An open letter to Ivan Gazidis – from a lifelong Arsenal season ticket holder
Mr Ivan Gazidis
Chief Executive
The Arsenal Football Club
Highbury House
75 Drayton Park
London
N5 1BU
21 September 2011
Dear Mr Gazidis
I am very surprised at your recent comments regarding Mr Wenger. Your statement about the board supporting Mr Wenger and not having any intention of replacing him was very noble of you.
What I would like to put to you and the board is that since the board, in their infinite wisdom decided to make Arsenal into a business first and football club second, have basically brought it to this position, not Mr Wenger. As much as we hear that the board support Mr Wenger in his signings and the way forward for the club they also hold the reins. If the board disagree with something then all this flirtatious comments of support for Mr Wenger mean nothing.
I have a theory why I believe the football club is in decline and the Arsenal business is prospering.
When the board decided to move to the Emirates from Highbury it was a great financial coup. The board could see the income generated by increase of sold season tickets, merchandise, food and beverages. The other major factor was the redevelopment of Highbury which would basically subsidise the new stadium. In order for this great plan to succeed then the board would need to be re-shuffled. The doubters or persons who raised any objection had to go. When questions were raised about the future of the football club then these people were marked as trouble makers. Mr David Dein was one of these people, even though he had a great working relationship with Mr Wenger, however the board as conceited as they are believed that this man could easily be replaced. The plan was set in motion with Fizsmans shares being the catalyst in the great built of a financial empire. These shares with his illness needed to be placed in the right pot. That was the biggest concern of the board at that time. Peter Hill-Wood at the helm and with his experience at Hambros Bank put his experience as a banker to look for a stooge with millions who wanted to invest their money for a good return. Enter Mr Stanley Kroenke a man that Peter Hill-Wood felt that he could manipulate. The thorn in the side of the board was this company called Red and White Securities who had a director called Mr David Dein. The other major factor as far as Mr Peter Hill-Wood was concerned was that HIS club would not be owned by an Uzbekistani or Russia as he referred to him at the time. He would rather have a meek and silent man like “Silent Stan”. Mr Kroenke started buying shares with Peter Hill-Wood egging him on to buy shares with the knowledge that a bulk of shares would become available when Mr Fizsman passed away.
The company is exactly where Mr Peter Hill-Wood and the other followers of the board want it to be, in profit and the future financially looks good. Mr Kroenke has the majority of shares and is now waiting for his 30 pieces of silver, his payoff as promised by Peter Hill-Wood.
That is my theory to what has gone on behind the scenes to develop a brand company at the cost of not concentrating on building a strong football club that can compete with other big clubs both in Europe and the World as we were promised by Mr Peter Hill-Wood.
But something has gone wrong! The board were so interested in their profits they forgot about football. To play today’s game a club needs two strong teams as we have already seen. In our dominant years we had two strong teams we could field, commentators would reel off our subs that were world class internationals. Is it coincidence or a fact that since we moved to the Emirates the team have been in decline, yes I accept that we have always qualified for champions league, some years by the skin of our teeth, but since the move we have not really been a threat to the top spot and possibly a double or even a treble.
This season has been the biggest joke with the complete farce of the transfer market. Any business that wants to succeed must have a very strong front line and our front line is the football club and its players, not the over inflated egos of you and the other selfish board members. I would like to remind you that this clubs history is greater than any Peter Hill-Wood, Ivan Gazidis, Ken Friar and Stanley Kroenke, it belongs to the supporters and we are not your personal money feeders. You have robbed the supporters for every penny you can get out of them and if this football club does not bounce back very soon, then this great plot put together by the contemptable board will collapse.
Since the start of this season the stadium is less full, irrelevant of the lied statistics you give by announcing to fans that they are 60,123 fans at the stadium when we can all see more than 2000 seats empty. Or is it because those empty seats are season ticket holders who do not come to the game, yet they are counted. This is another sign of your money greed. The team want fans there to support them, they are not interested in tickets sold only bodies to sing their names and our songs.
I am a mere supporter who is a season ticket holder living in Bristol who travels to games, home and away. Every year my wife and I spend thousand following our beloved team travelling thousands of miles. But I am also a business man and can see that if you cut costs on the frontline then the pack of cards will collapse. It is logical and also business that less attendance at the stadium which we have already seen means less spending on merchandise, food, programmes. Young fans that are coming into football awareness will start to support Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and we will lose a generation of supporters and from your point of view income. Do not think that you can keep milking the existing supporters because as the recession continues which it will more and more people will stop attending. I know you talk about waiting lists for season tickets but I know that is also dropping. They may be on a list but when they are offered a ticket they are declining it because of both price and because of where we are as a football club.
I want to see like millions of supporters a strong football club with great support for a fantastic manager rather than a cheating, stealing overinflated board who come out with statements like you did about your support for Mr Wenger this week…. Where were you 4 months ago when transfer talks were going on? I presume the board were on holiday. When Mr Dein was with us he was at the front with Mr Wenger looking for players to strengthen the team and also raw talent for the future. You useless lot were too busy counting your ill gained profits and as for the major shareholder “Silent Stan” where was he?
What does this board propose doing to turn round the fortunes of this club, and I mean in playing football rather than lining your pockets with personal wealth. You have cheated honest working class people in a time when everyone is feeling the financial pressures.
