Rival Watch

[Royalwaster]

So PO Final is a battle of the otherwise bang average one man team, vs the electric attack with a hapless defence.

Should be lots of goals in the final then.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Bolton definitely a better team than Oxford and won their last meeting 5-0. But it's only 1 game and an upset can easily happen. Obviously I hope not - seems alien enough to finish below them in the table let alone be in a lower division.

[Snowflake Royal]

Bolton definitely a better team than Oxford and won their last meeting 5-0. But it's only 1 game and an upset can easily happen. Obviously I hope not - seems alien enough to finish below them in the table let alone be in a lower division.

It's win:win.

They lose on TV on their big night out.

Or

They go up and get humiliated most weeks for a year.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Other thing aside from wanting Oxford to lose for the sake of it, is that Bolton are a very good team who I don't want in this division next season. Whereas if Oxford stay down, I back us to close the gap on them, especially if Brannagan leaves.

[tidus_mi2]

Bolton definitely a better team than Oxford and won their last meeting 5-0. But it's only 1 game and an upset can easily happen. Obviously I hope not - seems alien enough to finish below them in the table let alone be in a lower division.

It's win:win.

They lose on TV on their big night out.

Or

They go up and get humiliated most weeks for a year.

Agree, think the Championship is shaping up to be one of the strongest next season for a while and it doesn't look like there will be 3 sides with insanely higher budgets than the rest of the division unlike this season with Leeds, Leicester and Southampton.

[East Grinstead Royal]

The three relegated sides nearly always have insanely higher budgets than the rest of the Championship. That’s what the parachute payments do.

[tidus_mi2]

The three relegated sides nearly always have insanely higher budgets than the rest of the Championship. That’s what the parachute payments do.

I understand the 3 coming down will have parachute payments, but Leicester, Leeds and Southampton felt like a new extreme when it came to financial disparity.

[Hendo]

The three relegated sides nearly always have insanely higher budgets than the rest of the Championship. That’s what the parachute payments do.

I understand the 3 coming down will have parachute payments, but Leicester, Leeds and Southampton felt like a new extreme when it came to financial disparity.

Yeah, if the 3 that come down are Luton, Burnley and Sheffield Untied, whilst they will have PP but can't see them having the same impact as the 3 that came down last year.

[Clyde1998]

The three relegated sides nearly always have insanely higher budgets than the rest of the Championship. That’s what the parachute payments do.

I understand the 3 coming down will have parachute payments, but Leicester, Leeds and Southampton felt like a new extreme when it came to financial disparity.

Yeah, if the 3 that come down are Luton, Burnley and Sheffield Untied, whilst they will have PP but can't see them having the same impact as the 3 that came down last year.

This. Leicester, Leeds and Southampton would probably have the highest budgets in the Championship if no side had parachute payments - giving them PP completely destroys any chance of sides competing with them financially. Luton would have a bottom end budget; Burnley would probably be slightly below average; Sheffield United would be somewhat above average.

On the flip side, Portsmouth, Derby and Bolton (if they went up) would probably have fairly average Championship budgets (Derby maybe above average). Oxford would have a Rotherham type budget in the Championship; they'd have to massively improve their squad in order to challenge.

All of this is in terms of sides spending a similar share of their revenues.

[Silver Fox]

This. Leicester, Leeds and Southampton would probably have the highest budgets in the Championship if no side had parachute payments - giving them PP completely destroys any chance of sides competing with them financially.

And yet someone did compete with them

[Sutekh]

This. Leicester, Leeds and Southampton would probably have the highest budgets in the Championship if no side had parachute payments - giving them PP completely destroys any chance of sides competing with them financially.

And yet someone did compete with them

Annoying thing is that well run and managed clubs can cause a surprise but it is always a "surprise" and no one's ever interested in following that model (they just sort of fall over it by accident) look at the Hull idiots, seem to have started that route only to sack Liam rather than see it through.

Therefore it doesn't happen sufficiently in any one season to make a real contest of things. The other 5 teams in promotion and PO positions are hardly a surprise to anyone and would likely all be in the top 10 biggest championship budgets for this season.

Hoping the screw starts turning on Leeds and WBA next.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Ipswich?

[WestYorksRoyal]

This. Leicester, Leeds and Southampton would probably have the highest budgets in the Championship if no side had parachute payments - giving them PP completely destroys any chance of sides competing with them financially.

And yet someone did compete with them

Annoying thing is that well run and managed clubs can cause a surprise but it is always a "surprise" and no one's ever interested in following that model (they just sort of fall over it by accident) look at the Hull idiots, seem to have started that route only to sack Liam rather than see it through.

Therefore it doesn't happen sufficiently in any one season to make a real contest of things. The other 5 teams in promotion and PO positions are hardly a surprise to anyone and would likely all be in the top 10 biggest championship budgets for this season.

Hoping the screw starts turning on Leeds and WBA next.

We keep getting one non-PP promotion a season which allows the Premier League to argue it is possible. But Ipswich and Luton were practically miracles, while Forest breached FFP and have since been deducted points.

It's still enormously skewed and just because Kieran McKenna has done a ridiculously good job it doesn't take away from the fact they're structurally unfair.

[Sutekh]

And yet someone did compete with them

Annoying thing is that well run and managed clubs can cause a surprise but it is always a "surprise" and no one's ever interested in following that model (they just sort of fall over it by accident) look at the Hull idiots, seem to have started that route only to sack Liam rather than see it through.

Therefore it doesn't happen sufficiently in any one season to make a real contest of things. The other 5 teams in promotion and PO positions are hardly a surprise to anyone and would likely all be in the top 10 biggest championship budgets for this season.

