STUHILL

I guess this is where the temporary loophole is, which we are trying to exploit. We broke rules whilst in the Premier League but because we got relegated, they can't apply a points deduction to us whilst in the Championship. Equally, we can't have broken EFL rules yet as we have only been subject to them for this current season, although we absolutely will break them. Seems like the Premier League can't apply any punishment until we get Promoted, and the EFL can't until next season either and only if we don't go up. Pretty ridiculous that neither league thought of this issue, as a relegation is often exactly what triggers a FFP breach. I can see why clubs around us will feel massively aggrieved if we do take a promotion place with a squad partly formed by overspending. However, I can't see how the EFL or PL can take points away from us until the start of next season. I suspect they will change this if we do get promoted and come up with a points deduction that applies to the EFL if rules were broken in the PL. If promoted and we only get a 6 point deduction and manage to stay up, then will likely be a lot of very angry clubs... Hate the game, not the playaaaa In reality, we are likely to be a Championship club for the foreseeable future, with a potential painful 24/25 season in the Premier League at best.

May have already been posted but Alex Crook on Talksport said that a Championship club spoke to him and said that if the EFL do not charge and deduct points from Leicester for this season, they will be banging on doors aka suing us. They imagine there could be many others too. The argument being, that we overspent and have players on the books that we shouldn't and that has enabled us to potentially take a promotion place away from another team that stayed within the spending rules. Don't shoot the messenger!

Not that we should care, but I was curious what other fans thought of this and was expecting a pile on, but the overall feeling out there seems to be that the whole thing is a complete joke, and the smaller clubs are being targeted with these rules whilst Man City and Chelsea continue to get away with everything.

It is pretty ridiculous that we have a Billionaire owner who can cover these losses, yet we as a club are being forced to sell our players and banned from buying, on top of a points deduction. It's like saying, we brought in these rules to make your club stable, but we will now do everything in our power to destabilise you and reduce any chance of success on the field, costing you huge amounts of money, all in the name of trying to protect you. Rules have to change. Owners should be allowed to spend, but for every £1 they do, an equal amount has to be deposited into a bail-out trust fund, which means if the wheels come off, the clubs financial future is secure.

Chelsea and Man City may be the exact reason we don't get anywhere near 20 points. The PL will know very well that setting the punishment too high for us, will undoubtedly lead to Chelski and Man City being hit harder. They won't want to hit two of their biggest assets that hard. I expect we will get a 9 point penalty and may even have it reduced to 6 points on appeal.

They expected a big fee for Danny Ward. Easily done.

If our point deduction for last year will be delayed until the start of next season, will we not face a further point deduction in the same season for this years accounts? And/Or are we facing another points deduction at the start of 25/26 season?

Yes, this is after the playoffs too. Just keep the EFL on hold until then.

Fully expect to see Top, Whelan and Rudkin in the stands with donation buckets

That's exactly what we should do. IF we miss out on promotion, tell the EFL we will happily take 20 point penalty now, heck, make it 25! We have been naughty after all and you need to make a statement! If they don't go for it, sue them and take down the whole of the EFL

Never wanted him back... until now. Well, after Enzo leaves us in the Summer of course. Outgoings - Rudkin/Whelan to Forest. Incomings - Big Nige/Ostrich

The funny thing is, we actually won the Premier League before all this overspending and rule breaking!

Personally, I think this would be a great time for the PL and EFL to acknowledge that the current system stifles ambition and is not fit for purpose. All charges are dropped and we are given a £100 Amazon Gift card for the inconvenience.

Meh, not so bad.

Does anyone know how much money we need to bring in for player sales this Summer? Are we looking at a complete fire sale of any player worth over £10million, and relying on youth and loans for next season regardless of the league? Or is next season already a write off in terms of filling the black hole and we will just take another points deduction at some point?

but they are £499m in debt as of August 2023, 4th highest in the Premier League last season according to some figures. They may have a good model, but like with most clubs, there always seems to be more going on behind the curtain, which is often only really known when a wheel or two falls off on the pitch.

are they not limited like the PL seem to be? Surely, they have a penalty structure in place. If not, our lawyers will no doubt be on it!

So now we know how criminally mismanaged we have been. Can anyone break down the implications in simpleton terms? If promoted - Points deduction at start of season - 9 points most likely with potential reduced on appeal? Plus having to sell players to the sum of? If not promoted - Points deduction? Any guess on how many? Plus having to sell players to the sum of? More charges coming in 24/25 season? Or, is it just too early to try figure all that out? I am trying to get over the crime and focus on what the punishments will be

Be Crystal Palace!

That's the thing. Brighton are the new poster boy club, just like we were for many years. Look behind the curtain though and at the finer details, and you can see similar patterns emerging. Maybe, they will now adjust their plans due to seeing how we got burned. They will likely have to keep selling their best players, rather than what we tried. Lets hope they don't have stubborn players who run down their contracts too! I expect their Manager to be off this Summer or into next season too. They could continue their success, but it won't last, never does with clubs that size. They just have to hope they don't fall quite as hard as we have. They didn't rise as high though!

The huge difference though, is the PL money we get for getting Promoted, and also falling under PL financial rules for next season, which I believe means we can lose more. I'd prefer to rebuild in the Premier League, with more incoming money and a less financial restriction. We may be able to reduce the point deduction too, and if other clubs are penalised, there is always a slim chance we do manage to stay up... like 5% but still!

As I said, things happen! A Manager gets snatched away. One or two replacements don't settle or don't deliver on their promise. A key injury or two at the wrong time. European football stretches the squad too thin etc etc. Brighton are only one or two of those away from dropping down the league. May not happen next season or even a handful after, but it will eventually. That is why clubs have always struggled to break that top 6 dominance on a regular basis. We had a great go at it, but 'things happen!' Then it snowballs. I like Brighton a lot, but as someone else just posted, £400million in debt and a very sort after Manager, with more of their stars likely sold in the Summer. They will always be on a knife edge, just like we were. We just decided to stab ourselves multiple times on the way down!

Next season will be a mess, but getting promoted will no doubt be a massive help in offsetting that. We are likely to come straight back down but I'd take that over not going up and no chance of going up the season after with a points deduction and player fire sale. You're right that it will be the season after at the earliest, we will likely be free of charges and deductions, but I still think we can build after that and rather quickly compared to many other Championship clubs other than the relegated 3 each season. 2-3 years before we can start looking like a competitive, playoff chasing team again, not 5-10 years of doom and gloom IMO.

Absolutely this! Brighton are on the exact trajectory we were on. They will have to make the same decision soon too. Either stop selling key assets each season, in an attempt to maintain top 8 finishes and European football OR keep selling their best players and sooner rather than later, increasingly expensive replacements on higher wages, flop, form nose dives and a relegation battle ensues, with fans demanding more investment. They will either break rules to stay up there OR stick to the rules and find themselves in a relegation battle over the next few seasons due to their Manager and best players being snatched away.

Totally agree, but he won't be selling the club anytime soon, and his biggest crime is to overspend but still write much of that off. He should sack Rudkin and Whelan, get in a new board with a competent rebuild plan, and then take a back seat in terms of decision making. I'd like to click my fingers and get a new Billionaire owner in, but we are stuck with Top for now. Sacking those below him would be a step in the right direction.