My suggestion to the above question is for the board to either take a back seat or resign and find people who will REALLY support Mr Wenger rather than feeding us complete bull.
Yours sincerely
William Patey
Trackback: trackback from your own site.
COMMENTS GUIDELINES: ANY COMMENTS WITH SWEARING OR PERSONAL ABUSE WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT EXCEPTION: PLEASE DISCUSS THE SUBJECT IN A FREINDLY AND OBJECTIVE MANNER. SERIAL ABUSERS WILL BE BANNED. PLEASE BE NICE TO YOUR FELLOW GOONERS!
i’m totally agree with you..
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
96 
1
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Out of tune?. Like or Dislike:
5 
67
phenomenal letter.. truly well put, couldn’t say things better myself..
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
109 
4
Thumbs up man, am really happy that at least we have writers who can voice out our problems to the board and have if they get to read this letter they will put their heads in shame. Thank you william
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
73 
5
Take a bow William Patey.
Excellent excellent articles. It’s alomost like you wrote “my” thought. Brilliant job.
P.s: You did send this letter off, yes?
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
58 
5
Any arsenal fan who thinks wenger is a bad manager shame on you. if we look at the team who is our most expensive player ?? 15 million. fair enough we could pay 50 million for one player but who in a sane mind truly believes 50 million is a good way to spend money ?? arsenal is a team based on philosophy and wenger has kept his word. fair enough 6 years without silverware look at other teams wigan, tottenham, aston villa what have they won ? A few cups they are no arsenal!! A good season means nothing without silverware tottenham are already out the cup so look we are one ahead of those sc*mbags so look on the bright side. so i truly believe wenger can turn this around and i know true gunners feel the same.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
40 
21
i wish i could tipex this letter onto the directors window…
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
28 
2
this comment is absolutely on his place.
Congrats
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
21 
1
love it
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
32 
2
Wel shoot man.u guys in Uk realy need to act.demonstrate,quit going to games wich i noe is dificult, if possible threaten dem,mke dem understand dat we r heartbroken.dis board realy pisses me off.dey tink paul scholes,gerrald,Giggs wil continue playing 4 dier clubs without trophies NO!!.jack ramsey,ryo,AOC n co wil leave in de next 2 seasons
Opinions divided. What do you think?
10 
8
has this been sent to Gazidiz, that muppet needs shooting and so does kronke the stupid yank
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
33 
6
Well done william patey
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
29 
2
though what was said about wenger i dont agree. he stays and gazidiz and the rest of the board can sod off and make room for dein
Rate this comment:
9 
2
A LETTER OF ANTHOLOGY…TOP CLASS…RESPECT
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
21 
2
I want to make it clear that I beleive Wenger is the right man to make arsenal great again but he needs support. I know there are people who don’t like David Dean but he was a dynamic partner for Wenger. We need the same formula.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
16 
1
I wonder if Wenger actually feels anything at all about what is going on. Surely if Wenger is not at fault, he is incomprehensibly frustrated. I suppose if he talks, his job is at risk…so he has to keep taking the blame and keep his trap shut. This speaks little of his integrity and actual love for AFC. If I worked for a boss whom I knew was a lying, thieving SOAB, out of my own moral conscience I would tell them to shove that job where the sun don’t shine. Especially when thousands of fans are spending their hard earned cash to support their club, hoping and clinging to the promises made by those in charge. It’s an absolute disgrace. Spread the word people, I think we should all write a letter to this bastard, and every major newspaper. The truth needs to come out…it is SO obvious there is corruption and greed in the upper hierarchy of AFC. Expose them. The truth will set us free from this continung nightmare. Wenger should also grow some balls and owe up to what is going on. He will have my respect forever.
Opinions divided. What do you think?
7 
9
Mr Williiam Patey I am so proud of your article thank you very much for saying what I have been saying to my fellow Arsenal fans and I want all ARSENAL fans to make a stand and push for a better ownership and get the right owner for our club that truly loves our club to win things and lets stop feeding these greedy current Arsenal owners. Lets get our message across at every game and tell them we don’t want them !
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
22 
1
o yeah I don’t think wenger or the current are the right people for the club.Out with the old in with the new.
Opinions divided. What do you think?
8 
14
Wow I love Mr Pateys letter– We share your view William – And I have also been saying and feeling lack of trust towards the board for a long time now – And not Wenger!
We all want to see real actions from the board and our biggest shareholder Mr “Silent Stan” – Gazidis words doesn’t only feel but ARE EMPTY WORDS!
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
11 
2
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Out of tune?. Like or Dislike:
7 
21
AMEN!!!!!!
Rate this comment:
8 
0
take a bow
Rate this comment:
7 
0
My heart pumping my eyes crying.
Rate this comment:
9 
1
Awesome Letter! Finally someone has ACTED and not just TALKING!and I DO HOPE DAT UR LETTER NOT ONLY GETS 2 DE Chf Exec,BUT MORE IMPTLY TOUCHES HIS CONSCIENCE AND DAT OF DE WHOLE BOARD! Your letter brought tears in my eyes.You hv my respect and dat of de thousands of Arsenal fans all across my country,Nigeria where we hv all become a laughing stock.Unfortuately there’s nothng our Associatn out here can do for obvious reasons,apart frm carryn de shame of being die-hard Arsenal fans & continuosly makn our opinions knwn by tweet, facebook,etc abt de rather disgraceful direction our beloved Fc is going!
