Well, the previous (guest) post about Stan Kroenke stirred up some debate, leading among other things to me being accused on Twitter (not for the first time) of ‘having an agenda’ – whatever that actually means. I was told it means I’m anti-Kroenke. For the record, I have opinions on different things, and also some principles. The opinions sometimes change in the light of new information. I like to think the principles stay largely the same. I don’t have an ‘agenda’ regarding Arsenal, nor anything else as far as I’m aware, but I do have opinions about how I would like to see Arsenal run by its owners, hence I have opinions about Mr ES Kroenke, not all of which are favourable. He’s a long way from the worst owner Arsenal could have, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement.
However, today’s subject is the other major Arsenal shareholder, Mr AB Usmanov. Alisher Usmanov is seen by many fans as Arsenal’s potential saviour. There is a view that if he took control we’d be back in the big time because he would make almost unlimited funds available to be spent on the team.
In truth there might be some problems with this – unlimited spending is going to become more difficult under FFP anyway, and you also need a manager who is prepared to splash cash around like Madonna in an orphanage. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, Arsenal’s manager – who Red & White and Usmanov wholeheartedly and repeatedly support – doesn’t spend all the money available now, never mind if he was given a billion to spend.
But that’s not my point today. My point is this: What has Alisher Usmanov promised to spend? And actually the answer is, as far as I can make out, bugger all. I wouldn’t necessarily believe him anyway, but the fact is he talks a lot without making concrete promises. I posed this question on Twitter the other day and was sent a link to his open letter from last year as ‘evidence’ of his promises.
The closest thing to a promise of spending in the whole letter is this:
“So what is Red & White’s vision for the club? It is simple. A debt free club with a big enough war chest to buy top talent players who can hit the ground running and who can complement the club’s long tradition of developing young players and homegrown talent.”
Well what a coincidence! This is exactly my vision too. In the words of Keggy Keegle, I would love it – love it! But I’m not promising to pay for it, and if you read it carefully neither is Mr Usmanov. It’s just his vision. That’s all it is.
So I throw the challenge out again: What is Alisher Usmanov actually promising to pay for at Arsenal? Answers on a blog comment or tweet to @AngryOfN5.
As you’ll have gathered at the top, I’m no big fan of Stan Kroenke either, and I do support Red & White having some Board representation at Arsenal just to shake things up a bit. But I’d like to see actual promises in legally binding language too. I’m like that.
angryofislington 
hi, i actually know his people and can tell you he will spend whatever the club needs to win trophies, i also know about kroenke and can tell you he will not spend a penny, he just wants a return on his investment and his clubs to make a profit, nothing more
email me privately for more
I concur entirely especially about Mr Kroenke- buthis position is understandable. If Mr Kroenke paid off the stadium debt he would effectively be making his enemy – Mr Usmanov an even richer man.
Mr Usmanov is not going to be able to invest huge sums in new players without infringing FFP rules- unless he finds a way of increasing the club’s income.
If Usmanov was willing to spend at all costs on Arsenal, he would have simply made Kroenke an offer in excess of the high range value of the club. Which Kroenke would accept – as he is in this to make money and everyone knows that.
The lack of any such takeover bid from Usmanov, who could easily do this by going over the 30% threshold, or simply making Kroenke an offer…..underlines that Usmanov too is in it for the money. He is not willing to to own the club at an ego (aka zero profit) price. Ergo – he isn’t doing this for his ego!!!
Its not like Usmanov can’t afford to make a 1 Billion plus offer for the club. He is on all the wealth lists.
So don’t waste our time with this nonsense. Usmanov is CLEARLY in it for the money. Purely. All his moves have been classic textbook moves from the takeover vulture manual: backdoor purchases, avoiding triggering threshold bids, underhanded crap like literally buying off the press with free travel, destabilization campaigns, sock puppet internet rumours created by a paid PR firm and engineering phantom instability like fake “consortiums” that are “about to make a bid soon” etc.
Usmanov does everything and anything except actually making a full bid. Why? Because Usmanov doesn’t want to make a bid for Arsenal. He doesn’t want to own it – he just wants to induce a THIRD PARTY to come along with a big bid and in the process cash HIM out at a fat profit.
