Hopefully what FFP rules will do is remove the temptation for quick buck merchants there is a good model to follow in Brighton & Hove Albion. Spend money on the foundations first, grounds, training grounds, academy, scouting networks and from that solid base build a sustainable football club.
The new rules on wages, agents and transfers meaning only 70% of income will be allowed to be spent should come in 2025, if you look at last season’s figures you can see that quite a few PL teams would be in breach of those new rules.
Newcastle have the highest and Brentford have the lowest income to wages percentage including Newcastle there are nine clubs whose wages last season would have seen them in breach of the 70% rule Chelsea, Leicester, Everton, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Wolves, Southampton, Norwich & Burnley. It’s clear to see why the rules are needed all three relegated teams from last season are in the nine as well as Burnley who are close to relegation again.
I think Everton have the highest, but the focus at my club is to grow commercial revenues, where we are lagging behind our competitors.
If new ‘anchoring’ guidelines are voted in (I think there is a PL meeting tomorrow?) it will change the FFP dynamics massively. It will greatly benefit the ‘smaller’ clubs and damage the traditional big spenders.
These rules would certainly benefit Newcastle, with our squad “only” costing us £234m. This compares to Manchester City and Manchester United, who spent £501m and £453m respectively in the 2022-23 season.
The way round the rules is to ‘artificially’ inflate turnover (still) I expect. Check Foxes strange 2013/14 arrangements with Trestellar Ltd for example. I expect the countries which own City & the Geordies to be better at this than an individual billionaire. Is anyone expecting City to genuinely suffer when the authorities eventually emerge at the other side of City’s 100 plus (I believe) charges? I think this stuff likely affects lower league clubs as well where much less money is required to generate a step change in a club’s fortunes.
While punishment is retrospective rule bending will look worthwhile. Cheating works, in football as in life. I’m not optimistic about fair play.
The proposed anchoring rules would put a ‘hard cap’ on what all clubs, including Man City could spend. It would be the first time ever that a numerical figure has been put on a club’s spending capacity.
However, your point is a good one. Any amount of FFP guidelines will be meaningless if the authorities are not going to punish outliers…
Am I missing something, but this ‘The major difference between the Premier League and UEFA regulations will be that the Premier League will operate a two-tier system, with clubs playing in European competition only able to spend 70 per cent of their turnover, while clubs not competing in Europe able to spend 85 per cent’ (on the first team squad) still means the key is revenue & that’s where the loopholes will be found?
Where things get really crazy is ‘penalties’. I believe they want financial penalties for some levels of overspending. Surely anyone can see the hypocrisy there - overspend and then spend some more to buy back the overspend. It’s a bit like folk who own super cars parking on double yellows. It just doesn’t matter because they have so much money.
As I said earlier, I’m not optimistic. Loopholes will likely be found by those with enough money to find them. The world is unfair, sadly.
Yep, those with the biggest debts after building massive stadiums to bring in more match day income, together with those peddling the biggest number of £100 shirts made by kids in Southern and South East Asia and all thereby carrying the largest planet killing footprint will be able to buy the most expensive players in an ever more bloated fatfest of US and Arab led corporate bollockery. Go figure.
As I understand it, the financial rules pretty much stop smaller and even medium size clubs competing with the bid guys in the PL. Ask Forest, Newcastle etc
I read that even though Newcastle have plenty of money they may have to sell players. The rules were invented to try and prevent an Independent Regulator from being forced on them. The big clubs are the beneficiaries, as usual. Level playing field?. More like a very steep slope.
Thanks Bob you mean Manchester City although they might be innocent so its a bit presumtious what you say or you might be right.
Time will reveal the truth
Ben White’s job at corners appears to be as simple as do whatever’s necessary to prevent the goalie doing his job. Dark arts which Spurs and others don’t practice. I’d call it cheating (he doesn’t care where the ball is) others would call it shrewd. One thing’s for sure, Spurs manager is a bit naive not to have a strategy in place to deal with it.
Hmm. Have you watched Romero, @twofifty? Seems to me that he’s a master of said dark arts. However, I agree that White raises s*!thousery to a new level.
