Parachute payments

[Chris_Jephcott]

Hi all,

This is a topic that I didn’t think I would need to write this season - I honestly thought that our squad would have the strength, determination and passion to cobble together a few more victories. Covid hasn’t helped with the break, and we could strike on any number of reasons as to why it is that the season hasn’t turned out as planned. I also view this is almost a self-musing so I wouldn’t be surprised if most switch off very quickly!

With a sizeable gap now opening above us in the relegation spots though, the reality is hitting home for me now. This is a huge challenge for an underperforming team to pull through and in reality, we would need at least 3 victories out of the 4 matches to even get anywhere near survival.

Now, my thoughts are turning to next season. I don’t mind being in the Championship. In fact, it’s more entertaining, there’s more games, and it’s much less predictable than the Premier League has become. But there’s something in my mind. They often describe the Play Off final as the “richest game in football”, but last year I am sure that they mentioned that some of this money was through the parachute payments if you came back down. I am assuming that we qualify for this having spent one paltry, miserable and pathetic season in the Premier League.

I have it from a very good friend who knows Jack incredibly well, that Jack is already gone. The only thing left is the price and that will be a slight stalling ground - but - if we do get relegated and we lose some of our key players from this season (“key” being a figure of speech more than what they have actually achieved!), between the sale of Jack and the parachute payments, surely all of our FFP debt will be somewhat cleared?

What I really hope is that we take next season to rebuild ourselves sensibly. None of this blowing £20 million on an unknown talent - but we start to build for the future much better and in a much more sustainable fashion. Maybe we can clear our FFP debts and finally move forward?

I also would expect next season that we would play in a much more coherent and combined fashion. This season has been nothing short of shambolic in this respect.

Anyway, I would say I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game - but in reality, I’m not. I fear that come the end of tomorrow, we’ll be facing an impossible task to stay in the Premier League.

All the best everyone, and as always, Up the Villa

Chris

[cdbearsfan]

I think we still get parachute payments, but because we were only up for a season we would only be entitled to get them for two years as opposed to the usual three. If we were still outside the Premier League after that we would get the, much lower, solidarity payments along with every other non-parachute payments club.

[Ad@m]

What I really hope is that we take next season to rebuild ourselves sensibly. None of this blowing £20 million on an unknown talent - but we start to build for the future much better and in a much more sustainable fashion. Maybe we can clear our FFP debts and finally move forward?

I think that's what this season was. Yes we spent £120m but it was spent on building a squad of generally young players with resale value and low wages.

£120m is pretty much one years worth of TV money and yes, we'll get the parachute payments, so that, coupled with sizeable fees for Grealish and Mings, will mean we can strengthen significantly without affecting FFP.

The core of the squad will remain - the only other player I can see leaving is Luiz but again, we'll recoup our money on him.

We'll be in a much better position to go up next year than we were last time round.

[cdbearsfan]

I think we should go up. We should not be offering long term deals to any players that we don't think would be good enough for the Premier League.

Quite happy to loan two or three players if the permanent deals required to get us promoted are too expensive.

We can worry about spending serious cash if and when we find ourselves in the top flight again.

Yes, I know, it could be argued that this is a repeat of what we have just done. But I don't see the basic idea as bad. If we go up we will need to spend big money again, the difference should be that, next time, we spend it more wisely.

Having a team devoid of pace is a handicap in the Championship. It's a death sentence in the Premier League. Let's never do that again.

[Chris_Jephcott]

To me, it almost feels like this season was a calculated risk. Which is why we bought x players at £10-25 million as opposed to 5 at £20-40 million.

Our squad will go in maturity into next year. I have no doubt on that at all - the Premier League experience will hold us in good stead for the next season. I also feel that with the average age of the squad that we have, we can only get better. But we will need strengthening in multiple places.

Good players don’t go crap overnight - Samatta is one example. There is a player in there, but we are quite simply, not using him to his strengths. We are blighted by buying wingers on the cheap last close season, and it has shone through. We have been devoid in the final third, barring that performance against Norwich where we thought it might click.

The season in the Premier League has been an education, but we’re not ready yet. We’re not at the level of Sheffield United at all. Now let’s hope a lot of lessons have been learnt across the board.

[PeterWithesShin]

If we'd ony bought 5 players we'd have been relegated in December and still be on 0 points.

[adrenachrome]

Soon to be defunct Grauniad

EFL chief says parachute payments are 'an evil that must be eradicated'

• Rick Parry hits out at Premier League over rescue package
• Football needs a ‘compete reset’ including wage cuts

The chairman of the EFL, Rick Parry, has criticised the Premier League for failing to help lower-league football as he admitted to a potential £200m black hole in club finances by September.


Parry, appearing before the House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee, called for a “complete reset” of the way football is run, including the introduction of a wage cap and an end to parachute payments, which he described as “an evil that must be eradicated”.


Parry said talks with the Premier League over a “rescue package” for the lower leagues had not proved fruitful. “I would love to see money trickling down but I’ve not seen any evidence of it yet,” he said. “The [Premier League’s position] is that if they are allowed to play we will be able to talk; we await that day. Discussions to date have been limited.”


Asked by the Conservative MP Philip Davies whether a Premier League “bailout” was necessary for the English Football League to stay afloat, Parry said: “We need a rescue package but we also need to address the long term; the two need to go hand in hand. We face a £200m shortfall at the end of September and we need a rescue but we can’t just go from bailout to bailout.

“We need a complete reset and we need to look at the redistribution of revenues. Parachute payments are an evil that needs to be eradicated.


“We have six clubs in the Championship receiving parachute payments which means on average they get £40m per club; the other 18 get £4.5m each. So they’re then struggling to try to keep up. Lower down [in Leagues One and Two] solidarity money is welcome but becomes very small. I don’t like to call it a bailout, I call it a restructuring and a rethinking, but it’s overdue and it’s necessary.”


Regarding wages, Parry said: “Salary caps and cost control are absolutely essential and there is a lot of debate about that. We’re not talking about reimposing the maximum wage. We would not be capping at an individual level, we would be capping the total amount that individual clubs could pay – we are talking about capping the budget.”


Parry said that resuming this season behind closed doors would be of limited economic value to EFL clubs. “It’s finely balanced but probably almost neutral and for a lot of clubs it would cost to play,” he said. “The main argument for a resumption would be for reasons of sporting integrity.”

[Villafirst]

Have too keep Douglas Luiz. He's only just showing his undoubted potential. Villa can't can't keep going through massive squad overhauls. We need to build and retain players. Sheffield United is a good example.

[mr underhill]

if he can stay in the EPL and we go down he's off . That's the problem with relegation players have a glimpse of the big time and want to stay

[frank black]

if he can stay in the EPL and we go down he's off . That's the problem with relegation players have a glimpse of the big time and want to stay

Yep, Man City hold the cards here. They may well have him back and then send him out on loan/sale to someone else (if his work permit allows this? 🤷‍♂️). I get the impression it was a clever deal to get around his work permit situation. Good news is we will get our money plus wages back. I e been very impressed with his post lockdown

[cdbearsfan]

The release clause is £25 million, so we would get more than our money back. If they want to pay that, good luck to him. I think he will be worth more in a few years so they'll do well out of the deal, while that sort of cash should be ample to get one of the best midfielders in the championship to replace him and still have change to buy other players, without even touching the Grealish money.

[mr underhill]

that's the way to look at it. i wish we'd moved for Eze a couple of seasons ago.