Arsenal’s two sides working in opposite directions

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During the coronavirus outbreak, football clubs have come in for a lot of criticism.

The likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle were very quick to furlough non-playing staff. The first two have since back tracked.

What did not sit well for most people is the salaries of non-playing staff makes up a very small percentage of the sides salaries – less than 5%.

Tottenham announced they had furloughed all 550 non-playing staff.

At the UK’s annual salary of £24,000 a year, this would have saved the club around £761,000 based on a 3 week furlough. During the same period, Harry Kane and Dele Alli would have earned around £900,000 between them.

What Tottenham, Liverpool and the likes did was force low paid staff to take a hit, whilst leaving high paid players on their wages.

In 2017/18 (their latest accounts), Tottenham had a total wage bill of £148million. Around £135million would have been players portion. 2 days money (~£739k) would have nearly covered the entire saving the club would make on furloughing all non-playing staff.

Clubs came in for a hammering for their decision to furlough staff, but players were perhaps more culpable.

You can not force staff to take furlough. Employees have to agree to it.

For me and you, refusing to be furloughed would be a fast track to redundancy. No even getting your 80%. But a club will not make a football player redundant – logistically and contractually.

Arsenal have announced that all non-playing and casual staff will continue to be paid through until the end of May. However this is offset by players turning down a request for them to take a wage cut.

Whilst the media have been quick to criticise clubs, they have not been as quick to praise clubs for their good work. And that is where the two sides of football clash.

Clubs have a huge role to play within their local community.

Most clubs, including Arsenal, have long ran community programmes. Whether it is summer schools (I always went to Leyton Orient), providing pitches for local schools, books and more. They still contribute heavily.

Back in March, the club announced that it would be donating £100,000 to local charities and organisations that are supporting those in need during the COVID-19 crisis via The Arsenal Foundation.

A further £50,000 already donated to local community initiatives by The Arsenal Foundation, in partnership with Islington Giving, will also be re-directed to Islington Giving’s Crisis Fund.

The club also made all Arsenal in the Community vehicles available to transport NHS mental health workers, to be driven on a voluntary basis by Arsenal in the Community Staff.

Arsenal also ensured its current contributions in local schools continued, alongside the work done in Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan and in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Arsenal Foundation joined forces with His Church and Islington Borough Council to help deliver 15 tonnes of emergency supplies throughout the borough.

The donation provided more than 30,000 free meals, as well as essential items such as sanitary and personal hygiene products to those most vulnerable in the local community.

Arsenal have also been working alongside the Co-op, delivering drinks and collections to The Whittington Hospital – the closest hospital to the ground.

The community side of Arsenal Football Club is standing up and doing their part during the pandemic.

Sadly these good deeds do not make the headlines.

The media would rather concentrate on players refusing to agree to a pay cut. And this is where the two sides of the club clash.

Whilst the non-playing side, the community side are doing their bit through The Arsenal Foundation and Arsenal in the Community, the playing side is highlighting the greed that is within football.

The sad thing is it is the greed of football players that the media write about, and not the good work done by ordinary folk who work for the club.

The majority of Arsenal staff have stood up and been counted during the COVID-19 crisis. It is just sad that the players have locked themselves away in their million pound mansions and not helping as much as they could.

What The Arsenal Foundation and Arsenal in the Community have done has made me proud to be an Arsenal fan.

PS: We have also done our bit, hosting quizzes every Friday night to take peoples mind off the crisis whilst raising money for the NHS. Join us against this Friday at 8pm on the She Wore Facebook page for the 3rd instalment.

The 2nd Big Arsenal Quiz for the NHS (Q&A)

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Questions

History

1. In what year did Arsenal turn professional?
2. In what year did Arsenal move from Woolwich to Highbury?
3. Who were Arsenal’s first opponents at Highbury?
4. Which club do Sir Henry Norris attempt to merge Arsenal with in 1910?
5. Who did Arsenal play a friendly against on Valentine’s day 1989?
6. In 1980, Arsenal became the first British side to win at Juventus. Who scored the winning goal?
7. Who captained Arsenal to FA Youth Cup victory in 1988?
8. Which two Arsenal players scored their first goal for Arsenal in a Cup Final?
9. How many league games did Jens Lehmann lose in his 1st season with the club?
10. What year did we move to the Emirates?

