Usmanov's Timing

[V-Pig]

So Red & White holdings are taking full advantage of this situation...

FULL LETTER: http://arsenaltrust.org/resources/documents/1341487040rws_open_letter_05_07_2012_(3).pdf

TWITTER summary from tariq panja ‏@tariqpanja



Also says Arsenal tried to engage Russian company MegaFon in shirt sponsorship talks without realising telecom co is +50% owned by Usmanov

Red&Whites say though investment is circa £200m more important is they're fans.''would never do anything to destabilise or 'create conflict'

Usmanov letter accuses Arsenal board of wasting time creating 'false enemy' in Red & White.

Says focuse on Red&White is to 'distract attention' from 'fundamental' problems like business model and lack of investment in team

Usmanov has never sought board seat, letter say. Always voted with management. No reason to be accused of 'subversion' or 'sabotage'

Says look at recent history shows the board has achieved conflict without requiring help outside influences. Cites'acrimonious' departures of Dein, Carr and Nina Bracewell-Smith as evidence of this

Red&White: 'real conflict seems to be between supporters' expectations and your vision for the club.'

Red&White accuse current/past board members of using self-financing model to boost price of equity stakes so they could personally profit

Red&White say they've sought meetings with Kroenke and have been refused even though they own nearly 30% of shares

Red&White still wish to have a non-dividend paying rights issue to reduce debt and invest in future. Say board have no interest in this

Red&White: Kroene was sold a vision by the board that the club could be successful without further investment

Red&White: Good part of Kroenke's mandatory offer was funded by a loan from Deutsche Bank ... 'status of that loan... not clarified'

Red&White: Burden of meeting needs of Arsenal financial model is being carried/met by the manager. Selling players to competitors

Red&White: Yet again we are faced with losing our true marquee player at the club because we cannot assure him of the future direction and give him confidence that we can win trophies. where are the safeguards to ensure this doesn't happen again and again in the future?

Red&White: Club should match if not beat offers rivals make to lure best players away

Club can 'pontificate on model but it 'will not hide the obvious fact that it just does not allow our great manager to fully realise his managerial talent and deliver success for fans who are paying the highest prices in the land.'

Red&White vision: debt free club.. with 'big enough war chest to buy top talent who can hit the ground running' to complement homegrowns

Red&White: propose some kind of fan ownership and also fan involvement on the team's board

[V-Pig]

And... BAM:

Red&White: Will continue buying shares from the club as they become available and are staying for the 'long-term'

[Syn]

Usmanov's open letter:

http://arsenaltrust.org/resources/documents/1341487040rws_open_letter_05_07_2012_(3).pdf (http://arsenaltrust.org/resources/documents/1341487040rws_open_letter_05_07_2012_(3).pdf)

[Joker]

Hard to disagree with anything they say tbh. Our board have attempted to win the propaganda war, by presenting them as shady foreign businessmen while presenting themselves as paragons of virtue, the epitomy of Upper Middle Class Etonian English values. However, the only ones who appear to be behaving without class are the old guard and Kroenke.

[V-Pig]

I've edited the twitter bit in my OP and put them in chronological order as a summary of key parts of the letter.

[Syn]

Well it's good PR. It's quite surprising how in touch they seem to be with the fans' are saying - they hint about 'what fans are saying on social media sites' and they've clearly done their homework, trying to get a bandwagon effect going by telling the fans exactly what they want to hear. "We would never de-stabilise the club" or "We are true Arsenal fans and have the club's best interests at heart" are nice statements but how can we tell? They won't be the altruists they paint themselves to be. This open-letter was clearly for the fans despite being addressed to the club. But right now, it's hard to see who has 'Arsenal's best interests' in mind. Players? Manager? Board? R&W? They all seem shady.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Despite what anyone feels about usmanov, it's clear that red and white holdings is where the real future of the club lies.

