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AnnouncementMod Team Update: /r/Gunners and Arsenal F.C. (self.Gunners)

submitted by J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win!

In the aftermath of the ESL controversy back in April, the mod team announced in this post that we would be distancing ourselves from the collaborative relationship we had fostered with the club. This was not a decision taken lightly but we believe it was the principled and correct thing to do in the face of the fanbase being completely disregarded by the club hierarchy. Your responses to the post indicated that the community was overwhelmingly supportive of this action, something which we are grateful for.

As stated in the original post, if Arsenal were willing to work with us and the community at large, we would consider reopening communications in the future. In the six months since that post was made, Arsenal’s media and communications department has undergone extensive internal changes, and the new team has offered us a fairly unique opportunity.

In the last week, Arsenal has reached out to the mod team to offer us a chance to meet with some of the directors and discuss how the club is and will continue to communicate and work with supporters and fan-led supporters groups such as /r/Gunners. They also restated the desire on their end to recommence collaborations such as AMAs, which is something that we unilaterally distanced ourselves from in the original post.

In the preliminary communications we’ve had so far, the club seems to be genuine in their attempts to bridge the gap. At no point have they tried to pressure us and have indicated that they’re understanding if we don’t wish to reconnect, something which we made clear was in the hands of our users.

It is the opinion of the mod team that the opportunity to directly engage with the club in this way would be productive, but are wary of being used for PR, so our initial thoughts are to accept the invitation to talk with the club, but wait until we are satisfied with their intentions going forward before doing anything like an AMA.

However, we understand that the wound may not have healed for the community just yet, and since the mod team functions as a representative entity of the whole group, we wanted to take into account in our decision-making process your feedback and opinions on whether reengaging with the club is something the community would consider.

We’re happy to answer questions and go back and forth on this and we won’t rush this, giving everyone a chance to weigh in.

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[–]AhhBistoGunnersaurus Fan Club 451 points452 points  (25 children)

You'd be mugs not to hear them out by the sound of it, you're good custodians of the community and personally I trust you'll have the best interests of the community at heart.

Ask them to buy a midfielder though.

[–]SwitchBack1337I miss Iwobi 85 points86 points  (21 children)

Little do they know we’re not actually going there for social media stuff, but for a trial to be in the squad. Mikel, watch out.

[–]Francis-c92GASPARRRR 40 points41 points  (20 children)

Hopefully they can look past my knackered knees and complete lack of footballing ability

[–]SwitchBack1337I miss Iwobi 28 points29 points  (19 children)

As long as you're a good dressing room influence and show passion it should be ok

[–]varro-reatinusZinchenko's Forbidden Knowledge 🔗▶️ youtu.be/v26n4FTTy3k&t=264 16 points17 points  (3 children)

'Show of faith' contract for Francis incoming.

[–]Wallnuts1225Freddie Ljungberg 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Coquelin Comeback?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Coquelin could ball

[–]Wallnuts1225Freddie Ljungberg 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Indeed. Until Hazard broke him. Physically and mentally.

[–][deleted]  (2 children)

[removed]

    [–]varro-reatinusZinchenko's Forbidden Knowledge 🔗▶️ youtu.be/v26n4FTTy3k&t=264 69 points70 points  (1 child)

    This would be amazing lmao

    'Didn't u/AfricanRain say he had a trial with Liverpool?'

    'No, he was on trial in Liverpool.'

    [–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

    😆😆 behnchod

    [–][deleted] 70 points71 points  (2 children)

    A suggestion: Find out some of the questions that the sub wants answered (could have a thread for that) and go into the meet with those questions. Thank you for the transparency though.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

    noted your idea, cheers

    [–]ADMunrotop, top qualitee 9 points10 points  (0 children)

    Good idea mate.

    [–]Cenniy 96 points97 points  (9 children)

    Sounds great. The message was put across clearly when the sub distanced itself from the club. Since then, I think the club have been making an effort to step up fan relations (even if some things, e.g. Cryptocurrency, feel a bit misplaced).

