The crazy money in football

[EastStandRed]

5588

[EastStandRed]

Spurs saving some cash by the looks to go towards the new stadium

[EastStandRed]

Premier League shirt sponsor deals for this season


5589

[pass_and_move]

Premier League shirt sponsor deals for this season


5589


It's ridiculous how many are sponsored by gambling companies. I like a bet, dont get me wrong and over the years i learned the hard way but this gambling malarkey is shoved down our throats from every angle possible. It destroys lives. The government should be ashamed, perhaps if they weren't making millions of pounds out of it themselves they'd address the issue more seriously. Labour started the gambling trend glamourising it on television through multiple advertising and allowing bookmakers to open up loads of shops on every high st in every town. This is done purely because of the machines inside these bookies. The government exploits the poor, kin rats lot on em.

Now all you see at football is gamble, gamble, gamble. It's all over the place from being on shirts to sponsoring stadiums to going round on the electronic advertising hoardings to being on tv every live match at every opportunity. It's wrong.

The Premier league stinks from top to bottom.

This is a thing kids look up to, these footballers don't cover themselves in glory diving and cheating. Gambling is shoved in your face. Hardly a precedent to set kids is it? Everybugga turns a blind eye to all this. Something as popular as the PL should be setting an example imo

[Exiletyke]

It's ridiculous how many are sponsored by gambling companies. I like a bet, dont get me wrong and over the years i learned the hard way but this gambling malarkey is shoved down our throats from every angle possible. It destroys lives. The government should be ashamed, perhaps if they weren't making millions of pounds out of it themselves they'd address the issue more seriously. Labour started the gambling trend glamourising it on television through multiple advertising and allowing bookmakers to open up loads of shops on every high st in every town. This is done purely because of the machines inside these bookies. The government exploits the poor, kin rats lot on em.

Now all you see at football is gamble, gamble, gamble. It's all over the place from being on shirts to sponsoring stadiums to going round on the electronic advertising hoardings to being on tv every live match at every opportunity. It's wrong.

The Premier league stinks from top to bottom.

This is a thing kids look up to, these footballers don't cover themselves in glory diving and cheating. Gambling is shoved in your face. Hardly a precedent to set kids is it? Everybugga turns a blind eye to all this. Something as popular as the PL should be setting an example imo





Totally agree P&M

[EastStandRed]

Average wages paid to footballers

5597

[EastStandRed]

5598

[POGGYWELL]

Very interesting looking at those wages with Huddersfield Town promoted the following season.

[Hodger1957]

Thir**** Chinese Super League clubs have been told to clear debts or face a ban from the competition next season.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) wrote to all but three of the country's 16 top-flight clubs, as well as five lower-league teams.
The CFA claimed the clubs had outstanding debts on player transfers, salaries or bonuses.
What a farce.
Now they're talking about playing some Premier league games in the US, China & Australia to increase income.
How much money do they want? Who will benefit from this extra money?
Players & agents. Nobody else.

[animallittle3]

Once football bought into full blown capitalism with the formation of the PL then as in life you see it's effects for the have not's .

The idea in principle was for the PL to keep all the television revenue for itself and end the more socialist policy of sharing the revenue with the other football league clubs .


They argued that they and they only generated the tv revenue and so they could keep it for themselves .

They mysteriously forgot to mention that many players they had in their teams at that time came from clubs they were unwilling to share the money with .

Brian Deane Doncaster Rovers , Dion Dublin Cambridge United , David Hirst Barnsley , John Fashanu Millwall , Ian Rush Chester , John Barnes Watford , Dennis Irwin Oldham , Dean Saunders , Mark Wright and Ray Houghton Oxford , Geoff Thomas and David Platt Crewe , Neil Webb Portsmouth , loads of em in those days .

Not only that and this is just as much a FL thing too they hiked the ticket prices up to levels unimaginable at one time , and got away with it .

How did they steal the game so effectively from right under our noses and get away with it ?

How can the PL be worth £180 million and one league below it's only worth £5 million , no more than your supervisor at work be on £200k pa while you struggle on £20k .

Kin bollox innit .

[Exiletyke]

Thir**** Chinese Super League clubs have been told to clear debts or face a ban from the competition next season.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) wrote to all but three of the country's 16 top-flight clubs, as well as five lower-league teams.
The CFA claimed the clubs had outstanding debts on player transfers, salaries or bonuses.
What a farce.
Now they're talking about playing some Premier league games in the US, China & Australia to increase income.
How much money do they want? Who will benefit from this extra money?
Players & agents. Nobody else.



I heard on radio about 5 or 6 years ago that eventually we will see the FA cup final played in New York or California
Never [I thought] but then I thought about it
More money down that route you see

[EastStandRed]

Average PL weekly wage 2015/16

5653

[DOOALI]

Who started all this the obscene state of affairs SKY Sports and then it all escalated with full approval by our wan++rs running the FL and FA

[Hodger1957]

Neymar's father asked Paris St-Germain to delay formal negotiations with Barcelona over a £450m deal for his son until after 31 July - the day he earns a £23.3m commission for his part in persuading the 25-year-old forward to sign a new contract last October.

[EastStandRed]

Neymars Dad paid more than Messi by Barcelona this year !!!

[Jules88]

Very interesting looking at those wages with Huddersfield Town promoted the following season.

Absolutely my point on another thread. They didn't pay millions, nor buy journeymen. Patience with a plan. So why pay the exhorbiyant wages that some are asking the club to pay

[EastStandRed]

Just think on ..... tomorrows opponents Nottingham Forest spend £166 pounds just on wages for every £100 they earn

FFP my ar se

[Romared]

Wi laik em tmra , dunt gu trapesin darn theer tunneet !! Emma n dubble Corrie ont box :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[EastStandRed]

Haha you were too quick for my edit . I won't be traipsing nowhere Mr R .

