Reality check for fallen giants battling to avoid a second drop

[davieG]

Recent Premier League clubs are finding no guarantees of safety in the Championship, writes Richard Rae

Saturday April 12, 2008

The Guardian

Even chaos sometimes has patterns and in a season when results in the Championship have defied most attempts to discern any sort of trend, the presence of clubs the size of Leicester City, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City in the battle to avoid relegation is a salutary reminder of one of football's newer laws. If you are relegated from the Premier League and don't get back up quickly, prepare for years of struggle.

Although Colchester are effectively down and S****horpe will probably join them, the possibility of one of the above clubs following such as Leeds United into the third tier - where Wednesday have already been - is a very real one.It is a phenomenon that suggests supporters of recently relegated and apparently stable clubs such as Watford, Charlton and Sheffield United have reason to be nervous - very nervous, according to Milan Mandaric, the owner of Leicester City. Having taken control at the Walkers Stadium at the beginning of last year, the former Portsmouth owner admitted yesterday that turning his new club around is proving by far the hardest job he has had in football.

"The financial issue is obviously the huge problem. You have to cope with maintaining an infrastructure and facilities which, if you are in the Premiership, are required assets but once you are out of it, without the TV money and eventually the parachute payments, become a huge liability," said Mandaric.

"Money that goes on that - and it has to be spent - is money that isn't available to spend on players. But there's more to it than that. The fans here have been patient, as good as gold, but there is a sort of unwritten expectation, a pressure to make things happen, that definitely affects you, and maybe the players too. Last year, without pushing anywhere, the loss here was between £5m and £6m and this year it will be even larger, because I feel that pressure on me and I spent money.

"When you start from a lower level, as we did with Portsmouth, you can lay sound foundations. Here the foundations are sand. I'm experiencing that situation, I'm quite sure other people are experiencing it and it takes a long time to sort out. It's a lot easier, and less pressure, when you're taking the club that has a smaller profile and has a lot less expectation.

"I believe we will get there in the end but God forbid we go down. I'm not doing any calculations because I don't believe it will happen. But I wouldn't say I was sleeping very well."

For Ray Ranson, who completed a lengthy takeover of Coventry in February, relegation would indeed be a disaster but not of the "world-ending" variety. "I'd absolutely endorse what Milan has said about the expectations, though I'd suggest the problems we found here dwarf those at Leicester," said the former Manchester City full-back.

"For me it comes down to years of mismanagement. Clubs know the rules, how the money works, what it means to go down and stay down, yet not so long ago this club had debts of pennies short of £60m. Supporters call for investment but, with all due respect, they have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. There isn't one thing we've looked at since we took over that we haven't had to change, including the manager.

"We've made rapid progress in terms of reducing and restructuring the debt and in bringing the two companies - the football club and the Arena [stadium] - together but the fact is Coventry City has been on a life support machine for years. You don't sort that out with a couple of aspirins, it takes major surgery. There are no quick fixes, in football or in business. It's been a very traumatic year and hopefully we get enough points over the next few games to survive and go forward from there because the club has a very bright future. In the meantime I'm sleeping like a baby, because I'm working 14-hour plus days. The kids think I'm a burglar I get home so late."

Southampton, currently riven by internal strife, could find no board member prepared to go on record but in some quarters at least it may be that lessons have already been learned.

Sheffield United, for example, maintain they have "minuscule" debt levels and that by expanding their income streams through a portfolio of extended businesses, including property development, and acquiring controlling interests in clubs in China, Australia and Hungary to develop players, they are in a strong position whether or not they go back up to the Premier League before their parachute payments run out. Watford too have been careful not to become overcommitted financially although, given the Hornets' current form, supporters may be wishing the manager, Aidy Boothroyd, had been given a little more leeway to strengthen his squad.