And the reason he wants a board seat is to have an inside view of strategy and numbers so that he can go off and engineer that sale. Its NOT so he can put in a 100 million transfer fund and appoint Thierry Henry as manager or whatever – that’s just nonsense that he insinuates to get the knuckle dragging element of in the Arsenal support on his side.
People have to be freaking blind to not see this entire strategy – its so bleeding obvious if you have even two brain cells available to connect.
In effect Mr U HAS made a take-over bid – by offering to buy any Arsenal share that comes on the market. So far as we know, Mr K prefers to keep his shares. And an official bid with 30% holding won’t, of itself, alter Mr K’s mind one iota.
Usmanov has not made any take over bid. he has no problem finding the press to spread destabilizing stories – but we have definitely NOT heard him go to the press and tell Kroenke to name his price. Nor has he gone over 30% and made a bid either.
So Usmanov needs to STFU. He is nothing but an opportunist share trader waiting to flip his Arsenal shares.
You need to read more of Phil’s blogs. In Arsenal’s case, there is no 30% threshold.
Sir! I’m afraid you’re wrong about Usmanov! He would not want to bid a lot for kronke because he’s a business man & billionares have egos 🙂 you said he wants a sit in the Board, read an article saying Usmanov is never a board member in all of his companies. He lets people do the job. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s not here to make money, what I’m saying is that he understands that success on pitch brings success off the Pitch & don’t forget he owns a superbox @ the emirates. He even goes to games more than Kronke which I believe he’s more passionate in my opinion. Also remember that David Dein is a memeber of R&W holding 🙂
The little I’ve read about Kroenke would suggest he will not spend, but what every Anti-Kroenke fan out there have not mentioned is the facts surrounding the EPL that Kroenke & the AFC board have to consider that will at least affect his idea/plan for AFC.
What I’m talking about is that the fact that the EPL is the complete opposite of his American sports Franchises i.e. none of his US franchises can get relegated if they under perform where as in the EPL if he messes up things his investment can actually depreciate.
So the notion that he will approach Arsenal the same way he does his other franchises makes no sense, no businessman rich or ultra-rich wants to lose money on an investment. Im not defending Kroenke but one also has to consider that he choose to build a new stadium for one of his franchises.
So where does that leave me with regard to Kroenke, well im leaning towards him being forced to spend, because if he lets things slide to far down the slope it will hurt his pocket. Heck for all we know, maybe he & the AFC board knew Mr Ferguson will be retiring soon.
With regards to Usmanov, well the little I’ve read about him is scary, especially the characters he is linked to. But about Usmanov’s investment at Arsenal, if you loved the club so much & the interest in AFC was not about money then he would’ve already made a ludicrous offer that Silent Stan could not refuse e.g. I love AFC so much that I would pay double it’s market value – knowing full well that given the right resources & Wenger’s continued management the Gunners will double in value very quickly. But alas, he (Usmanov) chooses to play a cat & mouse game.
So, it’s no surprise that many a fans & myself are perhaps leaning towards Usmanov also just being their for the profits because if it was not about the dollars then he would’ve publicly made Stan the offer & just accepted it as a loss he is willing to bare for his beloved club just like Abramovich & the Mansour’s do when they spend big on their clubs….
Red and white can’t comment on particular things, and neither can the yank, because they get get sued
I am very greatful of the news. And we pray that usmanov could take over the club, so that we may be able to cheer up again.
He’s promised nothing. As every opposition leader has decade after decade, all he’s done is sit in opposition and opportunitistically picked holes in what Kroenke has done. But would it really matter if he did? I mean, Kroenke has avoided his legal commitment to meet with fans groups and he’s not exactly had the powers that be round on him has he?
When the people have gripes about the current incumbent it’s always tempting to look to the nearest alternative, the one that panders to their dream and says everything they want to hear. And it’s easy to play the populist tune, tell people what they want to hear. It’s the sort of approach that the gullible fall for during times of unhappiness. If Kroenke/Arsenal were doing well then it’s unlikely that anyone would be looking for an alternative. If the Weimar Republic were doing well then it’s unlikely that anyone would have looked for the Nazis. All i’d say is be careful what you wish for.
