Topic of the day: coin throwing and crowd problems
Rio Ferdinand was lucky not to lose an eye, but he was unlucky that of all the coins, lighters, plastic bottles and whatever else the moronic football 'fan' can lay his or her hands on, one actually hit him. Earlier on in the game Wayne Rooney was pelted with items while caught in the heinous act of taking a corner, and recent racist and anti-Semitic chanting indicates a problem with football crowds that no doubt speaks of our wider society.
What can be done? Netting has been proposed to stop objects hitting players, but how tight will the netting need to be to stop coins? Will the objects rebound and hit innocent supporters? Did the nets at the Camp Nou stop a pig's head? And what will netting do to stop abuse emanating from the crowd?
The answer is to punish the majority to eradicate the minority. It's always a minority (every bad thing in life is always perpetrated by a minority despite the impression you might get from the media. Your average person is a decent, law abiding person) but this can no longer be an excuse. As the Football Ramble's Luke Moore says, when a rugby team at his school wrecked a minibus, all the sports teams were suspended. Something similar needs to happen in football.
Take the Serbia -England U21 game. Again, another mindless minority - albeit an uncomfortably large minority - spoiling it for the rest. The West Ham - Spurs game, more morons. Investigations have been launched, action already taken, but will all the culprits be caught? The Swansea 'fan' who shouted racist abuse towards Norwich's Sebastien Bassong was apprehended quickly and it is great credit to Swansea and the authorities that the villain was caught and done so speedily, but that was the exception. A large proportion of those who drag football down are not caught.
Finally, let's look at the coin throwing incident at the Etihad on sunday. There is CCTV, which was was being tracked live and can be checked after the event, but the likelihood is that there culprit, and those who through objects at Rooney earlier, will not be caught, and if so they will get a slap on the wrists, a banning order for a couple of seasons at most, and probably sneak in for City's next game.
When Police or stewards move into the crowd they receive abuse and a 'them and us' attitude. However, if the fan(s) they were looking for were affecting their fellow fans rather than just trying to antagonise the opposition, supporters may be more willing to point out the miscreants.
So how about you make the fans stay behind? Tell all the City fans they can't leave for twenty minutes, then those in the relevant blocks have to stay behind an hour until the Police have picked out the people they want. Now suddenly its not the image of this corporate conglomerate that the bad apples are tarnishing, but the day of all their fellow fans. Now you can't go home until that dickhead has been caught, and the next time you see someone throw something or start a racist chant you do something because that guy is going to directly affect your day. It is not the police that fan has to worry about but the hundreds of fans in his block, the thousands in the stadium, and if he goes to games regularly then it will become a very uncomfortable experience for him.
Away fans are often kept behind after European games (for their own safety rather than for punishment) and if it means people miss trains or get home late then so be it. It will just mean they are more likely to act by their volition to root out the trouble makers at our grounds.
Showing posts with label Manchester City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manchester City. Show all posts
Monday, 10 December 2012
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Solving the Financial Mismanagement of Football
Leyton Orient have secured a 5th round replay against Arsenal. The cup run, including prize money, TV revenue and gate receipts will mean Russell Slade's team will be the only side in League One to make a profit. In a week when Plymouth Argyle are docked ten points for signalling intent to go into administration, how can we stop football going down the financial plug-hole?
Administration and debts are nothing new to the football league, and the latter plagues the Premier League. Everton revealed their net debts had increased £6.9million to £49million and they are a club that is hardly amongst the league's big buyers or payers. The Glazers continue to add debt to Manchester United even though they have increased commercial revenue. Liverpool still struggle even though they have new owners and far higher sponsorship deals. Martin O'Neill left Aston Villa as they attempted to balance the books, before giving up. Even though Sunderland received over £18million for Darren Bent they are still relying on the money of Ellis Short. If any club does make a profit it is usually small, and if it has been inflated by player sales then fans expect the money to be reinvested at the soonest possible opportunity.
