What is the answer?

[jmt23]

With the ever spiralling debt in uk football, what ideas could work?

I quite like the idea that starting from a new season, we scrap all leagues. Then based on the clubs average gates over a defined period of time - say 5 years, they are placed in a league.
The spend of the clubs is not allowed to exceed the income based on the gate average, and proven income of the same period for that first season. Every year after this they would have to submit (to a financial body), what the planned spend is, and the financial body would agree, or not.

No benefactors would be allowed to write money off, no body could pay huge amounts for a "special box", sponsor their own team above what would be deemed the going rate, and in theory nobody should ever go out of business. Any financial wrong doing would be punished by expulsion.

Progress would be about training and coaching your team, and more importantly the youth team.

That is my idea, but there will be holes in it, and I doubt the more successful clubs would agree, what are your thoughts/ideas?

[drfchound]

I saw on tv tonight that there is a proposal to cap players wages.

[Michael Shaw]

How can that work when other countries will pay more? Footballers are in a global market. Or would it only apply below the Premier League? Can't see what anyone can do.

[RedJ]

How can that work when other countries will pay more? Footballers are in a global market. Or would it only apply below the Premier League? Can't see what anyone can do.

Not sure it would work but Fifa could always impose a cap if they were that way inclined. Of course, they're not, so they wouldn't.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Reintroduction of the maximum wage will only give club's owners more money to spaff up a wall on transfer and agents' fees, at the expense of the players. Solves nothing.

If a club's owners are willing to spend money they don't have and run up massive debts already, how is giving them money going to stop them running up debts just as big as they do now?

[idler]

Years ago Wimbledon managed to keep a team in the top flight for some years on terribly small gates. They were an example to all of the bigger and better supported clubs of what could be achieved.
Do Sunderland and Portsmouth automatically deserve to be far higher purely because of the size of their home gates. Surely being where they are is testament to wasting the money generated from their large home gates.

[Retdon1]

A salary cap would be a step forward imo

[ChrisBx]

A more even distribution of the TV money would help.

[drfchound]

A more even distribution of the TV money would help.

Yes it would, agreed.
I cant see the bigger clubs agreeing to that.

On the wage cap article on tv earlier it was said that 106% of gate income went to paying players wages.
(I think that is accurate but was busy at the time and just caught the end of the piece.)

[sha66y]

Bit of National Service would put things right....

[keith79]

It's not the players fault. It's the people who agree to pay that amount. 

[selby]

  Money going out of football straight into agents pockets, put their licence fee up to 40% of yearly earnings from premiership and championship clubs, and league 1 and 2 distribute the money to EFL members. If they don't have a licence to operate in this country they cannot operate and the fee has to be paid before the transfer is sanctioned.

[since-1969]

With the ever spiralling debt in uk football, what ideas could work?

I quite like the idea that starting from a new season, we scrap all leagues. Then based on the clubs average gates over a defined period of time - say 5 years, they are placed in a league.
The spend of the clubs is not allowed to exceed the income based on the gate average, and proven income of the same period for that first season. Every year after this they would have to submit (to a financial body), what the planned spend is, and the financial body would agree, or not.

No benefactors would be allowed to write money off, no body could pay huge amounts for a "special box", sponsor their own team above what would be deemed the going rate, and in theory nobody should ever go out of business. Any financial wrong doing would be punished by expulsion.

Progress would be about training and coaching your team, and more importantly the youth team.

That is my idea, but there will be holes in it, and I doubt the more successful clubs would agree, what are your thoughts/ideas?

There has to be an overall look at the League system . The PL and Championship should be separated from the Efl and a new League stricture creating .

The rush to get out a League and winning  promotion being the only target . Winning should not be the detriment to the looser ir relegation, a less savage and more practical League system based on revenue creation and a fairer distortion of TV money which is too heavily stacked in favour of the richer clubs needs implementing  .

A graduated levy on gate monies throughout leagues with clubs paying more the higher the league they playin or gate size with Monies set aside to benefit clubs who suffer hardship and repaid through player transfers , which would also carry the levy .

 If nothing changes dozens of clubs will go into receivership and eventually fold entirely.            A reduction in the league size by upto  10 % is coming unless clubs can prove there worth .

[Glyn_Wigley]

Just handing money to clubs doesn't solve anything. They'll just use it to spend even more and still run up the debts they have now.

[LincsRover]

Ban agents or at least make the players pay for their agents from their own inflated salaries instead of clubs paying fees. I have an equity card and an agent (for my acting exploits  luvvie!),and theirs no f*ck*ng way in a million years that any production company or Thrace would pay my agents fees, christ, perish the thought, they barely pay me enough to take time off work, then I give 10% of that to my agent! Robbing b*st*rds!! Don’t get why football clubs pay agents to inflate the cost/wages for players they buy!! Cloud cuckoo land! 

[normal rules]

Money is killing football, in three main areas.

1. Players wages
2. Players wages
3 players wages

Oh, and their fecking agents. Parasites, the lot of em.

[since-1969]

Money is killing football, in three main areas.

1. Players wages
2. Players wages
3 players wages

Oh, and their fecking agents. Parasites, the lot of em.

Its players wages
It’s greedy Agents
It’s Greedy Football Authorities
It’s lack of tv money distribution
It’s lack of scrutiny on owners
It’s over expectations of supporters
It’s the vast difference between PL and the rest
Football is dying and no one cares about the other club. Selfish owners are caught in a vice of self regulation and greed . The EFL have failed to see the what is happening on their watch and under their guidance. The players union are useless as they sit back and allow players to dictate terms of employment then shout foul when clubs can’t afford their contracts .
 The whole system is rotten to the core and corruption is rife with betting companies infiltrating the grass roots with its fake concern and bribing clubs with huge sponsorship deals to turn a blind eye that devastates  families. RIP Bolton & Bury   

[phil old leake]

I agree with some of what you say PM but that mean that the likes of Bournemouth and Burnley would be Fxxxed and the likes of Leeds would benefit beyond their standard

I do think it’s a disgrace when clubs are managed like M Utd on loans against assets

The ideal scenario for me was Arsenal. They built the new stadium and lived within their capabilities for the period it took to pay for it
Hopefully they will now prosper (I have no allegiance).
I also think that it might have been a bit of a wake up call for a lot of clubs if Bury had/did go under. There must be a lot of clubs living on the edge

[DonnyBazR0ver]

It's a complete minefield. A simple measure suggested by the Accrington owner, is an immediate suspension and 3 point deduction if a club fails to pay wages or tax. Suspension only lifted once back money paid.

As we know though, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Clubs company structures and accounting need more transparency and if the authorities believe that fans are the bedrock of the game then they must make fan stakehold compulsory, where representatives have access to accounts along with league auditors.

I suspect however, such transparency would in some cases deter club ownership.

I think fans would accept financial performance being relative to income from attendance and commercial activity which then reflects in the quality you can put out on the pitch.

[PDX_Rover]

Battle of Bannockburn?

[idler]

42

[Chris Black come back]

Numberwang!