    However, i imagine this subreddit and the Arsenal community at large would not react well if fan-club trust is breached again.

    I have faith in 2nd chances, and believe the club will do and be better this time.

    [–]SwitchBack1337I miss Iwobi 11 points12 points  (8 children)

    However, i imagine this subreddit and the Arsenal community at large would not react well if fan-club trust is breached again.

    Speaking for myself here, but there can't be any way back if the club ever pull something like the Super League again. A line has to be drawn at some point.

    [–]iDervyi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

    I don't mean to burst your bubble, but the 'ESL' (The format itself more specifically) will most likely return in some shape or form in the future again. Whether it be via FIFA/UEFA, or club run, it will return.

    [–]Cenniy 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    What I said was definitely an understatement because I didn't want to be accused of inciting negativity. Youre right. A similar breach in trust would probably result in a mass exodus of all Big 6 club fans.

    [–]varro-reatinusZinchenko's Forbidden Knowledge 🔗▶️ youtu.be/v26n4FTTy3k&t=264 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    Always rated Lewes FC...

    [–]SwitchBack1337I miss Iwobi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    What I said was definitely an understatement because I didn't want to be accused of inciting negativity.

    No worries. The main reason we're putting this to the community first is to make sure everything is OK with reconnecting with the club going forward. The whole Super League debacle and legacy fans bullshit is still fresh in our minds.

    [–]Trippingthrutympong to ping- now i’m arteta in 27 points28 points  (3 children)

    Do a poll I guess?

    But I really appreciate you guy keeping things a lot more open between the users at the mod team regarding this.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 29 points30 points  (2 children)

    right now we're looking for more nuance than a Y/N poll, hence the thread for open discussion. we really do want to best represent the community though, so we're happy to never collab with the club again if r/gunners gives us that mandate

    [–]Trippingthrutympong to ping- now i’m arteta in 5 points6 points  (1 child)

    Haha yeah that was pretty immature of me to suggest a poll, I just personally wouldn’t know what to do in such a situation so there’s that. But I understand that you’re just trying to make sure that if any connection is made in the future it’s genuine and not just another PR Link and so treading lightly sounds like fair game.

    As I mentioned earlier, props to the mod team for thinking this through.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

    don't worry about it, wasn't trying to call you out for the poll thing at all.

    [–]Unplagiarist 52 points53 points  (1 child)

    I am fine with the cautious optimism that resonates in the post. I am especially happy with the transparency of it all.

    [–]TorreiraWithADouziIan Wright 14 points15 points  (0 children)

    Your picture is infuriating

    [–]Cohan1000 20 points21 points  (1 child)

    I don't understand why giveaways aren't more common. Some club merch to a random person(s) whose question gets answered during an AMA segment for example should be enough incentive to significantly increase interactions, and it's a win-win for everybody.

    Also charity. How about a percentage from the ad revenue from content made with the help of the community go to charity?

    Also I think we're in a position where we can ask for more openness from them, a partnership isn't a one way street, the initiative for different projects shouldn't be hold by only one party.

    There's so much that can be done for the benefit of us and and them alike.

    [–]bmoviescreamqueenIf we win the league i'll get an Arsenal tat 8 points9 points  (0 children)

    I would support a charity link up between us and the club, especially with the holidays coming up.

    [–]gooner-1969Williamson 29 points30 points  (0 children)

    Sounds like a well thoughout plan.

    Test the water and have small baby steps. But overall I'm all for trying to build back an official relationship

    [–]MahoganychickenJoey Jo-Jorginho Shabadoo 51 points52 points  (0 children)

    I think recent actions by the club have shown genuine willingness to change for the better. From the advert campaign to local businesses to giving fan groups opportunities to talk to KSE. I think this would be great for the subreddit to take up.

