jamb0_1874 Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Arsene Wenger believes a financial cataclysm will soon engulf Europe, in months, if not weeks, finally affecting a sport which has so far appeared immune to the economic depression provoked by the banking crisis. Such is Wenger's focus on football he sounded disappointed that the day of fiscal reckoning had not already arrived to create a level playing field in this season's Champions League, but he felt it would soon do so. "I am convinced that Europe will go into a huge financial crisis within the next three weeks, or three months, and maybe that will put everything into perspective again," he said yesterday. "Football is not untouchable. We live by people going to the stadiums and from [sponsors] advertising to people who buy products. All our income could be a little bit under threat in the next few months." Wenger, who earned an economics degree at the University of Strasbourg, was speaking on the eve of Arsenal's first Champions League group tie in Dortmund tonight. He added that at present there was a top tier of clubs whose financial resources gave them a huge advantage. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/wenger-european-game-will-soon-be-engulfed-by-the-financial-crisis-2353718.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Arsene should identify players he wants to buy. Spend the money to get them in for the start of the league campaign, coach them, sort out the lack of discipline, get his tactics right and then talk to the press about everything I've mentioned. If he wanted to pursue a career in economics then that's what he should have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad-Stupid Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Getting his excuses for being pish in quite early this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Borat Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Sour grapes how? Arsenal have the money. They constantly say the money is there to spend. In fact I think Wenger even said a while ago that they had the cash to overtake Chelsea. He just canni be gassed with the wages these mugs get paid. So its a harsh warning surely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leginten Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I hope he's right. Never was there a sport more deserving of a huge reality check and less focused on the interests of its lifeblood - the paying fans. And let's hope the clubs it hits hardest will be the ones which have turned European football into a self-serving cartel. Wishful thinking, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Sour grapes how? Arsenal have the money. They constantly say the money is there to spend. In fact I think Wenger even said a while ago that they had the cash to overtake Chelsea. He just canni be gassed with the wages these mugs get paid. So its a harsh warning surely Why should the manager of Arsenal br given the platform to predict European Footballs financial doom. Can't he just chat about Arsenal ? That is what people expect from him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabienleclerq Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I think he's right(ish). The premiership will keep generating money as will la liga but it wont keep generating more and more and will fall back a bit but i doubt there will be a collapse. Although if sky play hardball who knows as the premierleague rely alot on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairdin Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I don't think it's sour grapes at all. The money that is getting thrown around in English football is crazy, and I find it refreshing to hear a manager who seems to understand the bigger picture and be more in touch with the people that matter most to his club. I'd agree that something will give, just perhaps not as quickly as he predicts. As for sour grapes? Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs are untouchable this season, so Arsenal won't win anything. But Wenger will get his side ahead of Liverpool and possibly even Tottenham IMHO come next May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Borat Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Why should the manager of Arsenal be given the platform to predict European Footballs financial doom. Ehhh what? Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Ehhh what? Why not? I'm just a bit bored with wenger banging on about stuff that is out with his control. If football is about to crash and burn let's hear it from top financial analysts and people who really know what they are talking about and not some football coach with a decades old degree. As I said earlier, I'd like to hear how he is going to get Arsenal challenging for trophies this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingantti1874 Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I would love the finances of European football to go down the shitter... You have always had an elite bt it has grown to ridiculous proportions where virtually every decent quality player plays for 1 of 8 clubs... And the rest will be hoovered up sooner rather than later, the champions league is like the Harlem globetrotters A vs B and it's complete total and utter shite with the 2 Spanish clubs the worst offenders. The non competitive dross we have watched in the spl for 30 years has now progressed to cover all of European football and I can barely be arsed reaching for the remote to switch it on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmaroon Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Wenger has a very, very good chance of being proved right! The only way a crisis can be avoided is with an unexpected, massive cash pool materialising out of nowhere. In the short term, the big clubs will seek to change the structure of the game to make them richer (their last efforts with EPL/CL etc. are running out of steam). This will mean that "not so big" clubs will suffer in the short term but, such is the crazy level of funding, it's not going to take much to bring the whole house of cards crashing down. You could even say that Scotland is a kind of "microcosm" of the problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Borat Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I'm just a bit bored with wenger banging on about stuff that is out with