Post
by ZENITH R » Fri Nov 24, 2023 2:31 pm
So, here are my thoughts ...
The people who own a football club, are in most cases putting their own money in, and therefore should not be limited in how they spend it. Consider this, I wave a magic wand and you personally become a multi-billionaire. Would you buy QPR? For most of us we would say yes. Looking at our current situation, would you want to continue as we are losing money hand over fist, with you footing most of the bill? Limited by harsh rules that mean you can't improve the situation without falling foul of those rules or would you want to throw money at the club, achieve promotion, challenge for cups and maybe have half an eye on Europe? Yep, that's exactly where we were 14 years ago. However, don't be distracted by the fact that the timing was off, and the people involved made some very poor decisions at that time.
For me, the system needs to be overhauled, and rather than hitting the super rich, they should be looking at putting in safeguards. Clearly football's 'fit and proper' person's test is completely flawed. There are loads of examples ... The guy currently at Sheffield Wednesday, the owners of Luton a few years ago when they plummeted, Southend, Charlton, the list goes on.
Of, course there is also an issue of how they (the potential owners) came by their money. As someone (I forget who) said 'No one gets that rich without getting their hands dirty.' That's something for the fit and proper person's test. And lets not forget about Sport washing.
If a person or group buy a football club, they put should their own money in, not finance it with loans WTF ... Glaziers at Man Ure anyone? If it goes pear shaped and they make a loss, they take the hit, not the club. Bottom line, the club is protected. If the owner doesn't like those terms, don't invest in the first place, put your money into stocks and shares instead.
As for FFP there is only one way to achieve this - A salary cap on each division and a maximum transfer budget. Of course the Premier League love to tell us they are the best league in the World, there are numerous clubs paying their players ridiculous salaries. Over £100 million spent on one player? No, not if you want FFP. Of course, this would see the best players heading for Saudi pdq, or wherever the next gravy train is - It was China a couple of years ago. We would cease to be competitive in Europe and everyone would be miserable, Sky would offer much less to screen the games, and the whole thing becomes untenable.
The current situation of course means the rich get richer and the rest can lump it. The Premier League is a closed shop, and the majority of clubs are there to allow the elite 6 or so to greedily amass points towards another league title. Leicester won the league a few years ago, but don't expect to see that feat repeated any time soon. In the Championship the whole thing is slewed by the parachute payments. The salary cap (obviously less in the Championship than the Prem) would mean the parachute money would go to other things, like improving the ground and facilities for fans.
This will of course never happen, too many people at the top end making a a very good pile to agree to anything that would threaten the status quo.
So, Everton have been docked 10 points. That would have been a real issue in the last 2-3 seasons, but this season, I think they will be OK. Is the timing of the sanction a coincidence? Everton are one of the longest serving members of the boys club. So, if you are one of the smaller established Premier League clubs - say Aston Villa, Wolves or Palace are you looking forward to playing at Old Trafford, St James Park', New White Hart Lane, the Emirates or Kenilworth Road? Then there will be the new Everton ground too.
My final point on FFP why is the punishment different for different clubs? The answer I think you will find, is that those who can afford to pay get fined, those who can't get docked points. Everton are building a new stadium, so cash is tight - hence the points, Luton were brassic, points again, the same at Reading and Derby. QPR a few years ago had multi millionaire / billionaire owners, so could afford to pay. The system has to be fair and equal. It's not.
Saturday 9th November 1968: QPR V Burnley in the First Division - I saw the Hoops for the first time and my obsession began!
Remember:
Growing old is inevitable.
Growing up is optional.