    Just don’t send AfricanRain to the meeting

    [–]cheesebigotLee Dixon 28 points29 points  (4 children)

    Media team may have changed, but unless they drive the overall business of the club, it's the same shoddy leadership with some shiny new lipstick.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 21 points22 points  (2 children)

    agreed, which is why our original idea is to hold off on the media collabs for now, and looking at this chance to talk to a director as a way to try and see where the club is headed.

    [–]cheesebigotLee Dixon 8 points9 points  (0 children)

    Props for the caution, hope the talks are insightful and productive

    [–]xTheMaster99xThank you very much 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    You might say that it's a new media team, but with no more freedom?

    [–]JuggleThat 8 points9 points  (0 children)

    but are wary of being used for PR

    If this is the thing you're being concerned about then the answer is obvious. You me everyone here knows it comes in a baggage.

    Do what you need to because both sides benefits from this partnership. You pat their backs vice versa, it's understandable and nobody from the mod team needs to deny that when it happens.

    [–]hafrancesHavertz 17 points18 points  (6 children)

    They just want African Rain to replace Arteta.

    [–]fuckimbackonreddit9Bambi Welbeck 5 points6 points  (4 children)

    Tetris Triangle to be head scout

    [–]BenjaniMaplesJimmy "Big" Brain 8 points9 points  (1 child)

    We draw the line there.

    [–]breathofreshhair 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Christ I blocked him probably 2 years ago now, does he still comment here?

    [–]TetrisTennisTriangle 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    That’s TetrisTennisTriangle to you Mr.

    [–]fuckimbackonreddit9Bambi Welbeck -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    Ah my bad, I always forget the Tennis in the middle

    [–]howaboutit15 16 points17 points  (0 children)

    Do it.

    [–]de_coherence🥇 I survived AubaZette 21-22 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    I'm still hesitant because the ESL project seems to not be completely dead yet, and I feel like the management will forget their promise of never going through with such a thing once it starts picking up steam. There have been some positives in the recent months, with the supporting supporters stuff though, so I would be okay with this, in the hopes that maybe one day we'll get to do what Bayern did with their qatar sponsorship

    [–]Thierry_Bergkamp 4 points5 points  (2 children)

    From my point of view, it makes sense to have some sort of communication with the club but it depends what the relationship will look like. The main question I have is, what sort of content would we see potentially see more of, other than AMAs?

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 9 points10 points  (1 child)

    We've had ideas since the original link was formed a few years back, stuff like giveaways or even charity drives. Things that benefit everyone involved basically.

    [–]Thierry_Bergkamp 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    Cool, personally I'd welcome that. Thanks for asking for our input.

    [–]ILoveBlackUnicornsGhanasaurus Ballon D’or 2022 8 points9 points  (0 children)

    You guys are gems - first to have made a rather tough decision on limiting any interactions with the club keeping in mind the Reddit community and then to keep the community in mind before making any decisions of going back.

    This does sound like a great initiative though. Looking forward to it!

    [–]e1_duderDREAMCAST 3 points4 points  (2 children)

    Probably a good idea to be hearing them out and fostering a relationship with the club. I thin this sub is one of (if not the) largest fan forums for the club.

    My concerns have more to do with the nature of this community, who is the person actually liaising with the club, and how decisions are made. My local supporters club meets in person, we all know each other somewhat, and there is some transparency about who the leaders are. If I felt like stepping up and being an organizer (which I don't) I could. Similarly, if I thought my local was doing something wack, I could speak up about it, raise support, and maybe make changes. That's not really how this place works. The mods here have just been here, they can do whatever they want and moderate however they want. No problem with that, just pointing out the difference in the spaces.

    As a fan forum, it makes sense to have a relationship with the club, but I think its important to have some transparency about the nature of the relationship. Where I think things could be fucked is if this sub starts acting as a supporters club. Hopefully that makes sense.

    So to ask a couple pointed questions, who is the "mod team"? There are 21 mods (including robots), some of which I'm sure are more active than others. There are also probably mods that care more about this than others. Second, how are decisions made? Is it a majority vote? Is there some committee?

