Tag Archives: Arsenal

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

The 1st Big Arsenal Quiz for the NHS (Q&A)

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Questions: 

NICKNAMES
1) Chippy –
2) Spider –
3) whoops a daisy –
4) Tin tin –
5) Stroller –
6) Romford Pele –
7) Huggy bear –
8) Titi –
9) Paddy –
10) Nutty –

GOALS
1) Who scored more goals: Theo or Giroud?
2) Who scored more goals: Van Persie or Bergkamp?
3) Who scored more goals:  Alan smith or Frank Stapleton?
4) Who scored more hat tricks: Henry or Wrighty?
5) Who scored more goals:  Reg Lewis or Joe Hulme?
6) Who scored more goals:  Pires or Freddie?
7) Who reached their 100th goal quickest: Bastin or Henry?
8) Who scored the most goals in one game?
9) Whore scored more goals: Liam Brady or Fabregas ?
10) What season did we score more league goals: 89 or 98?

I also played for
1) Middlesbrough, Hull City
2) Raith Rovers, Preston North End
3) Peterborough United, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City
4) Brentford, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Walsall
5) Leciester City, Stockport County, Mjolner
6) Watford, Tottenham
7) Cardiff, Nottingham Forest, Juventus
8) Metz, Marseille, Villarreal, Aston Villa, FC Goa
9) Crewe Alexander, Aston Villa, Bari, Juventus, Sampdoria, Nottingham Fores t
10) Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, California Surf

Records
1) Which player has made the most appearances for Arsenal?
2) Arsenal’s biggest win was 12-0. Who were the opponents?
3) Against who did Arsenal suffer their biggest defeat again?
4) Arsenal hold the record for most consecutive seasons in the top flight, how many seasons has it been?
5) We all know Arsenal hold the record for most game unbeaten, but we also hold the record for most consecutive games scoring. How many games in a row did we score in?
6) In 1935, Arsenal recorded their biggest attendance at Highbury, who were the opponents?
7) At 16 years and 212 days, who was Arsenal’s youngest goal scorer?
8) Which player has the most caps for England whilst being an Arsenal player?
9) At 6 seconds, which Arsenal player holds the record for fastest goal by a substitute?
10) Who is Arsenal’s fifth most expensive player?

History
1) Arsenal were founded in 1886, but what was their original name?
2) Who was Arsenal’s first full time manager?
3) In what season were Arsenal last relegated?
4) Herbert Chapman led Arsenal to their 1st league title, how many league titles did he manage the club to?
5) Bertie Mee famously went from club physiotherapist to managing Arsenal to the double in 1970/71, but which other title winning manager was also previously the club physiotherapist?
6) Who was George Graham managing before joining Arsenal?
7) What year did Dennis Bergkamp sign for Arsenal?
8) Since the 1930s, Arsenal have only failed to win a trophy in one decade. What is that decade?
9) Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry all have statues outside the Emirates. But who else also has a statue?
10) How many major honours have Arsenal won (note: We do not consider the community Shield a major honour)?

Finals
1) What year did Arsenal first win the FA Cup?
2) How many FA Cup finals have Arsenal played in?
3) Who did Arsenal beat to win the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final?
4) Who scored the winning goal in the 1970/71 FA Cup final?
5) Who captained Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup final?
6) Who did Tony Adams drop during the post-match celebrations of the 1993 Football League Cup Final victory?
7) Who scored the only goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Parma in the 1993/94 European Cup Winners Cup Final?
8) Who was the first Arsenal player to play in a World Cup Final?
9) In 2002, Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg scored as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0, but who uttered the words “Ah, it’s alright, it’s only Ray Parlour…”
10) How many FA Cups did Arsene Wenger win?

Rivals
1) What years have we won the title at WHL ?
2) What years have we won it at Stamford bridge ?
3) We have won 13 titles, how many have Tottenham ?
4) How many titles did Chelsea win pre-Roman ?
5) Who scored an FA CUP winning pen Vs Man U with his last kick for the club?
6) Name the 2 subs used at Anfield 89?
7) How much did we pay for Sol Cambpell?
8) Wenger won 10 major trophies in 22 seasons, how many did Tottenham win in that time?
9) Who got the longest ban after the Battle of old Trafford ?
10) How long has it been since Liverpool won the title?

