Rotherham United to start on -17?

[oafcprozac]

The fall-out from Leeds and Leicester's underhand tactics continues. Rotherham look set to start the season on -17 points, so added to Luton, the whole relegation scrap from League 2 has been devalued. Why do these :censored:wits in suits penalise the clubs that really have no option than to go into admin and let others who exploited loopholes Leeds and Leicester get away scot-free. OK -15 was a punishment for Leeds but given the fact that Bates' came out of the whole thing not owing a sodding penny meant the club could rack up the League's biggest wage-bill and narrowly miss out on promotion. Very harsh on our seven fingered friends from Millmoor imo!

[AndyBlue2]

Very harsh m8, makes me sick that the likes of Bates can get away with it

[Lookers_Carl]

expect bournemouth to be handed something similar tomorrow

[oafcprozac]

expect bournemouth to be handed something similar tomorrow

 

I'm quite worried about Bournemouth's prospects, the statement on the FL site alludes to a heavier punishment, I wouldn't be surprised to see them become the first expulsion from the FL since the new rules came in. What do Luton, Bournemouth and Rotherham all have in common? Well they've been in admin at least 2 or 3 times. Surely the clowns at the FL and FA need to realise that these clubs need help to get their house in order not harsher punishments. The liabilities a club is allowed to take on should be capped then set in stone, similar to the rules the RFL set and a similar punishment strategy implemented at the time of the over budget offence. It is no use locking the gate after the horse has bolted. Leeds and Leicester have a lot to answer for, but of course the bigger clubs can afford such penalties when they have wage bills running into tens of millions even at third tier level for their squads of 40+.

 

Thank God we have such rudent owners, yes we're running at a loss, but at a level they are prepared to sustain. Someone remind me in January when we desperately need those additions and because we haven't signed 23 players by the 3rd of January i'm tanting like a spoilt brat, only to return to normality at midnight on the 31st Jan'! Lets be thankful these draconian measures were not in place in August 2003, I reckon we'd be in the Conference if they had been!

[OldhamSheridan]

I'd love to agree with the sentiment, but I can't.

 

They have flirted with danger for years, have been punished for it, and have learnt NO lessons whatsoever. Two of these are great examples of this...

 

Luton Town: Administration upon administration. Cheating. They have had better players off lesser teams because of this (signing players on great big wages from Rochdale for instance). Therefore they have had more good times because of this. Well I'm afraid the bad times come because of this. But, you learn your lesson. You cut your cloth. You don't go out and spend a fortune in wages on Kevin Nicholls (let's face it, he must be one of the highest paid players in the division). Luton will go down with any hope. And then they will go into administration. I have nothing but contempt for this clubs actions.

 

Rotherham: Have done the same. Just have problems with the ground too. 2006/07 go into administration. Go out and sign on good money (or for money in the case of O'Grady) SEVENTEEN players. Then moan when the club gets in trouble again.

 

These clubs haven't learnt a lesson (I'm not too sure ours has too much). The only way they will learn is if a few of them start dropping out of the chain. If it takes a reforming of these clubs then so be it. But let us stop harping on about them not deserving it.

 

NB. Leeds didn't get away with it. They got a -15 penalty. They were effectively denied promotion because of it.

[3 Lions]

They were effectively denied promotion because of it.

I think that this in the end would be a much fairer penalty than deducting points. Why not just hand Leeds a 2 year promotion ban instead, last season, they would have finished 2nd, but if they had this type of ban, the spot goes to the team below them. At least this way, the league still would still remain competitive. Luton and Rotheram already have depleted squads because of going in to administration, so will struggle anyway. The points deductions simply make it an almost certainty that relegation will happen.

[OldhamSheridan]

I think that this in the end would be a much fairer penalty than deducting points. Why not just hand Leeds a 2 year promotion ban instead, last season, they would have finished 2nd, but if they had this type of ban, the spot goes to the team below them. At least this way, the league still would still remain competitive. Luton and Rotheram already have depleted squads because of going in to administration, so will struggle anyway. The points deductions simply make it an almost certainty that relegation will happen.

 

The points will certainly make it a struggle, but look at Luton's squad*. Brill, Hutchison, Goodall, Langley, McVeigh, Parkin, Peschisolido, Spring, Talbot, Underwood...it goes on (and has been added to by a highly paid Kevin Nicholls).

 

The league does need to do something. I would go the opposite way to most I would think though. Just relegate all the teams that go into admin. Then they would be replaced by better run teams, whilst the relegated teams reform into clubs that better reflect their spending abilities. It'd be tough on alot of clubs (and probably ours at a certain point), but would do the necessary.

 

*Courtesy of soccerbase.

Edited August 7, 2008 by OldhamSheridan