When Stan finally spoke at Arsenal's Annual General Meeting (AGM) it was worth the wait.<br /><br />Forthright, honest and impassioned, it was exactly what you would expect from a man with a significant emotional and financial stake in the North London club.<br /><br />"I've been coming for 30 years and that was probably the worst AGM I've ever attended. The club often talks about respect but there was a complete lack of respect shown today. It was awful."<br /><br />That Stan was Stanley Salter, a long-term shareholder and Highbury veteran.<br /><br />The other Stan, Stanley Kroenke, the majority shareholder and Emirates parvenu, also spoke at Thursday's meeting. It was...well, a bit underwhelming.<br /><br />"I've been asked to say a few things," the 64-year-old American said coyly. "I'm not sure why but people seem to be interested."<br /><br />What followed were about two minutes of polite small-talk -- believe me, I had a lot of offers but this was the only club for me; Arsene Wenger and the board make great decisions; my family loves London, you better get used to us -- but absolutely nothing an Arsenal fan could pin his or her hopes on for brighter days around the corner.<br /><br />It was, in Salter's words, a disrespectfully vague statement from a man who had made only one previous visit to the club in the six months since he more than doubled his holding in Arsenal to become the de facto owner.<br /><br />The fact that he had only just arrived from Denver, leaving no leeway for any delays, was also noted.<br /><br />"Of course, we are interested in what you have to say," was the general response from the AGM audience. "But is that it?"<br /><br />But by saying so little, mostly Silent Stan at least avoided antagonising anybody. If only club chairman Peter Hill-Wood had been so wise.<br /><br />The 75-year-old businessman has been chairman for nearly 30 years. His father did it before him and his grandfather before that.<br /><br />The Hill-Woods and Arsenal share a long and proud history -- and that is exactly where many at the meeting would like to leave it.<br /><br />/football on
