Is this really the madness to which we aspire?!

[Jacko51]

An article in the Guardian has looked at the finances of all of the Championship clubs in the 2012/13 season based on published accounts. The vast majority of clubs are living way beyond their means with over half of the clubs having a wages to turnover ratio in excess of 100%. Only Peterborough and Blackpool had got their wages anywhere near a sensible level in relation to their turnover - the former were relegated.

 

The lowest wage bill was Peterborough's which is almost three times ours for last season. Wolves were relegated despite spending over £30 million on wages and Bristol City joined them despite paying out almost double their turnover in wages.

 

It's madness!!

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/22/club-by-club-guide-championship-finances-2012-2013

[robf]

I totally agree Jean - the gap between Championship and League One is now getting silly mainly due to the parachute payments inflating transfer costs and other clubs spending too much to try and match their rivals.

 

Here's an interesting aside from When Saturday Comes...

 

Most recent annual wage bills: Champions League finalists Atlético Madrid – £54 million. Championship play-off finalists QPR – £78 million. What might Harry Redknapp achieve if he could spend some money?

[robf]

Gosh, reading that report and "Madness" is the word that comes to mind.

 

Birmingham - nearly £23m wage bill for their rubbish players!

 

Hull still paid out more than their turnover on wages despite a PL parachute payment!

[Tone]

This one puts the top hat on the whole stinking mess:

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27538802

 

If QPR get promoted, the FL have no way of penalising them for breaking FFP rules by a country mile (perhaps until they are relegated again).

 

They're "'avin' a laff".

[old sage]

I have long been aware that the clubs at or near the top of the English football League pyramid are run terribly but to read the figures in print is truly frightening. The truth is our national game stinks.

Sadly any club today who tries to work within a sensible financial framework is doomed to failure.

 

What hit me hardest was the fact that QPR had a significantly larger wage bill than Athletico Madrid a team which is in the European cup final tomorrow. Mind blowing.

[Santa]

Athletico

 

:mad:

 

...........

[CAVALIER]

Brum pay more to one player than we do out team. Zigic is on £3m a season, or was

[Spunk Trumpet]

I actually honestly believe Norman will never get us in trouble so much financially.

Some of those clubs, not so much bigger than us, have got in all sorts of mess.

 

The future and the present are really bright at our club. Particularly with how far we have come in just 2 years.

 

In answer to the question i believe we should aspire to the top. As far as we can go. And to aspire to get as far as we can without putting the existance of the club in jeopardy.

Stoke are not exactly a huge club compared to us. A bigger one, yes. But not a huge club. Burnley, Swansea, Hull, should all be looked at at good models for a club of our level. And Wigan and Fulham. Blackpool managed to get to the promised land also.

I dont see any of those in huge trouble financially. Maybe to the average person on the street, yes. But thats football as it is today.

I doubt we will see any of them going under anytime soon!

 

For Port Vale, i want us to aspire to the very highest level. If not, why bother?

[old sage]

I actually honestly believe Norman will never get us in trouble so much financially.

Some of those clubs, not so much bigger than us, have got in all sorts of mess.

 

The future and the present are really bright at our club. Particularly with how far we have come in just 2 years.

 

In answer to the question i believe we should aspire to the top. As far as we can go. And to aspire to get as far as we can without putting the existance of the club in jeopardy.

Stoke are not exactly a huge club compared to us. A bigger one, yes. But not a huge club. Burnley, Swansea, Hull, should all be looked at at good models for a club of our level. And Wigan and Fulham. Blackpool managed to get to the promised land also.

I dont see any of those in huge trouble financially. Maybe to the average person on the street, yes. But thats football as it is today.

I doubt we will see any of them going under anytime soon!

 

For Port Vale, i want us to aspire to the very highest level. If not, why bother?

I concur with your hopes Paul but as I am aware all of these clubs have 'sugar daddies'. Without Peter Coates 'Bet365' money Sjoke would still be a mid-table Championship team.

At the Vale the closest we have to a 'sugar daddy' is Smurf with his 'Sweetie Jar' and that was put back on the top shelf a long time ago.

 

I aren't knocking Norman here but I'm sure that he didn't realise how much money needs to be generated to run an ambitious club even at L1 level. In my opinion Port Vale should be a 7day a week business, trying to attract businesses to hold their meetings there. I worked in the hotel trade a few years ago and believe me there is a market out there for meeting venues and Vale's boxes would be ideal to fill this need.

 

All of the annual celebration dates plus Mothers day, Fathers day, Valentines day and all of the rest of our celebration days. We would be wise to get the Williams Suite finished and open for business.

[Like Vale I Do]

I concur with your hopes Paul but as I am aware all of these clubs have 'sugar daddies'. Without Peter Coates 'Bet365' money Sjoke would still be a mid-table Championship team.

At the Vale the closest we have to a 'sugar daddy' is Smurf with his 'Sweetie Jar' and that was put back on the top shelf a long time ago.

 

I aren't knocking Norman here but I'm sure that he didn't realise how much money needs to be generated to run an ambitious club even at L1 level. In my opinion Port Vale should be a 7day a week business, trying to attract businesses to hold their meetings there. I worked in the hotel trade a few years ago and believe me there is a market out there for meeting venues and Vale's boxes would be ideal to fill this need.

 

All of the annual celebration dates plus Mothers day, Fathers day, Valentines day and all of the rest of our celebration days. We would be wise to get the Williams Suite finished and open for business.

 

Great ideas = fathers days at Vale Park, full course menus, beers, family day out, some penalties on the pitch - dads v's son's or Sam Johnson for a bit of overtime for him, i'd be there

[Birches Head Fred]

This one puts the top hat on the whole stinking mess:

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27538802

 

If QPR get promoted, the FL have no way of penalising them for breaking FFP rules by a country mile (perhaps until they are relegated again).

 

They're "'avin' a laff".

 

Simple answer is not to allow them back in, might just shock everyone else into some sort of action.

[blackdog]

I dont see any of those in huge trouble financially. Maybe to the average person on the street, yes. But thats football as it is today.

I doubt we will see any of them going under anytime soon!

 

Thats just the problem though, that money is real money not Xbox or Monoply money your right it is football today but that does not make it correct that the football companies can trade at such huge losses, especially as it gives the perpetrators a grossly unfair advantage

[George]

Gutted that QPR have gone up. Everything that is wrong with modern football.

[Yukon]

In response to Jean, Rob, Tone & OS, the trouble is that the vast majority of fans aren't as consciencious as yourselves and don't think about the financial implications as long as their team are successful.

[Paul6754]

Something needs to be done to curb the rise in wages in English football, the FFP rules are a joke 'cause they're too easy to circumvent and by and large unenforceable.

 

I have no problem with a football club being taken over and new owners ploughing money into the club to achieve success. I don't see many if any English clubs going out of business due to bad debt as of yet and let's face it, there's plenty of clubs in the conference desperate to get into the Football League to take the place of a badly managed club.

 

However, one possible way to curb the rise in wages and to protect clubs/football in general would be for laws to be passed that money pushed into a football club by an owner/director can only be given as a gift, not repayable by the club and absolutely no interest be charged on that money. This would make certain owners think twice about pumping huge amounts of money into a football club and would make clubs more likely to be run on a financially sound basis and curb the rise in wages. It would encourage the likes of Jack Walker but discourage the likes of Milan Mandarij (spelling?)

 

It would take the onus away from the PL, FL and UEFA to act like "nanny states" and put the pessure more on the clubs to adopt financially sound practices. This together with fairer distribution of football tv money in England would see football in a healthier state.