YOU LUCKY PEOPLE!

Chief executive Gazidis tells furious fans at stormy meeting that team is ‘over-performing’

IVAN GAZIDIS insists Arsenal consistently over-perform on the pitch given how little they spend on transfers.

Gunners chief executive Gazidis, quizzed about the club’s transfer policy during yesterday’s stormy AGM at the Emirates, came out fighting.

“There is one very accurate way to assess how well clubs perform in this area over time,” Gazidis said.

“It is to compare team performance against expenditure on transfers.

“No club has a perfect record every year but Arsenal has probably been, of the big clubs certainly, the most consistently over-performing team over time.

“That is despite the criticism we get and the emotion here in the room and despite some very loud subjective narratives and a great deal of inaccurate information.

“I agree completely that we have to find ways to perform better. We want to compete at the top of the most competitive league in the world and that’s why we are making investments and giving deep thought to how we can improve further in this area.”

Three FA Cups has been Arsenal’s trophy tally since their last title win in 2004, though this is their first season out of the Champions League since 1996-97. But Gazidis’ attempts to put a positive spin on Arsenal’s achievements and transfer dealings were widely ridiculed.

Gazidis was heckled with one shout of “what about 10-2 v Bayern?” in reference to Arsenal’s Champions League humiliation over two legs against the German champions last season.

And that was typical of the fury and animosity aimed at the Arsenal board during a hostile meeting.

Shareholders made their views crystal clear by opposing resolutions to re-elect chairman Sir Chips

Keswick (right) and owner Stan Kroenke’s son Josh to the board.

Despite a second show of hands confirming the first, the pair were reappointed because they had the backing of major shareholders Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov.

But the point had still been made. It was an explicit show of no faith in the board from the supporters.

Keswick was also repeatedly heckled during the AGM, with his dismissive tone, his insistence that Kroenke Sr would not be talking, and his pointblank refusal to answer questions fuelling fans’ anger.

Even boss Arsene Wenger was targeted when he discussed how difficult it would be nowadays for a club like Aston Villa to win the European Cup, like they did in 1982, due to a small group of clubs hogging most of the world’s best players.

“At least they have won it,” came an angry shout from the audience.

Despite regularly qualifying for the Champions League, Arsenal have reached the final only once, losing to Barcelona in 2006.

Gunners chiefs were forced to close ranks and defend each other as they came under increasing fire from the floor.

Keswick insisted Gazidis deserved his £2.6million salary, arguing that he was doing a “fantastic job” and that his pay packet was comparable to his counterparts at other clubs.

Gazidis responded by issuing a staunch defence of Keswick, insisting that: “The good of the club is his only consideration.”

Eventually the meeting descended into farce.

The Arsenal board was booed off and given a patronising slow handclap as Keswick prematurely wrapped up proceedings.

Asked about the negative mood, Wenger said: “You want everybody to support the club. All of us have the same target, to make Arsenal successful.”

HAVING A SCARF Gazidis was heckled after telling the AGM that Arsenal were consistent