It's all about wages

[Ninja Elephant]

Indeed. I'm pig-sick of hearing about the obscene amounts of money that many professional footballers are raking in these days. And dn't get me started on their verminous AGENTS...

Everyone agrees there should be more realistic wages. You can ask anyone you meet at the Amex and any other stadium, everyone will tell you they think the wages need to be reduced from the top downwards, and quickly. The days of handing out fat contracts for 4 years (Wayne Bridge!) should be abolished, by ALL clubs and all clubs should be forced to operate properly. It shouldn't have to be law, but if it needs to be, then bring it on.

However, the only people who don't agree with what I've written above are the people in a position to do something about it.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

If we force wages down in this country, the best players will move to other country's clubs. Without worldwide participation, lowering wages will reduce the quality of English football. Also if wages do fall to low, less people would seek to become professional footballers due to the high chance you won't make it as a star, and the now reduced reward at the end makes it not worth the risk. There will still be the ones playing for the love of it, but the quality would go down.

I don't disagree with you, in theory. However, we're only talking short term there. If you take a look at Borussia Dortmund, they're operating at a profit. They were basically bankrupt only a few years ago and now look at them, some excellent footballers all being paid less than £50k a week (or the equivalent in Euro!) so the club prospers. German football has really sorted itself out, and though it damaged their clubs in the Champions League for basically the last decade, it's meant that the clubs operate at break even, and that can only be a healthy thing. It's what we need in England, it might mean we don't challenge in the Champions League much, but does that really matter? Not as much as the massive debts clubs run at... I actually think Aston Villa would be better off being relegated this season. Come down, get the parachute payments, MASSIVELY reduce their wage bill and start again. Their fans are proper fans, they won't go anywhere and they should prosper next season, and the season after if they don't stupidly throw the parachute money around. If they play within the FFP rules of the Championship, I think they'd be up as Champions within 2 years or so and they'd go up financially stable and hopefully having learnt a painful lesson.

Maybe I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

 

[Mutts Nuts]

If the championship has FFP, then we simply can't pay the players the sums of money they are currently on. This will apply across the championship. No club will be able to get around it. Therefore all clubs will have to reduce wage bill. In theory, if we are well managed, it would put us top of the pile, as our income should be in the top 3-4.

You are forgetting the relegated clubs with 48 million pounds parachute income over 4 years plus 4 years ffp exemption, meaning they can spend untold millions on players and wages to return to the promised land without transfer imbargos or fines.Financial fair play has been set up to protect premier league clubs from next season and to ensure smaller clubs stay where we belong.Chairmen with foresight can see this and are investing, stains new this and made sure they were promoted last season as did the hammers.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I had that in mind while writing but left it out as wanted someone to acknowledge that not spending on strikers these last two seasons has massively altered the future prospects of the legacy Tony has set up.Instead of premier league football we will continue to play in the lower leagues.What we had in the late 70`s early 80`s will now probably never be seen again.The training ground should not have been set up before we achieved premier league status, if the money had been spent wisely on the team we would be top 2 right now Receiving 100 million pounds next season on promotion, and if the worst came to the worst 16 mil plus 16 mil plus 8 mil plus 8 mil for the following 4 years with 4 years exemption from financial fair play.What happened to tonys Gambling/bussiness head,20 million thrown at the team could have recouped 148 million pounds ,if we stay in this division he will never see his money again

How many teams that have gone up only to come straight back down are in a better financial position?

Huge wages to players, high transfer fees to bring in players considered good enough to try to keep you there, etc is possibly going to make loses worse not better.

If promotion this season is essential to the club / TB as you suggest, why haven't we gone mad and spent, spent, spent like Leicester or Cardiff, etc... - Just seems a few fans see it as our only option and almost as it's essential to our survival

 

[drew]

Excellent news. That means we can blame Jimmy Hill.

We can all march on his house in protest. Believe he lives in Hurstpierpoint.