his control. If football is about to crash and burn let's hear it from top financial analysts and people who really know what they are talking about and not some football coach with a decades old degree. As I said earlier, I'd like to hear how he is going to get Arsenal challenging for trophies this season. Basically Wenger could say anything and you would still complain yes? Cant say I am surprised that a man with an economics degree who has been involved in European football for years has answered a question about football finances. Especially when you consider the economic climate and the state of his rivals spending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun.lawson Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 It's not sour grapes - and is a comment upon a surely unsustainable phenomenon which is continually discussed on here, never mind anywhere else. And Wenger remains a genius: albeit, like all of such ilk, a deeply flawed one. However, the idea that poor, hard up Arsenal - with their ?1000 a pop season tickets and ?90m odd in the bank available for their manager to spend - are therefore somehow unable to buy a proper goalkeeper or a couple of solid centre backs, is utterly risible: unless, as I've suggested before, there's something he's not telling us. As it is, while he's not wrong in what he said, Realpolitik continues to demand that, in the words of the song heard all over the Emirates after their defeat to Liverpool, he "spends some ******* money". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Basically Wenger could say anything and you would still complain yes? Cant say I am surprised that a man with an economics degree who has been involved in European football for years has answered a question about football finances. Especially when you consider the economic climate and the state of his rivals spending. No that is incorrect. If arsene wenger wants to talk tactics or give his opinion on his latest opponents etc etc I am more than happy to listen. Football wise he is a class act and has been responsible for some fantastic sides. Arsenal have had no qualms in spending as much as their rivals in the not too distant past and wenger had little to say then. I find it strange he has decided to speak up at the start of the season that most believe arsenal have no chance of winning the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmaroon Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 No that is incorrect. If arsene wenger wants to talk tactics or give his opinion on his latest opponents etc etc I am more than happy to listen. Football wise he is a class act and has been responsible for some fantastic sides. Arsenal have had no qualms in spending as much as their rivals in the not too distant past and wenger had little to say then. I find it strange he has decided to speak up at the start of the season that most believe arsenal have no chance of winning the title. Two points johnji: First, he's talking about Europe not just the EPL Second, we ARE much closer to meltdown now than we were last year, or the year before that, or 5 years ago etc. When you see nations in deep six, with others on the brink (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain etc.) it's not that surprising that he says this - only that it hasn't been aired by more! There's almost a sense that if we don't talk about it (fiddling while Rome burns syndrome) then maybe it's not really happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Two points johnji: First, he's talking about Europe not just the EPL Second, we ARE much closer to meltdown now than we were last year, or the year before that, or 5 years ago etc. When you see nations in deep six, with others on the brink (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain etc.) it's not that surprising that he says this - only that it hasn't been aired by more! There's almost a sense that if we don't talk about it (fiddling while Rome burns syndrome) then maybe it's not really happening. I'm aware he is talking about Europe. I can't dispute that Europe is close to financial meltdown as I don't know enough about it. What I have seen on the news and heard experts say on current affairs programmes would seem to back what wenger says and of course football may (or will) be caught up in it. If you read my posts I am not saying wenger is wrong. What I am saying is a coach of a football team is not an expert despite a degree and also wenger seems to have chosen a time when arsenal are going to be out of touch at the top. The man comes across (and always has done) as an incredibly sore loser and I question his motives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Sauzee Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 From todays Scotsman THE "endgame" in the eurozone's debt crisis is fast approaching, analysts declared yesterday, amid growing warnings from politicians and bankers that the reality of a Greek default and possible exit from the eurozone can be denied no longer. German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy will hold a conference call with Greek premier George Papandreou today, as Europe's big two seek to hold the line that Greece's debt can be managed in an orderly fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homme Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I'm sure Wenger was just answering a question put to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 From todays Scotsman THE "endgame" in the eurozone's debt crisis is fast approaching, analysts declared yesterday, amid growing warnings from politicians and bankers that the reality of a Greek default and possible exit from the eurozone can be denied no longer. German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy reckon Kieran Gibbs is the best full back at the emirates and will hold a conference call with Greek premier George Papandreou today, as Europe's big two seek to hold the line that Greece's debt can be managed in an orderly fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dobmisterdobster Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 This would be a wet dream for most people on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Borat Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Arsenal have had no qualms in spending as much as their rivals in the not too distant past and wenger had little to say then. I