My only addition however will be I still blv dat Wenger has a role in ds total disaster,he’s one of de world’s best Mngrs who’ll ALWAYS BE SOUGHT AFTER and so HAS A REPUTATN 2 PROTECT!I suggest dat He shld for once THREATN DE BOARD WTH RESIGNATN IF DEY REFUSE 2 MEET HIS REQUESTS!At least den we’ll be able 2 find out de REAL ANIMAL NATURE of ds Board! Thank u for ur letter & may de Gudlord bless u![GFL-Always till end of time].
Rate this comment:
7 
2
Terrible grammar but, all around, well said.
Rate this comment:
4 
7
Mr. William,
Very well drafted letter I must say. But do you understand the realities of competing in a league without any salary cap? a league where man city can put a 2x multiple on your absolute best offer to a player…2X (let that sink in). Look, this is a new world order, we are competing in an unfair league, financially, and what the board along with Wenger have done to keep us relevant since the advent of Roman, is nothing short of Alchemy. Would we love to have won trophies…absolutely. But the way Gooners complain, you would think we have been battling relegation in that time period.
Europe is about to come into reckoning with the realities of this world, and there will be no hiding place for anyone…not even clubs. And then we would know if the board has indeed been acting in the best interest of Arsenal (which I know they have been). Forget UEFA fair play rules, the financial contagion that is about to hit europe will be the democratizing catalyst of football.
FInally, its funny the very football fans who chastise the board for lving within their means go out and demonize bankers for doing exactly the same. What the likes of Man C, Chelsea et al are doing is nothing short of what these so-called financial gurus were doing in the lead up to the crisis. Did it yield short term results? sure but to what end. Just because everyone is writing 30 mill dollar checks does not make it right. We have resources and we have chosen to live within their means. ANd I’m surprised you said the board have chosen to run “Arsenal as a business first, and a club second”. Excuse me, that is exactly how it has always been because, semantics aside, the business guarantees the existence of the club. Go ask Portsmouth and Leeds how mixing up those priorities can go south.
I fully respect your opinions and more importantly, your passion for the club but I urge you to utilize very much needed perspective at this time. Nobody loves the position we are in, but I guarantee you the wisdom of our seeming-conservativeness will manifest itself in due time. We have seen this tale over and over again in history. Look no further than the financial crisis. The people who kept their shirts on when everyone else were losing theirs are now being held up as beacons of prudence…not so long ago, they were the laughing stock for their “sheepishness”. Keep the faith. Victoria Concordia Crescit!
Opinions divided. What do you think?
10 
6
wonderfull letter sir,whether its true or not is not I don’t care but I love it because it brings to light an important truth that so many of the Wenger haters don’t realise i.e. Wenger is an employee of AFC & whatever the board says he has to respect that,not because he wants or agrees with them but he respects their decisions because he is a PROFESSIONAL. I believe – in AW defence – that the BOD hav told him this is what we want & he has gone out & got it for them eg. They Just want CL soccer & he has provided this consistently.AW is no fool!! Make no mistake in assuming he just concedes to their wims,he has surely told them what is achievable with his current teams & what is not achievable..
I’m not blindly supporting AW but I find it strange that 9 out of 10 top footballers were ALMOST signed by AFC but the deal fell through at the last hurdle?? In my opinion AW is doing his bit by identifying world class talent & trying to bring them to AFC but the board which has the last say is failing him & AFC by not closing this deals…
Love AFC love AW forever win or loose..
Rate this comment:
4 
1
Just another ill-informed rant. Kroenky was brought in by Dean. Dean’s vision didn’t extend to a new stadium which we need going forward (especially in view of ffp rules imminent). Dean is good for Arsenal but he was wrong on this major issue, hence the fallout.
Danny Fiszman, true true Arsenal man, would never let Arsenal go to anyone who would intentionaly damage the club…i.e Glaziers type. I,ve been to his old offices (Star Diamond) years ago and the place was covered with Arsenal murals/deco. Believe me this guy truly loved Arsenal and would never have his shares go just to make a profit for his beneficiaries. He was a philanthropist towards family, not the act of a person with greed.
This summer Gazidis made this statement “We, as a club, have transformed ourselves in the last decade or so.
We have no God-given right to be one of the biggest clubs in the world. The stadium has been a big part of that but we don’t have a God-given right because of our history.
We’ve elevated ourselves into the ranks of the world-leading clubs because we’ve been really, really disciplined and based our strategy and decisions on clear-eyed assessments of the real underlying benefit to the club rather than the noise surrounding the game.
Where owners get into trouble – and many do – is when the noise takes over their decision-making and then you can make really bad decisions.”
William Patey, you sound like an intelligent man so why dont you see the bigger picture, the circumstances and the media manuplation before you rant off your fustration openly. After all you are a supporter, and supporters support.
Opinions divided. What do you think?
5 
13
@And_Arsene_Said. What a load of shite. If you’re so knowledgable, spell David Dein’s and Stan Kroenke’s name correctly. You cannot fault William’s letter at all.
