Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Tim Stillman 
Date:Thursday March 1 2012
Time: 7:20PM
UK time is: 13:47:59
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Bracewell-Smith Made Honorary Vice President
In a rather intriguing move, Arsenal have today (suspciously quietly) announced that ex board member Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith has been made an Honorary Vice President of Arsemal. Lady Nina had been a member of the Arsenal board until she was unceremoniously removed in December 2008. She eventually sold her 16.5% holding in the club to KSE.
Nina inherited her shareholding from her Grandfather-in-law Sir Bracewell Smith, who joined the Arsenal board in 1938. His son, Nina's father-in-law Guy Bracewell-Smith served on the board from 1953-76.
Since Nina was removed from the board, relations, at least publicly have been somewhat fraught. Last summer, during a twitter Q & A she made some rather pointed comments, claiming that the current Arsenal board should be sacked. So to hear that she has suddenly been offered a role- however ceremonial- seems rather bizarre to me. Is this a golden handshake for selling to KSE and not Usmanov? Is this to prevent any further pubic attacks? Or is this squarely to piss off David Dein? We can but speculate.
Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said: "We are delighted that Lady Nina is becoming an Honorary Vice-President of the Club. This is in recognition of Lady Nina`s contribution during her time as a director and also the important role the Bracewell-Smith family played in the Club`s development."
With the official website adding, 'The appointment does not change the structure of the current Board of Directors.'
Interesting. LD.
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Your Comments
My beloved club continues to bewilder me.
jaelle
It's all smoke and mirrors isn't it? Machiavellian politicking and manouvering, the upper classes and ruling elite have always thrived on it. Backstab bestow backstab bestow, ad nauseum. What do you do when a potential adversary has some potentially damaging information and is far enough out of the fold that said information may well accidentally slip & become public knowledge? Why you welcome back said adversary into the fold naturally. Keep your enemies closer and all that.
nikolaijns
Gentlemans Club...with all the trappings; select membership, code of silence, back scratching, etc etc. A 'pleb' like Dein will never be allowed back in the boardroom as long as the aristos have sway.
Wyn Mills
My first thought that it was some kind of agreement made with Stan the Man when she agreed to sell her shares.
Rocky7
Nah rock, the clues in the word 'honorary'. Ie no responsibility in any day to day running, maybe it is some form of apology for a previous falling out with other board members? who knows. She's been relatively vocal and public since parting ways and selling her stake, I'm guessing she makes people a little nervous and is only one interview away from lifting the lid on a few things the board would rather she didn't, hence a position is created to bring her back on side as it were.
nikolaijns
Niko's view is more likely to be closest to the truth but she's unlikely to be entirely hostile to all of the current group especially having claimed that 'Dein was the root cause of all the trouble' and having pocketed a few million of Kroenke's money. Her honorary title was probably part of the deal. Lady N seems to be just as self serving and greedy as any of them. Certainly more so than Fiszman or Hill-Wood.
Amos.
Interesting Niko, maybe she's a double agent?!
shewore
Welcome back, Amos. Where you been, man?
Naijagunner
'Horse trading' is a way of life with the Aristos; if she didn't sell her shares to Usmanov, there will be an underlying need to be "grateful" for this, so even if there is a face-off on the one hand, that debt of gratitude will usually count for something, some time. Much like the concept of: No permanent friends; No permanent enemies, just permanent Interests.
Naijagunner
Is anyone else wondering about the Andy Murray connection?
Wyn Mills
Lol shewore, I'm just a deeply cynical bugger and will read things into what could well be just a gesture of goodwill toward a person whose family has had ties with the club for a good few years.
nikolaijns
As the dude Noam Chomsky said, "If you're not cynical, you're not paying attention!"
Little Dutch
Mofos like him and the magnificent John Pilger have helped nurture my rampant cynicism. Humankind needs these truthsayers more than ever. Viva la revolucion! :)
nikolaijns
“Show me somebody who is always smiling, always cheerful, always optimistic, and I will show you somebody who hasn't the faintest idea what the heck is really going on.” ― Mike Royko
Wyn Mills
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