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Another season without Champions League football for Arsenal

The defeat by Chelsea in Baku last night was only a blow to Arsenal's pride, it also undermined 'silent' Stan Kroenke's business model. It means another season without Champions League football and, although the club is sitting on a pile of cash, it is open to question whether it will be spent to fortify a porous defence: Financial worries

The days of 1-0 to the Arsenal have long since gone, as have the sight of Arsene Wenger parading his Uefa coefficient around Islington. Qualifying for the Champions League was not enough, but when you don't qualify, it seems more desirable.

Many Arsenal fans thought that Wenger was the problem and once he was replaced, a rebuilding job could get under way. No doubt methods that Wenger used that had once been at the cutting edge of innovation had become commonplace or outdated, but the problems are evidently more fundamental than that. They clearly start with the way in which silent Stan views his London franchise. Arsenal fans deserve better.

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