Kronke and co are a fucking shit waste of space, and it's time he sells up and lets a proper owner take over.

[V-Pig]

Certainly I'm not sure what the point of Stan is. Is he there because he agreed to not actually do anything?

[KSE Comedy Club]

Well it's good PR. It's quite surprising how in touch they seem to be with the fans' are saying - they hint about 'what fans are saying on social media sites' and they've clearly done their homework, trying to get a bandwagon effect going by telling the fans exactly what they want to hear. "We would never de-stabilise the club" or "We are true Arsenal fans and have the club's best interests at heart" are nice statements but how can we tell? They won't be the altruists they paint themselves to be. This open-letter was clearly for the fans despite being addressed to the club. But right now, it's hard to see who has 'Arsenal's best interests' in mind. Players? Manager? Board? R&W? They all seem shady.
Tbh, with the useless ****s who we have in charge now, does it really matter anymore?

One way or another, the club will be owned by a billionaire. It just now seems that usmanov's co. does look to have the clubs best interests at heart.

And to be perfectly honest, I'm already sick and tired of gazidis and kronke as they are both clearly inept and out of their depth.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Well it's good PR. It's quite surprising how in touch they seem to be with the fans' are saying - they hint about 'what fans are saying on social media sites' and they've clearly done their homework, trying to get a bandwagon effect going by telling the fans exactly what they want to hear. "We would never de-stabilise the club" or "We are true Arsenal fans and have the club's best interests at heart" are nice statements but how can we tell? They won't be the altruists they paint themselves to be. This open-letter was clearly for the fans despite being addressed to the club. But right now, it's hard to see who has 'Arsenal's best interests' in mind. Players? Manager? Board? R&W? They all seem shady.

Unlike the management team.

Whoever cold called and/or sanctioned the cold calling of Usmanov's telecom company is incompetent and should be sacked.

Humiliating stuff.

[GP]

:lol:

This letter is so transparent. He must think we;re all retards.

[Ernesto]

Despite what anyone feels about usmanov, it's clear that red and white holdings is where the real future of the club lies.

Kronke and co are a fucking shit waste of space, and it's time he sells up and lets a proper owner take over.

What has to happen for Usmanov to take over from Kroenke and become a major shareholder such that he has the final say on things such as transfer policy?

I'm honestly not sure what puts the wheels in motion in that respect :shrug:

[GP]

What has to happen for Usmanov to take over from Kroenke and become a major shareholder such that he has the final say on things such as transfer policy?

I'm honestly not sure what puts the wheels in motion in that respect :shrug:

With any luck it'll begin with hell freezing over.

[KSE Comedy Club]

:lol:

This letter is so transparent. He must think we;re all retards.

It's from red and white holdings, not usmanov alone.

What's wrong with them stating what all fans are thinking?
At the end of the day the current board and kronke are incompetent and if r&w were to do any of e things that they talk about doing for the club, we would be all the better for it.

[Munchies]

We are a mess at board level, currently we have people interested in their self interests and they'd rather Arsenal be able to get 4th each year and perhaps win the Fa Cup/Carling cup as opposed to getting a trophy of real value. I think Wenger is also to blame, if he is being constrained and told how to operate then he should finally come out as he has taken the flack rather than the board. But if he also gains something in the form of bonuses or something, then he's as corrupt as them. I mean we've had a goalkeeping problem since Lehmann became shit, and for the past 5-6 years we've toyed with rubbish 'prospects' all of whom are available on frees to other clubs now (bar overrated Sczenczy) . We've been crying out for a world class players to replace the world class players that left, eg a defensive midfielder to replace Vieiera, and our centre backs, but who do we get ? Players like Squilaci / Amaury Bischoff/Denilson ? We have only spent money which we gained in some form, eg sell Cesc/Nasri and got Arteta/Mertesacker/Santos , sell RVP get Podolski/Giroud.

