Arsenal flying on and off pitch

SOCCER:Arsenal yesterday announced a near-£35 million (€50 million) rise in profits after their first full year in the Emirates Stadium and promptly rubbished Chelsea's claims of world domination.

Chelsea's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, has talked in the past about his intention to "paint the world Blue". Arsenal's chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, gave it short shrift. "Bullshit" was his emphatic response.

"I don't want to run Chelsea down, but when you compare them with Manchester United and Liverpool, which you have to concede are two of the biggest teams in European football and throughout the world, for Chelsea to think they can suddenly dominate is fantasy," Hill-Wood added of the FA Cup holders.

It has been a difficult time for Chelsea, but Hill-Wood had little sympathy for a club whose achievements have been accompanied by brash boasts.

He is perhaps uniquely an expert on the matter of maintaining a respected football club: he is the third generation of his family to have worked as chairman of the current Premier League leaders and has been 25 years in the role.

"(Arsenal's success) started in the 1930s and (supporter affiliation) has been handed down from father to son," he said, although the course of his stewardship has not always run smooth.

"It takes 100 years to build and 100 minutes to destroy. I remember in the 1980s 1,000 people outside the Highbury boardroom saying, 'F*** off Hill-Wood'. That is not something you forget very quickly."

Yesterday's profits announcement shows that, as well as their history, Arsenal have a bright future, from a financial perspective at least. As a result of the stadium move the Gunners have increased their match-day income by 105 per cent year on year to £90.6 million, enabling them to declare a £200 million football-and-property-business turnover despite a £19 million drop in broadcasting revenues because of a poor run in the Champions League last year.

So strong has the off-field performance been that although predators circle the Emirates Stadium - most notably the Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who took his stake to 21 per cent last week - the board feels emboldened to fight them off.

"We understand the values of the club; we're the custodians for the Arsenal supporters. The shareholders control the shares but the club also belongs to the fans and the people who pay every day to watch. To disrupt the way it is run would be a tragedy. The board are totally united in resisting any attempt to wrest it from us."

Poland goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski looks set to make his debut tonight against Newcastle in the English League Cup. Midfielder Lassana Diarra is also in line for his first start since arriving from Chelsea.

Sam Allardyce should have Mark Viduka back in the Newcastle line-up.