At the end of the day it's down to the fans. If people don't turn up at matches and don't pay the price to watch football on Sky, then they have no choice to make it affordable.

The only one who has posted the correct answer.

Total insanity indeed. Yet apart from the occasional jealous whinge we fans tend to ignore the effect these wage levels are having. Countless complaints about ticket, pie and beer prices, criticism of too much focus on corporate entertainment, too frequent kit re launches etc are the norm at nearly every club these days. But all of this is only necessary because of absurd (and still rising) player wages.

Somehow we, the fans of every league and premiership club, need to re focus our complaints towards the players themselves.

What is needed is clubs to start to refuse to pay these wage demands if they don't fit within a workable budget, something we have done in the recent past (Murray, and other potential signings we have stopped chasing because of their demands) and with the FFP coming into play, then more clubs will have to be stricter on what they can pay which should see the average wage for the division come down.

Historically, the problem hasn't been helped by fans demanding better and better players and questioning why clubs haven't spent that bit extra to get someone in (or keep them) and usually without any thought for budget limits, etc. Murray is a good example of this

I get fed up with the hypocrisy of blaming the players. I doubt there is one person on here, except for those still at school, who wouldn't decline a pay rise if offered. Or, if another employer came in and offered double your money to work for them. The clubs pay the money and it's money they get from Sky. So how many of those whinging on this thread enjoyed watching Super Sunday today. If you did, then it is you that is the cause of the problem, but I doubt you will do anything about it. All about supply and demand. You create the demand for the product and you supply the funds that the clubs pay the players.

 

[Mutts Nuts]

How many teams that have gone up only to come straight back down are in a better financial position?

Huge wages to players, high transfer fees to bring in players considered good enough to try to keep you there, etc is possibly going to make loses worse not better.

If promotion this season is essential to the club / TB as you suggest, why haven't we gone mad and spent, spent, spent like Leicester or Cardiff, etc... - Just seems a few fans see it as our only option and almost as it's essential to our survival

Tony has spent 125 million on the ground and training facility, how much has been spent on the team that the club says they are aiming to get promoted with.Give it 3 years and we will have the prettiest ground in the 3rd or 4th division,we will not be able to afford the team and manager that we have now next season

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Tony has spent 125 million on the ground and training facility, how much has been spent on the team that the club says they are aiming to get promoted with.Give it 3 years and we will have the prettiest ground in the 3rd or 4th division,we will not be able to afford the team and manager that we have now next season

Hahahahahahaha

Are you a comedian in real life, if not, you should consider it - best stadium in the 3rd or 4th division if we don't go up - Brilliant

Do you write your own material or do you have a team to write these gems ?

 

[clapham_gull]

If the championship has FFP, then we simply can't pay the players the sums of money they are currently on. This will apply across the championship. No club will be able to get around it. Therefore all clubs will have to reduce wage bill. In theory, if we are well managed, it would put us top of the pile, as our income should be in the top 3-4.

Hopefully....

At present it appears at our club we are being prepared to chip in for the cost of FFP.

 

[Mutts Nuts]

Hahahahahahaha

Are you a comedian in real life, if not, you should consider it - best stadium in the 3rd or 4th division if we don't go up - Brilliant

Do you write your own material or do you have a team to write these gems ?

Do you realy think that the stadium will keep us in the championship while we are losing 8 million a year you deluded fool

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I get fed up with the hypocrisy of blaming the players. I doubt there is one person on here, except for those still at school, who wouldn't decline a pay rise if offered. Or, if another employer came in and offered double your money to work for them. The clubs pay the money and it's money they get from Sky. So how many of those whinging on this thread enjoyed watching Super Sunday today. If you did, then it is you that is the cause of the problem, but I doubt you will do anything about it. All about supply and demand. You create the demand for the product and you supply the funds that the clubs pay the players.

