All clubs will have to comply with the FFP regulations in Europe, and there is a realistic chance similar, or even the same, rules will apply domestically. This is where we are heading. How soon? Don't know, but football will get there.

Arsenal will most likely improve dramatically on the commercial side in the next 3 years, which should help our cash flow quite much.

My first point will make sure that the Benayouns of Europe won't be on £92k a week.
My second point should put us in a quite good position.

Don't think we are fucked, but we will struggle to really compete in the short term, and we will have to try to at least hold our current position in various pecking orders for another 3-5 years I think.

Glen Johnson is on more than £100K at Liverpool. At least in Benayoun there's an excellent player when he's not injured.

Not exactly excellent.

Bumper Rex wrote:

All clubs will have to comply with the FFP regulations in Europe, and there is a realistic chance similar, or even the same, rules will apply domestically. This is where we are heading. How soon? Don't know, but football will get there.

Arsenal will most likely improve dramatically on the commercial side in the next 3 years, which should help our cash flow quite much.

My first point will make sure that the Benayouns of Europe won't be on £92k a week.
My second point should put us in a quite good position.

Don't think we are fucked, but we will struggle to really compete in the short term, and we will have to try to at least hold our current position in various pecking orders for another 3-5 years I think.

Don't be so naive Rex.
If the pay rate for players decline it will be because the market cannot support it, not because some pseudo-marxist like Platini decrees it.
The fact is that clubs are making massive amounts of money from the game through TV and sponsorship etc, thats simply the market deciding the pay rate due to the laws of supply and demand, why shouldn't the players share in this gold rush?
They're the ones who risk being crippled not the fat bald cunts in suits who sit in the boardrooms counting their shares.
Good luck to Yossi, thats what it costs to be competitive nowadays, if our club think they can get a cheap seat at the feast by not paying their way thats where we should direct our anger not at the players.

There is just this small little glitch in your argument - transfer fees and player wages mean that the vast majority of clubs don't get to enjoy a single penny of that money from TV and sponsorship. Most top clubs are run at a loss. Arsenal truly is an exception there.

The way I see it, is that YOU are the one being naive if you think that most owners of football clubs ENJOY losing money. You do realize that the Abramovitchs and the Mansours are in minority here? The reason why FFP WILL work, eventually, is because 99 percent of those that matter, the owners, WANT it to work. Why? Because they are sick and tired of losing money mainly.

Ipso facto Rex- If you're not successful you won't be a top club.
You're just applying subjective criterion to what a club "makes", how do you define earnings and incomes? Isn't a gift an income?
As for the other clubs- Theres no law saying you have to spend so I don't think their owners are hanging out for the FFP to restrain their spending as they don't trust themselves.

Clubs, and owners, want to be able to compete of course. The Man Cities, Chelseas and PSGs of Europe have set a new standard which pretty much everyone in leading positions in football have realized is unsustainable. That's why they want a change. It is happening Gus whether you or Mansour want it or not.

The Man Cities, Chelseas and PSGs of Europe have set a new standard, and it's up to us to keep up or as Timbo says we may as well pack our bags.

Those clubs epitomize everything that is wrong in football, and joining them is NOT the solution.

FFP will not stop clubs from spending big, at best it may slightly reduce their spending for a year or two, whichever way you want to get round it there is no other way but to spend obscene amounts on wages and fees IF you want to win the league or cl that is. It is yet another false outlook for the future a bit like that youth policy we started 8 years ago.

No not the FFP, the European financial crisis has naturally tempered spending, when it's over things will return to normal
The problem is Wenger will only pay what he thinks a player is worth not what the market says hes worth- So we miss out.

Clubs that spend unwisely should face the consequences. Leeds and Portsmouth had to pay. If you're chasing and you can't keep up then tough luck.

So Rangers deserved what they got? Harsh.

Err they did face the consequences Tony, I don't understand your point.
This doesn't apply to us- We can afford to spend far more in wages and transfers than we do.

Two separate issues though.

Biggus wrote:

Err they did face the consequences Tony, I don't understand your point.
This doesn't apply to us- We can afford to spend far more in wages and transfer than we do.

I know. That's good.

If a chasing team wants to compete with City but then go under, that's their problem. Why should UEFA make sure that City are curbed? They would never curb Real.

Rangers, Leeds and Portsmouth had to live and die by their decisions.

The background to Rangers story is quite a bit different to what happened at other clubs and has more to do with the actions of the owner than the policy of the club.

Tam wrote:

The background to Rangers story is quite a bit different to what happened at other clubs and has more to do with the actions of the owner than the policy of the club.

The owner is part of the club. If he messes up then he is to answer for. He has a responsibility.