Transfers

1. Who did we sign from Juventus in 1999?
2. Who did we sign from Inter Milan in 1995?
3. Who did we sign from Man U in 2014?
4. Who did we sign from Werder Bremen in 2011?
5. Who did we sign from Feyenoord in 2004?
6. Who did we sign from Marseille in 2000?
7. Who did we sign from Wolves in 1963?
8. Who did we sign from Exeter in 1929?
9. Who did we sign from FC Köln in 1982?
10. Who did we sign from Lorient in 2010?

Managers

1. Which manager has the higher win % – Unai Emery or Herbert Chapman
2. Which manager has the higher win % – Bruce Rioch or Bertie Mee?
3. Which manager has the higher win % – Terry Neill or Don Howe?
4. Which manager has the higher win % – George Graham or Mikel Arteta?
5. Which manager has the higher win % – Joe Shaw or Arsene Wenger?
6. Which manager has the higher win % – Tom Whittaker or George Allison
7. Which manager, including caretakers, has the highest win%?
8. Who lead Arsenal to the league title whilst caretaker manager?
9. Who won over 100 caps for England and went on to become Arsenal manager?
10. How many caps did Mikel Arteta win for Spain?

Semi finals (Thank you Paul)

1. Who did we beat on penalties in the 2014 FA Cup semi final?
2. Who were our opponents in the 2005 FA Cup semi final?
3. Our 1978 FA Cup semi final vs Orient was played at which ground?
4. Our 1980 long running FA Cup semi final saga vs Liverpool was finally decided at which ground?
5. Who scored our winning goal in our 1998 FA Cup semi final vs Wolves?
6. How many FA Cup semi finals have Spurs now lost in a row?
7. The 1992 FA Cup semi final played at Highbury was between Liverpool and which other team?
8. Who scored the winning goal in the FA Cup semi final vs Spurs in 2001?
9. David Seaman’s miracle save in the 2003 FA Cup semi final was from which player?
10. Who did we play in both the 1971 and 1972 FA Cup semi finals?

Goals

1. Who scored the 1st goal at Anfield 89?
2. Who scored the winner in the 1979 FA Cup final?
3. who scored the winner in the 2014 FA Cup final?
4. who scored the winner in 1971 FA Cup final?
5. 21st Sept 2000 Vs Shakhtar Donetsk which defender scored 2 late goals to win the game (85,90th min)?
6. 9th December 2000: Parlour scored his only domestic hattrick Vs who?
7. in 13 games how many goals did Pires scored against Tottenham?
8. who did Henry score the most goals against?
9. on 20th April 1992 who lobbed the Liverpool keeper from just inside our half?
10. who scored the 1st goal in the 2017 fa cup final vs Chelsea ?

I also played for…

1. Burnley, Chester City, Bury, Stoke City
2. Hannover 96, Werder Bremen
3. Kettering Town
4. Barcelona, PSG, Ranger, Real Socieded, Everton
5. Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers
6. Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic
7. Crystal Palace, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Celtic, Burnley
8. Auxerre, Manchester City, Benevento, Monreal Impact
9. Colchester United, Southampton, Dagenham & Redbridge, Canvey Island
10. Feyenoord, Manchester United, Fenerbache

Rivals

1. Who allegedly threw pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson?
2. When Arsenal beat Liverpool in 1989 to win the league title, which Liverpool player famously told his team mates that there was “1 more minute” Left to play?
3. Who scored twice as Arsenal knocked Chelsea out of the 2004 FA Cup?
4. 11 Man U players and 10 Arsenal players took part in a brawl at Old Trafford in 1990. Who was the only player not to get involved?
5. Who scored the winner in 2002 at OT to win us the title?
6. What year were Tottenham offically a london club?
7. When did Tottenham last win the title?
8. what year did Tottenham win the Ipswich Hospital Charity Cup Winners ?
9. what was our biggest away win vs Tottenham?
10. what player has played in the most NLD’s?

