Swindon Town on Brink of Collapse: Lee Power

stoneroses19

Mendonca In Asdas said:

Surely if Swindon go bust, they’ll be pressure on the EFL to scrap the salary cap next Season and not even have a vote?

But there lies the issue of EFL not having any actual powers. They can’t go ahead and scrap rules without a vote from the clubs who make up the EFL. That’s how I thought it worked anyway. Could be wrong. 

Cafc43v3r

stoneroses19 said:

Mendonca In Asdas said:

Surely if Swindon go bust, they’ll be pressure on the EFL to scrap the salary cap next Season and not even have a vote?

But there lies the issue of EFL not having any actual powers. They can’t go ahead and scrap rules without a vote from the clubs who make up the EFL. That’s how I thought it worked anyway. Could be wrong. 

Your right, it's the same with the fit and proper test etc. 

Fortune 82nd Minute

Lots of moans about the wage cap again. 

I've said it before but I'll say again if the club is really that vexed about the cap, and clubs won't vote to change it, they should take it to the courts. On the face of it, the cap is a clear restraint of trade. 

BalladMan

Fortune 82nd Minute said:

Lots of moans about the wage cap again. 

I've said it before but I'll say again if the club is really that vexed about the cap, and clubs won't vote to change it, they should take it to the courts. On the face of it, the cap is a clear restraint of trade. 

It’s not that simple though is it. If CAFC took this to court, do you think the EFL would not seek retribution somehow in the future. It’s not always possible to take the nuclear option to solve problems.  It’s a matter of balance and, from what I have seen of Sandgard so far, he is an astute businessman who does not want to make enemies.  The simplest solution for us long term is to get out of this shit league and back to our natural level in the championship.  It will happen. Maybe not this year, but we all know it will. 

Rothko

The cap is too blunt, that’s my complaint with it, which is probably why we hate it so much, yet the guys at Accrington will love it as it does load the odds in their favour.

I would expect it to be reformed this summer, it’ll have to take into account clubs incomes, the differences between northern hell holes and clubs in London, or the PFA will win a court case and it’ll fall apart

MrOneLung

Fortune 82nd Minute said:

Lots of moans about the wage cap again. 

I've said it before but I'll say again if the club is really that vexed about the cap, and clubs won't vote to change it, they should take it to the courts. On the face of it, the cap is a clear restraint of trade. 

Is it not just a privately run competition that can set its own rules of entry ?

bobmunro

MrOneLung said:

Fortune 82nd Minute said:

Lots of moans about the wage cap again. 

I've said it before but I'll say again if the club is really that vexed about the cap, and clubs won't vote to change it, they should take it to the courts. On the face of it, the cap is a clear restraint of trade. 

Is it not just a privately run competition that can set its own rules of entry ?

The rules are set by the 72 members - and the 72 members can vote to change them.

The clubs in Leagues 1 and 2 cocked it up (well enough of them anyway) but it could be easily reversed if there was a will to do so.

Todds_right_hook

Cafc43v3r said:

Todds_right_hook said:

Was the vote for the cap secret or is there a list of for and against?

I don't think there is a list but most clubs were quite vocal about it at the time.

It's pretty clear, from a quick Google, that clubs who's wage bill was less than the cap think it's a brilliant idea and those who's is/was higher don't agree.

Reason #3864 the wage cap is stupid.  Next season (assuming we are still in league 1 and the wage cap increases). 

Next season Albie Morgan will count, and count as the league average, or less (no idea what he is on but I doubt its much).  Say a Lincoln, possibly the smallest club in the championship fancy him, and make it known they will pay him 5k a week in January. We can't give him a pay rise, because of the cap.

How is that right?  How is that fair?  I wonder if Accrington Stanley will be so keen on it when St Mirran and Motherwell start tapping their players up for 3k a week. 

Totally agree, I’m 100% against it and don’t see how it’s fair on clubs and players. I’m fairly certain (without anything to back this up) that some players are unemployed because of the cap.

om interested to l ow if Swindon were for or against. Not that the cap has gotten them into this mess, but if there wasn’t a cap, they might have sold another player. I know what I have said is pure speculation. But the fact that it’s being speculated shows what a nonsense the cap actually is.

Todds_right_hook

MrOneLung said:

Mendonca In Asdas said:

Surely if Swindon go bust, they’ll be pressure on the EFL to scrap the salary cap next Season and not even have a vote?

Or maybe they would have gone bust earlier by paying more wages they can’t cover. 

Good point.

but then FFP would have prevented a stupid overspend?

Henry Irving

FFP had been blown apart by dodgy clubs bending and breaking the rules without any or very little sanctions ie Derby and Wednesday.

So the clubs looked for an alternative.

The wage cap is easy to measure but like most "easy" answers it doesn't work or is grossly unfair. Such is the nature of quick fixes to complicated problems.

The success of Accrington and Lincoln (only partially due to the cap TBF) will only encourage smaller income clubs to continue it.

Richer/higher turnover clubs restricted by it will vote against it.

It was very close (one vote) last time and maybe as close again.

Because it's "unfair" to Charlton now we have a good, rich owner means nothing to the other clubs.

Self-interest will win as it always does.

Again the EFLs weakness in enforcing their own rules with Wednesday and Bury are in no small way one reason the club's voted for the cap.