I'm abroad , haven't seen em laik a game live yet :D

[Acido]

Wi laik em tmra , dunt gu trapesin darn theer tunneet !! Emma n dubble Corrie ont box :rolleyes::rolleyes:

What do you watch that bolonio for Roma, surely theres a channel where they show Live international Paint drying, much more exciting than Emmadingle and Corriedingle. ;D

Ohh and Jules be careful, that was a very decent and complimentary thing you said about dear little Hudds Town, are you feeling ok ?. lol

[Jules88]

I must not be feeling well. Obviously "sick"
.....of hearing about them... Brainwashing me is all this talk of "champions league qualification" and "Europe" and " top of the league"

Shoot me now......

[animallittle3]

I must not be feeling well. Obviously "sick"
.....of hearing about them... Brainwashing me is all this talk of "champions league qualification" and "Europe" and " top of the league"

Shoot me now......

I can see em beating Newcastle at home Jules to be fair .

Mind you I think in october going into november they have all the top boys on consecutive weeks , like five of them on the bounce .

See where they are after that run of games mate .

[Acido]

It was a great win for them on the opening day away at C.Palace wasn't it, I will give them credit for that. But lets wait and see them up against a more established Prem team eh, rather than C.Palace who not so long ago were a yo-yo side between the two divisions.

But this also brings back memories of our first ever Prem win when it was there at Selhurst Park, in our new white n dark green kit. Redders scored a cracking long range left footer that went into the top corner that night in the 0-1 win and it really should have been looked at as one of the goal of the month contenders... but no, the Bbc didn't give a toss as usual.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ow0df-C2NE

[EastStandRed]

Fancy buying a Premiership Club !

5997

[EastStandRed]

Sheffield United issue 10,400 shares at £500 each, raising £5.2 million. Could be used to boost the squad?


5998

[animallittle3]

The core support won't wear that ESR unless the club issue it when the winter fuel allowance lands on the door mat

Si thi


:-) :-) :-) :-)

[EastStandRed]

Brightons signing of Dwamena takes spending in 52 days of window to £51 million, more than in the previous 116 years of existence

[Romared]

Bolonio my ar se , it's reyt telly ask SB , still ev bill n Ben on in Normy , thall ev Caine afta thi nar :O tha shunt ivva knock Emmadale

[Acido]

Bolonio my ar se , it's reyt telly ask SB , still ev bill n Ben on in Normy , thall ev Caine afta thi nar :O tha shunt ivva knock Emmadale

I have asked SB and he talks the same bolonio that you do Roma, when it comes to the subject of Emmerdirtydingle :D.
What are Seth and Joe Sugden and Nora Batty up to these days by the way, have they bought the Nags head pub from Dirty Den Watts and Angie yet ?. ;D
Btw forget Bill n Ben, Id happily still watch Rainbow if they showed it in good old Normy lol.

[animallittle3]

I have asked SB and he talks the same bolonio that you do Roma, when it comes to the subject of Emmerdirtydingle :D.
What are Seth and Joe Sugden and Nora Batty up to these days by the way, have they bought the Nags head pub from Dirty Den Watts and Angie yet ?. ;D
Btw forget Bill n Ben, Id happily still watch Rainbow if they showed it in good old Normy lol.

You've one telly in the whole of Normanton and that feckers int local club :-) :-)

[Acido]

You've one telly in the whole of Normanton and that feckers int local club :-) :-)

If you two ever stepped foot in Normy Animal or Roma, we'd OUT you both immediatley. lol
Remember kids, we don't like strangers round here lol. (and say that with a farmer Giles west country accent for extra effect) :P

[EastStandRed]

Watford have been fined a total of £4.3m including costs by the English Football League, after two breaches of operational regulations.

Those breaches relate to a forged letter from May 2014, submitted to the EFL in the process of Change of Control application for Gino Pozzo's takeover.

It was claimed by the Telegraph the letter contained guarantees of funds to ensure the takeover could take place.

However, the EFL were "satisfied" Pozzo had no knowledge of the forgery.

The EFL statement also said no other directors or employees were aware of the situation.

Former chairman Rafaelle Riva has been charged on the basis of the investigation now faces a separate EFL disciplinary commission.

The club said they "fully accept" the findings and sanctions imposed, and confirmed their co-operation in proceedings.

A statement read: "The club is pleased that throughout his independent inquiry, Ian Unsworth QC praised the level of access and co-operation and with it exonerated all currently serving club employees and officers. This point was also fully accepted by the EFL."

Sanctions were reduced from £5.75m after Watford's "full" co-operation while all financial commitments for that period had been met in full.

[EastStandRed]

Wolves are currently playing with 'The Money Shop' plastered across the front of their shirts.

It seems an appropriate statement given the extraordinary developments at the Championship club who, under the influence of so-called 'super-agent' Jorge Mendes, have spent vast sums on transfer fees and wages in a gamble that leaves the club at risk of financial meltdown if they do not win promotion to the Premier League this season.

Wolves, who on Saturday drew 0-0 with Brentford to remain third in the table, have twice smashed the Championship transfer record in the past eight months — first paying £12.8million to Benfica for winger Helder Costa in January, then laying out £15.8m to Porto for Ruben Neves last month.

Both players are Mendes clients. So are Diogo Jota, this summer's other big new name, on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid, and £7.2m Ivan Cavaleiro, bought from Monaco last summer — though it was Valdir Cardoso, an executive at Mendes' Gestifute company, whose name was on the Cavaleiro paperwork.

The transfer lay-out is just the start of it. Costa is thought to have commanded £80,000 a week last season and Neves is likely to be earning something similar. The most Wolves had ever paid out in the past was £42,000 a week to Roger Johnson in the Premier League. At £7m, Johnson had been their biggest purchase before this year.

For a club whose annual revenues are so modest — £5.4m in gate receipts, £3.4m in sponsorship and £3.4m in other commercial income — it is hard to see how they will avoid breaching Football League financial fair play rules.

