Originally Posted by SpiderMan 83:
“Wgen i say stooge, i mean he does their face to face bidding. He comes out and spouts all the nonsense the club tells him too. Imo him and the board are one in the same, He makes them money, they give him a reward. However they let him take all the flack and get away with it.”
To me, the problem is almost the complete opposite of that; I simply don't see him doing what the board tells him.
I think he has complete power and the problem is that they are happy to leave him to it. After all the club is profitable, is building HUGE reserves of cash and the fans aren't (yet) protesting. Why on earth would they want to step in?
The present day club has been built by Arsene and his word is law. That's why we've become so dysfunctional and incapable of change. It's why the same failures are repeated season after season after season. If anything we are suffering because the board doesn't get more involved, doesn't lay the law down to Arsene, doesn't tell him to either get his act together or get out. If they had maybe things wouldn't be as bad as they are now.
I think the huge cash balances are evidence of that. Kroenke has always appeared to operate a 'hands off' policy and not take funds out of the club (beyond a 'management' fee). What other owner would run their club like that? We have more cash in the bank than anyone else in world football! Sadly I think we have become a victim of an owner and board who don't have the interest, confidence or ability to challenge an all powerful manager.
That's why I think the only way things can change is if the fans start to protest. That may either stir the board from inactivity and/or drive Wenger from the club. It's ridiculous we've come to this point but if nothing changes then we will continue to fall further and further behind.