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    So to ask a couple pointed questions, who is the "mod team"? There are 21 mods (including robots), some of which I'm sure are more active than others. There are also probably mods that care more about this than others.

    You're right that there are some more active than others. The older mods (essentially the ones between EFG and jack non-inclusive) are all inactive. We have a private group chat on WhatsApp where we talk through stuff like this. About 2/3rds of the mods are active in this chat just about every day, some less.

    Second, how are decisions made? Is it a majority vote? Is there some committee?

    For the small stuff we generally just go off personal discretion, for bigger stuff like this we have a roundtable discussion about it and decide together.

    [–]e1_duderDREAMCAST 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    FWIW I think the mod team does a good job around here and I generally trust your judgment when it comes to this sort of thing. It makes a lot of sense to have a relationship with the club. It would be helpful to know who is making these decisions though. So whatever way you choose, I think it would be helpful to post who went which way.

    I'd also consider opening up the decision on this sort of thing to people who aren't mods, which may be the best way to encourage accountability. Once you get beyond enforcing the rules of the subreddit, I'm not sure the decision makers should be limited to this select group of people who the user base has no control over.

    Depending on the nature of the relationship, this can get overly complicated. The way things were was fine though.

    [–]DynetorRobert Pirès 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    Nothing to be lost from having a chat. I say go for it if the club seem genuine about it. Would love to get some AMAs with the new players here. Especially Sambi as he seems like a really interesting and intelligent lad.

    [–]yusufila 9 points10 points  (3 children)

    Off with their heads & dance till your dead

    [–]SwitchBack1337I miss Iwobi 5 points6 points  (2 children)

    What a great track that is

    [–]yusufila 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    Heads will roll, my dear friend

    [–]therocketandstones 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    yeah yeah yeah

    [–]varro-reatinusZinchenko's Forbidden Knowledge 🔗▶️ youtu.be/v26n4FTTy3k&t=264 11 points12 points  (0 children)

    I see absolutely no reason you shouldn't meet with the club and hear them out on our behalf.

    Supporters will continue to harbour grave concerns about the 'Super League' and the club's involvement with it. That's not going to change.

    But we're also still supporting the club. And as supporters, dialogue with the club is entirely fine.

    [–]gunnagunna123 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    They want our money, fuck the admin at Arsenal.

    [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    If the components of integrity are accountability and transparency then the mods here have shown themselves to be top notch and genuine. Well done to the Gunners mods and you certainly have one simple dude's support and thanks.

    [–]okcomput3rup the arse 8 points9 points  (2 children)

    I would personally prefer this sub to remain completely independent from the club.

    [–]rgb_leds_are_loveTierney 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    I think we'll need to draw a line if club PR people start meddling with this sub in order to doctor opinions.

    [–]iwobi-wan_kenobi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    that's the whole appeal from the club's perspective: being able to control the narrative. same with ornstein: he just repeats what the club tells him. Access journalism 🚮

    [–]Rhyskrispies 7 points8 points  (0 children)

    This might just be my throbbing desire to have Ramsdale in for an AMA talking, but I say do it

    [–]R_110Gabriel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    I'd rather be cautiously optimistic than write the club off. Like others have said, there seems to be an effort to connect with fans both in and out of the stadium lately. Would also be a shame to miss out on interactions with the players via AMAs out of sheer stubbornness. Give them another chance and if it happens again then we can be more cynical.

    [–]innitdoe 4 points5 points  (1 child)

    Weird that the ESL was the tipping point for so many, and not, say, the appalling treatment Özil received for saying something quite correct about China.

    The club's got a lot of shame to fix, frankly, and I'd love to hear what they propose to do about it. First thing has got to be admitting that they were dead wrong about both of these matters.

    Honestly, though, you can't put this genie back in the bottle. They've cynically betrayed fan and player trust, for commercial purposes. How can anybody accept being taken for granted in that way? It stinks.

