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downendcity

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Everything posted by downendcity

  1. Policing of financial rules reminds me of refereeing. It seems to me that referees these days are naive and even when allied to the "assistance" of VAR, all too often seem oblivious to players cheating by diving, simulation, unpunished relentless holding by defenders in the penalty area etc. etc. Similarly football's regulators have a set of financial rules that they themselves drafted and police, yet it seems that clubs can duck and dive their way around those rules almost with apparent impunity. Whether it be grossly inflated values of sponsorship by owners related companies or ridiculous COVID allowances ( yes Stoke, I'm looking at you), it's like the emperor's new clothes, everyone else can see it as bu115hit but football's administrators can't/don't/don't want to. I'm sure someone ( MR P?) will point out that those clubs were only doing what they were allowed. If so, then it only proves how naive ( or negligent) the administrators were when drafting the rules in the first place. As we saw with Derby, the EFL "forgot' to include provision in the rules so that the profit from the sale of a stadium to a related 3rd party could not be used to offset losses for ffp.
  2. I've said before that SL has lived his HL business life in a heavily regulated financial services sector, where there are serious penalties for breach of their rules. For example, a few years back Nationwide ( I think it was) was forced to take all their adviser workforce out of action for re-training because of breaches/failures and only this last week HSBC were fined something like £56m. Accordingly, his business instinct would be to automatically manage his BCFC business in accordance with football's financial rules and changes in those rules. Going back to when he first announced that the club had to move to sustainability, he was roundly criticised by many fans, who saw it as an indication that he was no longer prepared to put his hand in his pocket. With hindsight, SL had seen the pending introduction of ffp, foresaw and understood the implications and made changes to ensure that club could and would comply. He also recognised the areas that ffp did allow an owner to invest, so we saw the investment in the academy ( has that benefitted the club both financially and on the playing side?) but also in the redevelopment of AG. Crucially with AG, the redeveloped stadium now generates significant additional income, and not just on match days, all of which can then legitimately be utilised in improving us on the pitch ( or in boosting his nest egg for those that think do !). As I see it, one of the main problems football's administrators have in ensuring that ffp or p&s is being adhered to, is that the majority of owners don't have SL's background in financial services. Some will have built their wealth by ducking and diving , a la Del Boy, so see rules as an occupational hazard. Others, and in particular those that are effectively sovereign state owners, are used to circumventing rules and, I suspect, that for them in many other areas in which they operate "money talks", so that they always get what they want. The other problem is well evidenced by Everton currently, but we saw previously with Derby. When a club is penalised for breaking rules that the club was fully aware of, the fans argue that it is unfair and penalises the fans, ignoring the fact that success achieved by cheating those same financial rules enabled the fans to benefit by onfield success! The other issue is clubs using every device to get around punishment, or to have it reduced by appeals. Fingers crossed that threat of an independent regulator will force the FA/Premier League/EFL to be more vigilant in their prosecution and punishment of offenders and to make sure the rules are made as tight as possible to prevent clever clubs finding ways around them.
  3. Yes - I'm immediately disheartened when I log on to OTIB to have a read.
  4. I guess because it could cause relegation? It can't be right that a punishment for breaking rules is punitive, can it?
  5. We can but hope! I've long felt that it needs a big club to crash and burn for the game to come to it's senses financially. Having said that, the types of owner we now have at the top end of the game probably still won't give a toss, and whatever financial rules are in place they will try to find ways to circumvent them. Would an independent regulator run a tighter ship?
  6. It should be reduced because Everton fans think it's unfair and whataboutManCity! They were found guilty of a breach by way of their own accounts for goodness sake. I reckon they are banking on the fact that there is no precedent regarding points deduction for breach of p&s in the prem.
  7. Having seen a few on "celebrity" game/quiz shows, I'd say there's some who aren't pretending!
  8. Provided by the valuer who valued Pride Park for Mel Morris?
  9. You really know how to turn a girl on Tone!
  10. To Bournemouth for £10m next year it is then!
  11. ...or an even better one with the £1bn Pep has spent!
  12. While you have to admire and respect Man City and their achievements under Pep, I have to confess that I've found Liverpool under Klopp to be the more exciting and entertaining. Proper "front foot" football!
  13. If only SL had left Pearson's contract to run down................
  14. They're behind the curve. They've had the same at the Mem Stad for years.
  15. Mrs Downend says she wishes I could take that long to go from interested to completed!
  16. I think the argument has been (probably by their agents) that it is the players that fans and viewers pay to see, so those players deserve to be rewarded accordingly. The problem is that it seems that with every new massive tv deal agents are immediately lining up meetings with owners/chief execs to extract all of the increase into improved contracts for their clients. ( I know I'm oversimplifying, but you get the drift). In general, no business outside football would operate with such a high percentage of income going on wages - not without going bust they wouldn't! I've said many times before that the whole issue of players wages is like the emperor's new clothes - pretty well everyone on the outside can see that it's ridiculous, but it seems that no one inside football is prepared to say so. Added to the problem is that some clubs now are effectively owned by nation states, with bottomless pockets. They will be prepared to pay whatever it takes to achieve buy success. The problem this creates is that other teams, who don't have the same limitless finances, have to offer similar wages if they are to attract or retain players they need to compete. We said something similar when Derby were on the brink, but I think it does need a big club to go to the wall before football might come to it's senses. Either that or the formation of a super league so the Saudis and Qataris can take their play things and the state wealth, pay stupid wages, get their own tv deals and appeal to the far east audience and leave the rest of the football world to adjust to a more realistic model.
  17. With an increasing number of premier league clubs recording significant losses, and some of them mind boggling, is anyone else wondering whether the premier league is really the promised land and paved with gold?
  18. Since 2019? That's one heck of a long operation!
  19. Is Twine Saturday a bit like Shrove Tuesday or Ash Wednesday?
  20. Semenyo managed 6 in 32 while on loan there. Wonder what became of him?
  21. Meant to add that fans long term views about the owner should not really change based just on one or two results.
  22. This poll between Saturday and last night reminded me of this..........
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