Fortune 82nd Minute

BalladMan said:

Fortune 82nd Minute said:

Lots of moans about the wage cap again. 

I've said it before but I'll say again if the club is really that vexed about the cap, and clubs won't vote to change it, they should take it to the courts. On the face of it, the cap is a clear restraint of trade. 

It’s not that simple though is it. If CAFC took this to court, do you think the EFL would not seek retribution somehow in the future. It’s not always possible to take the nuclear option to solve problems.  It’s a matter of balance and, from what I have seen of Sandgard so far, he is an astute businessman who does not want to make enemies.  The simplest solution for us long term is to get out of this shit league and back to our natural level in the championship.  It will happen. Maybe not this year, but we all know it will. 

I take your point but what are they going to do take retribution - order referees to be biased against us? And let's face it, they hardly went out of their way to help us during our takeover by Southall et Al, did they?

If Charlton are seriously concerned about that prospect, then they could get together with the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich, Portsmouth and bring a combined action.

At the end of the day you either accept the cap or try and change it. Just moaning about it is pointless. 

Fortune 82nd Minute

MrOneLung said:

Fortune 82nd Minute said:

Lots of moans about the wage cap again. 

I've said it before but I'll say again if the club is really that vexed about the cap, and clubs won't vote to change it, they should take it to the courts. On the face of it, the cap is a clear restraint of trade. 

Is it not just a privately run competition that can set its own rules of entry ?

Interesting point but even if you are a privately run organisation you cannot do something that is against the law. 

MrOneLung

Then when we go up to the championship and complain how the bigger clubs have an advantage. 

Chris_from_Sidcup

As has been said by many, the cap is a good idea but the way it's been implemented is not.

By all means have a salary cap, but have it as a fixed % of turnover and no one can complain because after all the entire point is to get clubs to only spend within their means.

AndyG

Whenever an attempt is made to cap businesses ( which after all football clubs are ) it is doomed for failure. You cannot suppress market forces with any success. Yes at the moment in league one we are one of the bigger clubs but hopefully if things go to plan and we do end up in the premiership it would be equally wrong for us to complain that the big 5 clubs have an unfair advantage

IdleHans

If Accrington and Lincoln go up this season and two decent sized clubs come down, surely there's a good chance the cap would be scrapped next season anyway.

Hartleypete

Out of interest what is the penalty for breaking the rule.

Fumbluff

Hartleypete said:

Out of interest what is the penalty for breaking the rule.

You get Matt Southall turn up as your new chairman and the whole board have to have mandatory pube transplants to the top of their heads?

Rothko

Think for every pound over, you get fined three. £100k overspend equals £300k fine

limeygent

Well done Thomas, you've saved another club, at least temporarily.

Covered End

Rothko said:

Think for every pound over, you get fined three. £100k overspend equals £300k fine

Sounds about right, it was definitely prohibitive.

Mendonca In Asdas

Hartleypete said:

Out of interest what is the penalty for breaking the rule.

I could be completely wrong, but thought it was a 15 points deduction?

Cafc43v3r

Rothko said:

Think for every pound over, you get fined three. £100k overspend equals £300k fine

I thought there was a "margin of error" that was something like 5% that incurred a fine of a % of the over spend.  Over that it becomes "deliberate" and more serious undefined penalties come into play.  Although I haven't double checked recently. 

SomervilleAddick

addick1956 said:

Fortune 82nd Minute said:

Lots of moans about the wage cap again. 

I've said it before but I'll say again if the club is really that vexed about the cap, and clubs won't vote to change it, they should take it to the courts. On the face of it, the cap is a clear restraint of trade. 

My sentiments exactly.  Upper limits in pay are not fixed by an industry controller anywhere else as far as I am aware , but by the employer. 

I’m sure a lawyer could challenge it, but I doubt the club could challenge it. They are the employer. The PFA should be the ones taking this on, as it’s their members who are potentially having their earnings restricted. But that would mean Gordon Taylor getting off his arse and working for his members, which is highly unlikely. 

floydroadfaithfull

Oggy Red said:

If Swindon Town do go under that would leave a town of a quarter of a million people without a League club.

We could always run coaches there

kentaddick

killerandflash said:

I'm amazed there haven't been more financial issues in L1 and L2, or day I say it fire sales of players in January

There’s a lot of problems at non league level. Dulwich hamlet, for instance don’t think they’ll be able to fulfil this season’s fixtures, they usually have big crowds for non league and are heavily reliant on them for their recent success. 

ct_addick

Was the guest of Lee Power in the directors box for a game so have soft spot for them. Someone mentioned Swindon has a population of 250k. Maybe they should put an appeal out there to buy virtual tickets.

Weegie Addick

Lots said about only one vote in it re the L1 salary cap. Not correct acc to this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/07/league-one-and-league-two-clubs-pass-vote-to-bring-in-salary-cap

Henry Irving

Weegie Addick said:

Lots said about only one vote in it re the L1 salary cap. Not correct acc to this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/07/league-one-and-league-two-clubs-pass-vote-to-bring-in-salary-cap

I think the one vote may have been because a bigger than 50% majority was required.

Wheresmeticket

TBH anything that levels the playing field (apologies) has to be for the good of the game, if not for the good of individuals clubs that have more money.  It is a nonsense to have a salary cap in one league and not in another.