And with Usmanov, fans will probably want him in now as this has been expertly timed by them, but he might be a fucktard once he's in. Oh and he's now trending on twitter :lol:

[Kano]

It's from red and white holdings, not usmanov alone.

What's wrong with them stating what all fans are thinking?
At the end of the day the current board and kronke are incompetent and if r&w were to do any of e things that they talk about doing for the club, we would be all the better for it.

a tidy few billion in the bank says that he is something other than incompetent. he is very competent at making money. which is what his aim is here. he's bang on the ball really.

[KSE Comedy Club]

With any luck it'll begin with hell freezing over.

Care to state why?

Your ok with a useless fucking yank and a personal agenda driven board who aren't interested in moving the club forward to be successful, but not ok with a Russian owner and his company who seem to want the club to be successful again, because he has an alleged dodgy past?

[Munchies]

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

Been posted on here before, but pretty relevant as to what goes on.

[KSE Comedy Club]

a tidy few billion in the bank says that he is something other than incompetent. he is very competent at making money. which is what his aim is here. he's bang on the ball really.

True, but as a football club owner he is incompetent.

[GP]

Care to state why?


No. If it isn't obvious then no amount of explanation can help you.

[KSE Comedy Club]

No. If it isn't obvious then no amount of explanation can help you.
Well it's lost on me then.

I have already faced the fact that arsenal FC will now only ever be owned by a billionaire.

The current one has no interest in the club or what happens on the pitch, whereas, pr or not, r&w holdings do seem to care and be interested in the status and success of the club.

I know which of e two I would prefer to be in ownership and it isn't the first one.

[V-Pig]

Interesting:

"Alisher Usmanov, potential Arsenal chairman, is a Vicious Thug, Criminal, Racketeer, Heroin Trafficker and Accused Rapist"

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2007/09/alisher_usmanov/

[Xhaka Can’t]

:lol:

This letter is so transparent. He must think we;re all retards.

TBF most of us are.

[GP]

TBF most of us are.

Speak for yourself!

And myself.

[Ralpheroo72]

Not sure what everyones beef with Usmanov is. At the end of the day, we have an imcompent band of fuckwits running the club, Rodney Trotter would be an improvement. When Kroenke came in, PHW said we dont need his sort, well whats changed? I for one would be open to Usmanov coming in. At least we wouldnt have to approach the mobile phone company he owns for a sponsorship, he could do it for us.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Well I've stated my beef with Usmanov over and over, not gonna do this again.

I don't want him or Stan.

[Cripps_orig]

Get Usmanov in asap

Cant be any worse than the only billionaire in the football world who doesnt spend

Kroenke is terrible

[Ralpheroo72]

Well, without proper direction, this club is going one way, and thats towards the toilet.

[Marc Overmars]

Whether Usmanov is the man to instill some change for the better I don't know, but it's clear there is an underlying problem with how the club is run.

[Xhaka Can’t]

While I don't particularly agree with what Dein did which led to this ownership shambles, whilst inside the tent he seemed to be the only fucker with a clue as to what he was doing.

[Ollie the Optimist]

exactly what guarentee do we have that usmanov will spend on us? because he said so in a letter that is so full of bullshit?

whats stopping him coming here saying i will spend spend spend and then doing what is happening now?

[Kano]

Not sure what everyones beef with Usmanov is. At the end of the day, we have an imcompent band of fuckwits running the club, Rodney Trotter would be an improvement. When Kroenke came in, PHW said we dont need his sort, well whats changed? I for one would be open to Usmanov coming in. At least we wouldnt have to approach the mobile phone company he owns for a sponsorship, he could do it for us.
phw wasn't alone was he? every arsenal fan wanted him to fuck off - somehow everyone has developed amnesia about that.

then he became our friend once usmanov appeared on the scene and now usmanov is the man to save us all?

do me a favour.

[Power n Glory]

While I don't particularly agree with what Dein did which led to this ownership shambles, whilst inside the tent he seemed to be the only fucker with a clue as to what he was doing.