I also would like to see Red & White legally involved at board level…..why ?…..David Dien, he has Arsenal soaked arteries…..he’s the man
I would quite happily buy him pint or two,just to listen as to what he perceives to be Arsenal’s future
So “soaked in his arteries” that he sold his shares to Kroenke.
David Dien sold shares to Usmanov. DD introduced Kroenke to Arsenal , and if you check you will find that everything DD did for the club was to give it more capital to compete, he did not want the Emirates because of the financial problems it would, and has caused. It was through DD that both billionaires were introduced to the club. The problem has always been Peter Hill Wood, he didn’t want Kroenke, got rid of Dien for bringing him in and now blocks Usmanov from the board. PHW is the arrogant bugger responsible for a lot of the discord in Arsenal F C. In case your in any doubt PHW has gone on record stating our views are unimportant.
Actually I was incorrect – Dein of course sold his shares to Usmanov, not Kroenke. Error of typing with Kroenke on my mind! But Dein still sold his shares in Arsenal, which was really my point.
Hill-Wood played and plays very little role in Arsenal however; Dein lost the power struggle with Fiszman and it was Fiszman who forced him out after Dein had gone beyond the board’s back to speak to Kroenke. If anyone was Mr Arsenal it was Fiszman.
Precisely, Dein sold to Usmanov, but before that he brought in Kroenke, with the aim that he (Dein) Fisman, Bracewell and co would all agree to sell in one swoop to Kroenke. But taking a united from, they would all acheive a higher price for their shares.
When that failed, as the others refused to sell to Kroenke, Dein trawled in Usmanov and sold out to him.
Yes, Dein has so much “Arsenal soaked arteries” that he squeezed every last penny out of his shares and gave not a single share to the Arsenal fans to exert any influence over the club.
How gullible can people be?
People moan about the age of Arsenal’s board. Dein is 69.
So I throw the challenge out again: What is Alisher Usmanov actually promising to pay for at Arsenal?
The remaining shares in the club ?
or perhaps he would be paying for top talent by reducing the number of players at the club (circa 80 & 78 of them rubbish) and replacing them with half that number but of a decent quality ?
I think you will find his businesses are very successful and have little wastage !
I throw out the answer most of you dont grasp – Usmanov isnt interested in buying Arsenal or paying for anything. He is an agitator who has bought some shares and having failed to shake down the majority owner to buy him out, he is now doing anything to destabilize the club and get someone ELSE to come in and buy them both out.
Usmanov is a seller from here on out – not a buyer, let alone a payer or father christmas.
Usmanov didnt get to be rich by giving enriching the unwashed masses – he did it by fleecing them!!
Welcome to planet Earth !
As in most mysteries, it’s mainly a matter of motive. In The Case of Arsenal’s Continuing Decline, the owner’s prime concern is profit. Thus he spends the least he can get away with.
In contrast, let’s imagine The Case of Arsenal’s Amazing Recovery, with an owner whose motive is glory and who spends as much as is needed to achieve it.
And while we’re at it, let’s dream of a day when Usmanov will personally hand every Arsenal fan £1m and bring an end to all wars and cure all known diseases.
I guess you think it’s kinda hip to show total cynicism about the motives and mind-set of the very rich. As a matter of fact, it’s far too simplistic a view. Much cooler to admit that they come in all shapes and sizes, much like the rest of us.
Spot on – you dont get to be a billionaire by handing out money – you get to be one by elbowing anyone and every one for every last penny you can get your fingers on. Whether you need money or not isnt the point – being a billionaire you do it by having a mentality TAKING everything you can conceive of. You might smile and lie while doing it – but that’s what you do. Need is not the driver in such people – relentless WANT is. Everyone else be damned.
I think i’m realistic and don’t base my views on the unevidenced dream that Usmanov is the fairy godmother cure to all our dreams as he’d want you to believe. Usmanov is a man with a proven track record of taking more money out of businesses than he puts in.