On the other hand, as Andy Knee of the Football League points out, there are still some speculators prepared to throw money at a club in the hope of cashing in by winning promotion. The head of the Renault formula one team, Flavio Briatore, at Queens Park Rangers is the most recent example and, with the multi-billionaire Bernie Ecclestone - never one knowingly to risk a penny without the prospect of getting a pound in return - joining him, others will undoubtedly follow. As with the stock market, however, they should be prepared to be in it for the long term.

[Kilworthfox]

Recent Premier League clubs are finding no guarantees of safety in the Championship, writes Richard Rae

Saturday April 12, 2008

The Guardian

Even chaos sometimes has patterns and in a season when results in the Championship have defied most attempts to discern any sort of trend, the presence of clubs the size of Leicester City, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City in the battle to avoid relegation is a salutary reminder of one of football's newer laws. If you are relegated from the Premier League and don't get back up quickly, prepare for years of struggle.

Although Colchester are effectively down and S****horpe will probably join them, the possibility of one of the above clubs following such as Leeds United into the third tier - where Wednesday have already been - is a very real one.It is a phenomenon that suggests supporters of recently relegated and apparently stable clubs such as Watford, Charlton and Sheffield United have reason to be nervous - very nervous, according to Milan Mandaric, the owner of Leicester City. Having taken control at the Walkers Stadium at the beginning of last year, the former Portsmouth owner admitted yesterday that turning his new club around is proving by far the hardest job he has had in football.

"The financial issue is obviously the huge problem. You have to cope with maintaining an infrastructure and facilities which, if you are in the Premiership, are required assets but once you are out of it, without the TV money and eventually the parachute payments, become a huge liability," said Mandaric.

"Money that goes on that - and it has to be spent - is money that isn't available to spend on players. But there's more to it than that. The fans here have been patient, as good as gold, but there is a sort of unwritten expectation, a pressure to make things happen, that definitely affects you, and maybe the players too. Last year, without pushing anywhere, the loss here was between £5m and £6m and this year it will be even larger, because I feel that pressure on me and I spent money.

"When you start from a lower level, as we did with Portsmouth, you can lay sound foundations. Here the foundations are sand. I'm experiencing that situation, I'm quite sure other people are experiencing it and it takes a long time to sort out. It's a lot easier, and less pressure, when you're taking the club that has a smaller profile and has a lot less expectation.

"I believe we will get there in the end but God forbid we go down. I'm not doing any calculations because I don't believe it will happen. But I wouldn't say I was sleeping very well."

I think there are a few excuses here, but never the less the fans do have to realise that Milan has made money available for players after maintaining our assets.

I don't buy the FT line about we would have been safe even if Milan was not here. If that were the case why was the last board trying to get off like rats on a sinking ship. There was no other option for LCFC other than Milan. The FT's noses are just out of joint because he knows they are a joke like we do.

Don't get me wrong I think Milan may be a little crazy, impatient, and has an ability to pick bad managers 9 times out of 10, but i would rather sail along with him than be gone. Unless we created a FC United / AFC Wimbledon then I would love it

[Zingari]

very interesting read

Ray Ranson

"Supporters call for investment but, with all due respect, they have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. There isn't one thing we've looked at since we took over that we haven't had to change, including the manager."

the Coventry talk sites must be very like ours

[Webbo]

I think there are a few excuses here, but never the less the fans do have to realise that Milan has made money available for players after maintaining our assets.

I don't buy the FT line about we would have been safe even if Milan was not here. If that were the case why was the last board trying to get off like rats on a sinking ship. There was no other option for LCFC other than Milan. The FT's noses are just out of joint because he knows they are a joke like we do.

Don't get me wrong I think Milan may be a little crazy, impatient, and has an ability to pick bad managers 9 times out of 10, but i would rather sail along with him than be gone. Unless we created a FC United / AFC Wimbledon then I would love it

It might be because they were getting death threats and abuse from people who thought they were milking the club for millions and MM's takeover would guarantee instant success.