The fact Leyton Orient have relied on a entertaining cup run (they were on the cusp of being knocked out by Droylsden in the second round) to turn a profit shows you the problems that are now endemic in the English game. How can clubs continue to trade when there is little to no chance of breaking even, never mind making money to invest in the future?
Uefa's Financial Fair Play may be on solution but the repercussions deserve their own discussion, and they will only effect the dozen teams that hope to qualify for Europe. Maybe the authorities hope the effects will trickle down the leagues but the case of Portsmouth going to the wall has not stopped spending or wages. Football refuses to learn the lessons of the past,
One answer consistently suggested is a wage cap. It works in Rugby League they say, although Wakefield Wildcats have shown it does not stop clubs going bankrupt. It works in Rugby Union they say, and while English clubs are on a firmer financial footing than their round ball playing cousins, the flow of talent to France with its laxer rules shows that a wage cap only in England will have a detrimental effect on the English game. With differing tax structures, image rights and legal issues it would be impossible to establish a Europe or Worldwide wage cap, and tying the cap as a percentage of a club's revenue will only help increase the gap between the big and the small.
Obviously, the expectation of a knight or Sheikh coming to the rescue is implausible, as Plymouth have found out with their useless owners. So we need a solution that not only helps the club, but the fans, the players, and HMRC.
More pressure has been applied by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs since they were removed from the list of preferred creditors, in effect removing the guarantee that they would receive 100% of the money owed to them when a club went into liquidation. The 'Football Family', made up of players and clubs, does receive 100% of the money will charities, local businesses and the like are offered pitiful amounts, often 15-25% of what they are actually owed, and often a millionth of the amount owed to clubs and players. Could the removal of the Football Family's protection prove the holy grail?
The idea is thus: clubs no longer pay transfer fees in installments. You can still have payments after so many games, or if you win a trophy, but the primary sum is paid up in one big lump sum. This way clubs cannot spend money they do not have in the bank. If the authorities stop clubs taking out loans to fund payments, like Leeds United did, and banks stop clubs spending when they are using their overdraft, transfer fees will reduce for 90% of clubs, and if a Man City does come in for your player you have that money upfront, ready to do what you want.
The downside of this will be that selling clubs will find their assets (players) are worth less, but then this can be the case anyway and to constantly rely on making profits on players to break even each season is a poor business plan.
Secondly, players will not sign for clubs in poor financial situations. Why sign a £60k a week contract if in six months time they cant afford to pay you, and you only get 20% of that wage? Maybe the first thousand pound can be protected for youth staff and lower league players, but why should millionaires be guaranteed their money when a club goes under? Do this and supply goes down, suddenly players cannot name their price, they may have to pick a lower wage at a financially secure club. Wages go down, costs go down, clubs save money. And we get the added bonus that charities, cake shops, other local businesses and charities and the British taxpayer get more of their money back if a club does go bankrupt.
Another area to clear up would be payments to agents. I think clubs should be banned from paying agents fees on transfer deals. Either the player pays them, or the clubs pays them an annual sum for being a scout. If they only get you one deal then that's the clubs choice, if they get them 400 they still get paid the same. And of course a scout cant be employed by another club or by a player. There does become an issue with how agents work around Europe - they have different roles and function under different rules in different countries - but the Premier League is such a big player it could enforce its own legislation without too much damage to the quality of the product.
Point deduction is a harsh penalty in terms of the fans and players who are not involved in the financial running of the club but equally it is unfair to allow clubs to spend beyond their means, get ahead of others, with the only penalty being the banning of club directors from the sport. Given some of the stick directors and owners get they might be glad of the get out clause, and if the club has battled its way to the top, is allowed to remove the majority of its debt and start again while staying at the top, it is imply unfair on the rest who play by the rules (or at least make a better fist of playing by the rules).
Debt and administration has become the disease of English football, as hooliganism used to be in the 70s and 80s. Clubs cannot continue to overspend and expect TV revenues and transfer money to go up and up and up. At some point there will be an end to it, the money will no longer increase as much as they expect. Until clubs get a grip and a helping hand from the governing bodies there is a real danger they will die. The only winner will be the last team standing, and by then there will be nothing worth playing for.