Answers

History

1. In what year did Arsenal turn professional? 1891
2. In what year did Arsenal move from Woolwich to Highbury? 1913
3. Who were Arsenal’s first opponents at Highbury? Leicester Fosse
4. Which club do Sir Henry Norris attempt to merge Arsenal with in 1910? Fulham
5. Who did Arsenal play a friendly against on Valentine’s day 1989? France
6. In 1980, Arsenal became the first British side to win at Juventus. Who scored the winning goal? Paul Vaessen
7. Who captained Arsenal to FA Youth Cup victory in 1988? David Hillier
8. Which two Arsenal players scored their first goal for Arsenal in a Cup Final? Steve Morrow & Theo Walcott
9. How many league games did Jens Lehmann lose in his 1st season with the club? 0
10. What year did we move to the Emirates? 2006

Transfers

1. Who did we sign from Juventus in 1999? Thierry Henry
2. Who did we sign from Inter Milan in 1995? Dennis Bergkamp
3. Who did we sign from Man U in 2014? Danny Welbeck
4. Who did we sign from Werder Bremen in 2011? Per Mertesacker
5. Who did we sign from Feyenoord in 2004? RVP
6. Who did we sign from Marseille in 2000? Robert Pires
7. Who did we sign from Wolves in 1963? Bob Wilson
8. Who did we sign from Exeter in 1929? Cliff Bastin
9. Who did we sign from FC Köln in 1982? Tony Woodcock
10. Who did we sign from Lorient in 2010? Laurent Koscielny

Managers

1. Which manager has the higher win % – Unai Emery or Herbert Chapman? Emery 55.13%, Chapman 49.64%
2. Which manager has the higher win % – Bruce Rioch or Bertie Mee? Rioch 46.81%, Mee 44.71%
3. Which manager has the higher win % – Terry Neill or Don Howe? Neill 44.95%, Howe 46.15%
4. Which manager has the higher win % – George Graham or Mikel Arteta? Graham 48.91%, Arteta 50%
5. Which manager has the higher win % – Joe Shaw or Arsene Wenger? Shaw 60.87%, Wenger 57.25%
6. Which manager has the higher win % – Tom Whittaker or George Allison? Whittaker 46.24%, Allison 47.21%
7. Which manager, including caretakers, has the highest win%? Pat Rice 75%
8. Who lead Arsenal to the league title whilst caretaker manager? Joe Shaw – 1933/34
9. Who won over 100 caps for England and went on to become Arsenal manager? Billy Wright
10. How many caps did Mikel Arteta win for Spain? 0

Semi finals (Thank you Paul)

1. Who did we beat on penalties in the 2014 FA Cup semi final? Wigan Athletic
2. Who were our opponents in the 2005 FA Cup semi final? Blackburn Rovers
3. Our 1978 FA Cup semi final vs Orient was played at which ground? Stamford Bridge
4. Our 1980 long running FA Cup semi final saga vs Liverpool was finally decided at which ground? Highfield Road (Coventry)
5. Who scored our winning goal in our 1998 FA Cup semi final vs Wolves Christopher Wreh
6. How many FA Cup semi finals have Spurs now lost in a row? 8 (yes – really!)
7. The 1992 FA Cup semi final played at Highbury was between Liverpool and which other team? Portsmouth
8. Who scored the winning goal in the FA Cup semi final vs Spurs in 2001? Robert Pires
9. David Seaman’s miracle save in the 2003 FA Cup semi final was from which player? Paul Peschisolido
10. Who did we play in both the 1971 and 1972 FA Cup semi finals? Stoke City

Goals

1. Who scored the 1st goal at Anfield 89? Alan smith
2. Who scored the winner in the 1979 FA Cup final? Alan Sunderland
3. who scored the winner in the 2014 FA Cup final? Arron Ramsey
4. who scored the winner in 1971 FA Cup final? Charlie George
5. 21st Sept 2000 Vs Shakhtar Donetsk which defender scored 2 late goals to win the game (85,90th min)? Martin Keown
6. 9th December 2000: Parlour scored his only domestic hattrick Vs who? Newcastle
7. in 13 games how many goals did Pires scored against Tottenham? 9
8. who did Henry score the most goals against? Middlesbrough 13 in 16 games
9. on 20th April 1992 who lobbed the Liverpool keeper from just inside our half? Anders Limpar
10. who scored the 1st goal in the 2017 fa cup final vs Chelsea ? Alexis Sanchez

I also played for…

1. Burnley, Chester City, Bury, Stoke City – Lee Dixon
2. Hannover 96, Werder Bremen – Per Mertesacker
3. Kettering Town – Eddie Hapgood
4. Barcelona, PSG, Ranger, Real Socieded, Everton – Mikel Arteta
5. Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers – Frank McLintock
6. Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic – Kolo Toure
7. Crystal Palace, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Celtic, Burnley – Ian Wright
8. Auxerre, Manchester City, Benevento, Monreal Impact – Bacary Sagna
9. Colchester United, Southampton, Dagenham & Redbridge, Canvey Island – Perry Groves
10. Feyenoord, Manchester United, Fenerbache – Robin van Persie