Lets hope we're not relying on those people again if MM does a runner.

[Kilworthfox]

It might be because they were getting death threats and abuse from people who thought they were milking the club for millions and MM's takeover would guarantee instant success.

Lets hope we're not relying on those people again if MM does a runner.

lets hope so

[Koke]

Quite an interesting read.

The fact is Coventry City has been on a life support machine for years. You don't sort that out with a couple of aspirins, it takes major surgery. There are no quick fixes, in football or in business.

It applies to us as well.

[Ultra]

I think there are a few excuses here, but never the less the fans do have to realise that Milan has made money available for players after maintaining our assets.

I don't buy the FT line about we would have been safe even if Milan was not here. If that were the case why was the last board trying to get off like rats on a sinking ship. There was no other option for LCFC other than Milan. The FT's noses are just out of joint because he knows they are a joke like we do.

Don't get me wrong I think Milan may be a little crazy, impatient, and has an ability to pick bad managers 9 times out of 10, but i would rather sail along with him than be gone. Unless we created a FC United / AFC Wimbledon then I would love it

Milan will certainly take this club places.

Unfortunately those places will be Hartlepool, Milton Keynes and Stockport...

[Bryn]

I think he's spot on. Clubs coming up are building upwards, with low expenses, low expectations and strong unity. Clubs coming down usually have huge expenditure, disgruntled fans, high expectations, etc etc.

It comes as no surprise to me that it is Hull and Bristol City who are finding life at the top easy, compared to West Brom and Watford who are sweating, and the likes of us and Coventry who are down here sweating.

[Monk]

The quality of the Championship this season has been woeful. Whoever goes up does not stand a chance of staying in the prem. I'm under no false pretences with City. We've been desperately poor this season and we are by no means too big to go down. However it really hit home today looking at an empty away end. Could be seeing much more of that next season.

[davieG]

The quality of the Championship this season has been woeful. Whoever goes up does not stand a chance of staying in the prem. I'm under no false pretences with City. We've been desperately poor this season and we are by no means too big to go down. However it really hit home today looking at an empty away end. Could be seeing much more of that next season.

Strange then that there were 3 teams in the QFs of the FA Cup

[Zingari]

Strange then that there were 3 teams in the QFs of the FA Cup

or even the semis

[davieG]

or even the semis

Nah that wasn't strange

[Jon the Hat]

It might be because they were getting death threats and abuse from people who thought they were milking the club for millions and MM's takeover would guarantee instant success.

Lets hope we're not relying on those people again if MM does a runner.

The treatment the previous shareholders got on here and elsewhere was disgusting. They put their hands in their pockets the same as the fans, but by having deeper pockets than most they somehow ended up getting shot at. Part of the reason I hope Milan gets us to the Prem is becuase I want them to get their money back. Becuase if they don't I fear for our chances if we need them to save us again in future.

[tartanowl]

Quite an interesting read.

It applies to us as well.

And us. Our debts have nearly doubled under our current board.

The quality of the Championship this season has been woeful. Whoever goes up does not stand a chance of staying in the prem. I'm under no false pretences with City. We've been desperately poor this season and we are by no means too big to go down. However it really hit home today looking at an empty away end. Could be seeing much more of that next season.

I agree. The quality in the CCC this season has been very poor. There hasn't been one team that I've watched this season where I've thought they're much better than us. The fact that the champions could finish on less than 80 points this season says a lot about the league. We've had Derby embarrass themselves in the Prem this season, it could be Bristol City, Hull or Stoke next year. It doesn't bear thinking about.

If you do go down you'll probably find your away attendances actually rise. The smaller teams brought more to our ground than most CCC teams do. It was a day out to them, their big game of the season, and a chance to play at a big ground against a (former) big club. I don't think I could take another bout of losing to teams like Bournemouth and hearing small town clubs fans singing "You're not famous anymore" though. It is truly horrible.