Of course he might be entirely innocent in his wishes for Arsenal, he might want only good for Arsenal, supported them all of his life and won’t take a penny out – but the evidence to date doesn’t show this to be the case.
Let’s put it this way; if he’s not interested in money and only wants to run Arsenal through his love for the club, why doesn’t he front up with an offer for Kroenke that he can’t refuse? After all, we’re talking a multi-multi-billionaire for whom that amount would be a drop in the ocean. If money’s no object for him, he loves Arsenal so much and he doesn’t agree with Kroenke’s way of running the club so much then he’ll surely put his money where his mouth is? Excuse me if I don’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen…
Can’t say its fair to judge a person who hasn’t been tested. good or bad usmanov is untested at the moment so whatever anybody says is pure speculation.. where as stan has been running the club for a few years now, his motives are clear as we have declined as a footballing side by selling our major assets to rake in some nice profits. nasri and van persie to name but two.
unless you are biased towards stan you can’t support a man who hasn’t shown or proved that he is interested in anything other than profit.
so usmanov may be evil but stan is.
Phil, hopefully the AST is doing its utmost to elicit legally binding promises from Mr Usmanov as a quid pro quo for supporting him as owner. My guess is that he will prove pretty amenable, not so much in the day-to-day running of the Club, the budgets, etc, but in the broader issues of fan-share, multi-ownership, an AST member on BoD and so on. I guess we can expect a statement from them on the issue should Kroenke fail to come through this summer.
The man who stole money out of the hands of impoverished Uzbeks in dodgy privatization deals is going to what? Buy Arsenal and cheerfully hand control to the fans? Do the workers at ANY of his companies control them? Nope. Do the CSKA Moscow fans, where he is a board member now, control the club.
Are you on drugs? Or just an Usmanov sock puppet?
It wasn’t proved sir! It was clearly written by someone who has an agenda.
Usmanov has already asked for dividends. In his statement after van pussy left he said “our investment is doing well” (off the top of my head). When he calls himself a “fan” I feel like throwing up.
most of these comments are quite juicy but im sorry to say wrong, he made a huge bid last summer, i know the facts, SK turned it down as he feels the tv money has ten times more in it like the tv money for his usa sports teams, AU agreed terms with pep & thierry if he was successful, i knew this a full 6 months before he resigned from barca, bayern are in many ways a german version of arsenal, AU wants to invest, pay off the debts and wants trophies, SK only wants the company to make a profit while waiting for his asset to go up in value, he does not need to exit so expect decades of the same. i love arsenal but fizman sold us out, we were better off staying at highbury, anyway looking forward to going to the game for the drama v wigan, i have my newcastle away tickets i wonder if it will go to the last game again, i was at the hawthorns which was an amazing roller coaster day, beaming in the car on the way home texting the scum that chelsea would take thier place!
‘Decades of the same’ ? – you have just confirmed my worst nightmare!
There was no bid. Usmanov will never make a bid for Arsenal other than a lowball one. He is just a share trader in this matter. Been obvious for ages to anyone with a brain.
Hi phil! I sent you the link, & you didn’t credit me lolz . Just kidding 🙂 I believe he’s gonna spend. Number One reason being that David Dein brought kronke in, because he realized arsenal needed a billionaire who will help us compete. I think he realized kronke aint gonna do that, then he had to bring in Alisher Usmanov, & don’t forget David Dein is a member of R&W holdings 2) he’s a good friend of Roman Abramovic, so he would wanna compete with chelsea. 3) he also knows that success on the Pitch brings success off the Pitch. Those are my opinions
Yes you sent me the link, but you also told me it answered the question, and it didn’t!
“israel on May 11, 2013 at 2:54 am said:
…David Dein brought kronke in, because he realized arsenal needed a billionaire who will help us compete. I think he realized kronke aint gonna do that, then he had to bring in Alisher Usmanov,…”
Sir, you lying. Dein brought Kroenke in because he needed a billioniare to cash out his shares in Arsenal. When the board at that time refused to sell, they kicked Dein out and then Dein trawled in Usmanov.