Clubs are permitted accumulative losses of no more than £39m in three successive seasons. Wolves' accounts to May 2016 reveal a small profit, though they needed £10.5m income from their last Premier League parachute payment to creep into the black.

Last summer's £32.5m transfer spend, including loan fees and a much bigger wage bill with no parachute money, point to the club recording £20m losses for 2016-17, at a conservative estimate. Another £30m of losses seem likely in the 12 months to the end of this season.

That would be £50m losses over three seasons. If promoted, Wolves would face a fine which Premier League riches would make it easy to pay. If marooned in the second tier they would face a transfer embargo and probably need a fire sale to pay fines.

'It's hard to see how they will avoid a breach of FFP,' says Charles Ross, who edited the long-standing Wolves fanzine Load of Bull. 'Money is being wafted around now but by next summer we could be looking at a fire sale if this gamble doesn't come off.'

Ross is one of many Wolves fans uneasy about the idea of Mendes influencing a transfer policy from which he profits directly, both in commission on deals and the chance to parade his names in front of the big-spending Premier League clubs.

Mendes, who is also agent to Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo, brokered the takeover that brought Chinese conglomerate Fosun International to Wolves last year and is close to the owners' man on the ground — club executive chairman Shi Yu. Almost half of 25 incoming players in the past 18 months have been from his Gestifute stable.

So is manager Nuno Espirito Santo, one of Mendes' first clients. On Friday, it emerged that yet another — the former Celtic defender Daniel Majstorovic — has been in discussions with Mendes about becoming Wolves' sporting director. The incumbent, Kevin Thelwall, has seemed increasingly marginalised, with Mendes controlling policy. Fosun's commitment to Mendes is cemented by them taking a 20 per cent stake in Gestifute.

Wolves have said they do not comment on 'specific financial matters' or on their relationship with agents' fees. As always in football, some fans care only about results.

'The side are playing really entertaining, enterprising football,' says regular match-goer Steve Harrison, who speaks for many. 'The idea of an agent having influence is not new. Mendes is a powerful figure at Manchester United, too.'

There are stories of Zenga commandeering buses at the last minute to take them on a two-mile drive from hotels to home games. It was mayhem.

Nunes has brought none of that chaos. Although several of the club's British players are out of favour — with talisman Dave Edwards on his way to Reading — Nunes has re*****ised 24-year-old Conor Coady by converting him to a centre-half. Coady is thought to earn £8,000-a-week, a tenth of Neves' wages.

No one knows how the new Iberian contingent of players will cope with the bruising 40-game Championship season. If they make it to the top flight, the punt will have been worth it. If not, focus will turn to what some already see as the death of what Wolves used to stand for under the stewardship of Sir Jack Hayward.

It's not lost on many fans that shirt sponsor 'The Money Shop' was forced to repay £700,000 a few years ago after admitting giving pay-day loans to people who could not afford them.

'Where has our soul gone when we have 'The Money Shop' on the front of our shirts and for the players it's all aboard the Jorge Mendes carousel?' said Ross. 'If this is right, then please tell me how.'

[animallittle3]

Is it wrong , of course it is , there are so many things wrong here with how I see life .

It's football capitalism and it doesn't recognise what is morally correct only what money there is to be earned or earned in indirect ways and basically stuff the consequences .

Some seriously dangerous people around the game today who won't be around to pick up the pieces when things go tyts up , they will be long gone and millions of pounds better off to boot .

This takeover of our club isn't without risk , I'm not going to say anything different because it is what it is .

Clubs have prospered though due to investment , clubs like Bournemouth wouldn't be any where near the PL without it .

A risk worth taking for me , I'd prefer to prosper without it but that ain't going to happen .

My own view is that Mr Lee isn't out to asset strip the club and his intentions are good , that doesn't mean to say it won't go tyts up but it won't go tyts up deliberately if you get my meaning .

For his own business to grow further then he has to make a success of ourselves , it goes hand in hand , that's the whole point of him buying the club .

I'm going against many things here with my own take on life , I just want the club to prosper because without this we will stagnate and die a slow death .

I'm either a fool or too proud , it's as simple as that .

[EastStandRed]

Is it wrong , of course it is , there are so many things wrong here with how I see life .

It's football capitalism and it doesn't recognise what is morally correct only what money there is to be earned or earned in indirect ways and basically stuff the consequences .

Some seriously dangerous people around the game today who won't be around to pick up the pieces when things go tyts up , they will be long gone and millions of pounds better off to boot .

This takeover of our club isn't without risk , I'm not going to say anything different because it is what it is .

Clubs have prospered though due to investment , clubs like Bournemouth wouldn't be any where near the PL without it .

A risk worth taking for me , I'd prefer to prosper without it but that ain't going to happen .

My own view is that Mr Lee isn't out to asset strip the club and his intentions are good , that doesn't mean to say it won't go tyts up but it won't go tyts up deliberately if you get my meaning .

For his own business to grow further then he has to make a success of ourselves , it goes hand in hand , that's the whole point of him buying the club .

I'm going against many things here with my own take on life , I just want the club to prosper because without this we will stagnate and die a slow death .

I'm either a fool or too proud , it's as simple as that .

Good post Animal and I agree . The money being spent by Wolves isn't investment though for me it's totally over the top gambling with a clubs future . If they don't get to the promised land of the premier league in 2 years they'll become the next Bolton and the worrying thing is the fans of these clubs are not protected by the FA and are allowed to rack up massive overspends while the owners gamble away the clubs future.

[EastStandRed]

Birmingham's £43,000-a-week loan for Southampton's Sam Gallagher highlights transfer market money madness -...

Gallagher made his debut on Saturday as Birmingham lost 2-0 to Reading(Image: Birmingham Mail)
Birmingham City 's season-long loan deal for rookie Southampton striker Sam Gallagher will cost the Championship club a *staggering £43,000 a week.

The Blues beat Midlands *rivals Aston Villa, Wolves and Derby to ex-England Under-20 international *Gallagher – but only after agreeing to cough up the kind of cash that proves how money madness has *infected the transfer market.