But isn't he still connected with Usmanov? Could he make a come back if Jabba takes over? That's the only silver lining in all this. As you said, Dein is the only one that seemed to know what he was doing and he truely loves the club and wouldn't let someone come in to fuck it all up.

[Bergkampwonderland10]

But isn't he still connected with Usmanov? Could he make a come back if Jabba takes over? That's the only silver lining in all this. As you said, Dein is the only one that seemed to know what he was doing and he truely loves the club and wouldn't let someone come in to fuck it all up.

Dein's son was fabregas's agent and brokered the deal for him to leave to barca which pretty much started all this player discontent. Dein left us in disgrace...sold his shares to billionaire rapist and then thought it would all be ok to come back. Would never want him back.

[Power n Glory]

Dein's son was fabregas's agent and brokered the deal for him to leave to barca which pretty much started all this player discontent. Dein left us in disgrace...sold his shares to billionaire rapist and then thought it would all be ok to come back. Would never want him back.

Could he be any worse than the current owners?

[Xhaka Can’t]

But isn't he still connected with Usmanov? Could he make a come back if Jabba takes over? That's the only silver lining in all this. As you said, Dein is the only one that seemed to know what he was doing and he truely loves the club and wouldn't let someone come in to fuck it all up.

I agree that it is the only silver lining.

Granted I know bugger all about what the people 'running' our Club have planned, but I don't see the current situation changing any time soon.

[Ollie the Optimist]

with regards to usmanov, what is stopping him paying rvp the money himself, or paying for players etc?

[Özim]

with regards to usmanov, what is stopping him paying rvp the money himself, or paying for players etc?
Great idea, spend your cash and let others reap the rewards and make all the decisions on regarding the assets you paid for. :rolleyes:

[Cripps_orig]

with regards to usmanov, what is stopping him paying rvp the money himself, or paying for players etc?

Kroenke and the rest of the board

[Fist of Lehmann]

Could he be any worse than the current owners?
Because we are at rock bottom right now? What could be worse than an owner all too willing to sit on his hands and do the minimum possible to garner the most risk-free profit?

How about someone whose intention is to rape the shit out of the club? That'd be worse.

Now, I'm in no way suggesting that that is what Usmanov intends. We don't know.
But for those willing to do even the most superficial of digging will know that there is enough smoke around this fella to warrant at least some degree of caution.

This open letter, specifically worded to ingratiate itself to a disgruntled fanbase, and specifically timed to effect the most impact starts to look like shameless opportunism.

Maybe this mistrust is doing him an injustice, he might actually be a giant beardless Santa Claus gagging to shower Arsenal fans in free gifts. Equally, he might not.

If the latter, then potentially, could be a lot worse. Want to risk it?

[LDG]

Sorry state of affairs this.

Not worth debating it.

Vote with your feet is you feel the need I think.

Stan, nor Usmanov are the answer.

But it all depends on where you set your sights.

My ethics and morals tell me that I'd rather go watch us in Division 3 than watch this disgusting show of greed and politics. Trophies don't matter at the moment. What matters is our club.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

first and foremost it is clear that stan is here for the money. how he makes his money is the interesting part; personally, i think he was sold a vision by the board that he can buy the club and keep mr wenger in charge, and as long as the equilibrium is in place, he will continue to make profit through champions league qualification. he was probably told he doesn't have to invest large amounts of money into the club because we can always hide behind the excuse that city, chelsea etc are big spending clubs and we cant compete against them. as a result, champions league qualification is a 'successful' season and as long as arsene is here, it will probably happen. kroenke will buck out when he feels its the right time to do so, most probably when the new sponsorships have been negotiated in 2014/2015 and wengers contract expires; lets face it, no other manager can do what wenger has done (make profits on a tiny budget), so when wenger leaves and sponsorships have been renegotiated, the latter will cause the value of the club to increase and at that point kroenke can sell and make his millions.