We are trying to have a conversation based on facts here. Dont waste our time on stupid lies.
Dein is and was all about himself. Same as everyone else.
I disagree with what you said, & mind you I’m not lying, you’re the one that is being disingenoous. Why do you think David Dein opposed the opinion of a New stadium? Because he saw that things will be the way it is at the moment, if we dont bring in someone who can help us compete. David Dein is Arsenal tru & tru, it’s not always about the Money for him.
Who really gives a shit ! I know i dont..
I just pray we win our last two games thats all.
You should learn to see the bigger picture mate. Everyone wants to win the last two games, but ultimately what’s the point of that if the club is then sold to someone who ruins it? Or kept by the current owner, who ruins it?
No doubt, but if you dont have a billion + pounds to offer then you really have no say in those outcomes, do you? So why worry.
If you want to worry about things that you cant control that will truly affect and screw up your life, I’d suggest worry about George Osborne. 😉
He will surely be ease on spending big.
Ziontrain: For heavens sake stop continuously trawling out the line that the motive of any rich man who buys a football club is always profit. There is a world of difference between, say, a Kenwright or a Whelan and, say, a Kroenke or the Glazers – or hadn’t you noticed? And your philosophy that ‘it’s the way of the World, and there is nothing we can do about it’ is not only defeatist but right off the mark. Buying a football club like Arsenal places an obligation on the owner: an expectation of success from the fans. HIS customers – or maybe you haven’t noticed that either. And though we may be fair-minded and patient and give him the benefit of the doubt for a while, ultimately he must show that he is trying his utmost to fulfil his obligation. That is if he wants to keep his customers. So we are not helpless, far from it.
On his record here and in the States, my belief is that Kroenke is close to being the worst possible owner of Arsenal. Maybe THE worst: but for Usmanov, the man would have owned AFC wholly, and we can only guess at the debt burden he would have leveraged on the Club. We know little enough now of what goes on: if he had his way, we would know nothing. His stooge Gazidis must rate as the most disliked-ever ‘face’ of Arsenal – certainly it’s hard to recall another with such a disdainful manner, with such a habit of unfulfilled promises. Between them they have surgically removed the soul of Arsenal and replaced it with a cash register. I doubt that either would even grasp what is meant by ‘soul’. And how they have brain-washed us! Witness our obsession with ‘revenue’, ‘sustainabiliy’, ‘wage policy’, etc. We have allowed ourselves to be cowed into believing that lack of quality players is due to lack of money. Rubbish! Bayern Munich: similar debt, similar revenue. Folks, we are being taken for a ride!
To return to the central issue: Usmanov or Kroenke? Well, it’s likely that this summer we’ll know the answer. The money is there. Let’s be clear: If the squad is not strengthened in a major way, it will be because Kroenke has not authorised the expenditure. He’s an old hand at this, so don’t let’s be fooled by a half-decent signing, thrown to us as a crumb. Wenger has said as clearly as he can that he expects to be given substantial sums. If it doesn’t happen, let us hope he resigns in protest.
As for Usmanov, he has made his intentions for Arsenal perfectly clear: to spend the money needed to return the Club to the top table, where it belongs.
Usmanov demanded dividends from Arsenal, has commited nothing and is obviously agitating for someone else to come in and buy him out. We don’t need 500 lines of horse-based manure to understand his intentions.
When did Usmanov demand dividends from Arsenal? I can’t find that, perhaps you could point me to where he says it?
Now you are aiming to rewrite history. Usmanov’s first act upon paying Dein for his shares was to demand that Arsenal effectively fund his purchase by paying dividends. which the club has never done
A cursory search on that amazing newfangled thing called “Google Search”, produces among other things, a headline from the Financial Times:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7cce6a7c-7205-11dc-8960-0000779fd2ac.html#axzz2TARkOtVY
October 4, 2007 3:06 am
Arsenal strikes back at Usmanov demands
By Roger Blitz, Leisure Industries Correspondent
Arsenal hit back on Wednesday at Alisher Usmanov, the Russian billionaire metals magnate, saying his demands for an independent board and dividend payments were unacceptable.