Birmingham will pay Saints a £1.2million ‘rental’ fee for a player who scored his only *top-flight goal more than three years ago.

Harry Redknapp beat fellow Championship sides Aston Villa, Wolves and Derby to Gallagher(Image: Birmingham Mail)
They are also handing *Gallagher, 21, a hefty *increase on the £10,000-a-week deal he banked when signing a new four-year *contract at St Mary’s last month. He will now earn £18,000 a week *playing for Harry Redknapp this season.

Birmingham have also shelled out *another £200,000 in agent’s fees for the deal to be brokered.

Southampton’s initial *demand to send Gallagher out on loan was £2m – but they reduced their asking price when there were no takers.

The only top-flight goal Gallagher has scored for Southampton — back in March 2014(Image: Getty)
Gallagher’s temporary *transfer – one of dozens of loan deals completed this summer – illustrates how much *lower-division clubs are *prepared to gamble in a desperate scramble to hit the £200m Premier League *jackpot.

The cash sums Birmingham are lavishing on one player – who scored just 12 goals in 47 *appearances *for Blackburn as they were relegated last season – are becoming the rule rather than the *exception.

A source, *who is involved at the business end of the player-recruitment *industry, said: “Loan deals were introduced to help clubs in times of an *emergency.

Saints loaned Gallagher out last season to Blackburn, who got relegated from the Championship(Image: Action Images)
"Then it was used as a means of *allowing young players to gain experience at a lower level.Now, with more money than ever swilling around football, the *system is just *another way for all parties *involved to line their pockets.

“Sometimes that can be to the detriment of the clubs, sometimes to the detriment of the players. But some clubs are taking huge *financial risks.

“It wouldn’t be such a gamble if payments and bonuses were linked to *success. But payments on loan deals are front-loaded – with clubs often forced to give players *minutes on the pitch because agreements have *penalties *attached if players do not make enough *appearances.

“Those financial pressures often force managers to pick players they do not want in their team. Payments should not be made up front and clubs should not be financially punished if the manager takes the decision to leave a certain player out.

“The money being paid for loan deals should be linked to success and made *payable at the end of the season.”

There have been calls for loans deals in the *Premier League to be scrapped at a time when the clubs bank in excess of £100m every season from TV *revenues.

Many top sides look to send players to lower-*division clubs in a bid to give them minutes on the pitch in a competitive *environment. Some are often forced to go to teams against their will, while others use a loan deal as a means of getting a wage rise.

The insider added: “Too many loan deals are being done to generate money – be that for a club, an agent or a player – and often aren’t being arranged to benefit the footballer’s *development.

“The arrangement needs to be looked into and governed properly.”

[EastStandRed]

Think we enquired about him and the above shows why he didn't come.


Also shows how much money you need to compete in this division for even loan signings. Chinese Billionaire owners are the norm nowadays

[EastStandRed]

Premier League spending so far this summer

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[EastStandRed]

Premier League spending during this TransferWindow would sit as the 2nd highest spending industry in the UK for the time period


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[Redstew]

What a murky seedy mess this all is.
Your average punter stands back watching, powerless to do anything about what they can see unfolding in front of them.
An entrepreneur however, would see it as "progression and business".
Long gone is the thinking that if you win the premier league you get the spoils. Nowadays, there is no need to win the premier league for a side to be seen as successful.
There have been casualties in the past due to financial issues and there will be more in the future, of that there is no doubt.
My view is, that it is unsustainable. It will eventually all implode. Maybe not for a few years but it will happen.

[animallittle3]

What a murky seedy mess this all is.
Your average punter stands back watching, powerless to do anything about what they can see unfolding in front of them.
An entrepreneur however, would see it as "progression and business".
Long gone is the thinking that if you win the premier league you get the spoils. Nowadays, there is no need to win the premier league for a side to be seen as successful.
There have been casualties in the past due to financial issues and there will be more in the future, of that there is no doubt.
My view is, that it is unsustainable. It will eventually all implode. Maybe not for a few years but it will happen.

They've said it for 20 years now and if anything the PL gets ever larger and the money spent and earned beyond comprehension .

I agree though it will burst because that's what capitalism is all about , boom and bust , the finance industry was the classic case .

As in line with other capitalist models those who sit on the top floor won't be around to clean up the mess .

That will be left to the fans and a few local volunteer businessmen to salvage what they can from the corpse and try to carry on .

They stole the game , not for the love of the game but the love of power and money .

Personally as Labour PM I'd nationalise the industry and return it to the fans , sort the capitalists out quick sticks .

Maximum wage and capped ticket prices , let the foreigners feck off to La Liga , Serie A and the French League so they can bankrupt themselves within the EU although the Germans have more sense than to entertain them .

Once the game is back under control the FA can have it back on a target related basis , any nonsense and they will lose it for good the next time .

JC FOR PM

[EastStandRed]

Do you know which team spent the 10th most out of all English clubs in this summer’s transfer window? Go on, have a guess.
It was recently relegated Middlesbrough, who currently sit ninth in the Championship after five matches.
In an attempt to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, Garry Monk outspent West Ham, West Brom and Burnley, and forked out almost as much as Arsenal, with over half of the £47m spent by the Teessiders going on two strikers: Britt Assombalonga from Nottingham Forest and Toulouse’s Martin Braithwaite.

Of course, Middlesbrough aren’t the only big-spending Championship club in recent years, but they do represent an emerging subdivision of sides; those that span the top two tiers of English football and have either rich owners, parachute payments or both. Let’s call it the Premiership.

Six of the best
Sky Sports would never admit it, but outside of the Premier League’s top six there are a lot of very average teams. Last season, there were just six points between Watford in 17th and Southampton in eighth, with Everton 15 points ahead of the Saints but still eight points behind Manchester United.