Rate this comment:
4 
3
it all sounds great as a disgruntled fan. however, if you’re theory(ies) is incorrect, it all means nothing. seeing how it’s impossible for you to know all the inside information, your theories can, and most likely will be totally incorrect.
in all likelihood, you just sound like an ignorant fan with a pointless letter to someone who won’t respond because you’re so far off the mark, it’s not worth responding to.
Rate this comment:
3 
6
Yes, the stadiums are quite empty…even the Arsenal sports bars in Ethiopia are emptier than before…
Rate this comment:
2 
0
A thumbs up for the sentiments and post but you should send it to the club not just post it on here. If you do that it needs editing as it is too long. Stick to the main points.
Rate this comment:
1 
0
Get rid of this idiot Gazidis.
He is a Man city supporter and we have him as our Chief Executive?!
This is a joke.
Bring back David Dean.
Get rid of the Yank and bring in Ushmanov.
Rate this comment:
5 
2
Well thought out articule and directed at the real culprits. The board has been hiding behind the scene while the manager has been taking the sticks from the media due to their (board) greed. How I wish I can throw this letter right through their window.
Rate this comment:
3 
2
We have thousands of Mr. William out there, who are passionate about the situation of our darling F.c and can write letter to the board, One of which i am from Nigeria. The problem is this. Will these letters get to the board, will they act promptly to these letters. I quiet, agree with Mr. William and also salute ur courage, hope the letter gets to the appropriate quarter. Long live Arsenal F.c, long live the fans, long live Nigeria.
Rate this comment:
1 
1
thank u, u beautiful man
n 2 the board, u shouldn’t even worry about “the empty seats” u should be worried about the people that r not as nice as this guy, me 4 instance i want 2 cut off ur balls n i feel i’m nice from the gooners i know, be careful 4 ur own good leave or change arsenal f.c. u’ve been warned
Rate this comment:
1 
5
Fantastic sir, the world needs to know that the board is using Wenger as a front man to face the ire of everyone while they go on making their money least bothered about the fans and the football.If they were really supportive, we wouldnt have seen these dark days as we are now. You know what, after all this i still think Arsenal will do very well this season because beyond the board there is a team and a manager who are giving it their all and i do feel their will be justice for them.
Rate this comment:
2 
0
Unfortunately we all know this will barely make it past his million secretaries. I hope it does though, but people like him are only interested in money and nothing else, a heart felt letter will hardly scratch the surface.
We need someone who cares… and they aren’t going to walk away any time soon. Hopefully he’ll miss-send an email at some point this season with some incriminating evidence! We could only hope.
Rate this comment:
0 
0
Dear Ivan Gizidis,
William’s letter tells it all. Stop playing ostrich games” which covers its head in the sand and claims that everything is ok” when its contrary.You are turning our club into a free fall and laughing stock.Blanket support to Wenger doent strengthen but brings complacency.Your uncalled arrogance, abusive words and inflated egos and selfish motives will simply kill the club and strengthen the fans resolve to even question your ability and intergrity.
1).You have made the club lose the goodwill( an advantage that accrues to a firm/institution due to its culture, time of existance,location etc).Thats why Arsenal is no longer a destination for star players and star players will always want to leave at the earliest opportunity.The exit of Ces and Nasir testfies.Arsenal are finding it even more difficult to compete with small clubs in the players market a case which was never before.
2. You are braggging that you are applying the sustainable growth model for the club. its very surprising if you can achieve that by not investing in the core line of business, in this case which is football in general and players in particular.You are gradually destroying the club’s brand equity to our surprise which you are claiming to be building.
3.Every time you are bragging about the achievements made ie 14 years of participating in Champions Laegue, buying unknown players and turning them into stars,winning cups etc. We agree,but for how long are we going to live in glories of the past. As a manager, we would expect you to be honest and rational and make a proper critique and identify the negative side to assess whether the club is moving foward ie 6 trophless years, qualifying for champions league through hell,rejected young prayers who have totally failed to make the required grade eg Bentender, Eboue,calamity Squillachi,Dijour,Cygan,Denlison, Diaby,the list is endless.Every good record being broken for a bad reason ie thrashing of Arsenal 8-2 by Man.U breaking an approximately a century record, 2-0 loss to Liverpool, breaking a decde long record, 4 points from 5 games and standing at the relegation border,breaking a record of 58 years.
4.As Chief Executive Officer and the Manager(Wenger) you are expected to be exemplary,reliable and dependable.However, you have now specialised in trading lies. You say this and you do that which has created alot of uncertainity in the club.You state, Ces and Nasir are not going anywhere when in actual sense they are leaving the next day. You promise a busy Summer transfer exercise, you promise to add the required experince while you only bring youngstars the following morning, simply to justify your failed youth policy. What should the fans believe in?.
5. You have failed to make strategic priorities for the club. Even before the end of the season, it was very clear that the Club needed to strengthen its defence and on experience. To the shock of everybody, you started spending the limited resources on the young stars who would not even even a reserve place. Thank God the slashing by Man.U 8-2depleted your ego and rushed the market though late.Wenger now laments new players want more time to play as a unit.Which is simply silly.
