At last some common sense - West Ham Sullivan

[adrian29uk]

Just had Sullivan on Talk Sport. Says that he wants salaries cut by 25% across the board, and he thinks it crazy the amount of money some people where being paid.

What a shame, how are the players going to afford to fill their 60k Range Rover everyday with fuel. How are they going to afford to eat, or even live.

Good on Sullivan, at last someone has the bloody balls to implement this. I could see this happening at other clubs if it works for West Ham. The argument is that who will want to play for the club. Well if the all the clubs start doing this then the players will have to like it or lump it.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Sadly, the chances are that most clubs will not follow suit as there is plenty of income from this long term TV deal and they will be a lonely little petunia in an onion patch.

Will it work? Will the current West Ham players take a pay cut when their contracts begin to run out and they are offered less?

 

[Rowdey]

His and Golds recent interviews have been refreshing in their honesty about state of clubs finances.

Dyer - failed a medical and still given a 5 year contract.. Was a K Brown involved..?

Can't believe some of the debts revealed
Fulham £138m
Bolton £60M

 

[severnside gull]

no but he's right isn't he - the only viable solution is a FIFA-induced salary cap on clubs - individual maximum permitted + total salaries as a % of income

if something isn't done soon the whole lot could collapse - god help them if sky go bust

 

[Bozza]

What I don't understand, really, is this quote:

"It'll be Armageddon if we go down. It'll be worse than what's gone on at Newcastle," he said.

on the BBC. Newcastle was not that bad, was it? OK, so they got relegated, but it looks likely that they will bounce straight back up.

Surely if looking for "worse than" analogies, he should be looking at Leeds.

 

[keaton]

Good on Sullivan, at last someone has the bloody balls to implement this. I could see this happening at other clubs if it works for West Ham. The argument is that who will want to play for the club. Well if the all the clubs start doing this then the players will have to like it or lump it.

But he's not going to implement it is he? he's going to suggest it, but he can't implement it. And he's far from the first. I hate them both but Alan Sugar warned about this when the Premiership started, and Simon Jordan asked the same thing three or four years ago.

And Gold did try and sign Van Nistelroy on £100 pw contract two weeks ago

 

[Simster]

In the end, these dumb-arse salaries are not sustainable, and I admire Gold for taking the situation by the balls.

It'll be interesting to see whether this control on spending ends up contributing to relegation. In a way I hope it does, because you'd still fancy West Ham to go back up and not suffer any long term ill effects, and that might show others that it can be done.

The Germans have got it right. They have average Bundesliga gates of 42,000 and the top 5 are separated by 9 points (as opposed to 14 or 15 in the English/Spanish leagues), and their clubs are nearly all solvent on the balance sheet. The only people who "suffer" are the players, all of whom are still earning a fair whack, just not the criminal amounts that we see here.

 

[keaton]

In the end, these dumb-arse salaries are not sustainable, and I admire Gold for taking the situation by the balls.

It'll be interesting to see whether this control on spending ends up contributing to relegation. In a way I hope it does, because you'd still fancy West Ham to go back up and not suffer any long term ill effects, and that might show others that it can be done.

The Germans have got it right. They have average Bundesliga gates of 42,000 and the top 5 are separated by 9 points (as opposed to 14 or 15 in the English/Spanish leagues), and their clubs are nearly all solvent on the balance sheet. The only people who "suffer" are the players, all of whom are still earning a fair whack, just not the criminal amounts that we see here.

Indeed. The 51% ownership rule in Germany is also an excellent idea. I think most people would rather have a more competitive league, with a few less star names but less money-making owners and big club monopolies

 

[Dave the OAP]

the problem is that will never happen. If the FA/PL put a cap on salaries, then the top players would all offski back to europe and the owners and fans who demand champions league will never accept that.

I still think the main concern is the players coming in who are no better than the home nations players BUT because of Football Manager and their agents, they are seen as these world beaters....take Robinho as an example...£35 million and on over £160k a week.....fro someone who according to Hughes cant cope with Prem footy!

 

[Questions]

In the end, these dumb-arse salaries are not sustainable, and I admire Gold for taking the situation by the balls.

It'll be interesting to see whether this control on spending ends up contributing to relegation. In a way I hope it does, because you'd still fancy West Ham to go back up and not suffer any long term ill effects, and that might show others that it can be done.

The Germans have got it right. They have average Bundesliga gates of 42,000 and the top 5 are separated by 9 points (as opposed to 14 or 15 in the English/Spanish leagues), and their clubs are nearly all solvent on the balance sheet. The only people who "suffer" are the players, all of whom are still earning a fair whack, just not the criminal amounts that we see here.

That would suit most fans I suspect, especially most of us that care not one jot if the Premier league is the best in the world. The problem is the Champions league and the quest to win that which makes the big boys stretch just that little bit too much. Then the next level stretch a little to get near to them and then so on and so forth.

 

[BigGully]

Salary Caps will be introduced in our lifetime.

But not until each team has a billionaire owner.

Up until then the big powerful clubs are obviously the richest and therefore have an advantage there are in no hurry to give away.

But once every Premier League club is in the hands of a billionaire, they will cosy up to each other and try and work out a sustainable way to keep the league competitive without having to pay extortionate amounts of money for any footballer that can do 10 keepy uppys !!

 

[vegster]

It was reported on the radio that Sullivan was going to " Ask everyone at the club to accept a voluntary pay cut....... and if they don't, they can go " what a lovely boss !

 

[Harty]

I read somewhere that West Ham's Football Liason Manager, ie the errand boy, was on £50,000 a year. Clearly he will be one of the people asked to take a wage cut, if he's lucky.

 

[DerbyGull]

Indeed. I think most people would rather have a more competitive league, with a few less star names but less money-making owners and big club monopolies

The Championship is one of the most exciting, entertaining and quite level playing leagues and a prime example of this

 

[DerbyGull]

the fans who demand champions league will never accept that.

f*** 'em! there's got to be more football fans over glory fans

 

[Gritt23]

Zola has already come out and criticised the "timing" of Sullivans comments.

Yeah, fancy giving them all these money worries when they need to be concentrating on football. They must all be so stressed out now about whether they can now afford another Aston Martin, that the poor little lambs won't be able to kick a football properly.

 

[smudge]

Personally I'm sick of hearing these two "East End boys done good". Every time I hear them they are complaining about the debt the Hammers are in. Well, you knew that when you bought them, so get over it.
Like others have said, they complain about wages & then go public about offering the Dutch Horse-face 100k a week. I bet that went down well in the dressing room.
I'd laugh if they went down.....not as much as for Bolton, that would be fooking hilarious.

 

[Skint Gull]

Personally I'm sick of hearing these two "East End boys done good". Every time I hear them they are complaining about the debt the Hammers are in. Well, you knew that when you bought them, so get over it.

Agreed

Like others have said, they complain about wages & then go public about offering the Dutch Horse-face 100k a week. I bet that went down well in the dressing room.

Agreed

I'd laugh if they went down.....not as much as for Bolton, that would be fooking hilarious.

Agreed

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Personally I'm sick of hearing these two "East End boys done good". Every time I hear them they are complaining about the debt the Hammers are in. Well, you knew that when you bought them, so get over it.
Like others have said, they complain about wages & then go public about offering the Dutch Horse-face 100k a week. I bet that went down well in the dressing room.
I'd laugh if they went down.....not as much as for Bolton, that would be fooking hilarious.

What I just said on the Pompey thread. They went round a few clubs before they bought Wet Sham