Football Pay Cuts

[Spoonz Red E]

Just going to play devils advocate here but where was this money from the EFL when clubs like Bury, Bolton, Macclesfield etc where close or did to go to the wall?

That was the conversation I had at the Club.

I was suggesting that in a case like Bury the EFL could advance a loan (say over 3 years) provided the club was taken over by a Supporter or Local Community Trust and the EFL was given regular updates as to the running of the club. There would also be a covenant stating that the Club could not be sold back to private ownership within a set time and only by agreement of the Trust and EFL. The loan could be to clear immediate post admin debts or perhaps be a 'matched money' arrangement, doubling that raised by the local community.

This was in relation to the fact that at the time of 'Red or Dead' we could have gone out of existence altogether for the immediate want of £350,000 pounds.

 

[Colesman Ballz]

Thanks, Spoonz. So 160k advance (??) and 120 k interest free loan. So total 280k available.

Not quite Indo, the advance payment of £164k which was due to be forwarded to us on March 19th, is purely in respect of the final part of this season's "Solidarity payment" from the Premier League being paid early and is not "New"money, and of course the facility to take a £120k interest free loan, whilst welcome, will need to repaid.

The great unknown is whether the season will be completed or not. If it is abandoned then it would appear, under the PL agreement with Sky they could be required to return part of the revenues received to compensate for loss of games scheduled for transmission. Iirc this has been estimated at over £100M per Club. Even if this achieved by reducing next seasons payments to compensate, it will be a substantial blow to the PL.

To take this a stage further, would the PL seek to reduce the level of Solidarity Payments pro rata ? What are the provisions in the agreement between the FA, PL and EFL, and are there any existing clauses in place to cover such an eventually ? If not, maybe the three bodies will have to get around the table for negotiations ?

All lots of ifs and buts, but here is one final if. The EPPP was forced by the PL upon the EFL Clubs by its inclusion in the whole "deal". So perhaps any renegotiation, would offer the chance to make substantial changes, or at the very least bring the pitiful fees paid out, up to date and in line with the huge inflation in transfer fees, that has occurred since it was introduced ! Should such a renegotiation happen I sincerely hope the Taggy would "elbow his way" into the EFL's team and stick his oar in ! I'll keep my fingers and everything else crossed.

 

[IndoMike]

Not quite Indo, the advance payment of £164k which was due to be forwarded to us on March 19th, is purely in respect of the final part of this season's "Solidarity payment" from the Premier League being paid early and is not "New"money, and of course the facility to take a £120k interest free loan, whilst welcome, will need to repaid.

The great unknown is whether the season will be completed or not. If it is abandoned then it would appear, under the PL agreement with Sky they could be required to return part of the revenues received to compensate for loss of games scheduled for transmission. Iirc this has been estimated at over £100M per Club. Even if this achieved by reducing next seasons payments to compensate, it will be a substantial blow to the PL.

To take this a stage further, would the PL seek to reduce the level of Solidarity Payments pro rata ? What are the provisions in the agreement between the FA, PL and EFL, and are there any existing clauses in place to cover such an eventually ? If not, maybe the three bodies will have to get around the table for negotiations ?

All lots of ifs and buts, but here is one final if. The EPPP was forced by the PL upon the EFL Clubs by its inclusion in the whole "deal". So perhaps any renegotiation, would offer the chance to make substantial changes, or at the very least bring the pitiful fees paid out, up to date and in line with the huge inflation in transfer fees, that has occurred since it was introduced ! Should such a renegotiation happen I sincerely hope the Taggy would "elbow his way" into the EFL's team and stick his oar in ! I'll keep my fingers and everything else crossed.

Re your first paragraph : I don't think you said anything different to my short post. My point was we hope to get this money now when we most need it.
Regarding your other points : yes, many ifs and buts. If clubs take out the loan many will have trouble paying it back. And income from gates until 2021 is not guaranteed at all. This virus fecker can come back to haunt us in October.
I can't see any changes to the rules regarding compensation for da yoof.
The PL holds all the cards and will get their way. The EFL and FA are just PL puppets and won't stand in their way, and mist Div 2 clubs will take any bribe money without blinking an eye Many things will change when this virus is finally overcome, butcI don't think getting a fair price will be one of them
Anyway, this is all speculation. At the moment it's hang on in there and what will be will be.
I assume you're doing ok. Take care of self and family.
Cheers Ballzy
Indo

 

[Hants_red]

Statement from the PFA

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1245773437827780608

 

[Red Devon]

Matt Hancock suggesting in today’s press briefing from Downing Street that...the first thing Premier League footballers can do is take a pay cut to play their part.

 

[Legohead]

Matt Hancock suggesting in today’s press briefing from Downing Street that...the first thing Premier League footballers can do is take a pay cut to play their part.

Are the politicians taking a pay cut too then? They are also doing **** all during this crisis.

 

[Mr Jinx]

Matt Hancock suggesting in today’s press briefing from Downing Street that...the first thing Premier League footballers can do is take a pay cut to play their part.

Now I'm not Gary Lineker's greatest fan by a long chalk as most of you probably know, but I think he's right on this one.

Why oh why, of all the rich people in this country: the bankers, the CEOs, the Russian Oligarchs, the list goes on...are footballers being singled out here? Ok, they're getting paid crazy money to sit around doing nothing but so are a lot of others.