6. Being defencive and resorting to use of abusive statements wont help the club. Listen to positive criticism, identify where you are going wrong, assess you strenngth, your weakness, idetify the opportunities and take the corrective timely action. If you dont want to change, change will change you.
7. Fans are not happy because of a reason ie inflated tickets, poor club strategy, lack of value for money for game paid for etc. You need to ask your self one fundamental question “Why are they not happy and why have they changed in recent times?”. A revolution has started and it may not end soon.
8.Self assessement may be no assessment. If you are very confortable that you are doing the right thing and going in the right direction, why are you not confortable to meet fans in a question and answer session.
Rate this comment:
4 
2
William Patey you are very 100% right with your letter, all that you’ve said in this letter about Arsenal is true,because actually Arsenal is nowadays a money/ profit making business club/team.All its current coach and board are so mean and economical/economisers,i.e they don’t like spending a lot of money to buy experienced elegant players to make Arsenal to be winning trophies yet they have a lot of money and the result of this is going trophiless season in season out.That is how God rewards people who have money/are rich but are so mean and economical/economisers with their money! In fact Arsenal fans who stay in London,I advise you to just mobilize each other and start protesting and demonstrating bitterly but peacefully at Arsenal’s headquarters in London and the whole of London City in general while singing and carrying banners saying/written on in capital letters the following serious words:”WENGER MUST GO/BE SACKED NOW!,WENGER MUST GO/BE SACKED NOW!,THE WHOLE OF ARSENAL’S CURRENT BOARD MUST BE FIRED/DISMISSED/SACKED!, THE WHOLE OF ARSENAL’S CURRENT BOARD MUST BE FIRED/ SACKED/DISMISSED! and you be serious and do this until Wenger resigns by himself or is fired and replaced by a new serious,skillful,tactful,elegant and non-economical coach like Frank Rijkaard,Guus Hiddink,Martin Keown, David Moyes,Dunga,Harry Redknapp,etc and also until till the whole of Arsenal’s current economical board is sacked and replaced by a new board which is serious,committed, focused etc and not mean,not selfish,not money-minded,non-economical/non-economiser,etc and also ensure it spends a lot of money like other clubs like Man-City,Man-U,Real Madrid,Barcelona,Chelsea etc and buy during January’s transfer window many experienced elegant players.If all these happens,I’m sure Arsenal will be winning trophies, but if these don’t happen,for God’s sake Arsenal will keep on going trophiless/cupless year in year out,season in season out!!!.So Arsenal and its fans,all is upon you to decide!!!
Rate this comment:
3 
4
Arsenal has 4 point from 5 matches…. Tottenham has 6 from 4 matches… Man U has err… err ….. never mind. the point is clear, we have become the Wigans and the Stokes of the EPL even spuds have more points with less matches and our board members are alive and watching us become this thing I don’t recognize? SHAME on you Kronke, It happened on your watch!
Rate this comment:
4 
2
Reading Ivan’s comments was more painful that watching the team be destroyed by Man Utd.
His comments basically confirm that the club lacks ambition and that the primary aim is no longer football.
Rate this comment:
5 
2
William!! William!! William!!
Rate this comment:
1 
1
Spot on. Unfortunately, these clowns won’t do anything until they begin to see a decrease in revenue and profit. By then it will undoubtedly be too late. Arsenal’s prestige is at stake here. We are a football CLUB. Not a football business, not a football finical institution, but a fucking club. Arsenal is not being run like a club. Sure, people bag clubs like Man City and Chelsea for spending ridiculous amounts of money on players, but isn’t what Arsenal doing far worse? Extracting money like a bank or insurance company would then hoarding it for who knows what. A clear sign that the board have no interest in genuine on field success is the sacking of Dein, the denial of Usamov (who wanted to wipe the stadium debt and spend his vast wealth on players) and allowing Stan to buy in so heavily. A man with six other sporting clubs in all manner of sporting codes. Coupled with him being a greedy, American business and it’s plain to see he and the board are on the same wave length. It’s an utter disgrace. You lot in North London should be ashamed of yourselves though. You need to be flying the flag for the Gunners, as the board clearly aren’t. The only way to effect change is either relegation; massive revenue losses and future fan base or by constantly, physically lobbying them. Protests at their offices, protests outside home matches, refuse to go in. Bring your own drink and food and refuse to buy from them. This kind of thing is sadly the only option you have when dealing with greedy, business people whose sole care and focus is money. It works with massive organisations; if one company gets too far ahead of themselves and charges ridiculous sums people avoid them, they refuse to engage. Over time, they change their ways. Fly the flag Londoners!
Rate this comment:
4 
1
YOU STOLE THOSE WORDS FROM MY MOUTH BROTHER. WONDERFUL PIECE THERE. YOU ARE THA BOMB. GUNNER 4 LIFE
Rate this comment:
2 
2
we need to stand up to these greedy members of the board for the sake of arsenal
Rate this comment:
0 
1
Johnnno, completely agree with your last sentence. The club no longer reacts to what is happening on the pitch. It only reacts when it sees it could be financially impacted.
