About a year ago, at the Arsenal AGM, my last words to Danny Fiszman were: “This conversation won’t be on the website.”
That was long before Virgin asked me to update The Professor.
The new paperback needed a short, topical preface that summed up where we are.
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Preface
Arsene Wenger is a charismatic sports scientist who loves attacking football, so he creates teams which combine power, pace and artistry.
One of his most fervent admirers is Marcello Lippi, the only manager who has won the European Cup and the World Cup. On March 14, 2008, before a Champions League quarter-final draw that featured four English clubs, the great Italian coach said : “Any of the four could win the Champions League, but at this moment the way Arsenal play is the one I like best. It would be good for football if Arsenal could win. They play on the ground, they manoeuvre the ball very, very well. It’s very fast and very technical.”
Unfortunately, Arsenal lost 4-2 at Anfield.
Something many people still fail to understand is that Wenger is a developmental manager who gets his kicks watching young players improve. In late February 2008 he said, ” I believe a football team is not about buying and selling. I believe it is more about building and working together and going through a growing process. It is enjoyable now to see the team going slowly up and seeing what they can do.”
Unfortunately, Flamini jumped ship and joined AC Milan.
At the AGM on October 18, 2007, chairman Peter Hill-Wood said, “We have two new major shareholders. Their arrival has, unfortunately, brought some degree of speculation about the future of the club.” He did not mention billionaires Stan Kroenke or Alisher Usmanov by name but he clarified the new ‘lockdown’ agreement. The club’s directors would only be allowed to sell their shares to “permitted persons,” such as close family, before April 2009, and had to give other board members first option until October 2012. The board was “committed to the principle of developing the long-term stability of the club through maintaining a business that pays its own way.”
Hill-Wood noted that the extension of Wenger’s contract till 2011 would make him the longest-serving manager in the history of the club. “Arsene, we thank you for your immense contribution to Arsenal Football Club, and long may it continue. And now I would like to ask Annie Wenger to unveil this bronze sculpture.”
Wenger was on the stage facing his wife with the bust between them as it was unveiled to loud applause.
“What a surprise, a double surprise,” he said, smiling at his other half.
“Thank you very much, it’s a great gesture, and I’m personally very touched because I think it’s too big an honour that you made here for me.” He thanked everyone for their support over the last eleven years. “I’m sorry if we could not win every game but I promise we will try in the future. I decided to extend my contract because I feel I share the vision I have for the team with you. We want to win in a modern way, with a big hunger for success, of course, but we want to win with style, with class, with respect, and with a great solidarity we have always shown through the difficult periods we have had at this club.”
In conclusion, he said, “It’s special day today for me and what I’ve liked at this club is that under pressure we have always been very strong, resilient. We didn’t give in to any media pressure. I’ve been in many board meetings and we just did, always, what we thought was right. And that kind of strength is very needed in a club because this is a special job, we are always under public pressure, everybody has an opinion about everything. This year we have been very strong under fire. And that’s a great point because it’s not shared by many clubs and I would like to keep that quality inside this club. I’ve known a few clubs in my life. And that is a special quality, faith and strength under pressure, that I have found here in this club. I’d like to finish my speech on that. And hope that quality will remain here at this club.”
He looked across at his wife. “Thanks as well, Annie, we have shared eleven years, difficult ones. I didn’t expect you here today but it’s very nice. I’m very pleased.”
Afterwards, as shareholders chatted, mingled and drank coffee, Annie was there, so I introduced myself.
“Hi, I’m Myles Palmer. I wrote The Professor.”
“Nice to meet you at last,” she said.
Annie is obviously very proud of him. She talked about the deception, about going secretly to the sculptor’s studio, and Arsene having no clue that she would be here. That morning it had been the usual : See you tonight, darling. On Thierry Henry, she said, “I play basketball and I’ve played in teams that had a star – and it is intimidating.”
Later on, when I was about to leave with two friends, I found myself alone in a corridor and saw chief shareholder Danny Fiszman walking towards me, carrying his briefcase. Having written some pieces about the share price, and a possible takeover, I stepped forward, shook his hand and apologised.
“I’m sorry about the things I’ve been writing on the Arsenal News Review. Some of them were a bit misinformed and misguided.”
Danny smiled.
“Eight thousand was never my price,” he said.
“What is your price? Eleven thousand?”
“There is no price,” said Danny, laughing now.
He started to walk away.
“There is no price,” he repeated, as if pleased with the line.
It was a comment I was relieved to hear. That was that, really. There is no price. In other words, the price at which Danny Fiszman would sell his 24% stake is irrelevant because he is not selling. He seemed relaxed and happy. The extension of the ‘lockdown’ agreement was what he wanted. He realised long ago that there is only one Arsene Wenger.
But would Danny want to be around if Arsene wasn’t around? And would Arsene want to be around if Danny wasn’t ?