    [–]iwobi-wan_kenobi -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    dude ozil was frozen out before the china comments. he didn't give a fuck about results! emery tried to freeze him out after the europa final (remember when he was subbed off??) Too bad ozil was able to turn enough fans against emery, which he was never foing to be able to do with M8teta. If I were his teammate I couldn't stand playing with him and if I were manager I'd bin him! This happened under multiple managers at arsenal. Mourinho too, you can read about it in ozil's book! I only wish Weng had had the courage to cut his losses after his first season and sell him and bring back Fabregas.

    [–]dryxo 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    You should definitely hear them out, and having a dialogue with the club is a good thing regardless of our current standing with them. And one question; is it possible for us to get some information on the mod demographic? Like age and location? Be nice to know who's representing us.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Is it possible for us to get some information on the mod demographic? Like age and location? Be nice to know who's representing us.

    About an equal amount of Brits and Americans, and then a couple of others dotted around other English speaking countries. Average age would be lateish 20s.

    [–]rfag57/r/Place 2022 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Good on you guys for taking a principled stance and honestly good on the club for actually taking steps to connect with fan bases through social media because stuff like this is pretty unheard of.

    [–]pupperinememery 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    Good to hear them out but i’d remain skeptical as they’re probably going to push for some form of control down the line. I’d rather this forum was kept independent of the club.

    [–]iwobi-wan_kenobi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    full agree

    [–]NobleArchGabriel 1 point2 points  (2 children)

    Question. Do any mods get paid by the club?

    It is unrelated about the post but Im curious.

    [–]bmoviescreamqueenIf we win the league i'll get an Arsenal tat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I get paid in smiles :) please reply with a smile.

    [–]MattGoonerBANG ON 90. THOSE ARE THE MOMENTS. THAT IS A MASSIVE MOMENT. 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    We do not

    [–]sensei_sharpyI miss 4th place.... 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Until the league has put something in place to stop the ESL ever happening again, I don't believe this club has any intention of not signing up for the next one anyways.

    Them controlling what information we receive isn't going to change anything, the truth will still come out, so long as the sub stays completely out of their hands/control I don't care what the mods do regarding communications with them. I 100% do not condone the club having a seat on the mods team. This is a fan sub, not an official one.

    [–]iwobi-wan_kenobi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    I think he sub's independence should be maintained from the club. "Fan-owned" isn't an option on Reddit but at least the sub can be fan-operated, free from club influence. I also think all comms with the club should be made public, especially those that occurred after the super league announcement.

    [–]Shaggythemoshdog/r/Place 2022 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Let's go. Good new thanks mods

    [–]WoodenSoldiersGOATBanned for calling a mod smarmy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    who better to represent our interests than americans that we didn't elect who literally volunteered to be reddit mods? Who better to help set our course on the right track than...SwitchBackLeet

    Arseblog? I get it. AST? Obviously. /r/gunners? Steer clear Arsenal, there are only buffoons here.

    “It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” - Dumbledore

    aka not reddit mods. Reddit mods are literally discord mods in the totem pole of leadership. Assistants to the regional manager. It's cool guys, we got AfricanRain on the case.....

    [–]TheLegendofThePigMikel Arteta 4 points5 points  (7 children)

    It's kinda funny how the much more influential power always wins over and gets their way lol . Also remember people , the Super League debacle is not over yet. It will resurface again sometime later and the big 6 will be part of it. Feels like people have not caught on to that yet or just flat our refuse to acknowledge things they dont like,

    The point pretty much is nothing really changed after that big r/gunners decison after ESL and we are back to 'normality' in less than 8 months. All the club had to do was wait for some time and 'renogotiate'. Standard PR stuff tbh

    [–]Cenniy 6 points7 points  (4 children)

    Realistically the subreddit wants to be linked with the club because there is value added (AMAs and collabs), so of course the mods would like to see a re-connection.

    It's not that the club are 'Winning', in fact it appears the club are being held to extremely high standards/expectations by the mods and that the club are may be actually bowing to the mods requests.

