Tag Archives: Manchester United

Arsenal no longer most expensive Premier League club to watch

10 Replies

The BBC Sport Price of Football survey has been released today with great fan fare, and once again, Arsenal have been labelled as the club with the most expensive season ticket. This will be used once more by papers and radio stations to bash us and criticise us. Lets not forget last season, the press hyperbole resulted in the ticket price protest by City fans at the Emirates last season. Which then in itself was used to bash the club further.

Whilst I am not going to attempt to justify our season ticket price, it is too high and prices out the man on the Clapham Omnibus, what I hate is when my club, our club, Arsenal is attacked by all and sundry. Whether it is the press highlighting our disciplinary record, our lack of Englishman, our trophy drought, or our ticket prices. This is then picked up by opposing fans, who then continue to attack out club using what they have read in the papers or listened to on the radio. It is every man’s duty to defend his club.

The headlines from today’s survey will end up getting written as ‘Arsenal have most expensive Season ticket price again.’ Whilst based on the grand total of the season ticket, it is true, we are the most expensive, when you break it down to what we get, the headlines are simply a lie. Spun to bash The Arsenal. Lets look at some FACTS.

  • Arsenal’s season ticket covers 26 games. The 19 league games and the first 7 Champions League/FA Cup games. No other Premier League club does this.
  • This means our cheapest season ticket price per game is £37.88, and most expensive is £75.19
  • Tottenham Hotspur’s cheapest season ticket per game is £39.21, their most expensive is £99.73 – Both more expensive than Arsenal
  • A season ticket for the Shed End Lower will cost you £39.47 per game, Chelsea’s cheapest
  • At Liverpool, their cheapest ticket per game is £37.36, although this is a restricted view. Their cheapest unrestricted is £38.15
  • Liverpool’s cheapest individual ticket is £38. £12 more then Arsenal’s at £26

Again, to re-iterate my point, I am not justifying Arsenals ticket price here. What I am pointing out is we are not the most expensive club to go and watch. We sit 4th behind Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.

What the above shows is that Arsenal should offer two tiers of ticket prices. An idea first bought up by the Black Scarf Movement, a ‘Season Ticket Lite’ where cup games are not including would make tickets a tad more affordable. It would bring our cheapest season ticket down to £720. Whilst the average ticket price per game remains the same, fans make a huge 20% saving on their season ticket purchase in July.

Whilst doing this research, I glanced over various rival club’s websites to pull the data of cheapest and most expensive ticket prices. I ignore Manchester City as, whilst they are very cheap – they offer the cheapest in the Premier League – they do not rely on match day income to buy players and strengthen their squad. If FFP comes in properly (it won’t) there prices will soon sky rocket. One club did surprise me, however. Manchester United.

Manchester United’s lowest season ticket price works out to £28 per game (£532). There most expensive is £50 per game (£950). Now I know Old Trafford has 75,000 seats, therefore meaning that they can offer slightly lower prices to other clubs, whilst still maintaining high revenue, but these prices are very much affordable. Manchester United also supplement match day revenue with a lot of very good commercial deals.

So over the last few years, Manchester United have had affordable ticket prices and success. Surely this should be the model every club should be striving for? Hopefully as we continue to pay down our stadium debt and increase our commercial deals, we might see ticket prices starting to drop, as we no longer become as reliant on match day revenue.

A final thought, ticket pricing justifies our move to the Emirates. Whilst some might see this as controversial. Look at Tottenham. They are in a tiny stadium and are unable to compete in the Premier League due to a low match day revenue. This is forcing them to continually put their season ticket price up as the only way to increase revenue. For a team who has not won the league in over 50 years to have the countries most expensive ticket prices is shocking, and should be highlighted in the press (it won’t). Had we stayed at Highbury, our season ticket prices would have been much, much higher.

Yes, our most expensive single game ticket at £126 is disgusting, the club should get credit for having a cheapest ticket now at £26. This now means a father can take his two kids for less than £100. Fairly affordable! OK, he can not go to watch Manchester United or Spurs at the Emirates for this, but he should be teaching his kids that it is Arsenal that is important, not just the big games.

This information by no means justifies our ludicrously high season ticket prices. And the higher prices go throughout other clubs, the more it will be to go away. However, the aim this article is just to put some sensible talk out there against the media bashing who continually criticise our ticket prices, but do not criticise those with more expensive tickets then us.

Ticket prices throughout England are too high. They need to come down. Not just at Arsenal, but at every club. We need ‘joined up thinking’ to ensure all clubs drop prices. If one club did it, and others did not, it would put them at an unfair disadvantage. High ticket prices is not just Arsenal’s problem. It is England’s problem.

Prices need to drop. Not just be frozen.

Keenos

Wenger’s new contract justified by Manchester United?

23 Replies

Reports in this mornings papers indicate that the board are ready to give Arsene Wenger a new contract. This does not come as a surprise. Two months ago, he was reported to of agreed an extension, however the contract talks were put on the back burner as fans attitude to the manager was on a downward spiral.

