Reading vs Arsenal: Stats show huge gulf between the FA Cup semi-final opponents
It's David v Goliath at Wembley
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Your support makes all the difference.One of this weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals sees something of a David and Goliath clash. Reading v Arsenal may, on the face of it, only be a Championship v Premier League clash, but when you look at the numbers behind the fixture, the huge gulf between the clubs becomes apparent.
Trophies
Arsenal’s trophy cabinet may not have had many new additions over the course of the last decade, but they can still lay claim to being one of the most decorated clubs in English football. They are, of course, the current holders of the FA Cup, having won the competition for the 11th time against Hull City last May. They have also been crowned English champions 13 times, which puts them in third place behind Manchester United and Liverpool in number of titles won.
Reading, on the other hand, have never won either the country’s top division or its premier cup competition. Their best ever league finish came under Steve Coppell in 2006/07, when the Royals finished 8th. What’s more, this weekend’s semi-final will represent the furthest the club has ever gone in the FA Cup. The only other time they have reached this stage was in 1927.
Finances
The Deloitte Money League, which ranks Europe’s top clubs on revenue, puts the Gunners in 8th position ahead of Liverpool and Juventus. The club brought in £303.3m during the 2013/14 season, a figure no doubt boosted by their FA Cup success. Unsurprisingly, Reading’s total is a lot lower, at only £38.1m.
Perhaps the most interesting numbers come when each club’s wage bill is taken as a percentage of their turnover. Whereas Arsenal’s profitability means that their wage bill is a relatively comfortable 56.8 per cent, Reading’s clocks in a slightly more troubling figure - 90.2 per cent.
Transfers
Arsenal fans have been known to get frustrated with Arsene Wenger and the club’s owners for pinching their pennies, but the last couple of seasons have seen steady, regular spending. The Gunners broke their transfer record last season when Mesut Özil joined the club for £42.5m from Real Madrid and went close again the following summer, when they shelled out £31.7m for Alexis Sanchez.
Reading, on the other hand, can’t quite compete. Their transfer record stands at £3m, following the signing of Jamaican international Adrian Mariappa from Watford in 2012. The club’s bank manager will, however, look back fondly on their highest-earning sale, that of academy star Gylfi Sigurdsson for £7m to Hoffenheim, which made the club a hefty profit.
Stadiums
Both clubs have moved into ultra-modern stadiums in the recent past. Reading moved into the Madjeski Stadium, named after their owner John, by their owner John, in 1998. The ground is shared with London Irish, who the football club earn around £600,000 in commission from every year. It has a capacity of 24,161, but their highest attendance so far this season was the 19,430 who turned out for a Championship clash against Norwich City.
Arsenal’s protracted move from Highbury to the Emirates was undoubtedly worth the wait. The stadium has taken the club to the next level and established them at European football’s top table. Attendances are never too far off the capacity of 60,272, which is the second biggest in the league behind Old Trafford. Their last home game against Liverpool, which attracted 60,081, was their largest crowd so far this campaign.
Social Media
Arsenal can boast a huge following on Facebook, with around 35m fans having ‘liked’ the club online. The Gunners will, however, want to bring a few more of these fans onto Twitter, where they have only 5m followers.
Reading, meanwhile, are doing relatively well. Their 250,000 likes are backed up by a 150,000 followers, suggesting a hard-core of support across both social networks.
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