Football club officials were understood to be dismayed at Mr Usmanov’s decision to hold a press briefing in Moscow on Tuesday about his 23 per cent stake in Arsenal, and at his tone.
Mr Usmanov, who owns Metalloinvest and is worth £5bn, paid £120m for his Arsenal stake together with Farhad Moshiri, his business partner, through Red & White Holdings, their investment vehicle.
His briefing was an attempt to prove he was not hostile to the board and not about to launch an aggressive bid. But the strategy appears to have backfired.
Mr Moshiri held a meeting with board members last week, which the club described as constructive. However, club insiders say the board believes progress at that meeting has been undermined by Mr Usmanov’s briefing.
“They feel they have been told one thing, then they read other things coming out of a press briefing,” one insider said.
“Mr Moshiri expressed a view that he wanted to be a friendly long-term investor. The interpretation coming out of Moscow is somewhat different.” The business partners, who want the board to consider dividend payments, are unhappy about a lock-down agreement signed by board members who hold 45 per cent of the shares.
The board members, who include Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, have agreed not to sell shares until April and will probably extend the agreement. But Red & White says such an agreement is incompatible with their status as board directors.
Arsenal insiders said that, in Chips Keswick and Lord Harris, the football club already had independent directors who were non-shareholders.
The Arsenal Supporters Club, which represents minority shareholders and has been in contact with Stan Kroenke – the US sports franchise billionaire who owns 12.2 per cent of the club – was more forthright, saying it supported the club’s no-dividend policy.
“We fully support the current board’s decision to forgo dividends, allowing all surplus monies to be re-invested into the club,” the supporters club said.
“We call upon Red & White to clarify their position. So far Usmanov has paid a lot of money to purchase 23 per cent of Arsenal but he has not put anything into the club itself. It would be appalling if he were to now seek to extract monies.”
I’m not aiming to rewrite anything, I just like to see the source. So the FT said six years ago that Usmanov said he wanted dividends. Can you use this amazing ‘Google search’ to get to the bit where Usmanov actually says it?
There are other sources. I quoted FT specifcially, for a very good reason. It checkmated you from writing it off as an internet rumor from a dodgy source!
So instead you now move on to some trumped charge that you need a quote. Why? Have you previously set yourself a standard of finding a quote of Kroenke himself saying he was going to bleed Arsenal dry, before you drew that conclusion. Nope.
But here we have concrete news report from the world’s leading financial newspaper confirming that Usmanov demanded dividends – and you are not man enough to admit you were wrong. Instead you just keep droning on.
PS: The FT writer’s name is posted why don’t you contact him. And start doing proper research before publishing denialist rubbish. You surely must have been living under a rock when this happened because I remembered it clear as day – and it took 5 seconds and two words on Google to confirm it: “Usmanov dividends”. WTF dont you put in simple, basic effort to do elementary research yourself before jumping in other people’s face to deny well KNOWN and well DOCUMENTED facts….which anyone who was actually following this case have easily remembered very well – even without Google.
To cut a long story short, cut the crap and challenge yourself to be informed before trying to blatantly brevise history. You are not dealing with fools here.
Usmanov is nothing but a greedy trader who is aiming to cash out by any means possible – and he doesnt mind bleeding the club to get his money back. Bleeding the club was the FIRST thing he tried. having failed he is now suckering fans to support him and believe anything to the contrary. Put his hands on the till and its effing empty. Go ask the people in Uzbekistan who’s public assets he privatized. Wait until he “privatizes” the pot of cash that Arsenal has worked for decades to accumulate – and runs away laughing at the idiot fans he fooled.
Well, to cut a long story short: Sure I could do research, but I’m lazy and it’s more fun to wind you up.
Let me ask you this question then: What is Usmanov’s motive for turning up at matches regularly if his aim is actually to bleed Arsenal dry? Is he just doing that to get fans on his side, because it seems like a lot of trouble when (as you like to keep pointing out) the fans don’t decide what happens to Kroenke’s shares.
