Post by QPR Report on May 27, 2009 0:54:04 GMT
Guardian
Sir Brian Mawhinney targets Newcastle's spending power
• Tyneside club expected to maintain £40m wage bill
• Solidarity payments deal up for negotiation next summer
Sir Brian Mawhinney will look to argue for a bigger share of Premier League money for the Football League in the wake of Newcastle's relegation. Photograph: Tom Jenkins
The Football League's resolve to gain a greater share of the Premier League's riches will harden following Newcastle United's relegation to its competition.
The 72-club league's chairman, Sir Brian Mawhinney, wrote last week to the culture secretary, Andy Burnham, in response to his seven questions on football governance.
Lord Mawhinney requested that payments be linked to the "aggregate Premier League wage bill including a percentage of that overall figure" so as to "counteract the ripple‑effect of the costs of top-flight players on the wider domestic football market".
However, that was before Newcastle's drop to football's second tier on Sunday, which will have a more direct effect since the St James' Park club is expected to maintain a £40m wage bill. That is at least five times the size of the bulk of Championship clubs' salary costs. Queens Park Rangers, with three billionaires as major shareholders, spend £9.2m a year on wages, Bristol City less than £7m and Burnley won promotion to the Premier League on Monday with a wage bill of £8m.
The current deal governing the £30m-a-year solidarity payments to the Football League from the top‑flight clubs expires next summer and Mawhinney will be entering negotiations over its renewal terms later this year. "The Football League has made no formal representations directly to us," a spokesman for the Premier League said.
Fergie top of the class
Sir Alex Ferguson will equal Giovanni Trapattoni's record of five European trophy wins if his team beat Barcelona. Ferguson is prepared for Manchester Metropolitan University to piggyback his achievement of becoming the most garlanded manager in European football history with a bit of free publicity as he accepts an honorary doctorate in July. In contrast to Ferguson's excellence in his field, Manchester Metropolitan is ranked 92nd in a league table of 113 universities.
Campbell on message
Alastair Campbell, right, was proud as punch at Wembley after his beloved Burnley's play-off final win on Monday. The former New Labour bandmaster received two text messages. One from Andy Burnham, the culture secretary and an Everton fan, and the other from Jack Straw, the justice secretary and a Blackburn Rovers fan. Both congratulated him on Burnley's promotion. And both thanked the club for the certain six points they will pick up next season.
Tickets lost in transit
Royal Mail would not tell yesterday if its chief executive, Adam Crozier, had bothered to say sorry to his Manchester United counterpart, David Gill, over the 216 Champions League final tickets his organisation had lost in the post. Since Crozier knows Gill from his time as Football Association chief executive an apology would have been welcome. All the Royal Mail would say is: "We are working closely with Manchester United and are doing everything we can to find the tickets and deliver them as soon as possible." When it was pointed out they would be arriving a little late since the tickets have all been cancelled, it updated its statement to: "We have been working closely with Manchester United and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
McCabe's dignity in defeat
Kevin McCabe's legal challenge against West Ham United and the Premier League over the Carlos Tevez affair lost him a lot of friends among those in football who feel recourse to the courts should be avoided at all costs. But Sheffield United's owner was bold enough to take the microphone for an impromptu speech at Wembley after his club's 1-0 defeat in the play-off final on Monday. McCabe's graciousness in defeat – though it entails missing out on a £50m income boost – and friendly advice on not blowing the broadcast bonanza all at once charmed the room.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/may/27/newcastle-premier-league-championship-brian-mawhinney
Sir Brian Mawhinney targets Newcastle's spending power
• Tyneside club expected to maintain £40m wage bill
• Solidarity payments deal up for negotiation next summer
Sir Brian Mawhinney will look to argue for a bigger share of Premier League money for the Football League in the wake of Newcastle's relegation. Photograph: Tom Jenkins
The Football League's resolve to gain a greater share of the Premier League's riches will harden following Newcastle United's relegation to its competition.
The 72-club league's chairman, Sir Brian Mawhinney, wrote last week to the culture secretary, Andy Burnham, in response to his seven questions on football governance.
Lord Mawhinney requested that payments be linked to the "aggregate Premier League wage bill including a percentage of that overall figure" so as to "counteract the ripple‑effect of the costs of top-flight players on the wider domestic football market".
However, that was before Newcastle's drop to football's second tier on Sunday, which will have a more direct effect since the St James' Park club is expected to maintain a £40m wage bill. That is at least five times the size of the bulk of Championship clubs' salary costs. Queens Park Rangers, with three billionaires as major shareholders, spend £9.2m a year on wages, Bristol City less than £7m and Burnley won promotion to the Premier League on Monday with a wage bill of £8m.
The current deal governing the £30m-a-year solidarity payments to the Football League from the top‑flight clubs expires next summer and Mawhinney will be entering negotiations over its renewal terms later this year. "The Football League has made no formal representations directly to us," a spokesman for the Premier League said.
Fergie top of the class
Sir Alex Ferguson will equal Giovanni Trapattoni's record of five European trophy wins if his team beat Barcelona. Ferguson is prepared for Manchester Metropolitan University to piggyback his achievement of becoming the most garlanded manager in European football history with a bit of free publicity as he accepts an honorary doctorate in July. In contrast to Ferguson's excellence in his field, Manchester Metropolitan is ranked 92nd in a league table of 113 universities.
Campbell on message
Alastair Campbell, right, was proud as punch at Wembley after his beloved Burnley's play-off final win on Monday. The former New Labour bandmaster received two text messages. One from Andy Burnham, the culture secretary and an Everton fan, and the other from Jack Straw, the justice secretary and a Blackburn Rovers fan. Both congratulated him on Burnley's promotion. And both thanked the club for the certain six points they will pick up next season.
Tickets lost in transit
Royal Mail would not tell yesterday if its chief executive, Adam Crozier, had bothered to say sorry to his Manchester United counterpart, David Gill, over the 216 Champions League final tickets his organisation had lost in the post. Since Crozier knows Gill from his time as Football Association chief executive an apology would have been welcome. All the Royal Mail would say is: "We are working closely with Manchester United and are doing everything we can to find the tickets and deliver them as soon as possible." When it was pointed out they would be arriving a little late since the tickets have all been cancelled, it updated its statement to: "We have been working closely with Manchester United and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
McCabe's dignity in defeat
Kevin McCabe's legal challenge against West Ham United and the Premier League over the Carlos Tevez affair lost him a lot of friends among those in football who feel recourse to the courts should be avoided at all costs. But Sheffield United's owner was bold enough to take the microphone for an impromptu speech at Wembley after his club's 1-0 defeat in the play-off final on Monday. McCabe's graciousness in defeat – though it entails missing out on a £50m income boost – and friendly advice on not blowing the broadcast bonanza all at once charmed the room.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/may/27/newcastle-premier-league-championship-brian-mawhinney