October 18th, 2012 by Geoff & filed under News Review.

Morning all, I am going to talk about the survey published today by the BBC who claim the average price of a ticket in the last 12 months rose by 5 times the rate of inflation. So this post is about that, it’s not a doom and gloom post, it’s just what it is, so read on because this time it’s not me, it’s the BBC. (Survey)

I have always said there are only 3 reasons a kid starts supporting a club.

1) Because their dad does (or family member)

2) Because they are local to the club

3) Because that club is successful

That’s it, they don’t support a club because they like the manager, the board or the way they are run.

If their dad supports the club they get brainwashed at an early age, I know as I did it to my kids.

Many become fans because they live locally, I also know that because of what I witnessed when I lived in East Ham and saw how loyal kids were to their team.

Everyone over the local park had a West Ham shirt on, or similar colour as replica shirts weren’t available during WW1. Though you did get the odd ManU shirt because they were a famous club.

But there are now a growing amount that support teams that are successful and buy top players, it’s because that way they don’t get ribbed in the playground, and also to follow top players when they watch a game. And you can see that by the amount of kids you see all over in Chelsea or Man City shirts.

Now it seems Arsenal and ManU make more in two home games than Wigan do all season, it’s easy to see why as they charge more to get in, Arsenal’s most expensive ticket is £126 (for a regular seat, not in a box) and that’s the most expensive in football, whereas you can still get a season ticket at Man City for £275.

We also have the most expensive season ticket in the EPL, not bad for a team that has won nothing for 8 years.

Arsenal have long taken the fans for granted by paying themselves masses, look at our wage bill, it’s gone from £124mil to £140mil in a season, you may say well that’s what you have to do to attract top players, but it’s not, it’s what we pay a lot of average or worse players.

We still can’t get rid of 7 because we pay them too much, so if we had a hard core of 20 players we paid good salaries to and the rest realistic ones our wage bill would plummet. And we could attract a few stars. (or keep a few!)

When you pay a manager £7.5mil and a Chief Executive £2.5mil for winning nothing it’s easy to see how they have lost touch with the working man and average fan. But as long as the fans keep shelling out, they will keep paying themselves those salaries.

People need to understand that we don’t buy bargain basement to be self sustaining, we do it to pay a select few huge salaries.

I watched the Olympiakos game on TV and there were empty seats everywhere, a worrying trend?

Think about it Arsenal, your self sustaining model is based on what you take off the fans, not what you take off the sponsors, and if Ivan and his highly paid corporate team were any good at their job it would be the other way around. Like ManU.

There was a backlash against greedy Bankers a while back, in the not too distant future there will be against the football industry and all those who sail in her. Someone needs to explain to me how Gazidas justifies his bonus, please where does that come from?

A footballer used to relate to those on the terraces, ask Charlie George, they don’t anymore.

I hear people say well what do you do? Well I gave up my season tickets and have refused to go to a home game until they change their suicidal policy. The damage they are doing to our great club won’t kick in until long after Wenger and Gazidas have gone and that’s the shame of it.

They’ll say it’s because they aren’t there anymore.

I won’t stop watching though because I love Arsenal, I’m one of those local kids, and of course in those days we were relatively successful.

Onto football, with our £35mil transfer kitty we are now being linked to Roberto Soldado, another one I wouldn’t kick out of bed! Jack is one game closer to returning and Gnabry is getting rave reviews.

I would expect to see Sagna on the bench on Saturday and hope Jack will be there, I suspect he won’t be though.

I have no idea what happened to Rosicky or Chezzer but I would wrap Rosicky up with Diaby and look to move them on this year. I like them both but what they have contributed against what they have cost is poles apart.

Oxo had a good run out last night and looked hungry, not sure if we’ll see him Saturday but I would let him loose. Maybe this is also a game to put Gnabry on the bench?

Anyway a lot to think about today and of course one day closer to Saturday! Have a great day Grovers.

I'm ready: Fit-again Wilshere tells Wenger to finally hand him return after 15 months out


Jack Wilshere has told Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger he is ready to end his 15 month injury nightmare.

The 20-year-old played 90 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly defeat to Chelsea at the Gunners’ London Colney HQ on Wednesday.

It was Wilshere’s third match this month after two outings for the club’s Under 21 side and the England international is now convinced he is ready to make his long-awaited return to the Arsenal first-team set up.


Wilshere, who has suffered from a string of ankle, foot and knee problems, has told Wenger he can make his comeback in the weekend visit to Norwich.

Whether the Frenchman - who has taken an ultra cautious approach to Wilshere’s comeback - decides to name the youngster in his squad remains to be seen but the midfielder’s now looks set to return in a matter of days rather than weeks.

In more good news, Bacary Sagna also played 90 minutes in yesterday’s 2-0 defeat after his five month spell on the sidelines with a broken leg.

Chelsea skipper John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta both played for the Blues XI.

Arsenal’s positive news was countered though by fears reserve goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi could face another three months out with ruptured ankle ligaments.

The Poland goalkeeper was hoping for a recall to the squad after being out since February with shoulder injuries but he damaged his ankle during training on Tuesday.

The latest setback for the 27-year-old means Vito Mannone, who began the season as third choice, will continue in goal with Argentinian Damian Martinez, 20, and James Shea, 21, as back-up. First choice Wojciech Szczesny is still three weeks off recovery from his ankle injury.

Meanwhile, Arsenal, who are watching Boca Juniors' 18-year-old striker Leandro Paredes, may consider sending defender Johan Djourou out on loan in January.

Olivier Giroud says that playing for Arsenal is a dream come true. Which sounds like the usual sort of thing a player says when he joins a new club and is doing the press that surrounds it, but a couple of months (and goals) into his Arsenal career he explained why he’s so happy at the Emirates and why he wanted to kiss Lukas Podolski.

Speaking to Sport Magazine, the former Montpellier man said he was keen to follow the trail blazed by so many French players before him. Legends like Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Kaba Diawara had all graced the Gunners pitch, and he wanted to do likewise.

“Since I was very young, I dreamed of playing for Arsenal because a lot of French guys have succeeded there and it‘s a a big club,” he said.

“Every year they play in the Champions League, and that was important in my decision. But also, I believe in this team and this squad. And I think we have a great chance to win something this year.”

After missing some chances in his early games, there was pressure on the £12m summer signing to start hitting the target, and with Arsenal 1-0 down at West Ham he found a great time to get off the mark in the Premier League.

But rather than hog the praise himself he was quick to acknowledge the great pass he received from fellow new-boy Lukas Podolski.

“I was so happy, I ran to Lukas and said: ‘Come my friend, I want to kiss you. It was a wonderful moment – I want to live more moments like this.”

We at Arseblog News applaud Podolski for his pass and his faithfulness. If Giroud had tried to throw the gob on us we’d definitely have let him. And have a squeeze of a moob too (but nothing else until a second date, we’re not sluts, you know).

After a great midweek goal against Spain he’ll return to the Arsenal ready for the Premier League with renewed confidence and eroticism, and who can complain about that?