to restore order.
The octogenarian Peter Hill-Wood demonstrated some old-school hierarchy. When it came to the motions to re-elect the members of the board who stand down by rotation, he dismissed the hands raised in protest: "Anybody against? Same lot. Carried." The mumbles spoke volumes.
Inside the cavernous hall, as long as the sidelines of the Emirates pitch, it was apparent that there were a number of different fan groups all trying to plug their own campaign. The Arsenal Supporters' Trust had its manifesto, the Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association its pamphlet, the WherehasyourArsenalgone gang loitered outside. A tall Russian lady was in attendance to represent Red and White, the vehicle for Alisher Usmanov to buy shares. There was only one possible conclusion to draw, and it was down to the man most experienced in football politics to air it.
Wenger's speech tends to be a high point of these gatherings. The Arsenal manager gauged the mood and did his best to soothe it through persuasive reasoning. "We have to be united. I accept every different opinion but it looks to be like the modern world produces little groups of little opinion. The little communities need to live together for the common strength of our club, for the good of Arsenal," he preached.
Wenger went on to elaborate on why he feels qualification for the Champions League is so important, even if there is a craving for silverware which the club has struggled to sate since the move from Highbury. He recalled a recent coaching convention in Geneva, in which the whole meeting revolved around the dilemma of a coach who had to prioritise between a Europa League semi-final and a decisive match to qualify for the Champions League three days later.
"What came out was a 90% conclusion: all the managers said, 'If you take care about you, you go for the semi-final, if you take care about the club, you go for the Champions League position'. That's what we do. Always. If people convince me that's wrong, I'm listening. I am ready to do that.
"For me there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup, and the fifth is to win the League Cup. I say that because if you want to attract the best players they do not ask: 'Did you win the League Cup?' They ask you: 'Do you play in the Champions League?'"
Arsenal remain, for now, a club caught between their internal ideal of a sustainable business and external pressure to be bolder with their resources in search of success. Such was the strength of feeling, Kroenke was compelled to issue a rare statement of intent on Arsenal's official website in the afternoon, once the shareholders had departed. "I am ambitious for the club and we all share the same goal. The reason I am involved in sport is to win. It's what it's all about. Everything else is a footnote.
"I can assure you no one is more ambitious than me. Arsenal is a tremendous club with a track record of consistent performance at the top level. That is very rare but we have managed it. I know that will continue as we move forwards. We have an exciting future and our goal is to win trophies."
Arsenal's board have pinned their hopes on Financial Fair Play, and a slew of new commercial deals in 2014, to help them to find a silver lining. In the meantime, the outlook remains cloudy.
Arsenal have never seemed further removed from their original dictum. Victoria Concordia Crescit (Victory Through Harmony) seemed like a distant memory as supporters made clear their discontent, and the board members snapped back. Some of the exchanges were personal, prickly, and the atmosphere became quite sour. It was not such a surprise to see the shareholders aiming verbal bullets at the board members on the plinth, but it was highly unusual for the snipes to be returned. All in all, it was the spikiest AGM since the days long before Arsène Wenger arrived in the mid-1990s.
At one point, Stan Kroenke namechecked a representative of the Arsenal Supporters' Trust whose line of questioning evidently left him cold. At another, Gazidis had a sharp retort for someone who lamented that Robin van Persie's departure was humiliating. "I'm not sure if that is a question or an expression of angst," smarted the CEO, before ticking off another dissenter for monopolising the microphone as he tried to restore order.
The octogenarian Peter Hill-Wood demonstrated some old-school hierarchy. When it came to the motions to re-elect the members of the board who stand down by rotation, he dismissed the hands raised in protest: "Anybody against? Same lot. Carried." The mumbles spoke volumes.
Inside the cavernous hall, as long as the sidelines of the Emirates pitch, it was apparent that there were a number of different fan groups all trying to plug their own campaign. The Arsenal Supporters' Trust had its manifesto, the Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association its pamphlet, the WherehasyourArsenalgone gang loitered outside. A tall Russian lady was in attendance to represent Red and White, the vehicle for Alisher Usmanov to buy shares. There was only one possible conclusion to draw, and it was down to the man most experienced in football politics to air it.
Wenger's speech tends to be a high point of these gatherings. The Arsenal manager gauged the mood and did his best to soothe it through persuasive reasoning. "We have to be united. I accept every different opinion but it looks to be like the modern world produces little groups of little opinion. The little communities need to live together for the common strength of our club, for the good of Arsenal," he preached.
Wenger went on to elaborate on why he feels qualification for the Champions League is so important, even if there is a craving for silverware which the club has struggled to sate since the move from Highbury. He recalled a recent coaching convention in Geneva, in which the whole meeting revolved around the dilemma of a coach who had to prioritise between a Europa League semi-final and a decisive match to qualify for the Champions League three days later.
"What came out was a 90% conclusion: all the managers said, 'If you take care about you, you go for the semi-final, if you take care about the club, you go for the Champions League position'. That's what we do. Always. If people convince me that's wrong, I'm listening. I am ready to do that.
"For me there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup, and the fifth is to win the League Cup. I say that because if you want to attract the best players they do not ask: 'Did you win the League Cup?' They ask you: 'Do you play in the Champions League?'"
Arsenal remain, for now, a club caught between their internal ideal of a sustainable business and external pressure to be bolder with their resources in search of success. Such was the strength of feeling, Kroenke was compelled to issue a rare statement of intent on Arsenal's official website in the afternoon, once the shareholders had departed. "I am ambitious for the club and we all share the same goal. The reason I am involved in sport is to win. It's what it's all about. Everything else is a footnote.
"I can assure you no one is more ambitious than me. Arsenal is a tremendous club with a track record of consistent performance at the top level. That is very rare but we have managed it. I know that will continue as we move forwards. We have an exciting future and our goal is to win trophies."
Arsenal's board have pinned their hopes on Financial Fair Play, and a slew of new commercial deals in 2014, to help them to find a silver lining. In the meantime, the outlook remains cloudy.