Author Archives: keenosafc

Arsenal loan review

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In the middle of another international week, I thought I would have a little look at how Arsenal loanees are doing whilst enjoying my cup of coffee in the Suffolk sunshine!

Kieran Tierney

The Scotsman has got himself a handful of starts (although yet to play 90 minutes) on loan for Real Sociedad. Then he injured his hamstring which rules him out for at least a month.

Albert Sambi Lokonga

The Belgium midfielder followed up last years spell at Crystal Palace with a season loan loan at Luton Town. It was hoped that this would put him in the shop window for a move to a mid-lower Premier League side next summer.

Two games in and he picked up a hamstring injury which will rule him out until the New Year.

After falling out of favour at Palace as their form took an up-turn, you have to wonder where Lokonga’s career is going to go if he does not return to fitness and play consistently for Luton in the 2nd half of the season.

Nuno Tavares

At the time, I felt the move to Nottingham Forest was an odd one.

They still have a large squad (30 listed) and have another 11 first team players out on loan. It just felt like a move that was never going to end up with him playing much, or Nottingham Forest signing him permanently next summer.

He was forced off at half-time against Manchester City “injured” having put in a nightmare performance and has not been seen again…

Marquinhos

Often the forgotten man when it comes to discussions on Bukayo Saka’s understudy, the Brazilian has not really had a kick whilst on loan at Nantes, staring just a single game in Ligue 1 and playing a grand total of 88 minutes.

He will not be playing much more football for them anytime soon having decided to accept a call-up for Brazil’s U22 team at the forthcoming Pan American games.

The “Americas Commonwealth Games” runs from 20 October to 5 November 2023 in Chile and Marquinhos has already missed 1 game for Nantes due to his call-up.

With 1 assist and 0 goals, you have to wonder how his decision will affect Nantes willingness to play him on his return.

Football moves forward very quickly, and with Arsenal having an abundance of young wingers, Marquinhos will have to begin impressing sooner rather than later.

Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson

Does anyone really care how the Icelandic keeper is doing? It is not like him putting in good performances will see a return to Arsenal as 2nd or 3rd choice, nor will we ever likely raise enough to buy a second hand car with his transfer fee.

He has played just once out of 9 games for Cardiff City, conceeding 3 in the game. He has been on the bench for the other 8 games.

Arthur Okonkwko

The decision was made that Karl Hein would remain as Mikel Arteta’s 3rd choice keeper whilst Arthur Okonkwo. The 22-year-old is probably now playing to show where in the football pyramid his permanent move away will be next summer.

On-loan at League Two Wrexham, he has kept 2 clean sheets in his 3 starts.

Will probably end up having a career like former Arsenal prospect James Shea.

Charlie Patino

The “will he go won’t he go” was put to bed last sumemr when Arsenal activated a clause in his contract extending it until 2025. That gave the club, a player, a further year to assess where he fits in.

Patino was apparently keen to make a permanent move last summer to play regular top tier football (in England or Germany), but an offer never materialised. In the end, the contract extension was probably best for both parties.

Still only 19, Patino has seen national compatriots and former team mates Jude Bellingham,Jamal Musiala and Yunus Musah make a move abroad and excel.

He is currently playing regularly for mid-table Championship team Swansea City, regaining the form that made him a fan favourite early on in his Blackpool spell.

That loan at Blackpool deteriorated as they hurtled towards relegation, and Patino’s form dropped as a consequence. The hope will be Swansea remain stable and he can push on.

Next summer, Arsenal will likely lose Mohamed Elneny and Jorginho on free transfers. If he plays well, he could provide Arteta a free replacement – providing 3rd choice cover to Decland Rice and Thomas Partey whilst also being an option further forward.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Now on his 4th loan deal, the 19-year-old is a victim of Arteta’s tactical change.

18-months ago, he was considered one of the brightest young prospects in the academy. A traditional attacking full-back with pace and power, he looked to have a bright future. Then Arteta switched to inverted full-backs and the feeling is Brooke Norton-Cuffy is now behind Reull Walters.