Answers

Questions: 

NICKNAMES
1) Chippy – Liam Brady
2) Spider – David O’Leary
3) whoops a daisy – Martin Hayes
4) Tin tin – Perry Groves
5) Stroller – George Graham
6) Romford Pele – Ray Parlour
7) Huggy bear – Chris Whyte
8) Titi – Thierry Henry
9) Paddy – Patrick Vieira
10) Nutty – Nigel Winterburn

GOALS
1) Who scored more goals: Theo or Giroud? Theo: 107; Giroud 105
2) Who scored more goals: Van Persie or Bergkamp? RVP 132; Bergkamp 120
3) Who scored more goals:  Alan smith or Frank Stapleton? Smith 115; Stapleton 108
4) Who scored more hat tricks: Henry or Wrighty? Henry 9; Wrighty 11
5) Who scored more goals:  Reg Lewis or Joe Hulme? Lewis 118; Hulme 125
6) Who scored more goals:  Pires or Freddie? Pires 62; Ljungberg 46
7) Who reached their 100th goal quickest: Bastin or Henry? Bastin 174; Henry 181
8) Who scored the most goals in one game? Ted Drake – 7 – Aston Villa
9) Whore scored more goals: Liam Brady or Fabregas ? Brady 43; Cesc 35
10) What season did we score more league goals: 89 or 98? 89 – 73; 98 – 68

I also played for
1) Middlesbrough, Hull City Ray Parlour
2) Raith Rovers, Preston North End Alex James
3) Peterborough United, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City David Seaman
4) Brentford, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Walsall Paul Merson
5) Leciester City, Stockport County, Mjolner George Armstrong
6) Watford, Tottenham Pat Jennings
7) Cardiff, Nottingham Forest, Juventus Aaron Ramsey
8) Metz, Marseille, Villarreal, Aston Villa, FC Goa Robert Pires
9) Crewe Alexander, Aston Villa, Bari, Juventus, Sampdoria, Nottingham Forest David Platt
10) Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, California Surf George Graham

Records
1) Which player has made the most appearances for Arsenal? David O’Leary
2) Arsenal’s biggest win was 12-0. Who were the opponents? Loughborough
3) Against who did Arsenal suffer their biggest defeat again? Loughborough
4) Arsenal hold the record for most consecutive seasons in the top flight, how many seasons has it been? 94
5) We all know Arsenal hold the record for most game unbeaten, but we also hold the record for most consecutive games scoring. How many games in a row did we score in? 55
6) In 1935, Arsenal recorded their biggest attendance at Highbury, who were the opponents? Sunderland
7) At 16 years and 212 days, who was Arsenal’s youngest goal scorer? Cesc Fabregas
8) Which player has the most caps for England whilst being an Arsenal player? Kenny Sansom
9) At 6 seconds, which Arsenal player holds the record for fastest goal by a substitute? Nicklas Bendtner
10) Who is Arsenal’s fifth most expensive player? Shkodran Mustafi

History
1) Arsenal were founded in 1886, but what was their original name? Dial Square
2) Who was Arsenal’s first full time manager? Thomas Mitchell
3) In what season were Arsenal last relegated? 1912/13
4) Herbert Chapman led Arsenal to their 1st league title, how many league titles did he manage the club to? 2
5) Bertie Mee famously went from club physiotherapist to managing Arsenal to the double in 1970/71, but which other title winning manager was also previously the club physiotherapist? Tom Whittaker
6) Who was George Graham managing before joining Arsenal? Millwall
7) What year did Dennis Bergkamp sign for Arsenal? 1995
8) Since the 1930s, Arsenal have only failed to win a trophy in one decade. What is that decade? 60s
9) Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry all have statues outside the Emirates. But who else also has a statue? Ken Friar
10) How many major honours have Arsenal won (note: We do not consider the community Shield a major honour): 30

