Usmanov: Arsenal's Saviour Or Dangerous Scoundrel?

Now to the crux of the matter. ABU's interest with our beloved Club. Our Club that had upheld it's traditions throughout its existence. Proudly standing under fire whilst its rivals sold their soul to pay for dreams that were wafer thin. As mentioned previously, ABU (I do hope he doesn't mind me abbreviating his name in such a way, why do I feel he's watching me after I found out about his investment in Twitter?) first invested in 2007, when he bought David Deins' shares of 14.58% for £75m.

David Dein is still lamented as a significant loss to many of us as his close ties with Arsene and his suave, dilligent business manner were useful in luring targets to us, but I digress. Dein still had a part to play in this tale though, as he became the Head of the Investment Vehicle that owned the shares, Red and White Holdings. Leap forward a month, R&W Holdings upped its stake to 23%. Fiszman was the biggest shareholder at the time with 24% as Silent Stan didn't get to 30% until a year later.

Coincidentally, ABU worked behind the scenes and by Feb 2008, he had acquired just over 24%. Upon reaching this marker, he issued a statement, stating that he had no intention to make a full takeover bid for 6 months and that he had been a fan for 7 years. Upon this statement being released, our beloved Peter Hill-Wood, Chairman at the time, issued a lockdown at Boardroom level. I can just imagine the meeting around a gargantuan Oak table, high backed chairs, all members swilling around brandy in their glasses, but with stern faces of consternation to offset the walls of leather-bound tomes. It must have been the most dramatic meeting they'd had for years.

The lockdown constituted just that - No shares were to be sold without approval from other Board Members and fellow members had first refusal. Hill-Woods first impressions of outside investment, a breach of the Old-Boys Club if you will, were voiced to his favourite mouthpiece, The Daily Star, of all channels, and were thinly-veiled at best. It would seem that Silent Stan seemed the lesser of two wolves baying at the door though, as an about turn meant that Stan was welcomed with open arms by PHW, beckoning him to his plush chair to talk about hunting and Faberge Eggs, I suspect. ABU however, was left at the doorstep. It was raining and Alisher hadn't a brolly. He looked in the window to see a roaring fire and Stan sitting comfortably, seemingly regaling the other Board Members with tales of the USA. You don't get to where ABU is without some resolve though, so he didn't let this disturbing chain of events rock his yacht. It would seem a storm was approaching though.

Kroenke, or rather, more appropriately, KSE UK, became the major shareholder in Arsenal plc in April 2011. Stan had bought Danny Fiszmans' and Lady Nina Bracewells' shares to take him to 62%. He offered to buy Alisher's shares, to which, unsurprisingly, ABU refused. No doubt with an imaginary turd through the letterbox. As a riposte to this, ABU increased his stake to 29% two months later. A somewhat surprising fact I unearthed is that Rangers Football Club held shares in us. Due to financial constraints they sold them to ABU in 2012. 

So, these late purchases after Kroenke became majority shareholder were obviously a statement of intent, a post-it-note on your lunch that is left in the communal work fridge if you will. To further set out his stall, maybe in part in an attempt to curry favour with disenchanted supporters of which many had become tired with a perceived lack of investment, ABU issued a statement. This manifesto was precipitated by that skunk-faced, c*nt-weasel RVP leaving for more trophy-laden climes by jumping ship to our rivals. It would seem ABU saw this as a good time to strike, no other man could claim to have his finger closer to the pulse of social emotion than Usmanov with his portfolio of media. He claimed that "current politics of the clubs management" were in part responsible for the clubs malaise. He repeated this claim a month later.

All quiet really in the marina for a couple of years, until the comments to Bloomberg yesterday. I felt compelled to write about this and air my redundant views as I feel that the use of the phrase "business interest" has finally pulled back the skin on the greedy, flaccid phallus and revealed the gangrenous intentions beneath. His earlier claims to be a fan and have great love for the club were always utter tosh, but to even spew them and expect the fans to eat it up hungrily had me opting for any other option than him. There was a growing quell of fans, even last season, who were still calling for ABU to ride in on his many chromed steeds, saving the Damsel in distress (us) and riding off into the sunset, eventually stripping her for parts to the highest bidder, akin to the auction scene in Taken. Dirty. I have never been one and I think the general concensus was the same. We don't want your money. We don't want to set a foundation of borrowed money and set a stall out atop it only for aforementioned foundation to be pulled out under us at any given time, sending every fibre of our Club slowly tumbling toward ruin. I may be being dramatic, but it's transparent the motives that compelled Usmanov. 

I agree Silent Stan isn't exactly Prince F*cking Charming either. Due to his penchant for sporting franchises in the US, it is quite clear he sees us as a business as well, but in a different sense. He has never attempted to claim fandom. He has never issued barbed statements toward the Board when attempting to swill brandy with the old guard. He's never tried to be anything other than what he is. I'll finish with this. Peter Hill-Wood, the third generation of family to have deep connections with our Club, had a choice between the two. He chose Stan, as did Fiszman and Lady Nina. I sure as hell trust their business accumen and decision above anyone elses in this instance. They knew. 

@JokmanAFCTell us what you think! If you agree, or have a different view, please leave a comment in the comments section or why not write a response or your own article on YouWrite?

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