    If the ESL comes back, protest action can and will be taken again. But until/if/when that happens, the subreddit has no disadvantage being linked with the club again.

    [–]bmoviescreamqueenIf we win the league i'll get an Arsenal tat 7 points8 points  (3 children)

    Other sub mods absolutely envy the relationship we’ve had in the past with the club. Positive or negative it’s seen as a tie to a club you support so thoroughly and if it can be used responsibly on our terms I think it’s useful for all.

    [–]Cenniy 1 point2 points  (2 children)

    It is quite a special relationship by the sounds of it.

    I am surprised other clubs haven't taken similar approaches. Perhaps the other clubs hands are tied, or use other public forums instead of Reddit?

    [–]bmoviescreamqueenIf we win the league i'll get an Arsenal tat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    I can’t speak for their media teams but they just might not have reached out to the sub and if you don’t have the right contacts it’s hard to do that first step yourself.

    [–]MattGoonerBANG ON 90. THOSE ARE THE MOMENTS. THAT IS A MASSIVE MOMENT. 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    The way it happened for us is a few mods did some incredible work to get AMAs with people like Ian Wright, I think the club must have noticed at some point and reached out to us.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    our intention isn't to bow and have everything go back to the way it was, we're looking for accountability, accessibility and transparency from the club before doing anything that will serve as PR or advertising for them.

    ultimately even for the people who are pro-ESL, i think its fair to say that the manner in which it was done the first time round was a real slap in the face to the fanbase ("legacy" fans, etc) and we'd petition for more transparency even if it is inevitable.

    [–]depressingmirrorZinchenko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    And what r/gunners has anything to do with the super league decision? Will it be oh r/gunners are back in the fold so super league discussions can continue?

    [–]BougieFruitLoops 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    As an American Gooner, I don't think I was quite as deeply wounded by the Super League nonsense. Especially with how quick it faded. That said, it was clearly a major issue to some here, and I applaud the mod team for being sensitive to that.

    I think if the club are working in good faith to repair the relationship and the mods remain confident of that, we should--with proper caution and reticence--entertain a closer working relationship again. After all, we are here because we are fans of The Arsenal. If this community can provide opportunities to interact with players and other people who are part of the club we love so much, I think that's an awesome benefit and more of a reason to be actively involved here.

    See if they'll take /u/AfricanRain in a swap deal for literally anyone while you're there!

    [–]OodilyDoodily 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Since you're asking for opinions I'll say I was never in favor of distancing from the club in the first place. We're an Arsenal fan forum, getting access to player AMAs and having direct engagement with the club is what set us apart and made this place probably the best football subreddit. I have failed to see how distancing from the club has done anything except for widen the gap between fans and club and diminish the quality of the subreddit. It's not like we're a commercial sponsor where pulling out has real consequences. The football landscape will continue to evolve and Arsenal will almost certainly do more things that we don't like, not least continuing sponsorship deals with shady countries/companies. But through all that I'd rather be able to actually engage with the club rather than be in a stand off with them.

    [–]bmoviescreamqueenIf we win the league i'll get an Arsenal tat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Personally I’m glad the club didn’t see the cutting of ties as final and reached out to us after the dust settled. I’m happy to see a positive relationship continue if they understand that the ball is in their court. Fans will have the final say.

    [–]poster_consumer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Do it, the ESL debacle is a black eye for the club. If they’re willing to make amends by making our experience as fans better I’m all for it.

    [–]standupforthechamp 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Wonder if this would have been even considered last week or back in September when we had zero points. The timing seems a bit convenient.

    [–]MattGoonerBANG ON 90. THOSE ARE THE MOMENTS. THAT IS A MASSIVE MOMENT. 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    The first message we got was on the 21st of October, we've spoke on and off then and since then.

    [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    Tell them sign Guimares or they can get fucked

    [–]varro-reatinusZinchenko's Forbidden Knowledge 🔗▶️ youtu.be/v26n4FTTy3k&t=264 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    I support this message.