I don't blame the footballers at all; they're just earning what they are able to. If you don't like it then tell the fools who pay through the nose for Sky/BT sports channels and up to £100 a ticket just to get into a ground, to stop doing so.

 

[Legohead]

I have no problems with footballers not giving away money. What I do have a problem with is that they play for a football club and are happy to see other employees at the club get furloughed or even laid off when they, also as employees of the same club are happy to see that happen when they have the means to help out and ensure this doesn't happen. If I was a footballer earning 100k a week then i'd be unable to sleep at night knowing the people I see and speak to every day at the football club will be the ones to struggle and suffer whilst I go back to my mansion and millions in the bank. It's more the total lack of consideration for others that annoys me.

I heard Andros Townsend on talkshite defending footballers today highlighting the good some of them are doing. The key word was 'some' There are hundreds of Prem players earning upwards of 50k a week yet only a handful are heard about doing something positive and generous of their own volition. Yes of course there are others doing things who don't want the publicity of course but it feels like most will only put their hands in their pockets if told to do so. Which is kind of the whole problem.

 

[Rosencrantz]

I have no problems with footballers not giving away money. What I do have a problem with is that they play for a football club and are happy to see other employees at the club get furloughed or even laid off when they, also as employees of the same club are happy to see that happen when they have the means to help out and ensure this doesn't happen. If I was a footballer earning 100k a week then i'd be unable to sleep at night knowing the people I see and speak to every day at the football club will be the ones to struggle and suffer whilst I go back to my mansion and millions in the bank. It's more the total lack of consideration for others that annoys me.

I heard Andros Townsend on talkshite defending footballers today highlighting the good some of them are doing. The key word was 'some' There are hundreds of Prem players earning upwards of 50k a week yet only a handful are heard about doing something positive and generous of their own volition. Yes of course there are others doing things who don't want the publicity of course but it feels like most will only put their hands in their pockets if told to do so. Which is kind of the whole problem.

The PFA (I'm surprised Gordon Taylor is still in control, I thought he had gone) has not helped the players in this case by not communicating clearly what they are doing with the clubs and authorities at this time. Their prime purpose is to look out for the players and I suspect they are very concerned about lower league players at the moment ahead of the PL players. But their built in suspicion of some unscrupulous owners looking to save themselves money at the players expense without putting in any money themselves when they can afford to has not done them any favours at this time. It is a big PR own goal. It has enabled PL players in particular to be fired at by the Government who should be concentrating on more pressing matters to them.

The players themselves individually could have pressed for quicker action. I would think the majority of players are very uneasy about picking up large pay cheques when other non playing staff are being laid off or furloughed. There are always going to be some who aren't as there are in all parts of society. Dean Ashton writes well here I think about the footballers bubble and especially herd mentality. But I have found that also in other workplaces, the majority will always wait for someone to speak up first and coalesce around them. I think this is heightened in football.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/03/premier-league-players-tarnished-by-taking-too-long-to-act-on-pay

It is worth noting that behind the scenes things are being put in place to help such as the following...

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/03/liverpool-jordan-henderson-sets-up-premier-league-coronavirus-fund-for-nhs

…which has now been brought before the spotlight because of increasing pressure of the past couple of days but has been being organised before. Henderson wanted it to be kept under wraps at least until it was going. But even this will probably have some cynical types piping up that it's just PR or so what, they can afford it. Charities and Foundations are strange things to high profile people. They generally don't want the attention and would rather do good away from the glare of publicity because of that kind of reaction.

 

[IndoMike]

The PFA (I'm surprised Gordon Taylor is still in control, I thought he had gone) has not helped the players in this case by not communicating clearly what they are doing with the clubs and authorities at this time. Their prime purpose is to look out for the players and I suspect they are very concerned about lower league players at the moment ahead of the PL players. But their built in suspicion of some unscrupulous owners looking to save themselves money at the players expense without putting in any money themselves when they can afford to has not done them any favours at this time. It is a big PR own goal. It has enabled PL players in particular to be fired at by the Government who should be concentrating on more pressing matters to them.

The players themselves individually could have pressed for quicker action. I would think the majority of players are very uneasy about picking up large pay cheques when other non playing staff are being laid off or furloughed. There are always going to be some who aren't as there are in all parts of society. Dean Ashton writes well here I think about the footballers bubble and especially herd mentality. But I have found that also in other workplaces, the majority will always wait for someone to speak up first and coalesce around them. I think this is heightened in football.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/03/premier-league-players-tarnished-by-taking-too-long-to-act-on-pay

It is worth noting that behind the scenes things are being put in place to help such as the following...

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/03/liverpool-jordan-henderson-sets-up-premier-league-coronavirus-fund-for-nhs

…which has now been brought before the spotlight because of increasing pressure of the past couple of days but has been being organised before. Henderson wanted it to be kept under wraps at least until it was going. But even this will probably have some cynical types piping up that it's just PR or so what, they can afford it. Charities and Foundations are strange things to high profile people. They generally don't want the attention and would rather do good away from the glare of publicity because of that kind of reaction.

Expecting any authority : government, Parliament, councils, committees and any other gang of bureaucrats and penpushers to be proactive, competent or to have any sense of urgency or accountabiity goes against all our experiences.
They have cushy jobs, cushy pensions, comfortable offices and their favourite word is "manana". And so it is with the FA and FL. A cushy number but they always take the easy way out and are ostriches.