But why would fans boycott the club they love and support just because we spend so much on player x or y? We don't get to see the financial side of things to know if the player signed can be afforded or not. You would hope that the club is being run properly by those in charge and not being put at risk by overspending on wages, etc...

As the clubs seem incapable of doing this, the FFP is being brought in to try to force clubs to be run properly and break even (or make a profit) The only real way a club can do this would be to cut costs and one of the main ways is to reduce transfer fees paid and reduce wages to staff / players which can only be good for the game and ultimately the fans.

 

[Dumseagull]

I Also think the FFP thing has partly been brought in to stop this spiral of greed, players are heros to all fans but the wage they get is way beyond what is sustainable. part of the problem started with rich businessmen buying up clubs and artificially inflating the price of football. just my thoughts after a bottle of JD but hopefully makes sense!

 

[clapham_gull]

I get fed up with the hypocrisy of blaming the players.

I think it's gone beyond comparing what Joe Bloggs in the street says, does and earns.

Some very mediocre players, some with little opportunity to represent their country at the highest level are becoming millionaires whilst the owners of the businesses are often losing millions.

Something has gone very wrong. You simply can't get away from it.

The SKY money argument is a red herring. Even that appears to be not enough and fans are expected to make up the shortfall.

 

[SeagullSongs]

Do you realy think that the stadium will keep us in the championship while we are losing 8 million a year you deluded fool

Do you really think that 21 teams will be making more money than us? Teams like Bristol City, Peterborough, etc, simply will not be able to compete budget-wise under FFP.

 

[Lindfield by the Pond]

You are forgetting the relegated clubs with 48 million pounds parachute income over 4 years plus 4 years ffp exemption, meaning they can spend untold millions on players and wages to return to the promised land without transfer imbargos or fines.Financial fair play has been set up to protect premier league clubs from next season and to ensure smaller clubs stay where we belong.Chairmen with foresight can see this and are investing, stains new this and made sure they were promoted last season as did the hammers.

Fair point - I guess we would be reliant on wise investments in players, whilst relying on a number of relegated prem clubs to piss it up the wall

 

[Mr Smggles]

I think a wage cap is needed

Completely off topic, but may I draw your attention to how wrong your stats are on your avatar? 68 heading? Have you even seen Bridcutt play? Plus, his passing is no way his best attribute. Dribbling, Defending I'd say. Anyway, carry on.

 

[butchy]

I doubt if wages at the club are excessive compared to other Championship sides. If we aspire to the PL then we have to attract and keep good players. With 25000 at every home game we should be covering the wage bill. Perhaps the club needs to trim the costs in other areas. Would be interesting to see details on this 8m loss.

I have a feeling that the £8m loss is as a result of interest and capital repayments to Bloom on the money he fronted. Would be interesting to see the club's accounts, but im confident the club will be turning a profit on its operations, but posting a loss after tax as a result of debt servicing. Running at a loss also means the club can offset this against future profits in order to decrease the tax bill in the future. I'm sure Bloom will have some good accountants working for him.

 

[drew]

But why would fans boycott the club they love and support just because we spend so much on player x or y? We don't get to see the financial side of things to know if the player signed can be afforded or not. You would hope that the club is being run properly by those in charge and not being put at risk by overspending on wages, etc...

As the clubs seem incapable of doing this, the FFP is being brought in to try to force clubs to be run properly and break even (or make a profit) The only real way a club can do this would be to cut costs and one of the main ways is to reduce transfer fees paid and reduce wages to staff / players which can only be good for the game and ultimately the fans.

Not sure you read my post correctly. I was referring to those that pay their monthly subscriptions to watch sky sports and from there the money filters down to the clubs to pay the wages. Are you saying you support every team on sky?

 

[Plastic-Fantastic]

I think a wage cap is needed

Agreed

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

Ban footballers from having agents. Job done.

 

[rocker959]

Ban footballers from having agents. Job done.

Would be lovely