kroenke has done nothing to suggest he will move away from our existing model and this is why the board hardly make funds available for reinvestment. when they do its usually after our marquee players have been sold, which frees up some money to be spent; we want to follow the self-sustaining model and kroenke certainly doesn't want to risk any of his wealth in the club by putting more money in.

i would have to say usmanov's statement is quite impeccable, but whether it is impeccably good is up for debate. he clearly knows exactly what the fans want; signings, trophies and general on field success. i do find what he says slightly laughable in the sense that he says he does not want to sabotage anything or destabilise our club, yet by releasing the statement he's doing exactly that. i guess he has no other choice as the board have been repressing his views for years. putting that aside, some interesting things can be taken from the statement; firstly, he seems to be an admirer of wenger and nothing suggests he will sack him if he comes in (although it also suggests that dein was part of this statement and beared a huge influence on how usmanov should declare his hand). secondly, usmanov does seem to be in it for the long term, not just pumping shed loads of money into the club for short term gain. he says he will be here for generations to come and although you have to question the integrity of that statement, its good to see someone who at least share's our view and has some sort of passion for our current turmoil at the club, something that eludes the current board.

i think the most hypocritical part comes from the fans who want nothing to do with usmanov yet at the same time forget we are in the hands of a multi-millionaire businessman already, a man who only cares about profit. whilst you could argue usmanov is no good for the club because he wants radical change, you could also argue that our current regime is even worse as it's so outdated and restricts our club ever achieving any on field success. nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see what happens and although i was completely against a billionaire taking over, the current board have undermined us and completely disregarded our thoughts to the point where i couldnt care less if a takeover were to happen. thats probably the thing that pisses me off the most; that the current board have made me feel that way when i was so opposed to an oligarch running our club.

[Kano]

i think the most hypocritical part comes from the fans who want nothing to do with usmanov yet at the same time forget we are in the hands of a multi-millionaire businessman already, a man who only cares about profit. whilst you could argue usmanov is no good for the club because he wants radical change, you could also argue that our current regime is even worse as it's so outdated and restricts our club ever achieving any on field success. nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see what happens and although i was completely against a billionaire taking over, the current board have undermined us and completely disregarded our thoughts to the point where i couldnt care less if a takeover were to happen. thats probably the thing that pisses me off the most; that the current board have made me feel that way when i was so opposed to an oligarch running our club.
well you can always find excuses to blame someone else for how you feel.
kroenke pitched up and what was the fan reaction? fuck off.
usmanov rolled in and what was the fan reaction? fuck off + we love you stan, you can save us.
rvp unexpectedly wants to leave - get in usmanov and change the board
us fans, hypocritical? never.

[GP]

1. Buy Arsenal Football Club
2. ?????
3. Profit

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

well you can always find excuses to blame someone else for how you feel.
kroenke pitched up and what was the fan reaction? fuck off.
usmanov rolled in and what was the fan reaction? fuck off + we love you stan, you can save us.
rvp unexpectedly wants to leave - get in usmanov and change the board
us fans, hypocritical? never.

fickleness is a perpetuated art within modern football, only blossomed by the large sums of money circulating the game.

[Munchies]

Fans can take a stand against the board though if they become fed up with all the nonsense, simply don't buy match tickets/renew season tickets, eg having attendance figures of less than 30k will be a massive blow to our finances. Although that will probably destabilise the team on the field more than anything, but thats what a few people have suggested doing on TS.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

I am surprised with the general level of disillusionment that permeates the Emirates Stadium on most match days, that there hasn't been an attempt to form a breakaway club....start again like the fans did with AFC Wimbledon (for me a symbol that there is still life in the game outside of corporate greed...although without knowing the ins and outs of the working of that club i admit that could prove to be a facile assessment)

[jelgoon]

I quite respect Craig Murray ,the former ambassador to Uzbekistan (where Usmanov comes from) who wrote the piece on Usmanov referred to earlier in this thread. Its scary - Usmanov sounds like scum to me and I have changed my view of him becoming actively involved in our club. Its not just the alleged rape as that was never proven ( although the witnesses went missing) but the way he acted in his country for years. Murray is a fair guy and has no reason to slag him off to such an extent (and Usmanov didnt sue him for libel apparently).

