Division one things to forward to……..

[Fezza]

Historically there is a massive drop in revenue for clubs in League one, the Athletic did a good piece on Wednesday a few years ago:

https://theathletic.com/2434618/2021/03 ... nesday-8m/

That is a club which has generally attracted far bigger crowds than Reading. Without the solidarity payment or the TV revenue we'd be reliant on matchday income, I can only see our current financial plight getting worse, that's with an owner who has already caused two clubs to cease to exist.

I really hope I'm wrong, but the future doesn't look great if we're relegated.

[Snowflake Royal]

Lirterally nothing to look forward to in L1, it's a graveyard for big clubs and we'd be back in the EFL's sh!tbooks again for wages. Our academy would be looted by bigger clubs and our owner may well pull out > Administration!

If weget back Cat 1status,the Academy isn't very easily raided and the players are more likely to stay seeing a pathway into playing professsional first team football.

[Snowflake Royal]

Lirterally nothing to look forward to in L1, it's a graveyard for big clubs and we'd be back in the EFL's sh!tbooks again for wages. Our academy would be looted by bigger clubs and our owner may well pull out > Administration!

I don’t class us as a big club tbh so we might be alright.

We're not at all, thus we won't have the spending power of Wednesday, Derby, Portsmouth etc. Our academy would possibly be the only point of difference. If the chairman leaves though we'd be buggered.

If Plymouth, Barnsley, Bolton and Wycombe can manage to compete with Derby, Wednesday and Pompey, no reason we can't.

Remember, this is the L1 that Rotherham, Wigan, Peterborough and Barnsley keep getting promoted from.

[blythspartan]

Clearly most of you have never experienced what its like in the lower divisions

I remember the playoff semi final win against Wigan, the draw at Brentford when we got promoted, a 3-0 away at win at Port Vale to win the division 4 title and beating Wolves 1-0 in the League Cup. Plus, many other great experiences.

However, other than seeing us get to a playoff final playing some of the most awful football I have ever seen (the game at home to Sunderland springs to mind) and the FA Cup semi final not a lot else springs to mind for years now.

The games you’re quoting are over a period of c25 years
I’d wager most of us have enjoyed significantly more highlights in the last 20 years, even if the last 5-10 have been difficult

My first ever game was the 6-1 FA cup win against Blyth Spartans. I won’t talk about the relegations but since then I’ve seen promotions in 1975/76, 1978/79, 1983/84, 1985/86 and 1994/95 (for me the finest footballing team we’ve ever had). That’s not too shoddy over a period of 22 years.

Obviously, the promotions in 2001/02, 2005/06, and 2011/12 were the greatest years in our history but the 2012/13 season in the Premiership was dire and since then we’ve have been in a slow decline apart from the FA Cup semi final and the sh*te playoff final against Huddersfield.

[Lower West]

Far too much optimism here.

I see Dai selling absolutely any assets with value for personal gain (if they even exists at this point?) before either leaving us in a literal sense or giving much less attention to the project which will have the same end result, anyway.

He’s already lost a ton and nothing left to sell. And fantasies of personal gain are long gone

He owns the training ground and a share of the stadium. People who become mega rich are rarely charitable.


For the record Luton spent 5 years in non league football. Support the club not your ego.

[East Grinstead Royal]

Luton's relegation from League 2 was the result of an eye watering 30 point deduction, of course.

[tmesis]

I don’t class us as a big club tbh so we might be alright.

We're not at all, thus we won't have the spending power of Wednesday, Derby, Portsmouth etc. Our academy would possibly be the only point of difference. If the chairman leaves though we'd be buggered.

If Plymouth, Barnsley, Bolton and Wycombe can manage to compete with Derby, Wednesday and Pompey, no reason we can't.

Remember, this is the L1 that Rotherham, Wigan, Peterborough and Barnsley keep getting promoted from.

I believe those club either are, or have been operating under restrictions, kind of like the ones we'll have to for next year.

[tmesis]

Historically there is a massive drop in revenue for clubs in League one, the Athletic did a good piece on Wednesday a few years ago:

https://theathletic.com/2434618/2021/03 ... nesday-8m/

That is a club which has generally attracted far bigger crowds than Reading. Without the solidarity payment or the TV revenue we'd be reliant on matchday income, I can only see our current financial plight getting worse, that's with an owner who has already caused two clubs to cease to exist.