Administration and debts are nothing new to the football league, and the latter plagues the Premier League. Everton revealed their net debts had increased £6.9million to £49million and they are a club that is hardly amongst the league's big buyers or payers. The Glazers continue to add debt to Manchester United even though they have increased commercial revenue. Liverpool still struggle even though they have new owners and far higher sponsorship deals. Martin O'Neill left Aston Villa as they attempted to balance the books, before giving up. Even though Sunderland received over £18million for Darren Bent they are still relying on the money of Ellis Short. If any club does make a profit it is usually small, and if it has been inflated by player sales then fans expect the money to be reinvested at the soonest possible opportunity.
The fact Leyton Orient have relied on a entertaining cup run (they were on the cusp of being knocked out by Droylsden in the second round) to turn a profit shows you the problems that are now endemic in the English game. How can clubs continue to trade when there is little to no chance of breaking even, never mind making money to invest in the future?
Uefa's Financial Fair Play may be on solution but the repercussions deserve their own discussion, and they will only effect the dozen teams that hope to qualify for Europe. Maybe the authorities hope the effects will trickle down the leagues but the case of Portsmouth going to the wall has not stopped spending or wages. Football refuses to learn the lessons of the past,
One answer consistently suggested is a wage cap. It works in Rugby League they say, although Wakefield Wildcats have shown it does not stop clubs going bankrupt. It works in Rugby Union they say, and while English clubs are on a firmer financial footing than their round ball playing cousins, the flow of talent to France with its laxer rules shows that a wage cap only in England will have a detrimental effect on the English game. With differing tax structures, image rights and legal issues it would be impossible to establish a Europe or Worldwide wage cap, and tying the cap as a percentage of a club's revenue will only help increase the gap between the big and the small.
Obviously, the expectation of a knight or Sheikh coming to the rescue is implausible, as Plymouth have found out with their useless owners. So we need a solution that not only helps the club, but the fans, the players, and HMRC.
More pressure has been applied by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs since they were removed from the list of preferred creditors, in effect removing the guarantee that they would receive 100% of the money owed to them when a club went into liquidation. The 'Football Family', made up of players and clubs, does receive 100% of the money will charities, local businesses and the like are offered pitiful amounts, often 15-25% of what they are actually owed, and often a millionth of the amount owed to clubs and players. Could the removal of the Football Family's protection prove the holy grail?
The idea is thus: clubs no longer pay transfer fees in installments. You can still have payments after so many games, or if you win a trophy, but the primary sum is paid up in one big lump sum. This way clubs cannot spend money they do not have in the bank. If the authorities stop clubs taking out loans to fund payments, like Leeds United did, and banks stop clubs spending when they are using their overdraft, transfer fees will reduce for 90% of clubs, and if a Man City does come in for your player you have that money upfront, ready to do what you want.
The downside of this will be that selling clubs will find their assets (players) are worth less, but then this can be the case anyway and to constantly rely on making profits on players to break even each season is a poor business plan.
Secondly, players will not sign for clubs in poor financial situations. Why sign a £60k a week contract if in six months time they cant afford to pay you, and you only get 20% of that wage? Maybe the first thousand pound can be protected for youth staff and lower league players, but why should millionaires be guaranteed their money when a club goes under? Do this and supply goes down, suddenly players cannot name their price, they may have to pick a lower wage at a financially secure club. Wages go down, costs go down, clubs save money. And we get the added bonus that charities, cake shops, other local businesses and charities and the British taxpayer get more of their money back if a club does go bankrupt.
Another area to clear up would be payments to agents. I think clubs should be banned from paying agents fees on transfer deals. Either the player pays them, or the clubs pays them an annual sum for being a scout. If they only get you one deal then that's the clubs choice, if they get them 400 they still get paid the same. And of course a scout cant be employed by another club or by a player. There does become an issue with how agents work around Europe - they have different roles and function under different rules in different countries - but the Premier League is such a big player it could enforce its own legislation without too much damage to the quality of the product.
