The Imps have published the fans’ forum from last week, and there is a lot of really good stuff to get stuck into.
I was unable to go, but several of the SW team went. The event was well received by everyone, and those on the panel didn’t shy away from some challenging questions.
One of those questions was around the future of League One and spending. Our budget has gone up over the last few seasons, but our position in the budget table has fallen to a bottom-six position. It seems that a lot of club owners are now reaching a point where they realise something has to change.
Northampton Town’s owner has been vocal about budgets, and even with two big spenders leaving, Clive added to the Cobblers’ voice.
“You’ve heard last year how costs went up in excess of 50%,” he told the room. “I’m not quite sure how much they’ve gone up this season. But again, they’ve gone up even without Birmingham and Wrexham in the league.
“League One owners have finally got together and decided that something has to change. It’s just crazy how you’re paying the same players just more and more every season.”
Action is needed, and while the threat of reform and an independent regulator has been circling for a while, it seems things are beginning to move. Clive outlined what has happened recently and what the problem could be with current proposals.
“A group has got together, and proposals have been put to the EFL. I think the problem is we’ve got some very desperate owners in League One who don’t have the money to continue to fund their clubs, looking for new investment, which is very difficult.
“We’ve been very lucky to get Ron in. I think through their desperation they’ve tried to maybe make the new proposed regulations too tough. So, I think there’s going to be pushback from both the Championship and the PFA, but there’s no doubt that there are a lot of League One owners that are desperate to rein in costs.”
Change is needed. That does have to be managed, though. It is unfair to put a flat cap on everyone, as some clubs, such as Bradford, have the capability to generate more turnover than Stevenage. Should they be restricted to spending the same? No.
However, we need to avoid artificial inflation of turnover, bogus sponsorship that pumps millions into a club from an owner, disguised as turnover. The end game here isn’t to restrict clubs that generate income, but to drive down the overall spend, which is increasing year on year despite the same pool of players drawing the wages.
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