I really hope I'm wrong, but the future doesn't look great if we're relegated.

The plus side is that our owner is unlikely do put us into administration, because that would just reduce the debt the club owes him.

The downside is his record of just giving up with failed clubs.

[elrey]

Historically there is a massive drop in revenue for clubs in League one, the Athletic did a good piece on Wednesday a few years ago:

https://theathletic.com/2434618/2021/03 ... nesday-8m/

That is a club which has generally attracted far bigger crowds than Reading. Without the solidarity payment or the TV revenue we'd be reliant on matchday income, I can only see our current financial plight getting worse, that's with an owner who has already caused two clubs to cease to exist.

I really hope I'm wrong, but the future doesn't look great if we're relegated.

Then again Coventry and Luton went down, came back up... problem is we have a Chinese owner.

[Sutekh]

Historically there is a massive drop in revenue for clubs in League one, the Athletic did a good piece on Wednesday a few years ago:

https://theathletic.com/2434618/2021/03 ... nesday-8m/

That is a club which has generally attracted far bigger crowds than Reading. Without the solidarity payment or the TV revenue we'd be reliant on matchday income, I can only see our current financial plight getting worse, that's with an owner who has already caused two clubs to cease to exist.

I really hope I'm wrong, but the future doesn't look great if we're relegated.

Then again Coventry and Luton went down, came back up... problem is we have a Chinese owner.

No the problem in the main has been the utterly ludicrous choices of manager the club has been making since BM left again. If they’d invested some of the money in that area instead of wasting it on utterly cr@p signings like Aluko and Puscas on idiot contracts the club would be far healthier and may even have jammed its way into the PL by now.

[Snowflake Royal]

Historically there is a massive drop in revenue for clubs in League one, the Athletic did a good piece on Wednesday a few years ago:

https://theathletic.com/2434618/2021/03 ... nesday-8m/

That is a club which has generally attracted far bigger crowds than Reading. Without the solidarity payment or the TV revenue we'd be reliant on matchday income, I can only see our current financial plight getting worse, that's with an owner who has already caused two clubs to cease to exist.

I really hope I'm wrong, but the future doesn't look great if we're relegated.

Then again Coventry and Luton went down, came back up... problem is we have a Chinese owner.

Burnley, not been in L1 recently
Sheff Utd - 6 seasons L1 ~ last 10 years (all top half), back competing for the PL
Luton - gone from the conference to the edge of the PL in ~10 years
Middlesbrough - not been in L1 recently
Millwall - 2 seasons in L1
Blackburn - 1 season in L1
Norwich - not been in L1 last 10 years, but just prior to that 1 season
Preston - 4 seasons in L1
Coventry - 8 seasons in L1 or 2
West Brom - not recently in L1
Sunderland - 4 seasons in L1
Watford - not in L1 recently
Bristol City - 2 seasons in L1
Stoke - not recently in L1
Swansea - not recently in L1
Birmingham - not recently in L1
Hull - 1 season at L1
Rotherham - promoted from L1 in one season 3 times once from 1 in each of L2 and L1
Cardiff - not recently in L1
Huddersfield - not recently in L1, but promoted just before the last 10 years after 8 seasons
QPR - not recently in L1
Reading - not recently in L1
Blackpool - 5 seasons in L1 +1 in L2
Wigan - two 1 season and one 2 season stints in L1

We should not be scared of going down. Half of the division has been in L1 within the last ~10 years. Teams that applies to make up two thirds of the teams in the top 6, more than half of those in the top half.

In fact, based on this season your only hope of competing for promotion from.the Championship is if you have parachute payments or have been promoted from L1 in recent years. Meanwhile, if you're a longstanding Championship team you're basically consigned to the bottom half and often a relegation fight.

[Hound]

I’m almost looking forward to getting relegated now. Bring it on

[Jackson Corner]

Someone needs to explain to the Dais that it’s not all about chucking money at the club. Look at Luton, Millwall and don’t get me started on Brentford who deserve everything they get. It’s down to good scouting, players who want to achieve at whatever level. And a manager who knows what he’s doing helps.