find it strange he has decided to speak up at the start of the season that most believe arsenal have no chance of winning the title. Arsenal have shat money up the wall on the likes of Reyes but compare what Wenger has done in the transfer market to other clubs. Since the EPL started, Chelsea and Man City have spent around ?700,000,000 each by now IIRC. Even Spurs and Liverpool have spent more than Arsenal. Also Wenger has made a profit in transfers, decent examples being Adebayor for ?7million and selling him for ?25million. And Anelka for half a million and selling him for ?22million plus. So point is, if he genuinely believes that European football is doomed then its no wonder he turns his nose up at the way these clubs do business. And this is not the first time Wenger has mentioned a financial crisis or moaned about money in football. Have a look on google, he started his ranting in 2007 as far as I can tell. So he's not suddenly started to greet about the money in football as soon as his side looks pish on paper basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Arsenal have shat money up the wall on the likes of Reyes but compare what Wenger has done in the transfer market to other clubs. Since the EPL started, Chelsea and Man City have spent around ?700,000,000 each by now IIRC. Even Spurs and Liverpool have spent more than Arsenal. Also Wenger has made a profit in transfers, decent examples being Adebayor for ?7million and selling him for ?25million. And Anelka for half a million and selling him for ?22million plus. So point is, if he genuinely believes that European football is doomed then its no wonder he turns his nose up at the way these clubs do business. And this is not the first time Wenger has mentioned a financial crisis or moaned about money in football. Have a look on google, he started his ranting in 2007 as far as I can tell. So he's not suddenly started to greet about the money in football as soon as his side looks pish on paper basically. Well if he has spoken out before maybe I am being harsh on him. I also know enough to realise Arsenal seem to be stable financially compared to most. As I said I am always suspicious when wenger speaks out and arsenal aren't doing very well. He also seems to think arsenal have some sort of divine right to be challenging for titles and trophies. It always seems to be bad luck or some sort of outside influence that causes arsenal to lose, it is never down to wengers shortcomings and as I said that is why I maybe jump to conclusions with his comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Kilpatrick Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Without turning this into a Shed thread, Wenger is half right. The Eurozone dominoes falling will either cause banks to fail across Europe and destroy the Euro, or it will lead to attempts to create a fiscal union where tax rates can be influenced by Brussels. Neither is palatable and will lead to turmoil whatever happens. That said, the Premier League in England is cushioned because of the overseas rights so they shouldn't be as badly impacted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougiea Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I think he's got a point, football clubs in many countries still operate Gordon Brown Economics (we borrow to invest, etc...) see Der Hun as an example close to home of how excess debt & dodgy financial dealings can hit clubs who once upon a time seemed immune to the real world. I suspect the very big clubs will always be OK, as there will always be a billionaire willing to buy a new toy. The teams in less fashionable leagues/countries will be the ones who will likely implode, Check the financial ratios of many of the Championship clubs for example. What happens to them if the Sky money ever dries up?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I hope he's right. Never was there a sport more deserving of a huge reality check and less focused on the interests of its lifeblood - the paying fans. And let's hope the clubs it hits hardest will be the ones which have turned European football into a self-serving cartel. Wishful thinking, I suppose. The paying fans arent the lifeblood of English (or Spanish, or Italian, or French) football though. The TV viewers are the financial lifeblood of football in those countries. Paying fans at the gate are only actually important in countries like ours where our TV deals are small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Bapswent Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Arsene should identify players he wants to buy. Spend the money to get them in for the start of the league campaign, coach them, sort out the lack of discipline, get his tactics right and then talk to the press about everything I've mentioned. If he wanted to pursue a career in economics then that's what he should have done. Yep - his economics degree counts for nothing. How dare he have an opinion, let alone be allowed to talk about something that might affect the club he manages. A law should be passed meaning people can only open their mouth to discuss topics that they are considered 'world leading experts' in, anything else is frankly irresponsible and bordering on dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2NaFish Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Yep - his economics degree counts for nothing. How dare he have an opinion, let alone be allowed to talk about something that might affect the club he manages. A law should be passed meaning people can only open their mouth to discuss topics that they are considered 'world leading experts' in, anything else is frankly irresponsible and bordering on dangerous. I'd always wondered how you'd got your phd but apparently it's in Opinionology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Bapswent Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I'd always wondered how you'd got your phd but apparently it's in Opinionology. No it was actually the old fashioned way. Through hard work and studying. Interesting that you pull me up for opinions, and not the post I was criticising, which was equally based on opinion. But there you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2NaFish Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 No it was actually the old fashioned way. Through hard work and studying. Interesting that you pull me up for