    [–]jayhawk8There's A Starboy Waiting In The Sky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    I think it's a good opportunity to show support for the direction things are moving in. I don't think any of us will be thrilled with ownership until KSE piss off, but I do think the hierarchy beneath that has shown enough good faith to be willing to re-engage, and the opportunities for the sub would seem to at least merit the conversation. Appreciate the transparency, mods.

    [–]TetrisTennisTriangle 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    You should go for it 👍

    Are you allowed to share the details of the meeting/conversation once you’ve had it?

    I’d be interested to hear what they say.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Are you allowed to share the details of the meeting/conversation once you’ve had it?

    We'd like to, yeah

    [–]DittoDatNketiah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    We're here because we support Arsenal. I'd rather hear from a player doing an AMA then some random dude complaining about x. I understand why the decision was made at the time. We made our point and stood firm and they changed their decision. There's no reason to remain disconnected from them as we got what we wanted. Just my thoughts on the situation.

    [–]thedarkpolitiqueTrust the Process™ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Good to see it’s been well thought out. I think you should of course to do it. The club are actively trying to make amends and are trying to forge a better relationship - that’s exactly what we have been asking for.

    [–]americanadiandrew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    The gravity you place on this situation sounds straight up ridiculous to me. This is an Arsenal based discussion subreddit not the Middle East peace process. This sub is mostly full of teenage boys who get excited by repetitive memes and players PR teams talking to each other on Instagram. Give them their AMA and fun competitions and we can all go back to arguing over just how shit Cedric is.

    [–]tfwnocalcium -1 points0 points  (1 child)

    After the fake qnas I'd actually rather not. Don't want them to start doing pr on here.

    Even potential upsides like AMAs aren't that interesting. Either we'll get a David Silva one where the player isn't even involved or they'll pick the most generic bland questions (or write them themselves on fake accounts) and pass them on through an intermediary, censoring anything interesting in the questions / responses in favour of post-match interview-tier porridge.

    Also possible that AMAs with players like Henry (affiliated with the Spotify guy) would be heavily discouraged and we'd miss out on stuff like that.

    That's without even touching on the super league incident

    [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Hard disagree

    [–]BarGood2020 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Yes, I believe the club is going in the right direction with engaging supporters, I particularly liked their move to help local businesses and it would be nice to open the discourse, We are Arsenal fans till death and we would always want the best for our football club.

    [–]bmoviescreamqueenIf we win the league i'll get an Arsenal tat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    I also really liked their move to help gooner owned businesses! A very class move they can build on.

    [–]ajkddThomas 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    I think we should reinstate our connection. It is important that club hears and understands the pulse of the fans through this forum. We just need to be ensured we are not being scape goated for PR stuff,not sure how we can ensure that,but nothing wrong in taking baby steps ahead

    [–]iwobi-wan_kenobi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    It is important that club hears and understands the pulse of the fans through this forum.

    They can do that just by reading it. This should remain the true voice of the fans on reddit, not as you say a PR tool the club can use to try to sway fan opinion.

    [–]BannedFromHydroxy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Ultimately you should be conducting a vote for all the gooners in this sub to vote on whether they want this to happen or not.

    [–]depressingmirrorZinchenko -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

    Tell them to fix the graphics in the screens in the stadium, it’s embarrassingly bad at the minute. And to get better big screens, sort out the PA system, you can’t make out a thing. Also continue the 2 for 1 beer promotion, sort out the beer taps and look into better catering partnerships in general. Because at the minute the service in general is piss poor. And it’s a shame because the atmosphere pre at the stadium is a lot better than it has been in a long time and I think they need to build on that, not throw it away.

    The match day experience in general is hugely disappointing at the minute. All the little things just seem a bit shit and tbh the stadium feels a lot older than 15 years at the minute. It feels like a relic already.

    And honestly if you’re not gonna meet with the club over the super league, that’s a fucking stupid decision. Distancing yourself from the club in the first place was a stupid decision.

    [–]rsu1806Little bit flair 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    This is great! We're by far the greatest sub the world has ever seen.

