I have been told some things I wouldnt dare put on the internet. Not just sheff wed but another couple of clubs and how things apparently are done off the pitch. I dont believe everything, but there are some fundamental problems with the foundations of football in this country imo.
It's awful mate. Clubs are so often tempted to make "one big push" to get up, and most fail. At end 23-24, we had wages around 80% of turnover. This was one of the best in the Championship, many being over 100%, most close to it. The same year we lost I think around £8m , again, far better than most. For most, the numbers will never work, and the distorting effect ot the PL and teams going up to it and back down makes it almost untenable. This year we achieved a miracle IMO . It's a long time ago, but the answer was there once. I think it was the late 90s maybe early 2000s. The PL had eventually proposed a more or less formal PL2, with the lower tier getting around 25% of the TV money . One of the driving forces was John Hall. Pretty awful bloke but he was right on this. He said at the time, that the offer would never come again and that they had made a terrible mistake. This after a rejection of the offer by David Sheepshanks, the media darling who ran Ipswich at the time and believed his own publicity. He climbed into bed with ON DIGITAL, who made absurd promises and went bust. The EFL has never recovered properly from that point. Sheepshanks of course ended up with a CBE.
I shouldnt say this now, but the premier league is the pits if you love the pyramid. Like you say there have been missed opportunities. Right now I see no real hope for a genuine football structure that rewards clubs for being sensible. First ever premier league included Oldham, Southampton, Norwich, Blackburn, QPR, Sheff Wed, Wimbledon, Coventry, Ipswich. Take a look at the chequered history of those since then. Dare I say all down to the desperation the premier league creates. Who loses? Supporters.
You're right mate, the whole thing has been wrecked by the various governing authorities. It's a typical case of something being ruined by making them better. We're seeing the results now with the likes of the Isak scandal. Let's ignore the fact that it's Newcastle, which makes it funny, and remember that thousands of decent supporters have just bought season tickets, bought expensive merchandising and had ISAK printed on their shirts. That's bad enough but there'll be hundreds of kids who've had his name on their gear and were expecting to see him play this season ... he's being paid enough to manage that. Instead he's decided to turn his back on his club, team mates and all the supporters. Liverpool are complicit in all this and are now openly encouraging the player to break his contract and crap on the club. Meanwhile the Premier League sit back and turn away and pretend nothing's happening. In the Championship owners openly taunt the club's supporters, fail to pay their players and make club staff redundant. It all stinks and we know it.
Rumour 7 of their first team have handed in their notice off the back of this, they only have 13 players, shambles
Wednesday could be in very serious danger of being unable to fulfill fixtures here. Who would join them now? Maybe a few lads who have been released or low league frees (they can't pay fees anyway) or youth players. Ye Gods. We are wondering why we can't spend £25m on a centre half, and at the same time, a club of similar size is heading right for the buffers, can't afford to fix the roof and must be in peril of having their EFL share taken off them. Four times in five months with no wage. Scandalous IMO. These blokes will not be millionaires. My God we have been so lucky
Absolutely they’d be mental to stay, as would the non playing staff can only assume they’re sticking around purely for the love of the club, hope they get that parasite out asap
Those people who were demanding KLD was 'sacked', as if that was even possible, must be feeling really stupid ... ... I've said from the start, we were blessed when he came to Sunderland. My avatar says it all imo.
I can definitely see this happening. Football debts are sacred. To the EFL, the PL, EUEFA and FIFA. It's a house or cards. One doesn't pay, someone else doesn't pay, then another, they all have four creditors, before you know it there will be hundreds of clubs owed money. And some big ones. I've always thought that a transfer fee should be paid up front, and in full, for two reasons. First it prevents this business of lingering , long term liabilities. Second, it just inflates prices. No way would we be spending a hundred million quid if we had to hand it over now. Or Liverpool spend £250m. It is out of hand, and crucifying the game. For a long time, Mike Ashley only paid up front for players. It meant they could buy who they had the money for. He did this for most of his time up there and this caused much angst and abuse and shop shouting, but he was so right.
Yep. He's not even an asset stripper. He is just nuts. He has lost his shirt, borrowed more cash and thinks someone will pay him £100m to make it all go away. But they aren't coming. His ego is stopping him seeing it the way it is.
With not long to go now, who do people expect to get relegated this season. Sheff Weds, Preston and, I'll say, Charlton for me.
The bookies reckon Sheff Wed, Oxford and Hull but I think Charlton might struggle and Oxford will survive.