[Hound]

Someone needs to explain to the Dais that it’s not all about chucking money at the club. Look at Luton, Millwall and don’t get me started on Brentford who deserve everything they get. It’s down to good scouting, players who want to achieve at whatever level. And a manager who knows what he’s doing helps.

Suspect that’s been explained to them by now. He’s not bought a player for 3 years and they’ve finally got a structure in place and new training ground

[RoyalBlue]

EPL/EFL flowdown funding massively slashed. Staff redundancies and cutbacks in all areas of the club.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Historically there is a massive drop in revenue for clubs in League one, the Athletic did a good piece on Wednesday a few years ago:

https://theathletic.com/2434618/2021/03 ... nesday-8m/

That is a club which has generally attracted far bigger crowds than Reading. Without the solidarity payment or the TV revenue we'd be reliant on matchday income, I can only see our current financial plight getting worse, that's with an owner who has already caused two clubs to cease to exist.

I really hope I'm wrong, but the future doesn't look great if we're relegated.

Then again Coventry and Luton went down, came back up... problem is we have a Chinese owner.

In fact, based on this season your only hope of competing for promotion from.the Championship is if you have parachute payments or have been promoted from L1 in recent years. Meanwhile, if you're a longstanding Championship team you're basically consigned to the bottom half and often a relegation fight.

Well, not really no. Aside from the top two, the rest of the clubs in the play offs have been in the league for a number of years now and steadily built with the exception being Luton. Norwich have parachute payments, Preston a long-standing member etc.

They've all gradually built since being at this level, in fact I recall Millwall and Luton struggled to survive and they've built their platform off that, as have Coventry who are now pushing in the higher climbs of the division.

Teams need a season or two to establish themselves as a Championship side usually before moving upwards, not yoyo-ing between leagues. But it's all based on good recruitment and a footballing philosophy, if you've got that, you're going to succeed.

[Snowflake Royal]

Then again Coventry and Luton went down, came back up... problem is we have a Chinese owner.

In fact, based on this season your only hope of competing for promotion from.the Championship is if you have parachute payments or have been promoted from L1 in recent years. Meanwhile, if you're a longstanding Championship team you're basically consigned to the bottom half and often a relegation fight.

Well, not really no. Aside from the top two, the rest of the clubs in the play offs have been in the league for a number of years now and steadily built with the exception being Luton. Norwich have parachute payments, Preston a long-standing member etc.

They've all gradually built since being at this level, in fact I recall Millwall and Luton struggled to survive and they've built their platform off that, as have Coventry who are now pushing in the higher climbs of the division.

Teams need a season or two to establish themselves as a Championship side usually before moving upwards, not yoyo-ing between leagues. But it's all based on good recruitment and a footballing philosophy, if you've got that, you're going to succeed.

It's a fact.
1. Burnley parachute payments
2. Sheff Utd promoted from L1 in 15/16 & parachute payments
3. Luton, promoted from L1 in 18/19
4. Middlesbrough - neither
5. Millwall - promoted from L1 in 16/17
6. Blackburn - promoted from L1 in 17/18
7. Norwich - parachute payments

And you don't have to look far back to see examples of back to back promotion.

Just checked and our mean division position for the last 10 years is 14.7, only Huddersfield and Birmingham are worse of the other Championship clubs and Huddersfield have been promoted in that time. Everyone else is better.

Life as a Reading fan has been utterly miserable for a decade.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

In fact, based on this season your only hope of competing for promotion from.the Championship is if you have parachute payments or have been promoted from L1 in recent years. Meanwhile, if you're a longstanding Championship team you're basically consigned to the bottom half and often a relegation fight.

Well, not really no. Aside from the top two, the rest of the clubs in the play offs have been in the league for a number of years now and steadily built with the exception being Luton. Norwich have parachute payments, Preston a long-standing member etc.

They've all gradually built since being at this level, in fact I recall Millwall and Luton struggled to survive and they've built their platform off that, as have Coventry who are now pushing in the higher climbs of the division.

Teams need a season or two to establish themselves as a Championship side usually before moving upwards, not yoyo-ing between leagues. But it's all based on good recruitment and a footballing philosophy, if you've got that, you're going to succeed.

