Porrtsmouth have paid Nwanko Kanu £45k per week for the last 5 season - that's over £11M. In that time he has only started 35 games for them. In short, they have paid him £335k per game for 5 years
I thought Kanu took a new reduced deal when his contract ran out? Only thing I can find is this: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...-Kanu-offered-pay-cut-deal-by-Portsmouth.html
I don't think dropping down one league is enough of a threat to ensure future financial discipline. Watford have done what we've done over the past three years because we know we are small enough to be allowed to do a L*t*n if we don't sort ourselves out. I know this is the Charlton forum, so I'll hide the detail of what we've done for the benefit of those who aren't interested. [nsfw]In 2009-10 we sold Tommy Smith and Tamas Priskin for £1.8m each, Jobi McAnuff (who was earning silly money) for around £750k, Mike Williamson for £2m, and spent half a million on transfer fees. In summer 2010 we released high earners Jay DeMerit, Jon Harley, Will Hoskins and Richard Lee on free transfers, and loaned out Mat Sadler and Nathan Ellington (on £10k a week each) for as much of the 2010-11 season as possible to reduce what we were paying them. We spent around £650k on transfer fees - a necessity because Danny Graham was our only recognised striker and Scott Loach our only recognised goalkeeper - but that was more than covered by the saving we had made on wages. Even ignoring the Ashley Young windfall, this season we sold Danny Graham and Will Buckley for a combined £4.5m, Marvin Sordell for a fee which is reported to be "up to £3.5m", but it's safe to say that at least half of that was guaranteed. We spent around £1m in the transfer market on 10 players, all of whom are being paid a maximum of £5k a week, most considerably less. Aidy Mariappa looks absolutely certain to be sold this summer for anywhere between £2m and £5m.[/nsfw] What we've done on the pitch over the past three years has been depressing and has at times put us at risk of relegation, but it had to be done and the club is stronger for it. Perhaps most importantly, this borderline brutal approach has allowed us to continue spending £1.2m a year on the academy, which occasionally produces Championship players, but perhaps just as importantly consistently produces two or three a year who can cut it in the lower reaches of the Football League. I don't think bigger clubs would do what we've done, because they don't believe that what happened to L*t*n or Wimbledon could happen to a club as big as them. Bring that threat in, and the mentality of big Championship clubs (as well as League One clubs who should be in that category) changes overnight.
Interesting stuff NNW and I agree with your logic. We are in dreamland this year with what has happened, but we dare not forget that we were one short step away from being up a certain creek without the necessary implement last year Our complete squad transformation was a necessary gamble. Big earners and fancy dan attitudes out and a new group in on realistic terms. Mercifully it has paid off in a big way, but we could just as easily have been heading for league 2 and almost certain oblivion. It can all happen so quickly. Only 6 years ago we were the model for a well run club. I'm still not sure where all the money went and that's without having, shall we say, the sort of controversial owners that Pompey have had of late. The last time I saw Portsmouth was the infamous Omar Pouso's only half a game for us. It was only 6 years ago. If you'd said then that both clubs would have been through the decline and fall that we have seen since I'd have laughed at you. I'd have been less surprised about Pompey given the ownership situation but what happened to us has been startling. And we were "a well run club"!!! Any of the "big Clubs" who think they are immune just need to look at Rangers. The fuse on that particular timebomb was lit about 25 years ago and is now coming home to roost.
NNW, I would say that Wimbledon is a poor example as the current AFC Wimbledon was created by fans when the original club moved to MK, nothing to do with possibly going under. Middlesbrough almost went in '86, even to the point of the gates at Ayresome Park being locked but someone (I think it was current owner Steve Gibson) bought the club about 5 minutes later so they kept their status.
I don't want to defend Franchise FC in any way, shape or form, but the original Wimbledon looked likely to go bust if left to its own devices. It's an interesting comparison actually: things started going wrong at Wimbledon at a similar time to L*t*n. Even if you ignore the luck of the draw that was the penalty shootout in the playoff final, AFC Wimbledon are far better run and have far better medium term prospects than the vast majority of clubs who have been relegated from League Two in the last decade or so.