opinions, and not the post I was criticising, which was equally based on opinion. But there you go. I'm sorry, i should've added a smiley or something. You said something, sarcastically, about how you should need to be a world leading expert to have an opinion on a subject. Going by that rule, in order to have an opinion on the rights of others to have opinions you'd need to be a world leading expert on opinions. Your name is Dr Bapswent, so i thought it'd be fun if you had a doctorate in opinionology. I wasnt very clear and any humour has clearly disappeared having explained the 'joke'. Sorry for the confusion. And just to avoid any further confusion - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Bapswent Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I'm sorry, i should've added a smiley or something. You said something, sarcastically, about how you should need to be a world leading expert to have an opinion on a subject. Going by that rule, in order to have an opinion on the rights of others to have opinions you'd need to be a world leading expert on opinions. Your name is Dr Bapswent, so i thought it'd be fun if you had a doctorate in opinionology. I wasnt very clear and any humour has clearly disappeared having explained the 'joke'. Sorry for the confusion. And just to avoid any further confusion - I did actually found it rather amusing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzyonthefence Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I would love the finances of European football to go down the shitter... You have always had an elite bt it has grown to ridiculous proportions where virtually every decent quality player plays for 1 of 8 clubs... And the rest will be hoovered up sooner rather than later, the champions league is like the Harlem globetrotters A vs B and it's complete total and utter shite with the 2 Spanish clubs the worst offenders. The non competitive dross we have watched in the spl for 30 years has now progressed to cover all of European football and I can barely be arsed reaching for the remote to switch it on... Not sure I understand that one - you're having a go at Barcelona for successfully rearing world class players through their youth set up rather than spending hundreds of millions like some of the English teams have? Sure, they pay the odd big transfer fee, but nothing in comparison to the likes of Man City or Chelsea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmaroon Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 The paying fans arent the lifeblood of English (or Spanish, or Italian, or French) football though. The TV viewers are the financial lifeblood of football in those countries. Paying fans at the gate are only actually important in countries like ours where our TV deals are small. Just shows you how pathetic are the powers that be in the Scottish game! There actions/proposals etc. are all geared up to television AS IF television money is their future lifeblood and not paying customers! Improve the product! Attract more customers! Attract TV back because of combination of both! Simples!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjl Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Yep - his economics degree counts for nothing. How dare he have an opinion, let alone be allowed to talk about something that might affect the club he manages. A law should be passed meaning people can only open their mouth to discuss topics that they are considered 'world leading experts' in, anything else is frankly irresponsible and bordering on dangerous. I don`t actually know where you got all this from. I think football managers should talk about football. The problem I have with Wenger is he doesn`t seem to talk about what the fans want to hear. Why are season tickets at Arsenal so high compared with Chelsea or Tottenham? Why did he consistently deny Samir Nasri Was leaving the club even when the press reported he had actually left? Why didn`t he move in the transfer market before the final day - inviting the doing he got from Man U? Those are the sort of things I`d like to hear Arsene chat about. If you or others want to hear Arsenes expert opinion on European Footballs financial state that`s fine. I don`t and have posted my opinion about him commenting on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john brownlee Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 anything run on a communist formula will always fail we have seen it in the USSR and others, the labour party and now the EU. Next eufa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldar Hadzimehmedovic Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I hope he's right. Never was there a sport more deserving of a huge reality check and less focused on the interests of its lifeblood - the paying fans. And let's hope the clubs it hits hardest will be the ones which have turned European football into a self-serving cartel. Wishful thinking, I suppose. Agree whole-heartedly. What Wenger doesn't seem to realise though, when he moans about "financial doping" by City, Utd, Chelsea etc., is that he's been doing it to clubs smaller than his for years! The financial clout of rich clubs is only an issue for him now that there are some clubs much richer than his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 City,Chelsea,Utd,Barcelona and Madrid have spent vast amounts on players but it is money that their owners seem to be able to afford.It's the likes of Villa,Everton,Newcastle,Valencia ect and dare I say it Hearts that are the bigger worries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamboy81 Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 No that is incorrect. If arsene wenger wants to talk tactics or give his opinion on his latest opponents etc etc I am more than happy to listen. Football wise he is a class act and has been responsible for some fantastic sides. Arsenal have had no qualms in spending as much as their rivals in the not too distant past and wenger had little to say then. I find it strange he has decided to speak up at the start of the season that most believe arsenal have no chance of winning the title. What you should do is write to him and give him your number, then whenever he's asked a question he can phone you and ask if it's ok to answer it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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