It's a fact.
1. Burnley parachute payments
2. Sheff Utd promoted from L1 in 15/16 & parachute payments
3. Luton, promoted from L1 in 18/19
4. Middlesbrough - neither
5. Millwall - promoted from L1 in 16/17
6. Blackburn - promoted from L1 in 17/18
7. Norwich - parachute payments

And you don't have to look far back to see examples of back to back promotion.

Just checked and our mean division position for the last 10 years is 14.7, only Huddersfield and Birmingham are worse of the other Championship clubs and Huddersfield have been promoted in that time. Everyone else is better.

Life as a Reading fan has been utterly miserable for a decade.

All of those were a number of years ago now and I'm sure the clubs there currently would argue the fact they didn't go back down after promotion was the springboard to their current successes and just being able to establish themselves at this level has allowed them to build gradually.

Agree it has been miserable, although I think the last 5 years has definitely, definitely been worse than the first 5 years in that time. These last couple of years have been the lowest points overall.

[Clyde1998]

Historically there is a massive drop in revenue for clubs in League one, the Athletic did a good piece on Wednesday a few years ago:

https://theathletic.com/2434618/2021/03 ... nesday-8m/

That is a club which has generally attracted far bigger crowds than Reading. Without the solidarity payment or the TV revenue we'd be reliant on matchday income, I can only see our current financial plight getting worse, that's with an owner who has already caused two clubs to cease to exist.

I really hope I'm wrong, but the future doesn't look great if we're relegated.

From what I can work out, the TV revenue for each division (assuming no parachute payments) are:

1. Championship - £7m+ (£2.5m from the EFL + £4.5m from the Premier League + up to £100k for home TV matches + £10k for away TV matches)
2. League One - £1.322m (£677k + £645k)
3. League Two - £902k (£472k + £430k)

There's an additional ~£275k in parachute payments following relegation from the Championship for a single season.

It seems the vast majority of that £8m drop (around £6m) comes simply from the smaller broadcasting payments. Looking at a lot of clubs, their attendances don't fall a huge amount following relegation (some see increases) should the club not completely fall through the floor; Ticket prices would be lower however - an average of a £5 drop in match day revenue per ticket sold for a club like Sheffield Wednesday (around 23,000 attendances in the Championship) would be worth around £2.6m over twenty-three league matches.

With our costs rapidly reducing in the Championship, and likely to reduce even further next season (regardless of what division we're in), due to EFL sancations, we may not be in as bad a financial position following relegation than a lot of other clubs who've become established in the Championship (or we would've been a few seasons back).

[Snowflake Royal]

Well, not really no. Aside from the top two, the rest of the clubs in the play offs have been in the league for a number of years now and steadily built with the exception being Luton. Norwich have parachute payments, Preston a long-standing member etc.

They've all gradually built since being at this level, in fact I recall Millwall and Luton struggled to survive and they've built their platform off that, as have Coventry who are now pushing in the higher climbs of the division.

Teams need a season or two to establish themselves as a Championship side usually before moving upwards, not yoyo-ing between leagues. But it's all based on good recruitment and a footballing philosophy, if you've got that, you're going to succeed.

It's a fact.
1. Burnley parachute payments
2. Sheff Utd promoted from L1 in 15/16 & parachute payments
3. Luton, promoted from L1 in 18/19
4. Middlesbrough - neither
5. Millwall - promoted from L1 in 16/17
6. Blackburn - promoted from L1 in 17/18
7. Norwich - parachute payments

And you don't have to look far back to see examples of back to back promotion.

Just checked and our mean division position for the last 10 years is 14.7, only Huddersfield and Birmingham are worse of the other Championship clubs and Huddersfield have been promoted in that time. Everyone else is better.

Life as a Reading fan has been utterly miserable for a decade.

All of those were a number of years ago now and I'm sure the clubs there currently would argue the fact they didn't go back down after promotion was the springboard to their current successes and just being able to establish themselves at this level has allowed them to build gradually.

Agree it has been miserable, although I think the last 5 years has definitely, definitely been worse than the first 5 years in that time. These last couple of years have been the lowest points overall.

I don’t know what you're arguing about, I never said anything about them being promoted from L1 within the last season or so. I said recent years, in the context of having looked at the last ten years as recent performance.