The aim of these clubs at the start of the season is simple: don’t get relegated. The likes of Stoke, Southampton and West Brom probably have more reasonable expectations of achieving that than the rest, but even then-champions Leicester showed last year how easy it can be to slip into trouble when you don’t belong to that elite group of six.
These ‘Premiership’ clubs don’t only exist in the bottom half of the Premier League. In terms of quality, the teams at the top end of the Championship aren’t much worse, but the division remains competitive from top to bottom. Put in our best Mick McCarthy drawl: on their day, anyone can beat anyone.

But England’s second tier has changed in recent years. Not the bit about anyone being able to beat anyone – that’s still true – but the money spent can now reach Premier League levels. Last season Aston Villa had the most expensively assembled squad in Championship history, having shelled out £72m across the two transfer windows – and that doesn’t take wages into account either. They finished 13th.
This summer’s transfer window only served to shift things further. Huddersfield spent biggest of the promoted clubs, parting with £45m to sign the likes of Steve Mounie, Tom Ince and Aaron Mooy; Brighton spent the least, missing out on two strikers as the minutes ticked away on deadline day. Despite two of the three teams breaking their transfer records (three times in Brighton’s case), none of them spent enough for even one Kyle Walker.

Kyle Walker realises he's the barometer of every English transfer this summer
Those figures are comparable to the clubs they need to beat to survive. Outside of the top six, clubs spent an average of £46.3m – and that’s with Everton’s £135m push to join the elite skewing the figures. Take the Toffees out and the number falls below £40m – still less than Boro’s summer spending spree.

Best of the rest
Parachute payments were brought in to stop clubs going out of business when they drop out of the Premier League. That theory is still sound, but combined with the extra TV money they receive upon making it to the so-called ‘Promised Land’, it’s becoming harder to tell the difference between a bottom-end Premier League club and promotion-chasing Championship one.

There are eight teams in the second tier with parachute payments (around £60m paid over four seasons): Cardiff, Hull, Middlesbrough, QPR, Fulham, Villa, Sunderland and Norwich. Of the 20 teams in the Premier League today, six of them have spent time in the Championship since Cardiff went down in 2014.
Middlesbrough have made back a lot of what they’ve spent by offloading players they bought with their Premier League cash, but without those parachute payments that money would surely have gone towards making up the shortfall.

Add in teams such as Wolves, Reading, Derby or Sheffield Wednesday – with rich owners who are willing to bankroll their clubs' pushes towards the Premier League – and the sleeping giants of Leeds and Forest. That leaves a host of teams that, thanks to Financial Fair Play, have minimal hope of joining the upper reaches of the Championship, plus far more difficult circumstances for teams coming up from League One.

The little guys
There will always be exceptions. Huddersfield truly broke the mould last season, and while it’s true that there was money behind Brighton’s eventual promotion, the Seagulls didn’t spend on players in a way that promoted sides have done previously.

Even so, this increasingly inverted Premier League replica leaves little hope for teams such as Preston, Burton and Barnsley, who spent a combined £2.2m this window (and half of that going on North End’s new goalkeeper Declan Rudd).
There are other ways to raise funds, of course, and Barnsley have done well in recent years through good old-fashioned player sales; Burton, meanwhile, pocketed around £2m from the sale of Jackson Irvine to Hull. But selling your best players won’t win you games.

Preston’s mid-table finish last season should certainly provide hope, but these teams – all looking to David Wagner’s Terriers for inspiration – start each season merely hoping to survive while the moneyed clubs above them fight for their turn at the top table. Each season, three clubs come down supported by parachute payments and the whole process starts again.

Cushioning the blow
Premier League chiefs would argue that they are simply sharing the wealth, and without parachute payments there’s no doubt relegated clubs would be in serious trouble. The average income in the Championship last year was £22m, while a club coming down from the Premier League is likely to have a wage bill of £40m+. You don’t need to be Carol Vorderman to work out that those numbers don’t go.

Despite the inequalities, not everyone believes parachute payments are causing more problems than they solve. As Kieran Maguire, an expert on football finance from Liverpool University tells FFT: “The alternative is financial meltdown as clubs struggle to pay wages.
“Parachute payments do allow relegated clubs to spend more on player recruitment, but it still needs to be spent well. With so many clubs in the Championship under new or foreign ownership there is already plenty of competition, regardless of parachute payments.”

There’s no going back. The genie’s out of the bottle – and with Financial Fair Play effectively putting an end to any club just spending its way into the elite, ultimately the logical (if not entirely palatable) conclusion for many fans is for the Premier League’s top teams to break away and join Europe’s other free-spending clubs in a so-called Super League.
That’s usually seen as detrimental to the health of the clubs left behind, but in terms of competitiveness it might not be the worst thing that could happen.

Shuffling the pack
Depending on how many of the top six departed, those clubs that can drop £75m+ on a single player would be gone, with more of the ‘Premiership’ teams able to compete in the country’s newly established top division. Restructuring below would arguably help those teams that currently struggle in the Championship, and allow space for more competition from League One.
Provided attendances were maintained, financial expert Maguire believes the new league would be still be attractive to broadcasters and do reasonably well – although revenues would take a serious hit. “The international rights, which are currently worth £3bn over three years, would collapse to next to nothing,” he predicts, “and the domestic rights – currently £5bn over the same period – would drop to less than £1bn.”

Nobody in the Far East and beyond really wants to watch Watford or Crystal Palace, then, but given the popularity of the Football League in this country there’s no reason to believe the appeal for match-going fans would suddenly evaporate just because Manchester United have denied those left behind the opportunity to see Chris Smalling play.
With plenty of fans already feeling pretty disillusioned by the actions of the top six, supporters of clubs like Newcastle, Leeds and Everton might even welcome the opportunity to compete for the title of English champions once again.

Read more at https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/what-heavy-championship-spending-might-mean-english-footballs-future#FZPHvRwjwmjkIZmX.99

[SBRed48]

I agree though it will burst because that's what capitalism is all about , boom and bust , the finance industry was the classic case .