The joke is that money is being used as an excuse. The board and Wenger have failed to buy appropriate players at ANY price point. They spent for Rosicky, Arshavin and Gallas and non of those players had a happy career at Arsenal. The free Chamakh is a flop. They cheap defenders Silvestre, Kos and Squid were flops. Own products (via being bought as teenagers) – Song, Djorou, Cesc, Vela, Denilson, Diaby etc etc all flops/flopping as we speak.
Money is not really the issue here. He lost some to money but what about the resources wasted on this pointless policy of buying young foreign players that is yet to produce one genuinely AFC quality player that is actually still at AFC! Ramsey I sincerely hope will but he seems to be a maestro for Wales and a pussycat for AFC. I suspect Wenger isn’t ‘developing’ him right.
Too many excuses. For such a relatively poor club Arsenal are actually burning money.
Rate this comment:
2 
2
real man stand out and be counted,william is a real gooner.i had invested a lot in this team hoping that my kids would take up sport seriously especially soccer.i had even contemplated taking my 10yr old for holiday soccer lessons. this has changed due to the results on the field starting with the carling cup final of yesteryear.i have become a rebuke of my family .my kids no longer crave for the arsenal replica jerseys.i see a generation of potential arsenal players/followers being eroded away unless the tide changes.players with gunners at heart will come back if things are put into the rightful hands.hey, are the board members as well as shareholders real arsenal supporters or they are there for the buck and riches brought by this great brand? do they ever suffer nightmares after every match?check their history and u will find that they were never arsenal followers but came for the bucks?
Rate this comment:
1 
1
We were double winners in 04/05. Invincibles. We had probably the strongest team in Europe at the time. We sold Henry, Viera, Petit, Pires and the list goes on for I do not know how many millions in the years to follow. 5 years later we face relegation. 5 years! What on earth has happened in that short time frame that we could sink to such a low??
I can’t even watch Arsenal on T.V anymore in my country because we are not good enough to be broadcasted. Fans all over the world are feeling this. Surely if the board actually were worried about the financial status they would let Wenger do his job properly and bring in the quality we need. As someone said, we had all these great players lined up to sign, Mata, Hazard, M’villa, Martin, Parker, Young, Cahill, Samba etc etc and a lot of those deals sounded like they were done and dusted. Then last minute they fell through. If the board really want continual success financially speaking, they must let Wenger do what needs to be done and bring these players in.
Bottom line, AFC is not doing well achievement wise, quite obviously. No trophies in 6 years. Although financialy we may be stable at the moment, it won’t last without winning trophies. I cannot understand how the board and those in charge cannot see this. If we do not win trophies and achieve as a club, the fans begin to lose interest in the club. The world including sponsorships, t.v enterprises etc etc also lose interest. BIG MONEY being lost. Less people in stadiums, less ticket holders, less merch being sold….etc etc. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the impending doom awaiting us if our club continues to be mismanaged like this.
I really hope things turn around.
Gooner for life.
Rate this comment:
2 
2
So I wet back and re-read the letter….errr WIlliam is a bloody Illiterate. ” Announcing 60,000 attendance instead of 58,000 demonstrates that the board is lining their pockets????” God help arsenal, if this is the iq level of our fans. Guy, never thought I will say this but I urge you to give up your season ticket, let a more informed person take your seat in the stands. And the rest of you who think his letter is spot on?? Jesus, this world is really getting dumber. Lining their pockets, how. The club has paid zero dividends in a gazillion years. So how exactly are they lining their pockets. DO you think before you talk. No wonder Europe is going to hell in a hand basket
Rate this comment:
3 
4
And to all you clowns, it will interest you to know that the “paltry” 46,000 at shrewsbury game was the highest attendance, by almost 10,000, for the carlicg cup 3rd round. So much for being in crisis. THe lot of you just read the tabloids and start shooting from your hip, too shallow to take some bloody perspective and think for yourself… If arsenal is somehow able to lose you guys as supporters through this episode, then that would be a great success. We have it tough indeed! Go speak to your parents who stood in the terraces from 71 to 89 and ask them how many trophies we won in that period and if we were even competing.
Rate this comment:
3 
3
William, You have spoken for the whole of Africa that supports Arsenal. We have been walking in Nairobi, Accra, Lagos, Harare; All over with our heads down for five years but now it has gotten really bad. We no longer watch Arsenal Matches. William thank you.
Rate this comment:
0 
3
@ jak sparrow
the only clown is you my friend. sure they don’t get dividends but that doesn’t rule out year end bonuses! Not forgetting their unrealized profit when the share prices rise or their returns when they actually sell off their shares!
Approx 60 million on players sold – Approx 40 million on players in = £20 million PROFIT for silent stan and the rest of the profit seeking bast*rds.
ENOUGH SAID! You are a complete fool!