Rivals

1. Who allegedly threw pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson? Cesc Fabregas
2. When Arsenal beat Liverpool in 1989 to win the league title, which Liverpool player famously told his team mates that there was “1 more minute” Left to play? Steve McMahon
3. Who scored twice as Arsenal knocked Chelsea out of the 2004 FA Cup? Jose Antonio Reyes
4. 11 Man U players and 10 Arsenal players took part in a brawl at Old Trafford in 1990. Who was the only player not to get involved? David Seaman
5. Who scored the winner in 2002 at OT to win us the title? Wiltord
6. What year were Tottenham offically a London club? 1965
7. When did Tottenham last win the title? 1961
8. what year did Tottenham win the Ipswich Hospital Charity Cup Winners? 1951/1952
9. what was our biggest away win vs Tottenham? 0–6 Arsenal 1934–35 Football League (6 March 1935)
10. what player has played in the most NLD’s? David Oleary

Arsenal wage rebels should never play for club again

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Any Arsenal player that refuses to take a 12.5% pay cut should never play for the club again.

The Mirror reported at the weekend that the club had made an offer to players which consisted of:

  • A 12.5% pay cut for 12 months from April 2020 to March 2021 (players paid in final week of each month so to start this month)
  • The full amount is then refunded if Arsenal qualify for the Champions League
  • If Arsenal do not qualify for the Champions League, no money is returned back
  • If Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League, but qualify for the Europa League the cut becomes 7.5%
  • If the season does not finish and/or Arsenal does not get full money from broadcasters then they will ask the players to find a “further solution”

Football is quickly moving from needing to furlough non-playing staff to needing players to take pay cuts to survive.

Clubs have 3 main sources of income:

  • Match day revenue
  • Broadcasting
  • Commercial

With no football, there is no match day revenue.

Most clubs will have to issue refunds for unused games this season if it is cancelled (or played behind closed doors).

A bigger issue for them is they will not get the season ticket income that usually arrives in June.

This will then have further ramifications with broadcasters like Sky likely to withhold television money if they have no product to put out, and commercial partners looking through contracts to see if they can be broken, football does face a tough time.

The main expenditure for clubs salaries.

For any business, when revenue drys up, cash is king. And the reality it most clubs do not have much cash.

The situation is even worse when you consider wages to turnover for most clubs.

A lot of Premier League clubs will be running out of money by July if revenue completely dries up.

It is all well and good Stan Collymore coming out and saying  players “are absolutely right to say they won’t accept a pay cut” without understanding that the world has changed, and clubs soon will no longer be able to afford those contracts.

The only option for their survival is to ask players to take a pay cut. A pay cut to ensure their club survives.

Clubs can not enforce a pay cut. This will be breach of contract and allow the players to leave on a free if they choose.

It is down to the players, not the clubs. They must step up to ensure the survival of the clubs.

For a player, a club is just an employer. For fans a club is something a lot bigger.

Any player at Arsenal who refuses to take a pay cut (12.5% is not much in comparison to the 20% furloughed workers are taking) should never play for the club again.

They would have shown that they do not care for the club. That they only care about their back pocket. That they would rather the club go to the wall, into administration then take a potential 12.5% pay cut.

To bring the 12.5% into perspective, a player earning £22,000 a week would still earn £1m before tax if he agreed to a the pay cut. Who at Arsenal actually earns as “little” as £22k? We are talking about youth team players on the fringes of the first team. Willock, Saka, Ntekitah.

At the top end, of Mesut Ozil took a 12.5% pay cut for 12 month, we would still earn over £15million a year…

It is easy to point the finger are the owners, but it has to be remembered that many owners have already made huge losses, and have other business enterprises that they are also trying to keep afloat during this time.

Arsenal players reported “surprise” shows just how detached they are from the word.

If they refuse to take a pay cut, enforce it on them, breach their contract and open the door for them to leave for nothing.

Any player that loves Arsenal will understand why the club has had to do it. They will stay. Those prima-Donna mercenaries will leave. And Arsenal will be the better for it.

Keenos