As in line with other capitalist models those who sit on the top floor won't be around to clean up the mess .

That will be left to the fans and a few local volunteer businessmen to salvage what they can from the corpse and try to carry on .






Sound familiar ? Oakwell 2017 anyone ?

[EastStandRed]

Football ticket and season ticket prices in 1981

6431

[animallittle3]

It's a long time ago ESR and obviously that needs factoring in but none the less it just shows the gap between wages and going to football was in tandem .

Fast forward today and it's a different story , they've got away with now and that is that I'm afraid .

[animallittle3]

Sound familiar ? Oakwell 2017 anyone ?

The club managed to bust itself 15 years ago with a local chairman and board in charge SB .

Just for balance mi owd :-) :-)

[EastStandRed]

It's a long time ago ESR and obviously that needs factoring in but none the less it just shows the gap between wages and going to football was in tandem .

Fast forward today and it's a different story , they've got away with now and that is that I'm afraid .


10p dearer to watch Barnsley in Div 3 than Man City in Div 1, scandalous :O

[SBRed48]

A thowt that wo ITV Digital going t1ts up Animal.

[animallittle3]

A thowt that wo ITV Digital going t1ts up Animal.

It was and it wasn't SB , we spent money upfront that we didn't have and when ITV digital went bust we were left high n dry and in administration .

A six and two threes you might say .

[pass_and_move]

Football ticket and season ticket prices in 1981

6431


Interesting read that ESR. Has inflation gone up by that amount in the same period of time? I doubt it. However, there are factors to take into consideration such as the Taylor report, Premier LG, players wages etc for price increases to go up so dramatically in 36 years.

Now we sit in comfort with unobstructed views, a roof over our heads to keep the rain off, indoor bogs in most cases, tv's on the concourse etc. These kind of facilities are the norm to the younger generation, they've never seen owt else unless they went to Altrincham!

Me personally, I preferred the old grounds. It's daft really cos tha got pyss wet through, fenced in, pushed abart and crushed, more often than not tha gorra terrible vantage point, especially at away grounds but that's what I grew up with.

It were simply watching thi team laik wi thousands of other like minded folk. Tha felt like tha belonged, it weren't a rip off and certainly affordable to the average blowk on the street.

Now it's a different world but safety wise it's been for the better.

Along with the new stands and stadia came corporate hospitality. Indeed, we were the first club in Yorkshire to boast such facilities when the East Stand was built in 1993. Ironic really when nubdy rarnd here's gorra pot to pyss in yet the Sheffield giants XD were still in the footballing stone age whilst both laikin in the newly formed premier league.

That was it for football, along with Sky, the new stadia and the reformed structure of the league's football would never be the same again.

Thinking about prices in 1981 you have to say football was on its arse with hooliganism. I haven't done any research but I bet the average attendance was way darn back then on what it is today. Ironically yet again, I know we hit a boom around that time and BFC was thriving, crowds up massively from what we'd had 5 years earlier.

Club's were trying to attract fans but many had had enough of the trouble and weren't gonna go until some kind of order was restored. Tough times for some club's.

I notice both the SCAB club's were charging top whack, southern prices for an almost northern city. Then again I've always had the fekkers darn as southern wannabes. Forest were at their height and County were just well....County.

Summat doesn't ad up though with most clubs on that chart. It works out more expensive to buy a season ticket than to pay at the turnstile and stand every week. Certainly not like that now is it. It's the 11th commandment- thou shalt buy a season ticket or tha not a reight supporter and we'll price thi art.

Joking aside I think football has held the supporters to ransom and continues to do so. Many are saying enough is enough including me. My love and loyalty to football over the years doesn't make me a fool yet they're treating the fans as just that in my opinion.

Preston are charging abart the reight price on setdy fo me. We have great value in season tickets it has to be said. However, tha needs thi eeard testin to pay them swillsbro prices. No offence to the loyal supporters that do pay ridiculously high ticket prices but surely they can see the end of the road by now and when enough is enough. Maybe not, I don't know. Maybe it's me being tight.

I really hope these prospective new owners don't go down this route. I'll wait and be very interested to hear their views and what their plans are.

[Romared]

A lotta writing theer Pass , get t point man :zzz: ;D tha reyt tho

[pass_and_move]

A lotta writing theer Pass , get t point man :zzz: ;D tha reyt tho

Noted ;D

[pass_and_move]

A cud do it in Benny Hill chinese writin if it meks it less booarin :)

[Romared]

A cud do it in Benny Hill chinese writin if it meks it less booarin :)

It no borling it gud :P Jonnyboy ruvvit too

[EastStandRed]

Great post P&M

[EastStandRed]

Top British transfers in 1983

6454

[Old Goat]

£100k for Ian Banks? We were robbed!

[EastStandRed]

Seven people have been arrested in connection with a missing £10.25m loan to Northampton Town Football Club.

A statement from Northamptonshire Police said it was investigating "allegations of theft and fraud, bribery, misconduct in public office and electoral offences".

The Northampton Borough Council loan was made in 2013 to redevelop the Sixfields stadium.

Nine other people have also been interviewed under caution, police said.

Detectives would not be drawn on the "nature of the interviews or the identity of those interviewed", Thursday's statement said.

Read more Northamptonshire stories here

The police statement also revealed detectives were analysing the "results of thousands of financial transactions" and following "700 lines of inquiry".

It added: "To date, this has resulted in over 500 statements and reports being produced and more than 2,100 exhibits being seized.

"This investigation has resulted in the arrest of seven individuals from across the country, with a further nine interviewed at length under caution."

The row began when the loan was first agreed in the summer of 2013. A police inquiry into "alleged financial irregularities" surrounding the money was launched in November 2015.

Meanwhile, work on Northampton Town's East Stand redevelopment at Sixfields Stadium remains incomplete.

