by Franchise FC »
12 Aug 2020 08:15
From Despair To Where? Stranded Nameless
Surely every one knows Salford are owned and funded by some very wealthy people, there have been documentaries about it, it’s hardly a secret.
Do they spend beyond their means ? They might spend more than they earn through gate receipts but that’s not the same thing at all.
And spending more than other clubs is hardly new or wrong. The Football League only existed because some clubs wanted to spend more than others 150 years ago !
I guess there is a point where it almost becomes financial doping - didn't they offer Adam Rooney something silly like 4k a a week in the National League (given the average wage for a pro at that level is around 50k max - that is a massive jump) - so he moved from the SPL to English non-league even though clubs higher up the pyramid wanted him but understandably couldn't match that kind of weekly wage.
History is full of clubs who spent more than others but did it badly so didn't see any benefit at all, in fact ended up in a worst position but some fees/wages are so out of kilter with the rest of a league that you can see why it puts noses out of joint.
The focus seems to be completely on the Class of 92 but to all intents and purposes, they are a front for the people with the real financial clout. If FFP was extended throughout the whole football league, they would have absolutely no chance of complying.
I guess that opens up a different issue about the effectiveness of FFP. It certainly rules out the prospect of another Wigan or Bournemouth as it seems to pull up the ladder between established Championship sides and clubs who aspire to get there. It's a far from perfect fix for a complex problem.
As a whole, I'm not against the bankrolling of clubs by wealthy individuals but obviously the issue lies with whether it's responsible and benevolent ownership but I'd love to meet the person who finds a fix for that.
The fix is to make cash injections into the club to cover anything more than the ‘allowable’ losses non-refundable (i.e. they have to be invoiced, gifted or as share capital). And to cope with the situation where a club gets saddled with long contracts, place a requirement on the owners/funders to provide funds to cover the liability.
Then a person can plough as much as they like into a club, but with very limited means of getting anything back.
Where do you want to meet ?