Arsenal Fever
Latest News,Podcasts and Radio related to Arsenal Football Club.Archive for February 21, 2007
Gunners half year turnover increases to 10 million GBP
Group turnover increased to GBP100.8 million (2005: GBP57.0 million) as a result of higher gate and match day revenues at Emirates Stadium and sale of a property development site at Drayton Park.
- Operating profits before depreciation and player trading increased to GBP20.0 million (2005: GBP8.0 million).
- Profits before net finance charges and taxation increased to GBP19.6 million (2005: GBP14.3 million).
- GBP210 million of fixed rate bonds and GBP50 million of floating rate bonds issued in the period to refinance all of the Group’s stadium related debt. The refinancing provides a stable financial base and significant reduction in annual debt service costs for the long term. One-off, exceptional costs of GBP21.4 million associated with the refinancing result in the overall result for the period being a loss after taxation of GBP6.2 million (2005: profit of GBP9.6 million).
- The redevelopment of Highbury into over 700 residential units has commenced and the demolition work has now been completed. Approximately 90% of the units released for sale at Highbury Square have already been pre-sold.
Commenting on the results for the half year Peter Hill-Wood, non-executive Chairman, said:
“As well as providing improved match day facilities and tickets for a far greater number of the Club’s supporters, the Emirates Stadium project had an objective of providing Arsenal with the financial strength and resources to compete at the very highest level in all competitions. I believe that the results for the Group’s first period in its new home demonstrate that we have already achieved this milestone.”
The six months to 30 November 2006 has been another very successful period for the Group marked by the opening of Emirates Stadium in July 2006 and the commencement of the redevelopment works at Highbury. At the end of October 2006 we were very honoured to welcome HRH Duke of Edinburgh for the official opening of Emirates Stadium.
In November the Emirates Stadium / Arsenal on the Move project collected two awards at the 2006 London Planning Awards — “Best Built Project Contributing to London’s Future” and the “Mayor’s Award for Planning Excellence”. The project has also won “Best Mixed Use Regeneration Project” at the 2006 Regeneration Awards, a commendation from the 2006 Structural Steelwork Awards and has been nominated for the “Major Project Award” at the Quality in Construction Awards.
We have set ourselves very high targets for the standard of match day experience which we want to provide for all of our supporters at Emirates Stadium with its increased capacity, use of technology and significantly expanded corporate and hospitality facilities. This has been a major challenge and although we have been very pleased with the progress made to date we do not expect to reach our final targets for operational efficiency until the end of the season. The feedback from supporters has generally been extremely positive. Emirates Stadium has also proved to be a popular venue for conferences and other non match day events.
In addition to the Club’s own home matches, Emirates Stadium has also played host to two prestigious international friendly fixtures; in September Brazil played Argentina and earlier this month Brazil versus Portugal. We hope that international matches of a similar stature will become a regular feature of the Emirates Stadium calendar.
The redevelopment of Highbury into over 700 apartments and penthouses commenced as soon as the first match had successfully been staged at Emirates Stadium. We have again appointed Sir Robert McAlpine as our main contractor and they expect to have some 800 workers on site at the peak of the construction work on the 3.5 hectare site. The demolition work has already been completed whilst at the same time retaining the facades to the listed East and West Stands. The level of pre-sales of the residential units remains very strong at approximately 90% of the units released for sale.
The financial results for the period are covered in more detail below – the Group’s turnover for the period has exceeded GBP100 million and profits, before exceptional costs of GBP21.4 million and taxation, were GBP12.8 million against GBP14.6 million at the same stage last year.”
We are confident – Wenger
Arsene Wenger is confident Arsenal can still progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, despite seeing his side beaten 1-0 by PSV Eindhoven.
They must now win at Emirates Stadium next month but Wenger believes his side will produce an improved performance.
“I feel we had a decent first half and created chances to be in front. We had chances in the first half to kill the game and we could not do it,” he told ITV4.
