Has football run out of money?

[old man villa fan]

Is the current inactivity in the transfer market due to clubs not having any money to spend.

Is the Sky money and income through the gates just enough to pay the clubs wages, leaving nothing else to spend on players.

Are we now seeing the effect of too much of the money that was swashing around football a few seasons ago being spent outside of English football and lost forever.

Is the fact that many transfers were paid in installments now coming home to hurt the clubs as payments have caught up with no additional income.

Are clubs being left with too many players on high wages (like us) and thus tying up income from Sky/gates/sponsorship.

The only money that seems to be available is when clubs are bought out with new investment.  Even this seems to be drying up.  A year or two ago there were many buyers out there but now even traditionally top clubs with good potential for income from high gates have no buyers.

There seems to be no liquidity in English football and usually, no liquidity in business means eventual bankruptcy.

My opinion is that we are going to see a very flat market for the next couple of years as players contracts are allowed to run down for all but the top players, with clubs taking a hit on lost income from transfers by letting players go on free transfers.  Even Chelsea have done this with Joe Cole.

There will always be some wheeling and dealing but are we going too see more clubs relying on young players coming through or clubs going to places like central America for cheap imports.

It will be interesting to see how Portsmouth go over the next 2 or 3 seasons.  Will they steady the ship or will they sink out of sight.

I think football is in for some hard times and we have to hope that PL football still interests the rest of the world as it does now because income form Sky is the only thing keeping football afloat at the moment.

Randy Lerner is a shrewd businessman and I think he senses the storm clouds gathering and is battening down the hatches for the time being.  Not being a traditional English owner, he will not throw more and more money in through loyalty/home town club/vanity or whatever.  I do not see Mr Lerner being one to throw the towel in but I do see him as one that will ride out the storm.

How patient will Villa supporters be if money is not being spent on new players.

[TimTheVillain]

The most positive thing about Citeh is that they are injecting money into the game.

I think the game is almost bust in many ways - Villa's P&L account is atrocious, so God help many other clubs.

Wages are the biggest problem though and Bosman didn't half help put football where it is financially giving more power to the player than is healthy.

[darren woolley]

You made some valid point's there old man villa fan i can agree with them.

[march]

football has plenty of cash, latest TV deals are massive

wages and agents sucking it all out

[hawkeye]

i think that the amount of money in the game has probably peaked.
Hardly any clubs make a profit and that is fine for those with limitless resources but not the majority.
Many of the PL teams have unsustainable wage structures and too many players which will take some time to unravel.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Time for a salary cap or something similar - I am currently seeking employment - the thought of subsidising a player who rarely makes the bench but collects in excess of £40k per week is galling to say the least.
 (before anyone claims that I am being subsidised to do likewise by the state - I am not entitled to any benefits under the current system ).

[curiousorange]

How unfortunate that the measures put in place to supposedly stop the likes of Manchester City buying titles will only begin to take effect when they will be an established top four side.

What I object to is not that City have money, which is just the luck of the draw, but the inertia displayed by the Premier League and UEFA when it comes to regulating its use. It was obvious that owners like Abramovich and the chaps that hold the purse strings at City would skew the transfer market massively and it's ruined the league and will do for years to come.

[Quiet Lion]

Very good OP.

I would imagine we will see a regression to the mean in the coming years.

There will be a few exceptions (Man City) but overall clubs now realise they must get their house in order

[pauliewalnuts]

I cant help thinking that if football really did run out of money, went through a cataclysmic meltdown, what emerged at the other end of it might be better than what we have now.

[Toronto Villa]

I don't think the game has run out of money, but the major clubs aren't being as lavish due to the huge amounts of debt that now exists and is known. UEFA wants to reign that in so their watching more intently now. This is easily the best run Man City will have at things because of the inability of their competition to meet what they are willing to pay.

[Toronto Villa]

I cant help thinking that if football really did run out of money, went through a cataclysmic meltdown, what emerged at the other end of it might be better than what we have now.

I agree. I want to see the game on the other side of the black hole. If football crashes one would hope to see far more responsibility in its next incarnation.

[Phil from the upper holte]

In the case of us

Where has the new sponsorship money gone? Surely that should be used for transfers?

[Chris Smith]

How patient will Villa supporters be if money is not being spent on new players.

Not very if certain sections of this site are anything to go by.

[Phil from the upper holte]

How patient will Villa supporters be if money is not being spent on new players.

Not very if certain sections of this site are anything to go by.

Serios question, How do you feel? Do you think we will buy some new blood if Milner does not go?

[Chris Smith]

How patient will Villa supporters be if money is not being spent on new players.

Not very if certain sections of this site are anything to go by.

Serios question, How do you feel? Do you think we will buy some new blood if Milner does not go?

Yes, but clearly things change both in terms of who we need to buy and how much we have to spend if he does go.