Imagine the out roar had he, back in August, signed a new 3 year deal on his £7.5m a season wages, whilst not having yet signed a single player. It would have been the straw that broke the camels back for most fans.

“Wenger more interested in lining his own pockets then buying top players” would have been the cry. The noises of ‘Wenger Out’ would have grown. The boycotts would of increase. The protest marches would have been at every game.

However, with the signing of Mesut Ozil and a North London derby win, the world of Arsenal is a bit more positive, so were they to announce a contract extension it would be taken a bit better then were it done 2 months ago. In the world of politics, there is often good days to bury bad news. They will often release news about controversial legislation, or a scandal, when either public sentiment is high, or more likely, when there is a world disaster. I will always remember when 9/11 happened and a Labour aide Emailed:

“It is now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury. Councillors expenses?”

Crass, yes, but he was right. Hiding bad news on a bad news day means that bad news will get less attention. Likewise, announcing bad news when public sentiment is high leads to less criticism. And that is what the board look like they are going to do. Using the positive vibes throughout Arsenal to announce Arsene Wenger’s new contract.

The issue here is Arsene Wenger has underperformed over the last few years. No trophies in 8 years. And even with the signing of Mesut Ozil, he has had a poor transfer window, and at times, made the club look foolish (along with his partners in crime Gazidas & Law). For me, at the moment, he does not deserve a new contract.

There is, however, a key factor we now have to take into account. Manchester United. There transfer dealing’s this summer have been worse than ours. Only securing Marouane Fellaini in the closing stages of the transfer window, after bidding millions for every other top central midfielder in Europe.

Why do I say it is a key factor? Well it is very easy to get rid of a manager. What is not as easy is replacing him.

There are reports that Moyes has already lost the dressing room. That his training methods are draconian. He does not command the respect of the players as Alex Ferguson did. And he does not have the reputation around Europe that is key to attract players.

You have to wonder, had Fergie been in charge of Manchester United, Would Cesc Fabregas have been so quick to turn them down? Would Bale of become a realistic option? Would they of come in late and snatched Mesut Ozil out of our hands? Not only do players want to play for top clubs. Earn top money. They also want to play for top managers. Be developed by top coaches.

Parents do not send their kids to top fee paying school’s such as Eton or Harrow because they have a big reputation, they send them there because they have the best teachers. If Eton sacked all their teachers and replaced them with a bunch of recently qualified, their admissions would drop dramatically. Manchester United are suffering from that. They have lost one of the best managers in the world, and replaced him with someone who is under qualified for the job.

When you hear that a key factor in the signing of Mesut Ozil was a phone call from Arsene Wenger, it shows the Frenchman is still very well respected on the continent. Players from Europe would still want to come to Arsenal to play for him. There are very few managers who command the sort of world wide respect Wenger does.

Guardiola, Ancelotti, Mourinho. That is probably it. Whilst Jurgen Klopp’s stock is very high, he is still on his way up. He garners respect throughout Germany, and would be able to attract a lot of German players. But would he be a key factor if he wanted Benzema? Or Di Maria? Or any non-German player. Probably not.

And that is where Moyes is struggling. He is a fairly unknown quantity throughout Europe. Yes, players will naturally be attracted by Manchester United. But if you were a player from Europe and had 2 identical deals on the table, one from Manchester United and David Moyes, the other from Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, you would probably pick the later.

And that is what is important, and why Arsene Wenger may well get his new contract. If Manchester United struggle this season, if the moans from the dressing room continue to increase, if he can still not attract top stars, it will make the board think ‘Better the devil you know.’

Another example of this is the fiasco Liverpool have been in since sacking Rafa Benitez – another manager who players seem to want to play for. In came Hodgson. Then Dalglish. Now Brendan Rodgers.

Bar Luis Suarez – who at the time was not the established star he is now (the next Kezman?) – Liverpool have failed to land a top player. A collection of average and overpriced Englishman, mixed in with some very poor signings from the continent. Whilst not having Champions League football does not help their cause, not having a top manager is surely a key factor. After all, why would anyone want to play for Brendan Rodgers? He would be a non-factor when it comes to a player making their decision.

Pellegrini at Manchester City is another one. He is well respected throughout Spain, but will he struggle to attract top players from elsewhere in Europe? Does he have the same sort of pull as Roberto Mancini did? It is a case of wait and see.

Would a Michael Laudrup be able to attract star names? Would Roberto Martinez? Would Remi Garde? Would Steve Bould? The answer is no. A Mesut Ozil would not come and play for these managers. A Marco Rues would not. A Cesc Fabregas would not return to Arsenal. And even with in the club, get a poor manager in who does not garner respect of the players would see the likes of Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott looking elsewhere.

Another good season with Dortmund would see Jurgen Klopp’s star rise further. Enough to make him a key factor in the signing of players. A manager is key to a players decision (after money) and it is important then when Wenger does go, we do not take a step down in his replacement.

Whilst Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal is coming to a natural end. He should still go at the end of the season. But it is important we get his replacement right.

We need to move forward as a club. Buy better players. Get a better manager.

Keenos