Rate this comment:
1 
1
Thank you for an honest critique. This club has dramatically changed from a football club to a profit making business. Whilst my instinct tells me Arsene Wenger does not speak honestly, I am more worried about Hill-Wood and Gazidis. This fantasy that Arsenal are somehow a ‘moral’ club who do their business the ‘right’ way is abject nonsense. Look at Wenger ‘stealing’ Park Chu Young from Lille. We have had a major shareholder, who happens to be the second richest man in GB, excluded from the board. He owns 29.5% of the shares. How moral is that. What we have is a power play, led by the posh tones of Hill-Wood and the uber dull Gazidis, who could bore even Victor Meldrew to death.There is an aversion from this second rate board to lead Arsenal, in immediacy, to titles and trophies. Now these negligent people are talking of how secure Wenger is in his job. It is them who should be worried. They are deluded morons. Our transfer dealings were so late in the Window, pushed through due to panic, that we do not have the quality we need to succeed. No we are NOT UNLUCKY. We have been poorly and negligently managed. We all know that, but no one dares state the truth. NEGLIGENCE!!! Wenger was NEGLIGENT. Truth! Buying players like Mario Gotze and Eden Hazard would have been what we needed, and, although expensive are a low risk investment. Why? Because they are young and will have resale value if they want to leave or we need to sell. Real investments. Instead the cheapskates running this club would not pre-empt the sale of Nasri and Fabregas and buy early, like Ferguson, Mancini, AVB and Dalglish did. We could have bought the class players who we needed. I love this club but the board and maybe the manager too are deluded and in a bubble. They need to go before the unthinkable confidence drop, and the big abyss appears on the horizon.
Rate this comment:
1 
1
@Gunners fan, how many shares does Ivan own? before you die of thought, the answer is zero. Year end bonuses. FIrst of all, they get none, they are fucking board members. Do you even understand how a coporate board operates???? Go pull up arsenal’s annual report where you can see all our numbers in full disclosure before making lazy conjectures. And your point about appreciating share prices are so stupid. Arsenal still has 3 distinct shareholders who. I am curious as to how an appreciating shre price benefits Peter Hill Wood, DIck hall and Ivan Gazidis who own a combined grand total of Zero shares???? You can spew your illiteracy to the ill informed but some of us actually know what we are talking about and do some real research. There are only two ways to realize value from a stock: capital appreciation and diviend allocation. As majority of the board members are not beneficiaries of any of these, I wan tyou to tell me again: How are they lining their pockets?
Rate this comment:
2 
4
@Pussie Gooner Drave
Sorry I did mean Dein & Kroenke. I never claimed to be so knowledgeable ,mainly general knowledge and fact about Arsenal so why is it shite?
I dont expect a reasoned view from you thickos, but ‘Give it a burl’.
btw…note the spelling Pussie Drave,knowledgEable not knowlegable.
Rate this comment:
0 
0
good piece! Lets match those greedy,selfish bastard out from the grove.they are rogues,criminals,death woods which should be burnt to ashes.
Rate this comment:
0 
1
@Jak sparrow
you are really a clown and live in deluded mind blogging misfit…the 71 to 89 it may be true that trophy can be counted but do you want to live in that year of agony and depression again. People evolved to be much better at least better from their parents or escape from the hardship. Not happily hope the bad thing will strangle them again. That why u live in your sparrow life.
Rate this comment:
2 
2
Mr Sparrow, Gazidis is not good for this club. I have been on boards many times. Because he is there it does not mean Gazidis a benefit to the club. Wakey Wakey! If an income is being made it could be invested in better and more resaleable players. The decision not to is made by the board. THIS board. NEGLIGENCE.
Rate this comment:
1 
1
@Jak arse sparrow
The one that dont understand the board work is you and your misfit…report can be manipulated easily to please the reader dont you know that..It true that gazidis and co if so dont received dividend or bonuses from shares because they have non, but actualy they do received allowances that if you look at it your own eyes will puff off. other performance perks base on corporate profit etc..etc are easily there but do they want to put this for your reading.Fools.They already reap profit like blood sucking vampire from redevelopment of highbury ground.
Rate this comment:
2 
1
Jak Sparrow, there were shareholders that were board members that realised a gain from the building of the Emirates stadium. The stadium put the price of shares up via increased gate receipts in annuity.
Saying Arsenals current policy did not benefit the shareholders is plain ignorant. There is no other reason that the Arsenal board put in a disproportionate amount into reducing debt other than that wished to make the balance sheet look better.
And Gazidis is a strategic appointment by the majority shareholder. That seems to be obvious I would have thought.
Rate this comment:
1 
1
@ Jak Sparrow
You really are a clown! The job of the board members is to maximize the value of the shareholders and that is exactly what they have been doing!!! So don’t try to fool people with your stupidity.
And for your info, shareholders like lady nina made considerable profits from selling her shares, which were bought at a much lower price! that’s how they get their returns.
Share prices are heavily influenced by earnings as well and arsenal have been recording profits year after year. That’s why stan bought lady nina’s shares. He knows that the business model and profit making mentality at arsenal will make him some money.
You still are a fool.
Rate this comment:
2 
1
To jak sparrow
Obviously between the hours of 2.36 am to 12.59 pm on the 22 September you have had a wobble! From respecting my opinion to me being illiterate after having read the letter for the second time. Obviously the first time you did not understand my point.
We can blame Roman and all the big spenders who have turned this game into a multi billion business, while we are at it lets also take a pop at SKY and Rupert, and throw a little bit of Blatter and Platini. The world of football has changed and we have to change with it like we did with a new stadium. The board want to pay that debt of in a very short period of time, less than 10 years. When you buy a house for a fraction of that you pay it off in 25 years, sooner if you can, but does that mean you go without furniture, food, renovation to the property?