He is following up his good 6 months in the Championship at Coventry City with more solid performances in the Championship with Millwall.

The Championship is probably his level right now if he wants to play regular football, but you can certainly see him getting a Premier League move if he continues to grow.

Mika Biereth

Arsenal poached London-born Danish youth international Mika Biereth from Fulham after he topped top scored in the Under-18 Premier League South, with 21 goals and 13 assists. His career has gone no-where since.

Now on-loan at Motherwell (she is,thanks), a knee injury has limited him to just 1 substitute appearance in 8 games. He did get a goal and assist in that 35 minute cameo though!

Tyreece John-Jules

Forgot he was still at the club. Turns 23 in February. On-loan at Derby. Not been seen for 6 weeks due to a thigh injury.

Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand – Just 8 minutes for Groningen.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji – Found his level in League One for Cheltenham Town.
Catalin Cirjan – Rebuilding his career back in Romania following injury issues.
Omar Rekik – One of Wigan’s worst players. And they are awful.
Kido Taylor-Hart – Barely getting a sniff for Bromley
Mauro Bandeira – A few substitute appearances for Colchester United

In summary, Lokonga and Tavares stock has dropped further, whilst Tierney’s injury problems will be a worry for any buying club. Marquinhos needs to start playing regularly.

As for the younger ones, no one is really ripping it up on loan or showing that Arteta should have given them a chance in the first team squad.

Norton-Cuffy is clearly a good player who might have just found his level. Patino needs to start dominanting games if he wants the regular Premier League football he demands.

Enjoy your Sunday….

Keenos

Jorginho, Smith Rowe, Bynoe-Gittens and More

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Jorginho

Yesterday, Jorginho was linked with a surprise January move to Barcelona.

Since his move from Chelsea, the Brazilian-Italian has not seen much game time in North London. He has played just 145 minutes of Premier League football this season.

What is not surprising is that he is potentially looking for a move away just a year after joining us for £10million. At 31-years-old, he clearly wants to be playing regularly. What is a suprise is that it is (seemingly) Barcelona in for him.

You would expect the same problems he faced at Chelsea and Arsenal (being a back-up player) would also exist in Barcelona.

On one hand, I think “if they offer us £10m for him, they can have him”, on the other, we are set to face a month or more without Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny early next year. Jorginho could be key for the period they are out in the Ivory Coast for – and the 2 weeks or more that it often takes African players to return to Premier League fitness after the tournament.

My gut is this is Jorginho and his people sounding out potential suitors for a summer move – his 18-month Arsenal contract expires at the end of the season.

Emile Smith Rowe

Another being linked away is Emile Smith Rowe.

This time of year is always an interesting one as players who maybe could have moved last summer but decidedd to stay begin to get itchy feet.

The door was certainly left ajar for Smith Rowe to depart last summer “if the correct offer came in”. In the end, both club and player decided to stick rather than twist. Smith Rowe has played just 9 minutes of Premier League football since.

There wil lcertainly be clubs interested in Smith Rowe in January. He has that on-field energy that could give a European chasing side a boost.

Newcastle are the ones currently being linked, but you could also see West Ham and Brighton sniff about if they are still in the race for the Europa League.

Like last summer, I think Arsenal will struggle to turn down a bid of £30m for a player who is clearly not in Mikel Arteta’s plans (queue the moaning that he should be!).

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

We must be getting close to the clocks going back as silly season is picking up speed.

German publication BILD have linked us to Borussia Dortmund’s English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. The 19-year-old joined Dortmund from Manchester City 18-months ago.

Bynoe-Gittens is certainly not putting in the performances of Jadon Sancho – who made the same move from Manchester to Dortmund at a similar age.

Considering we have Amario Cozier-Duberry and Charles Sagoe Jr around the same age, I would not expect us to move for another teenage winger. Then again, I said the same when we were linked with Gabriel Martinelli.

Also interesting to note that in the same article, BILD linked Bynoe-Gittens with Newcastle. Is this just an agent looking to move his client back to England having failed to settle in Germany? He has “set to replace Michael Olise at Crystal Palace next Summer” written all over him.

