Arsenal News:Why Arsenal should be lauded, not criticised

Why Arsenal should be lauded, not criticised

As the world's financial markets finally begin to bottom out, what can be learned from the experience of football?

Before that question can be answered it is worth looking at the financial climate in football first. With this brings the question; has football at the top level known there's been a recession at all?

Aston Villa have found new wealth and been keen to spend it, not often a sign of a recession, nor is the spending of Manchester City; Mark Hughes is rapidly resembling a child let loose on Football Manager with the unlimited money cheat.

His work is put in the shade by Real Madrid, whose £200 million plus spending goes strangely unmentioned by Sepp Blatter. Interestingly, but hardly surprisingly their total debt has risen to £200 million in the last year alone.

The selling of Ronaldo apart, Manchester United continue to add to their squad, with 2 new Serbians, Antonio Valencia and Berbatov amongst the recent, expensively assembled additions.

Everton are a club that plead poverty, and their fans regularly ask for greater investment. Their spending over the last 18 months has climbed to over £30 million. Similarly their neighbours Liverpool have a manager who is keen to point to how well he is doing with such 'limited' resources. These limited resources have seen him spend an average net outlay of £11 million a season. Second only to Chelsea in the Abramovich era, and higher that Manchester United.

The £7 million spent for what was essentially a 6 month, 19 game loan for Robbie Keane was a highlight, and indeed Tottenham could take credit for such business, were it not conducted at the same time as they bought back Jermaine Defoe for a 300% mark up on what they sold him to Portsmouth for a year earlier.

Newcastle United, so routinely hammered by the media for their fiscal frivolities, seem too easy a target to point out. In short football at the top level acts as if the world is in a golden age, all whilst clubs at the bottom level are crippled by debt from lower attendances.

All this happens yet Arsenal are routinely chastised for not spending beyond their means. The world's crisis was caused by, amongst other things, short selling and people taking on credit they couldn't afford, something Arsenal have refused to do.

With footballer's as today's heroes and the clubs as modern churches is it not fair to expect them to deal as though they have some influence on those that follow them? Young people increasingly use football, not simply as an escape, but as something to look up to.

The message from football is clear; the only way to make it to the top and stay there is to gamble everything you've already achieved and earned and hope a few results go your way. The kind of thinking that got the world into this mess in the first place.

During all the chaos Arsenal continue to operate in a way that shows success is achievable through developing your resources, investing wisely and not spending beyond means, all whilst living an exciting and entertaining life.

Let's hope young people, and more importantly the banks, take note

Written by Lewis Wright on Tuesday, October 13, 2009