This saga has burnt itself out (i hope) some mega-bucks guy will get his hands on the club,as it is with most of the big universal clubs Most of them started out as crooks,’cos thats how they got there. Mr Usmanov is a proven soccer fan,and has several club interests,and presumably knowledge of the game I’m not saying he is the right or the wrong person for the job, but it’s going to happen one way or the other,so why not go with the “Arsenal Fan”
How many “Arsenal fans” do you know that aim to empty the club’s coffers into their own pockets, rather than spend it on transfers?
Phil, if you didnt know that Usmanov demanded dividends, and then remain in denial after being confronted with the facts, then personally I can’t take you seriously, as you’re either a sock pupper or tool. And I don’t think your questions are worth any further time.
I’m not in denial, I have acknowledged your research using this mysterious thing you refer to as ‘google search’. I’m just trying to square Usmanov’s behaviour with the motives you ascribe to him. As I’ve said before, if you don’t know the answer just say ‘I don’t know’. I’m sure no one will think any less of you.
Err no – I DO know: I remembered very clearly Usmanov demanded dividends in 2007 as soon as he turned up. And I proved it.
YOU dont know. Feel free to say that.
If you want to know why greed and riches go hand in hand, ask your mother or father, not me.
You seem a little confused now. We’ve moved on from whether Usmanov wants dividends – he said he did in 2007, that’s fine – and we’re on to why he bothers turning up at Arsenal week after week if his sole intention is to bleed the club dry.
I’m not confused: he asked for dividends. You asked for proof – I gave it to you. The-greedy-SOB-Usmanov-demanded-dividends. End of. Go chew on that – and the sack of red herrings in your hand.
You seem confused by the fact that the conversation has moved on. You are stuck on the dividends point and keep repeating yourself. I don’t know how to make this any plainer, but I’ll ask again: What is Usmanov’s motive for turning up at so many Arsenal matches? Surely a busy billionaire has better things to do?
Conversation topic – as per the title of the blog article – is: “What Has Alisher Usmanov Promised Arsenal”.
Answer: To rape the treasury. And nothing else.
Tool.
Which bit of ‘the conversation has moved on’ is proving tricky for you?
I dont eat herrng – especially not red ones.
Tell more about the dividends Usmanov wants and how it is that the manager will get more money to spend when Arsenal’s treasury is tapped to fund the 2-300 million that Usmanov paid to your “hero” David Dein and lifelong “Arsenal fan”?
Even Judas feigned undying love for Jesus. But….he still sold him out for the silver in a heartbeat.
Tool.
I don’t recall saying David Dein was my hero. You’re making things up now.
Unfortunately for you, I am not making anything up. What you resent is that I presented you with hard, ugly facts: Usmanov is here because he is out to empty the treasure chest. Greedy billionaire out to make more money – quelle surprise….
I don’t resent anything, that’s entirely in your head. But you did make up that David Dein is my hero, which he isn’t.
Phil, Usmanov isn’t Arsenal’s second biggest shareholder. It’s Red & White that own the shares. We don’t know what stake Usmanov has in R&W as they are not a UK based company.
Usmanov owns half of Red & White – he has to declare that to Arsenal and the PL. But technically, ok, he owns half of 29.99%, unless he buys out Moshiri from R&W. I tend to use the word Usmanov as shorthand for Red & White Holdings.
Similar to the Henry Norris situation. Henry Norris = Henry Norris + William Hall. Will be interesting to see what the constitution of the club is if they do buy Stan’s shares.
I’ve trawled thru all of the above…..Stan K wants us as collateral,,,,,Mr U wants to invest (so he says),,in the end who will make us as big as the biggest in the football world…..carefully handled Mr U could acheive that ‘cos at least he enjoys and understands football
Lie.
Usmanov is on the baord at CSKA Mosocow where he has done sweet FA.
And we are to be comforted by the fact that Usmanov has little skin in the game but is a frontman for unknown people, while himself using David “I Cashed Out Spectacularly” Dein as a frontman because Usmanov himself is so distasteful.
Well it that’s not attractive I dont know what is.
Cayman Islands tax dodger mystery meat, anyone? You’re footing the bill anyway.