Shin pads

We have recently been working with our friends over at Kick Off Merchants on some fantastic Arsenal shin pads.

They have some brilliant designs, with the kit versions being customisable with your name and number. They will make a great Christmas present for your son or daughter (and the bruised banana shin pads will make a great gift for yourself!).

They have kindly given us the code SheWore10 for 10% off all their Arsenal shin pads, exclusive to readers of todays blog (expired midnight tonight).

Keenos

The Silver Member Struggle: How Arsenal’s Ticketing Changes Impact Loyal Supporters

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Amidst a week of elation and jubilation among Arsenal supporters following their long-awaited victory over Manchester City in the Premier League, attention has regrettably refocused on the persistent ticketing issues plaguing the club, affecting both home and away fans.

Back in April, Arsenal made the move to revamp their ticketing system for home games by introducing ballots. At first, this change was met mainly with scepticism and but some hope. One positive being that it meant bidding farewell to the familiar nightmare of the 10am queue.

For many silver members, buying tickets in seasons prior to 2022/23, when demand increased exponentially, had been a relatively straightforward task, the queue aside. However, amid growing complaints about the system’s inadequacy, the club decided to make adjustments.

As this season has gone on, it has become increasingly evident that these changes have not been favourable for silver members.

Silver memberships, capped at 30,000, cost an additional £20 annual fee to the base level red membership and earning Silver status typically demands years of red membership (often 10-15 years). Junior Gunner/Cannon Club members join the red membership queue in the place they would have been ahd they joined the red membership when they first signed up.

With the long-term loyalty required to become a silver member, there is an expectation of additional priority compared to red members.

When Arsenal moved to the Emirates Stadium, the silver allocation stood at around 7,000-8,000 seats, comfortably accommodating the demand of silver members. Over the years, the club has consistently chipped away at this allocation. 

Here’s how the silver allocation has dwindled over time:

– Pre-COVID (2019/2020): 7,200 seats
– 2021/2022: 4,200 
– 2022/2023: 2,400 
– 2023/2024: 1,800 

From pre-COVID to now, there has been a staggering 75% reduction in the silver allocation at the Emirates. This reduction has resulted in an increase in allocation for red members, supporter clubs, family enclosures, and even overselling to season ticket holders. In fact, the club temporarily suspended issueing new season tickets last summer in an attempt to reclaim some of these seats for silver members. 

In comparison, the red allocation sits at 2,900 tickets – nearly doouble that of silvers (editors note: losing silver ballot applicants can also no longer enter the red ballot). This further exacerbates the current discontent among silver members regarding the ballot system.

The introduction of the ballot system, particularly for a league-based competition, has raised eyebrows among many fans, myself included.

This randomised system doesn’t acknowledge the loyalty of silver members who have held memberships for many, many years. Also, the ballot system was launched without the basic functionality of allowing members to choose their seats or a price band. 

For instance, entering the ballot for a Category A game with a price range of £70-£103 per ticket can swing the cost from £280 to £412 for a group of four!

While outlets suggested that the ability to choose from a price band would be introduced after the Fulham game, three months later it’s still not available (due to Ticketmaster’s incompetence). 

Further, there are still unanswered questions on how the allocation is divided amongst single/paired/trio/quad tickets, as well as the probability of winning tickets in each category. 

So, what exactly does it mean to be a Silver member in comparison to a Red member? 

Let’s read what Arsenal.com says:

“There are far fewer Silver members than Red members – this means that, subject to the number of ballot registrations, the probability of a Silver member securing a ticket in the Silver ballot is expected to be higher than for Red members. Silver members also have exclusive access to purchase any tickets made available via Ticket Exchange between the Silver ballot and the Red ballot.”

The so-called “exclusive” period for the Ticket Exchange (TX) is advertised as a benefit for Silver members. However, this priority period typically occurs 6-7 weeks before the game when TX activity is at its lowest. It would have made more sense to increase priority for Silver members closer to the game day when TX activity is higher, providing more opportunities to purchase tickets, rather than competing with thousands more Red members and TX bots.