Lets take another example….Supermarkets. We all knew the local greengrocers where our parents would shop. Then the big boys came in and opened big stores with lots of staff and even a coffee shop, so what does the little businessman do? He goes and finds a bigger shop than he had, paints it and makes it look great he even gets a machine so his customers can have a coffee….but he does not want to spend the money on buying products because they are too expensive as the suppliers now have got greedy and are selling in bulk to supermarkets, simpler and more profitable. So the small shopkeeper looks for other suppliers while his business dies.
We can build a new stadium, we can have new shirts every season, we can paint murals on walls, we can go to China to promote the Club…but if we do not have the product i.e. the players all those other matters mean nothing. If we want to promote and grow as a club with a magnificent stadium in London with easy access to attract international games and corporate hospitality and selling merchandise, that is all very well. But what about the game of football? If we asked a thousand supporters would you rather be at Emirates and not win any trophies in 6 years or stayed at Highbury and win trophies I am sure the majority would state the latter. I am a true supporter and go to all the games. I love my club, but I am also not blind and will not follow those that I question and I question the board. They run the club, so is it a coincidence or just bad luck that we have not achieved anything since moving to the Emirates. We all know that it is a fact that Arsenal will pay 30 million for a player but not the wage they demand. It’s like buying a 200k Ferrari and filling it up with vegetable oil and taking it to my local mechanic to service, eventually it will stutter and die. Times have changed and we have to change with it. If we want to compete in the top level of Europe then we have to adapt, or if we want to compare what or where we were between 1971 to 1989 then we should all be happy with where we are currently in the table and be happy to do that for the future and be happy with this wishy washy philosophy of taking part is more important than winning.
As for the board not taking dividends, there are more ways of the board building their wealth than taking dividends, otherwise “Silent Stan” will become “Saint Stan of Arsenal” who for the love of the club invested millions for no return. Arsenal Holdings plc wholly owns 12 subsidiary companies, covering the group’s activities from overseas retail to property development. The club made an operating profit of £72m in the year ending 31 May 2010, from a turnover of £379.9m. In 2009 we were ranked as the third most valuable football team in the world, after Manchester United and Real Madrid, valuing the club at £605m. In 2009-10 the club earned £274.1m. What I don’t know is what the board salaries are and bonuses are from Arsenal Holdings plc and whether the board have a wage cap. If the club is generating profit and high ranking then why are they not willing to invest in players. This is what the market dictates now.
I accept people’s opinions and views but I do not believe in coincidence and since the birth of the new stadium and the injection of new investors and the current board this club has not fulfilled the expectations of the supporters or the promises made by Peter Hill-Wood. Coincidence is just a cop out for bad management.
Was it a coincidence that Europe went belly up when the American housing market collapsed after having sold off its bad debts packaged to the greedy European banks? Or was it bad management?
If we want to succeed to be a true contender in Europe and our own league, the best in the world we have to look at the present and the future…not the past!
I accept your opinion and views Jak, but I do not accept being told to give up my season ticket and no longer be an Arsenal supporter because I have an opinion and am willing to express it with either rants or poor grammar. Not you or the board or anyone else or anything will ever stop me from supporting my team and having an opinion and expressing it.
Rate this comment:
6 
1
Gunners 4 life. To my own point of view about mr william patey letter to ivan gazidis is an absolutly good reaction letter to the board of the club entirely. I thought every comment been reported are all beautifull and makes sence, but mr wenger did not only has the blame rather than ivan gazidis but to every thing their is time eg.a time to plant and another time to harvest. Let considered barca for their 4 yrs without trophy, consider other team spent but at last without trophy, some says arsenal should spend, but let me tell you that what we need is xperience player which i know it will be done very soon. All my saying didn’t support/support Gazidis behaviour but what i know is that Arsenal one day shall be back to normal one day. I reapeat i like every comment posted by fans and if the reaction is not showed up, the board will inxist by not given a good xterblishment to the club. But if total requirement and what to do in best are being giving and support by the board to the manager not only to invest money but to go after trophy, i think and believe Arsene wenger is the right man for the job to take Arsenal to the next level again, ours is just to be patience coz i know things shall be back alright although i personal and my Gunners pals are not happy about the current situation of Arsenal. Thanks for every comment posted, it’s wonderfull and interested to each person perpective feeling about the current situation of AFC.
Rate this comment:
0 
0
pls let more of dx letter keep going 2 office,nd home let mr kroenke nd co feel d pressure they’v dissapoint d fanx nd d club.
Rate this comment:
1 
1
@ jak sparrow
by the way clown, I do receive year end bonuses from my company even though I do not own any shares and am not a board member!!! so don’t come here and spew your nonsense!
Rate this comment:
2 
1
Bravo.. Superb letter, reckon that numpty Gazidis will scrumple it up and laugh–useless banker tosser
Rate this comment:
0 
0
Act instead like Blackburn Rivers Supporters did. Boycott matches for two weeks and let them see that fans are serious
Rate this comment:
3 
0
Wenger is not a right man, he should park his things and go or no fans in Emirates. Wenger does not care of fans hanging themselves or being pierced to death, the case of Kenyan during Blackburn’s game. Empty field during the next game. thanks Williame
Rate this comment:
1 
0
my balls have more hair then what Ivan Gazidis have on his head.
Rate this comment:
0 
0