[KSE Comedy Club]

There is no point in trying to take any sort of moral high ground with this situation.

There isn't one billionaire in the world who hasn't done something dirty, illegal, wrong, disgusting to get themselves where they are today.

All we hear are stories of what usmanov did x amount of years ago in Uzbekistan, a country with an entirely different background and culture to ours. We don't know any of the facts or what the situations were that he was allegedly involved in.

So let's cut the shit shall we.

End of the day, it doesn't matter what any of us fans want, ownership will be either kronke or usmanov and at the moment the latter is the only one who is making any noise about the future of the club.

Unless Jesus himself comes down from heaven with £500 billion and buys the club, we will never have a squeaky clean owner.

[Syn]

There isn't one billionaire in the world who hasn't done something dirty, illegal, wrong, disgusting to get themselves where they are today.

Yes there is. Look no further than our Swedish hero.

Letters :bow:

[KSE Comedy Club]

Yes there is. Look no further than our Swedish hero.

Letters :bow:
Rubbish.

He prays on girls off of Facebook and lusts after their smutty photos.

[V-Pig]

He is pretty religious.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Yes.

He religiously lusts after their smutty photos.

[Cripps_orig]

Rubbish.

He prays on girls off of Facebook and lusts after their smutty photos.

You make it sound like thats a bad thing..

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Not really wanting to kick this up again but people say Wenger is the root of all evil but what if. . .


Usmanov took control and gave AW a war chest to get the job done, with the instructions to spend the money, he would, in the same way the current board are promoting prudence in order to enhance their pay days. . .which is what he does.

Now we want a manager that fight his corner for the good of the team, at times demand action etc but surely Wenger is only acting like a lot of us do day in day out and that is follwing his job spec and doing what he is told


I know there is a lot to read between the lines but. . .

[Power n Glory]

Wenger did the same at Monaco. He looks for value in the transfer market. That's one of his traits. Also, if you look at the wage bill and the quality we have in the squad, the money is there but it's being fluttered away on junk. This is pretty simple. We spent £10m on Poldoski and £13m on Giroud. Combine their wages and that's at least over £100k a week. Instead of buying 2 decent players, why not spend £20m on a world class player? It's a mismanagemt of funds IMO. Why pay 3 average players £50k a week when you can pay a £150k to a star player?

The Board don't tell Wenger who he can buy. Also, Wenger's opinion is held in such high esteem, if he wanted to break the bank or break the wage structure, I'm pretty sure they'd listen to him. They did when it came to the youth academy, training ground, emirates stadium, even down to the way the pitch is watered and the design of the changing rooms.

He's a stubborn man and if you listen to what he said about Pep and not being brave enough to stick to your convictions and philosophy of how football should be played, you start to get the picture of why we're still persisting with a failed system.

[Hump]

Interesting:"Alisher Usmanov, potential Arsenal chairman, is a Vicious Thug, Criminal, Racketeer, Heroin Trafficker and Accused Rapist"http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2007/09/alisher_usmanov/Should be playing for Chelsea then...

[IBK]

Red and White's statement is nothing more than a shameless piece of opportunism. If Usmanov truly had the best interests of the club at heart, he would not have sanctioned this. As it is, it merely deepens the crisis sparked by the inevitable departure of another mercenary opportunist.

