Arsenal missing out on Champions League will not kill club
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Arsenal missing out on Champions League will not kill club, says chairman
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has told Arsene Wenger it won't be the end of the world if the Gunners miss out on the Champions League next season.
Bulletproof boss Wenger is staring down the barrel at his first finish outside the top four in 13 years after slipping five points behind Aston Villa in the race for Europe. And although his Gunners side are far from being a one-man team, every goal Arsenal in January has been either scored or made by Robin van Persie.
Wenger virtually conceded the title was beyond his flagging side after the Dutch striker's injury-time volley rescued a point at Everton on Wednesday.
Le Professeur admitted Arsenal - eight points behind leaders Manchester United - were now battling for fourth place with the Toffees and Villa. Now Old Etonian Hill-Wood, 72, has moved to reassure Gunners fans who are twitchy about the possible consequences of a season without Champions League football.
Crocked skipper Cesc Fabregas and Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor's continued loyalty is thought to be index-linked to Arsenal retaining their top-four status.
But Hill-Wood, whose dynasty has run Arsenal for most of the last 80 years, last night insisted there would be NO financial apocalypse and NO ramifications for paying off the mortgage on the club's £360m Emirates Stadium.
The club, which made a £36.7m profit last season, need to sustain £20m-ayear repayments over 23 years to cover the £250m bonds issue which financed the project.
Hill-Wood said: "There is no denying that it would be a real financial drain on the club if we didn't qualify for the Champions League next season. "Even if we were in the UEFA Cup and enjoyed a long run in Europe, that would not come close to making up the shortfall.
"But although missing out on the Champions League for one year would be a big disappointment, it would not mean financial armageddon for Arsenal. "When we worked out the budget, and did our fund-raising calculations in respect of the new stadium, we did not assume we were going to be in the Champions League every season.
"That may be an assumption at other clubs, and it's not for me to comment on the way they are run, but we did not want to get out of our depth in terms of paying our bills.
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Is the Arsenal chairman preparing their fans for in case they don't make it to the champions league?
If Arsenal don't make it to next year's CL... You may start to see a number of clubs like Real and Barce coming to take their players away... Fabregas, RVP, Gallas, Adebayor... all may go.
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financially it wont kill them but the fans will be real disappointed.
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Lolx Remenber Liverpool in 2005? They were 5th Place (Below Bolton Wanders) In the end Liverpool get CL spot as Bolton (4th Place) get UEFA spot
Coz Liverpool get the CL Thropy -
Originally posted by Scania N113CRB l0v3r:
Lolx Remenber Liverpool in 2005? They were 5th Place (Below Bolton Wanders) In the end Liverpool get CL spot as Bolton (4th Place) get UEFA spot
Coz Liverpool get the CL ThropyBolton? cannot be.
You mean Everton.
and even than, everton played champions league.
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Originally posted by skythewood:
Bolton? cannot be.
You mean Everton.
and even than, everton played champions league.
5 England Team in CL? lolx
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Originally posted by Scania N113CRB l0v3r:
5 England Team in CL? lolx
You didn't know? LOL.