“But what happened in the second half is difficult to say. We dropped our level of cohesion, and our passing and fluency went. We created barely anything.
“We looked heavy-legged and were never really up with the pace of the game. We have to accept that.
“But we are only 1-0 down and it could have been 2-0. We have a chance to put it right at the Emirates.
“We will give everything as we have a good chance still to qualify.”
PSV began the game very defensively and Wenger was unhappy with their tactics, but he insists his side can find a way to break them down at home.
He said: “They started the game to play for a 0-0. After they scored the goal, the defended even more but somebody needs to play.
“We have to go forward and it will demand a lot of focus and a good balance between attack and defence.
“From tonight I feel we are in a tricky situation because we have to score two without conceding.
“But from the game I have seen tonight, we have enough confidence and belief that we can achieve that.”
PSV take first round, win 1-0
Arsenal’s hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League were dented as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat against PSV Eindhoven.
Edison Mendez struck after an hour to leave Arsenal needing a win in the return leg at Emirates Stadium in a fortnight.
The Gunners controlled the first half and carved out all the game’s best chances, but they were frustrated by their spirited opponents as they failed to grab an away goal.
Tomas Rosicky dashed into the left side of the PSV box after a one-two with Thierry Henry and angled a low strike across Heurelho Gomes, but the goalkeeper stretched out a hand to half-stop the shot and Carlos Salcido cleared the danger.
Philippe Senderos also crashed a header wide from a Cesc Fabregas corner, before Rosicky bent an audacious effort just past the right-hand post from 20 yards out.
The way PSV started the game with numbers behind the ball and defence uppermost in their minds.
PSV’s main attacking outlet was Arouna Kone and he proved a handful at times for Arsenal’s defence, but he lacked support and the home side were restricted to shots from distance.
The best of these came from Philip Cocu on the half hour mark, but the power on his strike from 30 yards failed to unduly trouble Jens Lehmann.
Henry had looked in the mood to deliver throughout the first half without ever really getting into the action, but he sprang to life after 43 minutes as he swivelled on the edge of the area and drew a fine save out of Gomes.
Moments later Gomes was scrambling again as Henry curled a stunning shot from 25 yards out, but there was not quite enough dip on the ball and it flew inches over.
PSV played much more positively as the second half got underway and Kone was presented with a fabulous opportunity when he was wrongly adjudged to be onside from Mendez’s free-kick, but the Ivory Coast international dragged his volley well wide.
Arsenal lost all their rhythm and made several sloppy mistakes to aid the Dutch side’s cause, and Mendez seized the moment to fire PSV ahead after 61 minutes. He exchanged passes with Kone 25 yards from goal and then rifled a low shot past Lehmann and into the bottom left corner.
The Gunners almost responded immediately as Fabregas combined with Rosicky and crashed a ferocious shot towards the roof of the net, but he was denied by a flying save from Gomes.
Julio Baptista was brought on for the ineffectual Alexander Hleb, while Sun Xiang became the first Chinese player to compete in the Champions League when he replaced the injured Manuel de Costa for PSV.
As the clock ticked down Arsenal tried to pick a hole in the PSV defence, but there was no way through their organised back-line or the inspired Gomes, who had to be alert to keep out Baptista’s bouncing free-kick.
PSV even had a chance to double their lead late on when Kone broke forward and released Mendez, but his strike was well blocked.
Source: www.skysports.com
Henry is the toughest – Puyol
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has labelled Thierry Henry as ‘the most difficult player he has ever had to mark’.
Puyol says Henry caused nightmares for him like no other striker ever has and would not look forward to another meeting with the Gunners star.
“Thierry Henry is a huge player,” Puyol told France Football.
“I have played against him twice. With Barca I won in May and with the Spanish team he won one month later.
“In Paris, he had gaps and it was a nightmare for me, as I had to mark him.
“I never understood why he criticised me and (Rafael) Marquez for being too harsh with him. But it is not important.
“The fact is he is the most difficult player I ever had to mark.”