[Cripps_orig]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/06/peter-hill-wood-arsenal-alisher-usmanov

Hill-Wood reply to Usmanov

[Özil's Panoramic View]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/06/peter-hill-wood-arsenal-alisher-usmanov

Hill-Wood reply to Usmanov

Better this fat hog keeps his snout shut as everytime he utters a word, the greedy pig he is keeps coming to the fore.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Hill-Wood said making so much money from selling his shares was "nice", explaining: "You wouldn't say no to a few million pounds."

What a fucking dicksplat.

[Özim]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/06/peter-hill-wood-arsenal-alisher-usmanov

Hill-Wood reply to Usmanov
But he loves the club honest! :lol:

Can't have young people on the board apparently, they have full time jobs :lol: Very true, probably have to do their late shifts at Tesco's or Maccy D's!

[Özim]

What a fucking dicksplat.
Ahhh shucks, he's such a good guy, we're so lucky to have him.

[Ollie the Optimist]

for a man who wanted the best for the club, wanted us to do well and spend money, while releasing a statement after bad news, he sure as hell is very quiet right now.

[The Ogg Monster]

Usmanov can go suck a fuck.

[Cripps_orig]

Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov has launched another angry attack on the club's board, citing "the current politics of the club's management" as one of the factors behind their trophyless run.

Usmanov owns 30 per cent of the club and remains the second largest shareholder after Stan Kroenke, but does not have a place on the board.

After previously issuing an open letter in which he expressed his concern with regards to the running of the club and its ambition, he has again called for changes to be made.

"Disregarding the series of trophyless seasons, you have to accept that a few of the current board of directors were at the helm during the greatest moments of the Arsene Wenger era," Usmanov told Forbes Magazine Russia.

"But the footballing landscape has changed. Our point of view on which direction the club is going today, and our disagreement with this direction, have been laid out in our open letter to the board.

"We do not consider just qualifying for the Champions League to be the chief ambition of the club, and with all our hearts we support the team and wish them well for the new season.

"Victory is absolutely not ruled out, but the current politics of the club's management will leave Arsene Wenger and his team with fewer and fewer opportunities in the long run."

Usmanov also insisted that, as a fan of the club, he failed to see foresee its current situation and regrets the way in which it was handled.

Having acquired David Dein's 14.6% share in the club in 2007, a figure to which he has since added significantly, Usmanov has described the process as "unobjective".

"Arsenal were one of the first teams I saw on television, and at that time I started supporting them," he added.

"I was introduced to David Dein by a mutual friend. At that time I was looking at a number of possibilities to invest in Premier League clubs, but the chance to buy a small shareholding in Arsenal outranked all other considerations.

"When I bought shares off David Dein I was happy with the opportunity to get to know the footballing legend which Arsenal represent. I was absolutely satsifed with this purchase and wanted to buy more shares in the club.

"At that time I never imagined the depth of conflict between the shareholders.

"I was also disappointed, and very much regretted, that Danny Fiszman, who at that time ran Arsenal, dealt with me on the basis of totally unobjective opinions and assertions of a few individuals."

The 58-year-old insists that, despite being unhappy with the club's position, he is not prepared to sell his own shares.

"We plan to continue to buy shares in the club," Usmanov confirmed.

"From the point of view of investment, this has already been a successful policy: the value of the club has rise from £300-400 million to £700-800m.

"But this is not the point. I am a fan and I am not going to sell these shares at any time, since this is the club that I consider the best in the world."

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/08/06/3290961/usmanov-launches-new-attack-on-arsenal-board

Need to get him as owner asap

[Master Splinter]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/08/06/3290961/usmanov-launches-new-attack-on-arsenal-board

I need to stop posting asap

:gp:

[Cripps_orig]

:gp:

You sure do

[Kano]

good news, bad news, this fat retard owner rides off the back of it just to get his exposure instead of having the nuts to outline a strategy on his own feet.

[GP]

good news, bad news, this fat retard owner rides off the back of it just to get his exposure instead of having the nuts to outline a strategy on his own feet.