[EastStandRed]

Real Madrid agree record-breaking sponsorship deal with Emirates


Real Madrid and Fly Emirates have renewed their shirt sponsorship arrangement in a new deal worth 70 million euros during each of the next five years, according to Palco23. The new agreement, for a total of 280 million euros, will be the most lucrative sponsorship accord ever seen in world football - way in excess of the 55 million per annum deal struck by FC Barcelona with Rakuten and the 62 million euro per year deal Manchester United have in place with Chevrolet until 2021.

Madrid's new shirt sponsorship deal with Emirates is already signed off

According to the web site, the relevant documents were signed by Madrid and Emirates in the summer but the extension has yet to be made official. Two of the conditions in the new contract include installing four LED advertising banners by both goal areas at the Santiagio Bernabéu stadium as well as publicity on the squad's training kit.

With the Emirates sponsorship secured, Madrid will now negotiate new terms with another of their major sponsors, Adidas. According to Palco23, Real Madrid will sign a new deal worth 105 million, superseding the record transaction Barcelona signed with Nike. Several months ago, Football Leaks reported that Adidas had offered Madrid an agreement worth a fixed 70 million euros plus an additional 30 million for merchandising.

[EastStandRed]

Mike Ashley trying to sell Newcastle for £300m
hard to see buyer paying given Everton went for £200m. Good profits but low wages & money raised per fan an issue

Would have made more sense for Mr Lee to buy Newcastle..... if he could afford them !

6613

[SBRed48]

Mister Ha Way Man, Mister Lee's Chinese helper looking into it.

[POGGYWELL]

Mike Ashley trying to sell Newcastle for £300m
hard to see buyer paying given Everton went for £200m. Good profits but low wages & money raised per fan an issue

Would have made more sense for Mr Lee to buy Newcastle..... if he could afford them !

6613

He may well do!

[Hodger1957]

daily mail
Edinson Cavani's feud with Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar has escalated after the Uruguayan rejected 1m euros to pass on penalty duties, according to reports in Spain.
Why can't a manager decide who takes penalties anymore?
Fine him 1m euros if he takes one.

[SBRed48]

Bali Tai La wor only given a £10 nooat to gu to chipoyle and get eigh**** lottsa fish,chips and scraps fo the whole first team last Setdi dinnertime. Crazy money

[Romared]

Bali Tai La wor only given a £10 nooat to gu to chipoyle and get eigh**** lottsa fish,chips and scraps fo the whole first team last Setdi dinnertime. Crazy money

Aberri stil medsummat !!
Clayzee munnee

[Ponte_Steve24]

What happens when everyone has been taken over? I think we'll have a level playing field with clubs literally printing their own money so to speak. There is that much money and debt in football. Does anybody actually see it? Does paper money actually change hands anymore?

I think it's all dreamt up sums and eventually there will be a massive crash when people realised that the money never existed in the first place. There probably aren't enough gold reserves to finance it??

[EastStandRed]

What happens when everyone has been taken over? I think we'll have a level playing field with clubs literally printing their own money so to speak. There is that much money and debt in football. Does anybody actually see it? Does paper money actually change hands anymore?

I think it's all dreamt up sums and eventually there will be a massive crash when people realised that the money never existed in the first place. There probably aren't enough gold reserves to finance it??

It's sick the amount of money in football and nearly everyone is just racking up more and more debts. Something will happen one day, Sky will decide they're not paying daft money anymore and they'll all be fkd

[Exiletyke]

It's sick the amount of money in football and nearly everyone is just racking up more and more debts. Something will happen one day, Sky will decide they're not paying daft money anymore and they'll all be fkd



Sky will only stop paying daft money when Sky subscribers stop paying daft money!

[EastStandRed]

Sky will only stop paying daft money when Sky subscribers stop paying daft money!

True

[Exiletyke]

Sky will only stop paying daft money when Sky subscribers stop paying daft money!



And I include me in that

[EastStandRed]

And I include me in that


Me anorl , very tempted at the moment to get rid but there's nothing much else worth watching than football

[Exiletyke]

Me anorl , very tempted at the moment to get rid but there's nothing much else worth watching than football




Like you ESR I am getting close to giving SKY the heave ho

[Romared]

I'm stuck with what to do just now, my contract with Virgin media runs out next month, they are increasing their price , Sky send me notes every month to rejoin them and give me 60% discount , then in 12 months that goes up , no reward for loyalty only new subscriber's , problem is I like my sport like many more, can't make me mind up and to be honest am bleedin sick of ringing the barmy sods up and waiting ages for an answer ,

[EastStandRed]

Premier League boss Richard Scudamore has embarked on a week of lobbying in a bid to heal a split between clubs over the distribution of the next round of multi-billion pound overseas TV rights.

It comes ahead of a meeting of all 20 clubs next Wednesday in London.

Under pressure from the six richest clubs, the chairman has proposed ending the equal sharing of international broadcasting income.

The £3bn overseas deal for 2016-19 generates £39m a year for each club.

Scudamore presented his plan - which would see 35% of the revenue divided according to league position - to the other 14 clubs on Wednesday, but it has been met with resistance.

With new contracts for some international markets for 2019-22 already done and showing significant increases in value, the so-called 'Big Six' - Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea - want their greater global popularity reflected.

They are also understood to feel that the domestic TV market, currently worth £5.1bn, may have reached saturation point. It is also thought that some were 'spooked' by Leicester City's surprise Premier League win in 2015-16.

However, with the approval of 14 clubs needed to make such a change to the system (the first since 1992), Scudamore has his work cut out to broker agreement by next week.

The league is keen to reach a compromise before going into domestic rights negotiations, where worries over what the 'Big Six' could do next - if they are blocked - could create uncertainty.

Speaking at a news conference before his side's trip to West Ham this weekend, Swansea manager Paul Clement said: "I'm sure the top six would like that because they'll get a bigger slice of the pie but there are 14 other teams who want to be competitive. If the league's going to be competitive, the money needs to be evenly distributed."

