Arsenalisation

[BLUENUT]

http://arsenal-mania.com/articles/3107288/...-important.html

Since it opened, Arsenal's new stadium has been criticised for lacking a bit of soul and history, with many labelling it as too corporate and not a structure that really identified with the history of the club. The club thus embarked on a process it has dubbed 'Arsenalisation', and Saturday was the first time that these changes were viewable by the public.

Chief Executive Office Ivan Gazidis has been at the heart of 'Arsenalisation', and is a project that he is very excited about. Mr Gazidis feels that it gives something back to the fans. The Arsenal boss wants to make the Emirates feel more of a 'home' for the fans when they visit on match days, and not an empty or soulless structure that reflects the club's high-paying clientele.

Too many sound-bites for my liking, ''the club's high-paying clientele'' - what ever happened to supporters??

Please Chelsea, redevelope if you have to, but don't ever move grounds!

[TheWestwayWonder]

What exactly does he suggest Bluenut? The article does something weird when I open it. It sounds vaguely like Chelsea trying to give out flags and scarves on CL nights to get people more into the atmosphere.

I will, however, echo your comments about SB. I know expansion, if its even possible, will come at a high cost, but I dearly hope the club never consider a switch to a 'bowl' like Arsenal have.

I think there has been a backlash against these designs because of the Emirates and new Wembley. The Portuguese built a few for Euro2004, but I hope people now see the wisdom in recreating a traditional "proper" football space, even if that comes at the expense of modernity or a few seats

[geezer]

They gave out scarves at the weekend bless them. Where did they get that idea from?

[PloKoon13]

They gave out scarves at the weekend bless them. Where did they get that idea from?

Weren't we condemned as plastic for that? :)

[geezer]

Weren't we condemned as plastic for that? :)

I think the terminology used was far more derogatory than that :)

[PloKoon13]

I think the terminology used was far more derogatory than that :)

"Rotters"?

[geezer]

"Rotters"?

It may even have been "cads"

[BLUENUT]

What exactly does he suggest Bluenut? The article does something weird when I open it. It sounds vaguely like Chelsea trying to give out flags and scarves on CL nights to get people more into the atmosphere.

I will, however, echo your comments about SB. I know expansion, if its even possible, will come at a high cost, but I dearly hope the club never consider a switch to a 'bowl' like Arsenal have.

I think there has been a backlash against these designs because of the Emirates and new Wembley. The Portuguese built a few for Euro2004, but I hope people now see the wisdom in recreating a traditional "proper" football space, even if that comes at the expense of modernity or a few seats

They don't really suggest anything....here's the rest of the article for those who cannot open it:

Mr Gazidis said: "It's important to recognise that our fans are at the centre of the club, and that the supporters who attend our games have a right to have their say about the environment in which they watch those games. Listening to our fans, we were hearing a consistent message that, while Emirates is a superb modern stadium, they want us to make it more of a home. Ultimately it's our fans' house, so we've listened to that and taken steps over the last months to engage them in a process of discussion about what these ideas should be - and then to implement as many of them as we can early on in the new season.

"I'm really excited about all the elements of Arsenalisation. As they come together and you begin to see the vision realised, it's going to have a tremendous impact. The lower concourse is going to be transformed, and for the fans who attend that area it will make a fairly dramatic impact on their matchday experience. Additionally, I think the Highbury Shrine is one of the most sensational pieces of creative artwork that I've seen and it will be very impactful – while the cumulative impact of the players 'embracing' the stadium will be dramatic when all eight cores are covered.

"You'll already notice the cannon logo that will be formed by the seats in the lower level opposite the tunnel. This ensures that we'll have something inside the stadium itself stating very clearly that this is Arsenal's home in a way that is consistent with the values of the club. It's understated but confident. All of these things are done with a view to recognising the history, the tradition and the values of the club – but also providing a new, forward-looking vision and visual style to the stadium. Our rich tradition, coupled with vision, has always been a part of Arsenal.

"There will be more changes to come. It's important to understand that this is a first phase – there are other things that we think are great ideas, like moving away from the idea of 'Quadrants' and instigating a more 'human' naming of the various parts of the stadium, along with relocating the clock to the inside of the stadium. Some of those things have not been practical to implement for this year, for various reasons, but we still have them very much on our radar screen for the future.

"We're also going to be spending time learning more about the mechanics of the stadium and ways in which we can improve the fan experience in all aspects, not only visually.

"We have been working hard on Arsenalisation for the last couple of months, and will be phasing changes in over the first two or three home games - and I think that'll be quite exciting, because each time you come back to the stadium there'll be something new to experience. I hope all supporters enjoy the new developments as much as we have enjoyed putting them together."

Part of these new features will be walls that depict twelve of the 'Greatest Moments' in the club's history, with relating images and numbering. These 'moments' will be on walls around the lower concourse.

Manager Arsène Wenger has also been a part of the Arsenalisation process, and it shouldn't be a surprise as the Frenchman has been involved in SEVEN of these twelve greatest moments, listed below:

25 – The Herbert Chapman era

71 – The 'Double'

89 – Winning the title at Anfield

94 – Winning the Cup Winners' Cup

95 – Dennis Bergkamp signing for Arsenal

96 – Arsène Wenger appointed manager

97 – Ian Wright breaks Cliff Bastin's goalscoring record

98 – First 'Double' under Arsène Wenger

02 – Another 'Double'

04 – Arsenal winning the league and remaining unbeaten

05 – Thierry Henry breaking the Club's goalscoring record

49 – Unbeaten run by the 'Invincibles'

Wenger, who has always been a staunch believer that the club's supporters should be at the very heart of the club, said: "You want to transfer the history of the club somewhere into the walls, and create a new history with the results. At the moment we have maybe not achieved that, not outside or on the pitch. My job and that of the team is to create it.

"Highbury had a natural soul because of all the history. We have to create history here first by winning titles but also by making the place warm so you feel the history of the club.

"The history of this club we left behind in a different building. But it is important that in this new place the history and the values of the Club are kept alive.

"I have met so many people who have been going to Arsenal for 50 or 60 years and had their heart and soul at Highbury. We have to give them something back here where they think 'that is part of what I have experienced my whole life'.

"They want to see the faces of the players they have seen - Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, Cliff Bastin. That has to still continue here. The desire is there but not only from me, the board want to do it and personally I find it a fantastic idea."

Ironically, instead of wheeling out legends at halftime, they nearly resigned one of them in the summer.

New stadiums are corporate hell holes, and Cash-burden Grove is about a soul-less as they come.