    [–]biff444444Jesus - even better than we thought! 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Doesn't hurt to listen. If the deal smells funny you can always say no.

    [–]thomas_blaise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Go and meet with them!

    You don’t get paid for doing this, at the very least if might be nice to meet some people at the club and have a nice outing.

    [–]TheUltimateCFThe last Aubameyang Fan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    tell them i want a poster on the arsenal bridge with my profile picture and reddit handle or it’s a no go

    [–]Six_Gill_GrogTierney 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Thanks for the transparency and the post!

    I think being cautious is smart, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to hear them out! Would be cool if we had some more transparency on the club, depending on what they’re willing to divulge.

    [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Yes collabe plase

    [–]scytheavatar -5 points-4 points  (1 child)

    Serious question: do people here really care about AMA? The last one involving Mkhitaryan was a complete waste of time IMHO. It is probably unreasonable to expect candid answers from these AMAs.

    [–]J4ckrhMorning, morning, morning... Oh, Win![S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

    we've had six player AMAs since Mkhi's though... anyway it's not for everyone obviously so it's fine if you don't enjoy them

    [–]thecoolShitposterRamsey -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    If we can get Josh Kroenke inherit a lot of the money Stan and his wife has then it's okay.

    [–]ack_willThe standards are dropping -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    Damn. Arteta leaving no stone unturned for his PR.

    Jokes aside, yes it would be nice to have AMA’s back.

    [–][deleted] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

    I have a question for Tim Lewis and I would appreciate it if you'd pass it along:

    Yo. What up? How you livin?

    [–]InTheMiddleGiroudSaka and Emile Smith Rowe 🎶 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

    Does any of you know Ramsdale's favorite color? I thought not. Let's get the AMAs back, so he can say "red".

    [–]satan__mcrapeHolding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Open it all up.

    [–]pupperinememery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    There should be assurances from the mod team that there will be no monetary or service based incentives for the mods for cooperation with the club.

    [–]2TheArsenalGabriel[🍰] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I see no harm in it. We cannot keep a distance forever.

    [–]519_Green18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I'm late to the party, but posting this as a top-level comment in the hopes that OP sees it:

    Please keep this sub as independent from the club itself as possible.

    The truly most valuable thing about this community, in my opinion, is having a free place for supporters to discuss organically the goings-on of the club, free from any outside attempts to "steer the narrative".

    What is the reason why we would need to have a "relationship" with the club in order to host player AMAs, for example? If they truly wanted players to do AMAs and connect with the community, where the hell else would they host them? Perhaps I'm cynical, but I only see the club "offering" something like player AMAs to this sub, in exchange for license to have club-curated content take over the sub, in an attempt to control the mood and steer the conversation to "club-friendly" or "club-approved" lines of discussion.

    Sometimes, especially in the periods immediately before and after games, it seems like there is a deliberate effort to set the narrative for discussion around here by posting select interview quotes and especially select social media or picture posts - the threads like "Give it up for player X, great match today", or "Player Y wasn't at his best today, but he'll bounce back and be ready for the next game!". I won't call any of these submitters out by name, but I encourage anyone to keep their eyes open. Better yet, RES tagging makes it easy to notice literally the same people serially posting this kind of seemingly club-curated content.

    I only see stuff like that getting worse if the club starts to have a say in the types of content that gets submitted and posted here.

    I adore this sub for what it is, and the community that has developed here (and that the mods so helpfully maintain). I would rather keep this sub for what it is, the good and the bad, even if it means losing access to "exclusive" club-created/club-sponsored social media pieces.

    TLDR:

    I only see a "relationship" with the club resulting in the threads posted to this sub being less and less the organic expressions of the fanbase, and more and more the curated narrative that the club wishes to effect in this space. That would detract from the most valuable thing about this place: it being a place that truly captures the honest sentiments and unfiltered expressions of the fanbase (at least, the portion of it that uses Reddit).

    Please do not do anything to take away from that.