[EastStandRed]

proposed changes will increase income for league winner by £12.4m & reduce by same for side finishing bottom

6661

[EastStandRed]

Newcastle United "systematically abused" the tax system to "secretly" make payments to agents and players during transfers, a court has heard.

The allegations emerged after the Tyneside club challenged a raid by HM Revenue and Customs in April.

United argued no reasonable grounds existed for believing it had engaged in tax fraud, but High Court judges ruled the warrants were "lawfully issued".

The club said it was "disappointed" and "considering its options".

St James' Park and West Ham's London Stadium were raided as part of a £5m fraud investigation.

Business and financial records were seized, along with computers and mobile phones, and Newcastle's managing director Lee Charnley was among several men arrested and later released without charge.

The club challenged the legality of the search-and-seize orders obtained by HMRC, and a hearing has been held at Leeds Crown Court.

'Secret' payments

HMRC argued that reasonable grounds existed for believing Newcastle United was ''knowingly involved'' in a multimillion-pound tax fraud, and the club's application for judicial view was dismissed.

The full judgement has now been published .

It reveals Operation Loom is looking into whether the club knew payments to agents were being "secretly" funnelled to other unlicensed agents and players themselves in a bid to circumvent income tax and National Insurance.

Regarding Demba Ba's transfer to Newcastle from West Ham, HMRC said: "It appears NUFC paid agent's fees for services of £1.9m in full knowledge that the majority would be passed on to other agents... and to a company associated with the player."

There were "further suspicions" arising out of his transfer to Chelsea in January 2013.

HMRC said it believed "NUFC systematically abused the tax system... and all payments to agents made were potentially the subject of criminal proceedings".

A spokesman for HMRC said: "We are very pleased with the court's decision which we are studying in detail. We do not comment on individual cases or ongoing investigations."

Newcastle United said in a statement: "We are disappointed with this decision given the court's findings.

"We are considering all of our options with our advisers, including whether to pursue an appeal."

[animallittle3]

Mike Ashley , say no more , hope fecker gets a 10 stretch .

[Exiletyke]

Come on Dennis time to speak up

[Exiletyke]

I'm stuck with what to do just now, my contract with Virgin media runs out next month, they are increasing their price , Sky send me notes every month to rejoin them and give me 60% discount , then in 12 months that goes up , no reward for loyalty only new subscriber's , problem is I like my sport like many more, can't make me mind up and to be honest am bleedin sick of ringing the barmy sods up and waiting ages for an answer ,



Not recommending Sky but change back with 60% discount then in 12 months opt out & then get your missus to apply in her name [new customer]
It's all part of the free market economy Roma
















]

[EastStandRed]

Mike Ashley puts Newcastle United up for sale


The Sports Direct tycoon hangs the 'for sale' sign over the Premier League club, admitting it deserves greater investment.

Mike Ashley has put Newcastle United up for sale, bowing to pressure from many fans who had demanded greater investment in the Premier League club.

The company the Sports Direct tycoon set up to take control 10 years ago, St James Holdings (SJH), said the decision was taken to give the team a greater opportunity of achieving its dreams.

It wanted a new owner in place by Christmas - ahead of the January transfer window.

SJH's statement said the buyer would also be given help to invest in the side in the short term, should they need it, through the option of "deferring substantial payments".

Mr Ashley, who has faced protests from fans over the level of investment in the side since he took over, has long argued that funds were limited because his cash is tied up in shares of Sports Direct.

The colourful tycoon, who described himself as a power drinker during a court case this summer, has a majority shareholding of 55% in the FTSE 250 retailer, making him a billionaire - on paper at least.

A large group of Newcastle fans protested against Mike Ashley before Sunday's game
Newcastle fans protested against Mike Ashley before Sunday's game
St James Holdings released a statement on Monday evening in response to media speculation that expressions of interest were being sought.

It said: "As one of the Premier League's oldest and best supported football clubs - and for the benefit of its many fans and supporters in the UK and across the world - Newcastle United requires a clear direction and a path to a bright and successful future.


"To give the club the best possible opportunity of securing the positioning and investment necessary to take it to the next level, at what is an important time in its history, its present ownership has determined that it is in the best interests of Newcastle United and its fans for the club to be put up for sale.

St James' Park is the home of Newcastle United Football Club
"To give an incoming owner the maximum possible flexibility to make meaningful investment in the club, including in its playing squad, the sale process will give interested parties the opportunity of deferring substantial payments.

"A process will now commence of identifying new ownership for the club that will be capable of delivering the sustained investment in and dedication to the club that is necessary for it to achieve its ambitions."

The side is currently ninth in the Premier League table on its return to the top flight following a single season in the Championship.

Mr Ashley launched a formal takeover of Newcastle United in 2007 after becoming its biggest shareholder - later de-listing it from the London Stock Exchange.

A previous sale of the club was halted in 2008.

[EastStandRed]

WIGAN ATHLETIC are set for a shock takeover by a wealthy Chinese group.

The League One outfit have been targeted by the Far East team who are poised to buy out veteran Dave Whelan’s club.

Dave Whelan is open to Wigan being taken over and now looks set for a Far East deal

Whelan brought in former Manchester City supreme Garry Cook and he has been secretly seeking buyers.

Cook was tempted back to English football from a top job in America but his contacts have come in handy to find a new owner.

Insiders reveal that a deal has been agreed and due diligence done. The Football League are expected to give the go ahead too.

The identity of the buyers has been kept secret and both boss Paul Cook and chairman David Sharpe will find out their fates soon.

Cook had taken Wigan to the top of League One while Sharpe has enjoyed his role as chief decision maker.

[SBRed48]

All you Chien Lee Believers al be gerrin a tinge of doubt abart aar Chinese lot not being kosher. Summats not reyt. Am tellin thi, summats not reyt.

[EastStandRed]

Fancy buying a football club ?

Southampton (sale price £210m for 80% share)

Everton (£87.5m for 49.9% share)

Newcastle ( £350m !! for 100% share )

Barnsley ??