From Justin Byrne: Global Corporation
Hi Myles,
It seems to me that the contributions published on ANR these days are polarised into two clear categories.
The first is those from the AKB (Arsene Knows Best) brigade – stalwarts defending Arsene Wenger at every opportunity. Not many of these are published any more.
The other camp (in which I include your good self), is the WKBs (WE Know Best).
This group find ways to discredit everything AW does, blaming him for everything bad about Arsenal, both real and imagined. (‘AW does not teach defence’ is a personal favourite in the ‘imagined’ category – how can a team be third in ANY league, never mind the Premier league if they don’t teach defence?!)
The WKBs have even convinced themselves that AW is personally responsible for the wider malaise in football (overpaid pampered footballers, commercialisation of the game etc.)
For me, the WKBs are far more delusional than the AKBs.
The truth is that AW is a very good manager (Top 16 in the world as you say from time to time) with some flaws which manifest themselves in his team, unfortunately at key moments and that’s the reality we have to live with until he goes. Is AW imperfect – absolutely. Is he Satan personified – possibly not.
So, in response to your request for feedback on the article in the Wall Street Journal, I’d like to ask a question:
Do you seriously think Premier League Chairmen/CEOs should be proactively discouraged from widening their international fan-base (and associated revenue streams)?
Or is it just Ivan Gazidis (obviously remote controlled by AW) doing this that you have a problem with?
(Keep up the good work, ANR is still one of the first sites I visit every lunchtime!)
Myles says:
Pre- 2006 I dreamed that a new Arsenal would have the potential to become the Manchester United of the South over the next 15 years.
When I realised that Kroenke only values profitable mediocrity, I gave up that hope.
Ivan isn’t a bad guy.
It’s just that he’s in a ghastly position, working under an uncontrollable French recidivist.
But the CEO’s remunerations are handsome.
Wenger regards Arsenal as his club, so he will never leave.
Never never never leave.
He’s already selling next season because this one is, in essence, already over.