Point deduction is a harsh penalty in terms of the fans and players who are not involved in the financial running of the club but equally it is unfair to allow clubs to spend beyond their means, get ahead of others, with the only penalty being the banning of club directors from the sport. Given some of the stick directors and owners get they might be glad of the get out clause, and if the club has battled its way to the top, is allowed to remove the majority of its debt and start again while staying at the top, it is imply unfair on the rest who play by the rules (or at least make a better fist of playing by the rules).
Debt and administration has become the disease of English football, as hooliganism used to be in the 70s and 80s. Clubs cannot continue to overspend and expect TV revenues and transfer money to go up and up and up. At some point there will be an end to it, the money will no longer increase as much as they expect. Until clubs get a grip and a helping hand from the governing bodies there is a real danger they will die. The only winner will be the last team standing, and by then there will be nothing worth playing for.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Bellamy still has the Blues
Craig Bellamy has sealed a loan move to Cardiff City, the Bluebirds, and his hometown club. He has left one (sky) blue shirt for another, but is he really happy?
No doubt he still has plenty to offer, despite niggling injuries over recent years, and in some ways he has plenty to prove. A success at Norwich, Coventry, Blackburn, and West Ham, the same cannot be said of his spells at Newcastle, Liverpool and Man City. While he has scored regularly, about 1 in 3.5 despite the injuries and playing out wide a fair few times, he has never really endeared himself to fans and managers. No doubt off the field episodes have soured opinion but will the Welshmen feel he never really delivered at the top level?
Helping Cardiff into the Premiership would be a big achievement for the club and for Wales. Bellamy, surprisingly, has only won a Community Shield and a Scottish Cup, so it would at least add to his footballing CV but it will never add the glory to his career. No doubt he has plenty to be proud of - Captaining his country and gaining 59 caps is an excellent achievement - but would he have preferred to have another crack at the Champions League with Tottenham? What about a cup run with Fulham? Or even a fighting chance of glory with Man City?
Quite a few players end their careers with a last hurrah at their boyhood club. Bellamy has more years left in the tank than most of these players and its not inconceivable that he could get Cardiff promoted and make a real difference in the Premiership for a couple of years. Some might say its the easy route to retirement. The pressures are less and the opposition poorer, and as he is still capable of electrifying pace, Bellamy should stand head and shoulders above the rest.
When all is said and done, I think Bellamy will still have a few regrets, and rue the City management for forcing him into the Championship before he was ready.
No doubt he still has plenty to offer, despite niggling injuries over recent years, and in some ways he has plenty to prove. A success at Norwich, Coventry, Blackburn, and West Ham, the same cannot be said of his spells at Newcastle, Liverpool and Man City. While he has scored regularly, about 1 in 3.5 despite the injuries and playing out wide a fair few times, he has never really endeared himself to fans and managers. No doubt off the field episodes have soured opinion but will the Welshmen feel he never really delivered at the top level?
Helping Cardiff into the Premiership would be a big achievement for the club and for Wales. Bellamy, surprisingly, has only won a Community Shield and a Scottish Cup, so it would at least add to his footballing CV but it will never add the glory to his career. No doubt he has plenty to be proud of - Captaining his country and gaining 59 caps is an excellent achievement - but would he have preferred to have another crack at the Champions League with Tottenham? What about a cup run with Fulham? Or even a fighting chance of glory with Man City?
Quite a few players end their careers with a last hurrah at their boyhood club. Bellamy has more years left in the tank than most of these players and its not inconceivable that he could get Cardiff promoted and make a real difference in the Premiership for a couple of years. Some might say its the easy route to retirement. The pressures are less and the opposition poorer, and as he is still capable of electrifying pace, Bellamy should stand head and shoulders above the rest.
When all is said and done, I think Bellamy will still have a few regrets, and rue the City management for forcing him into the Championship before he was ready.
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