Reality Bites At The Bridge. A Sign Of Things To Come?

[os5889]

Reality Bites At The Bridge. A Sign Of Things To Come?

News has broken of a once extravagant West London club agreeing a fee to sell Ricardo Carvalho to Real Madrid. While contemplating writing about the changing shifts within the normal non-Dubai based football clubs of the empire for a while I've often put it off waiting for the right moment.

This I feel may be the moment that sensible business thinking takes precedence over flamboyant and egotistical statements of intent.

Here we have our flagship clubs over the course of a summer shedding their ageing overpaid superstars and replacing them with driven and determined youngsters.

While transfer fees remain high and rightly so as talent remains at a premium, is the era of the high wages may be coming to an end? Joe Cole, Deco, Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti and now Ricardo Carvalho all released or sold. What's the common denominator?

All these players were rumoured to be earning north of 75K per week (at least £4million a year). Has common sense prevailed? I think it may have!

Ramires, Javier Hernandez, Yossi Benayou and Chris Smalling the stella signings of the summer for our undoubted "big two" and while you may raise an eyebrow at their transfer fees I have no doubt these players earn nowhere near that of their predecessors.

Throughout the game this seems to be the policy, Sunderland want rid of Jones, Everton want rid of Yakubu, West Ham want rid of Upson and nobody wants Jimmy Bullard.

Hopefully the lessons from the decline of Portsmouth have knocked some sense into chairmen realising gambling on the prize money of success is financially and morally wrong. Spending literally millions a week on wages cannot continue, if it does it will only be to the detriment of the British game.

Thankfully the signs suggest the people with the chequebooks are realising this and looking to the future in a more sustainable way. I for one am glad of this! It makes the people who have striven to suceed under this model look a heck of a lot smarter and they deserve a mention, Peter Coates at Stoke, Steve Morgan at Wolves, Bill Kenwright at Everton and you can't miss our own Mohammed Al Fayed to name a few.

Managers beware unless you have a countries wealth backing your club like the spanish giants or the Manchester superpower (the blue one), you'd better change your outlook and forget about the superstars, their generation is lost to greed and celerity.

Instead look to a new generation of younger players aiming to succeed (on a lower salary) which can only help the strength and standard of British football. And don't even consider throwing your toys out of your pram, remember you are overpaid too and mentioning no names Mr O' Neill.... expendable.

Os5889

[NogoodBoyo]

We need an accountant or a merchant to explain this, but I'm sure it's preferable to pay a higher transfer fee so you can amortise the investment over two or three years (as a depreciable asset).  On the other hand, high wages are just a straight expense item and a big hit against the bottom line.
I wonder if football clubs dabble and blind their investors with that old corker, Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation or EBITDA.
Perhaps "Arry" can explain how he does it.
Nogood "accounting for the wages of sin, isit" Boyo

[os5889]

Only 2 and a half years Mr Boyo and I'll be qualified to explain everything using proper money terms! Oh how useful my Biochemistry and Geology has turned out in life...

Looks like O Neill was sacked for refusing to reduce wage bills, at last we could be getting somewhere in the spiralling world of wages!

It makes things look interesting though. You could get players offered higher wages at Hull style gambling clubs like City, Spurs and West Ham having to decide between more established clubs who wont bow to player power!

Do you think we could see the greed merchants players like Terry, Lampard and Ferdinand replaced by cheaper options and playing for Hull in years to come?

The only wildcard in the league is that Anfield lot, should they get a Dubai take owner they really could see a return to the big time!

[Rambling_Syd_Rumpo]

These clubs are killing football,I'm so glad MAF has seen this coming and has chosen not to play we are the third way :59: