World NewsAndrews: Kroenke 'A Brilliant Man' |
Stan Kroenke's right-hand man has defended the American tycoon's low public profile, insisting the nickname 'Silent Stan' is "very unfair".
Kroenke was in the news again earlier this month when he took his stake in Arsenal's parent holding company to 29.9%.If he goes beyond 29.99%, he is legally obliged to launch a formal takeover bid for the club but, despite moving very close to that mark, he has remained silent on his intentions towards the Gunners.
Paul Andrews, the executive vice-president of Kroenke Sports Enterprises, felt it was right for Kroenke to stay out of the media spotlight.
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "(He is a) regular guy, a tremendous leader and visionary. (He is) a guy that, if he was sitting in here today, would be very eloquent, and very respectful of you and the rest of the media.
"He is always respectful but there are certain times that I don't believe it's right for an owner to be commenting.
"So we advise him on times when we think it's appropriate for him to be in the media, or not in the media, and that's what we talk about as an executive group.
"But any moniker placed on him, such as 'Silent Stan', is very unfair and really should not be used in any form in the media because he is a brilliant man.
"He has to be a brilliant man to be what he is in the world today."
Kroenke already has a strong ownership presence in American sports, with NBA basketball team Denver Nuggets, NHL ice hockey franchise the Colorado Avalanche and Major League Soccer outfit the Colorado Rapids part of the KSE portfolio.
Andrews added: "He is passionate about sport. He wants to win, he is driven to win. He has taken a basketball team (the Nuggets), which at the time in 2000 was near the bottom of the table, and transformed it to a team that's at the top of the table.
"It didn't just happen. It came because he's passionate, he's hard-working and he has great vision and the ability to sift through all the recommendations we give him to come out with something that becomes very rewarding."
Copyright (c) 2009 Press Association
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