Sparing a thought for Bury FC and its fans

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

there needs to be a sensible cap on player wages and agent fees.

 

When we were in League One, our revenue for the year dropped to something like £12m and we had Jason Euell earning 750k per year. The maths simply doesnt add up, which is why most relegated premier league teams struggle financially unless they have a one season hit and dont buy anyone (like Blackpool).

 

Very few owners are taking vast sums of money out of the 92 league clubs, most are putting in. The people taking the revenue out of the clubs are the players, which is ironic really - the players bleed the cow dry and then complain when the cow dies.

 

I appreciate your average Bury footballer isnt earning £1m a year, but I bet he is earning more than the 25k per year that the finances would allow Bury to pay......

 

Sad for Bury but some of the blame has to go to the authorities who, yet again, prove that they are not governing the sport very well

 

Should every club not need to demonstrate some form of viability?

[badgerx16]

.....unless they have a one season hit and dont buy anyone (like Blackpool).

Blackpool had their own version of a financial meltdown with the Oyston's creaming off the money that the club didn't spend on players, including a fair chunk of the parachute payments. During their one season in the Premier League the club, "owned" by Karl Oyston, paid a company owned by his father Owen, who was barred from owning any football club, 11 million pounds.

Edited 29 August, 2019 by badgerx16

[angelman]

I was listening to talkSport (it was a blessed relief from Brexit) and someone actually came up with an idea that didn't sound too bad, although I am sure that it would be horrendously complicated legally. Basically it revolved around if you buy a club, it is licensed to you for a couple of years in which time you have the opportunity to show that you can run it properly. After the two years is up and you have shown you can do the job, you get the keys. Quite what happens if you don't show you can do the job is where the problems start.

[Charlie Wayman]

They won't be the last as more and more money focuses on the PL and European competitions. We've been there and only thanks to Marcus Leibherr are we still here. It is a reminder of why we must play within our means

[Charlie Wayman]

I was listening to talkSport (it was a blessed relief from Brexit) and someone actually came up with an idea that didn't sound too bad, although I am sure that it would be horrendously complicated legally. Basically it revolved around if you buy a club, it is licensed to you for a couple of years in which time you have the opportunity to show that you can run it properly. After the two years is up and you have shown you can do the job, you get the keys. Quite what happens if you don't show you can do the job is where the problems start.

 

Half-baked as a lot of these ''good' ideas prove to be

[Saint_clark]

I was listening to talkSport (it was a blessed relief from Brexit) and someone actually came up with an idea that didn't sound too bad, although I am sure that it would be horrendously complicated legally. Basically it revolved around if you buy a club, it is licensed to you for a couple of years in which time you have the opportunity to show that you can run it properly. After the two years is up and you have shown you can do the job, you get the keys. Quite what happens if you don't show you can do the job is where the problems start.

 

All it takes is wage caps across the board for each league and you'd be fine. Player wages are always, always what puts a club under. I'd put it at £50,000 a week for Prem, £15,000 a week for Championship, £8000 a week for league one and £4000 a week for league two.

We'd have less quality in this country, but the fans of individual clubs do not care, they just want to see their team compete.

[ooh it's a corner]

Blackpool had their own version of a financial meltdown with the Oyston's creaming off the money that the club didn't spend on players, including a fair chunk of the parachute payments. During their one season in the Premier League the club, "owned" by Karl Oyston, paid a company owned by his father Owen, who was barred from owning any football club, 11 million pounds.

 

Yes I certainly wasn't putting Blackpool as a shining example as to how to avoid financial meltdown, although what they did prove was that the owner can get to the promised land and get some cash back, providing they don't spend any and accept the inevitable relegation. Strangely enough I couldn't give two figs for almost all clubs bar Southampton, but I was very pleased when the Oystons were legally removed from Blackpool ownership and had I been local, would have gladly paid for a ticket for their first post-Oyston game.

[ooh it's a corner]

Should every club not need to demonstrate some form of viability?

 

I think they probably do already, but the business models are so heavily based on the current season, it is hard to see any 2-5 year planning going on.

 

I think the major exceptions to this would be Arsenal and Tottenham, who have had to plan over a multi-year period in order to build the reserves to finance very expensive new stadia. For fans of both teams, they probably feel that their clubs haven't competed with their peers in the top flight for that period, both in terms of signings and player wages. But again, for me, that demonstrates financial prudence, rather than an insatiable appetite to spend next year's revenue......

[badgerx16]

..... but I was very pleased when the Oystons were legally removed from Blackpool ownership and had I been local' date=' would have gladly paid for a ticket for their first post-Oyston game.[/quote']

My son went to school with Karl Oyston's kids, and there were some very naughty ( but truthful ) things written about their grandad on the toilet doors.

[ooh it's a corner]

My son went to school with Karl Oyston's kids, and there were some very naughty ( but truthful ) things written about their grandad on the toilet doors.

 

and yet somehow the governance of football chooses how to apply "fit and proper" director tests......

[Batman]

I have zero sympathy for Bury or Bolton

[John Boy Saint]

I have zero sympathy for Bury or Bolton

Why do you know something sinister about the new Bolton owners that is going to bite them on the bum in a couple of months?

[Batman]

Why do you know something sinister about the new Bolton owners that is going to bite them on the bum in a couple of months?

 

No. Both teams disgracefully spent beyond their means.

 

Bury for example bought players they could not afford to buy or pay, they artificially won promotion over sides who live within their means.

 

I have zero sympathy for Pompey regarding the same sort of reasons.

[ooh it's a corner]

BDO's annual report on football finance is here: (you will need to give them your email address to get it)

 

The headline is that 70% of clubs have been reliant on shareholder funds this year (up from 57% last year). So there are only 27 clubs who are self-sufficient financially.....

 

 

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