He can't even see his own feet.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Usmanov :bow:

He is the real future.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Usmanov :bow:

He is the real future.

http://images.wikia.com/villains/images/b/be/Jabba.jpg

Hopefully in a galaxy far, far away.

[Cripps_orig]

Rather him than Kroenke tbh

[Heebus]

Rather him than Kroenke tbh

It is inevitable.

[Xhaka Can’t]

He's also fat.

Allegedly.

[GP]

Usdanov :lgl:

Awful murdezing, rapist, uzbeki ganfster scum.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

People can say what they like, but judging from the past few years, his statements and actions still make him look like the only SH who shoots from the hip.

[Xhaka Can’t]

He has hips? :o

[Cripps_orig]

ALISHER USMANOV admits Arsenal will not win trophies by losing their best players every summer.
The Gunners have not won any silverware since 2005 and losing stars Alex Song and Robin Van Persie this summer was a major blow to their hopes.
Usmanov, who owns just under 30 per cent of the club through Red and White Holdings, praised manager Arsene Wenger for maintaining an attractive side but insisted this will not be enough.
Uzbeck-born Usmanov said: “Nobody can convince fans that the club is doing fine if for the past three or four years the club has been selling its best players.
“It doesn’t matter who our extremely talented coach, Arsene Wenger, buys to plug these holes if we want to win trophies.”
But businessman Usmanov insists he stands by Wenger.
He said: “I’m an absolute fan of Arsene Wenger. I support him and I’m confident in him. We think he’s a hero.
“Despite changes in the playing line-up, he keeps the variations of the same beautiful game."
Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates on Saturday where the Blues will provide a stern test of Wenger’s squad.
Usmanov has a box at Roman Abramovich’s club and the tycoons often have matchday talks about “football and beauty” – but not business.
The Uzbecki and partner Farhad Moshiri, who have built their position at Arsenal since 2007, are at odds with US billionaire Stan Kroenke who owns just over two-thirds of the club.
Usmanov recently criticised Arsenal’s board in an open letter for failing to hold on to Van Persie.
In it he called for Arsenal’s finances to be strengthened through an injection of non-dividend-paying equity into the club.
He said: “Arsenal received our letter. We didn’t mean it as a hostile message or a declaration of war.”
But Usmanov does not want to be on the board himself.
He explained: “We are tired of being accused of fighting for a place on the board. We have never in our lives asked for this place.”
Usmanov does not plan to write another letter at this point as it would be a distraction.
He added: “The season is beginning — we must close this discussion and support the club, coach and players.”
Arsenal’s third-place finish in the Premier League last season was enough to guarantee them a place in the lucrative Champions League for the 15th successive season.
Usmanov was asked about UEFA’s planned Financial Fair Play measures and the threat of exclusion from European competition.
He commented: “I never say we need to spend enormous money for any players but we must have the capacity.”
Usmanov said he loves the club and holds his investment as a fan who can get involved as a shareholder.
He has no plans to sell his share saying: “if you sell what you love you lose yourself” “For now, we stay in Arsenal as shareholders as long as we don’t lose our love for this club. Now we wish it support and great victory.”


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4562038/Alisher-Usmanov-praises-Wenger-but-attcks-boards-transfer-policy.html#ixzz27mut6epc

Usmanov :bow:

Time he came in.

Not so sure about his comments about Wenger but nobodys perfect

[Niall_Quinn]

People can say what they like, but judging from the past few years, his statements and actions still make him look like the only SH who shoots from the hip.

He hires people to do the shooting.

[Xhaka Can’t]

He's like a Lib Dem (a fat one) - says whatever his advisers tell him fans want to hear - chirping at the admittedly ineffectual board knowing full well he is unlikely to be in a position to back up his words.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Usmanov :bow:

Time he came in.

Not so sure about his comments about Wenger but nobodys perfect


ALISHER USMANOV admits Arsenal will not win trophies by losing their best players every summer.
No shit sherlock.