On social media, you may have noticed Silver members expressing frustration with a string of unsuccessful ballot entries, sometimes marked as “0/10.” Conversely, some have won 4, 5, or even 6 tickets through the ballot.

The question arises: if the system is truly “random,” why aren’t tickets distributed more evenly across the fan base? (editors note: this can happen with random systems. Think about roulette. You get a 50/50 chance of hitting red or black, but can often go 7 or 8 reds in a row and vice versa). This raises concerns that by the season’s end, some fans may have attended only a few out of 19 Premier League games, while others might have secured tickets for 10 or more, despite both balloting for the same number of games.

To compound the issue, Ticketmaster’s shortcomings have become glaringly evident in their inability to effectively host Arsenal’s ticketing system.

At the start of the season, Arsenal introduced a new 3D Map User Interface (UI) in hopes of improving the previous UI. Instead, fans found themselves wrestling with a broken and frustrating UI, forcing the club to revert to the old interface due to the number of fan complaints.

Arsenal Advisory Board (AAB) Meeting

Arsenal recently shed light on discussions from the Arsenal Advisory Board (AAB) meeting, with a key point on the agenda being the ticketing issues.  

A positive is that the club are finally communicating back to the fans regarding this because to date this season it’s been nothing short of embarrassing from the malfunctioning TX to a lack of transparency in ballot information.

As explained earlier, Arsenal revealed the Silver allocation now stands at just 1,800!

Based on the 1,800 allocation and the official success rates, the following number of people are estimated to be applying for tickets for upcoming matches:

– Forest: 28% – 6500 applicants
– Fulham: 37% – 4900
– United: 36% – 5000
– PSV: 40% – 4500
– Spurs: 22% – 8200
– City: 30% – 6000
– Sheff Utd: 29% – 6200
– Sevilla: 34% – 5300
– Burnley: 34% – 5300
– Lens: 38% – 4700

The AST clarified that these figures represent the total number of memberships entering the ballot, rather than individual ballot entries, which can include up to four people. 

This data reveals that only a modest percentage, averaging between 15-20%, of Silver members are participating in the ballot. This begs the question of whether a ballot system was even necessary for Silver members. Additionally, the impact of the number of people included in a ballot entry on the chances of winning a ticket remains unknown.

Another thing to note is you can see in applications as to how the reduction in acvailable tickets has caused this problem.

Pre-Covid (7,800 tickets available to silvers), every fan that entered the ballot would have been able to get themself a ticket for every game bar Tottenham. And there still would have been up to 2,700 tickets available for red members.

In 2021/22 (4,200), 83% of those entering the ballot would have got tickets.

Had the club have even just maintained the 2021/22 level, I am sure most fans would not have had a problem (every fan that entered every ballot would have likely won between 6-10 times!)

Notably, on average 17,580 tickets are being used by non-Season Ticket holders for each matchday owing to the initial ballot sale, TX and Ticket Transfer (TT).

Rather ironically, the club appear to be insinuating that the silver allocation is perhaps larger than 1,800 due to the availability of tickets through alternative channels. However, yet again, the figures pertaining to how many Silver members are truly benefiting from these avenues is unknown. 

Another pressing concern regarding the 17,580 tickets is how many are being sold through ticket touting or being snapped up by bots. Instances have emerged this season where fans have been using PDF tickets purchased for hundreds and hundreds of pounds.

In conclusion, Arsenal’s recent ticketing changes have left Silver members feeling undervalued once again. While the club aimed to improve the ticket purchasing experience, these changes have inadvertently fuelled frustration and uncertainty among its loyal supporters.

The additional cost of Silver membership is now being questioned, as its perceived value has diminished in the eyes of many fans. It would not be surprising if Arsenal scrapped the Silver membership at the end of the season and made everyone red. Two fingers up to those fans who have shown their loyalty to the club for over a decade.

As the club continues to evolve its ticketing procedures, it’s essential that they consider the needs and expectations of their loyal supporters to ensure that the matchday experience remains accessible and enjoyable for all.

Benny Blancooo