Finals
1) What year did Arsenal first win the FA Cup? 1930
2) How many FA Cup finals have Arsenal played in? 20
3) Who did Arsenal beat to win the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final? Anderlecht
4) Who scored the winning goal in the 1970/71 FA Cup final? Charlie George
5) Who captained Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup final? Pat Rice
6) Who did Tony Adams drop during the post-match celebrations of the 1993 Football League Cup Final victory? Steve Morrow
7) Who scored the only goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Parma in the 1993/94 European Cup Winners Cup Final? Alan Smith
8) Who was the first Arsenal player to play in a World Cup Final? Emmanuel Petit (Patrick Vieira came off the bench)
9) In 2002, Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg scored as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0, but who uttered the words “Ah, it’s alright, it’s only Ray Parlour…”? Tim Lovejoy
10) How many FA Cups did Arsene Wenger win? 7

Rivals
1) What years have we won the title at WHL? 71, 2004
2) What years have we won it at Stamford Bridge? 1934 & 1935
3) We have won 13 titles, how many have Tottenham ? 2
4) How many titles did Chelsea win pre-Roman ? 1
5) Who scored an FA CUP winning pen Vs Man U with his last kick for the club? Patrick Vieira
6) Name the 2 subs used at Anfield 89? Martin Hayes & Perry Groves
7) How much did we pay for Sol Cambpell? Nothing
8) Wenger won 10 major trophies in 22 seasons, how many did Tottenham win in that time? 2
9) Who got the longest ban after the Battle of old Trafford? Lauren (4 games)
10) How long has it been since Liverpool won the title? 30 years and counting…

Football’s fight for survival is secondary to the real issues the world faces

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Morning all.

Still working from home – today will make it exactly 3 weeks. The flowers on my desk (that I bought my mother for Mother’s Day) are on their last legs, and I have wrong out of croissants. But there is a lot more to be concerned about in this world.

The least important thing we should be concerned about is a return to football.

It is incredible that there are people discussing how to finish the season, playing games behind closed doors, etc, when people are dying.

By the end of this pandemic, we will all know someone that has died with Covid19. Football needs to take a back seat.

Even the discussion as to teams furloughing non-playing staff and players not yet taking a pay cut is getting boring,

Ultimately, players will have a choice. Either take a pay cut to help their club survive, or maintain their current view and risk their employer going into administration.

Despite what some think, football clubs do not make a lot of money. They are not big businesses.

Arsenal’s revenue in 2018/19 was £394.7m. BP’s revenue was £246b (the largest in the country).

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 have huge ramifications for clubs cash flow.

With broadcasters like Sky likely to with hold 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.

Soon it will not be a discussion whether players should take pay cuts to pay the wages of furloughed staff, it will be discussions and taking pay cuts so that their clubs survive.

Of course, players could refuse their pay cuts, clubs would go into administration and they would then be free to negotiate contracts elsewhere. I can imagine some agents would be licking their lips at the commission earned off finding hundreds of players a new club, with 0 transfer fee involved.

But for now we have more important things to worry about. The survival of your football club is less important than the survival of your friends and family.

And that is why this Friday we will be holding our 2nd Big Arsenal Quiz for the NHS.

Last week we had nearly 3,000 people join us for the quiz. It provided many with brief relief and something to do.

So on Friday 10th April, we kick off again at 8pm.

All we ask is that you donate £2 (£2 is the minimum donation amount on JustGiving) and all proceeds will be donated to the NHS to help in this difficult time.

So, here are the steps to take to enter the quiz…

1. ‘Like’ our page on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/shewore
2. Donate £2 via JustGiving – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/she-wore

Get your pen & paper ready, and at 8pm on Friday as we will go live on Facebook. It will be 45 minutes a half with a 15 minute break for half time.

Facebook Live – www.facebook.com/shewore

A lot of us spend Friday and Saturday’s in the boozers with our mates. so get those who you go football with together and compete amongst each other

I thank you all for showing interest in this quiz, and hope that as many of you as possible can take part so that we can raise lots of money for our NHS.

We look forward to entertaining you all on Friday!

Keenos