Iron Bru › Forums › Blast Furnace › Another one bits the dust › Reply To: Another one bits the dust
It’s not Tottenham’s or Liverpool’s obligation to ensure Macclesfield pay their tax bill; live within your means and budget accordingly.
Maybe not directly but it doesn’t help that the Premier League refuses to share TV money properly, or that rules are consistently changed to suit the big clubs, like the EPPP scheme which undermines the academies of small clubs or the introduction of B-teams into the Football League Trophy. The list is a long one.
But the Premier League isn’t solely to blame, if Football League clubs were more united and less willing to bend over for a few pennies from the Premier League table, we wouldn’t be quite so badly off now. But there is no solidarity between clubs, everyone is solely out for themselves.
However, my point around self governance remains the same. Bury knew roughly their yearly turnover, yet they rode along with a madman’s spending spree when Beckford and co rolled into town. In no other walk of life would you get away from running a business so recklessly
Very fair point, so why don’t we govern clubs more strictly? Why do we allow owners to run up such appalling debts? The league could and should impose much tougher rules to stop them doing that but refuse to do so. Make owners post a bond each year to cover costs if the club runs into financial problems. Keep a much closer eye on finances during the season and react quicker if problems are occuring. Stop any one owner having overall majority control. These things are all possible!
Unfortunately with the premier league we are probably now past the point of meaningful reform. A European Super league or a closed shop franchise Are always options on the table for the big boys.
In regards to the football league; a bond covering costs for the season and fan representation within boardrooms are great ideas. I’m sure some variation of the 50+1 rule can be implemented, especially for the smaller clubs.