Kroenke defended over image

Kroenke: Respectful

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Stan Kroenke's right-hand man has hit back at criticism of the American businessman's low public profile.

Kroenke increased his stake in Arsenal earlier this month and is almost at the point where he will be legally obliged to launch a formal takeover bid for the club.

However, he has refused to be drawn on his intentions towards the Gunners and the way he has kept out of the media spotlight has seen him dubbed 'Silent Stan'.

Paul Andrews, the executive vice-president of Kroenke Sports Enterprises, does not believe he has been portrayed in a particularly positive light.

"(He is a) regular guy, a tremendous leader and visionary," said Andrews. "(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.

Brilliant man

"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 has enjoyed considerable success as the owner of several American sports teams and Andrews insists he is still incredibly motivated.

"He is passionate about sport. He wants to win, he is driven to win," Andrews explained.

"He has taken a basketball team (the Denver 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."