Hoping the screw starts turning on Leeds and WBA next.

We keep getting one non-PP promotion a season which allows the Premier League to argue it is possible. But Ipswich and Luton were practically miracles, while Forest breached FFP and have since been deducted points.

It's still enormously skewed and just because Kieran McKenna has done a ridiculously good job it doesn't take away from the fact they're structurally unfair.

There shouldn't be any reward for failure. Numerous clubs have been promoted to the PL. and survived at least one season if not more. These rewards for failing and (usually) overspending should be dumped at the earliest opportunity. There should be relegation clauses enforced in ALL PL contracts specifying wages are reduced by x% and/or providing for various release clauses.

[Snowflake Royal]

Annoying thing is that well run and managed clubs can cause a surprise but it is always a "surprise" and no one's ever interested in following that model (they just sort of fall over it by accident) look at the Hull idiots, seem to have started that route only to sack Liam rather than see it through.

Therefore it doesn't happen sufficiently in any one season to make a real contest of things. The other 5 teams in promotion and PO positions are hardly a surprise to anyone and would likely all be in the top 10 biggest championship budgets for this season.

Hoping the screw starts turning on Leeds and WBA next.

We keep getting one non-PP promotion a season which allows the Premier League to argue it is possible. But Ipswich and Luton were practically miracles, while Forest breached FFP and have since been deducted points.

It's still enormously skewed and just because Kieran McKenna has done a ridiculously good job it doesn't take away from the fact they're structurally unfair.

There shouldn't be any reward for failure. Numerous clubs have been promoted to the PL. and survived at least one season if not more. These rewards for failing and (usually) overspending should be dumped at the earliest opportunity. There should be relegation clauses enforced in ALL PL contracts specifying wages are reduced by x% and/or providing for various release clauses.

Every contract should contain details of how pay will change on promotion and relegation in every division.

[Royalwaster]

Bolton definitely a better team than Oxford and won their last meeting 5-0. But it's only 1 game and an upset can easily happen. Obviously I hope not - seems alien enough to finish below them in the table let alone be in a lower division.

It's win:win.

They lose on TV on their big night out.

Or

They go up and get humiliated most weeks for a year.

I thought that Oxford now have pretty rich owners themselves - who can afford to build a new stadium for them!?

[WestYorksRoyal]

Bolton definitely a better team than Oxford and won their last meeting 5-0. But it's only 1 game and an upset can easily happen. Obviously I hope not - seems alien enough to finish below them in the table let alone be in a lower division.

It's win:win.

They lose on TV on their big night out.

Or

They go up and get humiliated most weeks for a year.

I thought that Oxford now have pretty rich owners themselves - who can afford to build a new stadium for them!?

I think they do. Certainly they fought off Championship interest for Brannagan by giving him a new contract, which presumably makes him one of the highest paid players in L1.

But even with this, they would be a small Championship club where FFP can be a real restriction. Plus, people will expect them to struggle as comfortably the weakest of the promoted sides. Money can talk well if you sell a vision and a chance to develop (think Wrexham building a good L2 team in the NL). If you're simply offering good wages for their own sake but players aren't sold on your vision, all you get are a load of half arsed mercenaries, as we know too well. If they sneak out of this division, their best approach would be to sign young, good L1 players knowing that next season will be tough but a learning experience.

[Snowflake Royal]

Bolton definitely a better team than Oxford and won their last meeting 5-0. But it's only 1 game and an upset can easily happen. Obviously I hope not - seems alien enough to finish below them in the table let alone be in a lower division.

It's win:win.

They lose on TV on their big night out.

Or

They go up and get humiliated most weeks for a year.

I thought that Oxford now have pretty rich owners themselves - who can afford to build a new stadium for them!?

Maybe, but they can't build it, replace almost their entire squad and double their average attendance in 3 months.

[Stranded]

It's win:win.

They lose on TV on their big night out.

Or

They go up and get humiliated most weeks for a year.

I thought that Oxford now have pretty rich owners themselves - who can afford to build a new stadium for them!?

Maybe, but they can't build it, replace almost their entire squad and double their average attendance in 3 months.

If they do scrape past Bolton, then their attendance will likely rise markedly - didn't realise they haven't been in the top 2 tiers this century.

Agreed on the others, stadium has to be ready by 2026 else they will have nowhere to play given they get kicked out of the Kassam then. Even then the new plan is only for a 16k stadium, which means if they sell out every week based on this year, their average attendance would rank 23rd. Only Blackburn and Rotherham averaged less than 16k.

So to be able to pay the kind of wages needed to even compete, they are going to have to swallow a relatively big loss, which could see them hit FFP troubles.

[Snowflake Royal]

I thought that Oxford now have pretty rich owners themselves - who can afford to build a new stadium for them!?

Maybe, but they can't build it, replace almost their entire squad and double their average attendance in 3 months.

If they do scrape past Bolton, then their attendance will likely rise markedly - didn't realise they haven't been in the top 2 tiers this century.

Agreed on the others, stadium has to be ready by 2026 else they will have nowhere to play given they get kicked out of the Kassam then. Even then the new plan is only for a 16k stadium, which means if they sell out every week based on this year, their average attendance would rank 23rd. Only Blackburn and Rotherham averaged less than 16k.

So to be able to pay the kind of wages needed to even compete, they are going to have to swallow a relatively big loss, which could see them hit FFP troubles.

Can't see them adding more than 4k unless they have a very good season, when actually they're likely to have quite a bad season.