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Post by terryb on Jul 1, 2020 12:20:09 GMT
The BBC are reporting that Wigan Athletic have been placed in administration.
I feel really sorry for their manager, players & fans who have worked so hard to turn their siason around.
Will the automatic 12 point deduction be applied to this season as we are past the end of March?
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Post by terryb on Jul 1, 2020 12:47:26 GMT
The EFL statement -
"As a result of Wigan Athletic confirming they have entered into administration, the Club will be subject to a 12-point deduction and, in accordance with EFL Regulations, the timing of the sporting sanction can only be determined once final league placings in the Championship are determined.
If in the event the Club is relegated by virtue of their final position following the conclusion of the Championship season, then the deduction will apply in League One in 2020/21. However, if the Club is not in the relegation places following the final game of season, the sanction will be then be applied to their season 2019/20 total and final league standings amended as appropriate.
The EFL is awaiting formal notification from the Administrators and once the League has received this it will commence discussions with the relevant individuals with the aim of achieving a long-term future for the Club."
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Post by Marc on Jul 1, 2020 14:03:23 GMT
It'll be interesting to see if this affects their current (good) form. I can't see them being in the bottom three at the end of the season before any points deduction so it will be done then. Looking at the table now, a 12 point deduction would put them on 38 points, 4 from safety. With their current form, that might not be a problem but the mood around the club could have a very negative effect on the players.
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Post by rickyqpr on Jul 1, 2020 14:57:13 GMT
As convenient as it is from QPR's perspective, this does feel wrong to me. I said a few weeks ago that the EFL needed to anticipate that clubs may go into administration due to Covid and have a policy ready. These are exceptional times and Wigan could be the first of many. Is a 12 point deduction the right punishment in these circumstances? Perhaps 6 points at the start of next season would be fairer?
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 1, 2020 17:16:04 GMT
Being totally selfish this takes some pressure off us as effectively Wigan are now bottom of the table on 38 points. However as a football fan this is very sad to see. The EFL should stop all administration points deductions for this and probably next season as there will be more than just Wigan going to the wall. Exceptional times need exceptional action and leadership. You do realise 75 that you have used the words 'EFL' and 'exceptional action and leadership' in the same paragraph...
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jul 2, 2020 6:31:25 GMT
I thought Wigan were owned by a multi millionaire?
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Post by terryb on Jul 2, 2020 8:52:04 GMT
I thought Wigan were owned by a multi millionaire? I'm far from sure, but I think that they were purchased last season by a Chinese millionaire, but in March this year his companies were bought from him, giving Wigan different/new owners. Perhaps, the new owners didn't want a football club & are prepared to finance them?
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Post by bowranger on Jul 2, 2020 9:04:50 GMT
As convenient as it is from QPR's perspective, this does feel wrong to me. I said a few weeks ago that the EFL needed to anticipate that clubs may go into administration due to Covid and have a policy ready. These are exceptional times and Wigan could be the first of many. Is a 12 point deduction the right punishment in these circumstances? Perhaps 6 points at the start of next season would be fairer? I was wondering about this and what the EFL would have to base a decision on. Is it an argument that a 12 point deduction in these circumstances is particularly harsh because the effective level of punishment is even higher i.e. you get relegated now and any financial issues you're facing now are amplified by BCD football? Would the EFL argue that that is true but also, everyone is effectively in the same boat? I think that would be spurious, as some clubs avoid admin by the grace of having turbo rich owners (even we are getting around a million a month pumped in from the owners to keep us afloat, I believe?). You'd presumably have other clubs arguing that Wigan's issues didn't start or end with Covid, so why should they get a 'pass' now that a pandemic has exacerbated the situation? As in, I could see other clubs saying that Wigan was poorly ran and has been for a while, so why should Covid effectively save them from themselves? I genuinely don't know what the decision making process could or should be. What seems very EFL is that you would assume they'd have been well aware of Wigan being in a precarious and that logically, Covid is going to amplify that, ditto other clubs in a similar boat, so you'd plan for exceptional circumstances accordingly...but apparently not. As always, will be the fans and staff that suffer most and it feels harsh. Broken record but it yet again raises the question why the EFL isn't more proactive. They always point to not getting too involved in how people choose to run 'their' clubs. But they always seem so happy to wave people through their 'fit and proper' tests and don't intervene when the writing is on the wall and a club's existence is at risk.
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 2, 2020 9:10:58 GMT
I thought Wigan were owned by a multi millionaire? I'm far from sure, but I think that they were purchased last season by a Chinese millionaire, but in March this year his companies were bought from him, giving Wigan different/new owners. Perhaps, the new owners didn't want a football club & are prepared to finance them? Was listening to Radio 5 the other evening when the Wigan situation was being discussed. It seems that the Chinese owners have washed their hands of the club and just walked away. How on earth did they pass the 'Fit and Proper Person' test - but there we go talking about the EFL's 'exceptional action and leadership' again...
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Post by terryb on Jul 2, 2020 9:20:35 GMT
A possibility is that this is not really Covid driven, but is because the owner did not want to own a football club!
IF he had to purchase all of the previous oqwners companies, that would have included Wigan Athletic whether he wanted it or not. This happens in business a lot when a company has been purchased for certain divisions but everything is included in the sale. The areas not wanted are soon placed into a different company & run down to be placed in administration, closed down or sold. The EFL could not have stopped the takeover with their so called fit & proper owners test. Not that they would have failed the test in any case!
I don't know if this is the case, but I certainly think it is a possibility. It could have been cheaper to dispose of Wigan Athletic this way rather than to incur the costs while looking for a buyer.
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Post by terryb on Jul 2, 2020 9:22:41 GMT
I'm far from sure, but I think that they were purchased last season by a Chinese millionaire, but in March this year his companies were bought from him, giving Wigan different/new owners. Perhaps, the new owners didn't want a football club & are prepared to finance them? Was listening to Radio 5 the other evening when the Wigan situation was being discussed. It seems that the Chinese owners have washed their hands of the club and just walked away. How on earth did they pass the 'Fit and Proper Person' test - but there we go talking about the EFL's 'exceptional action and leadership' again... They would have passed it if they had no criminal record & no history of bankrupting companies. They definitely wouldn't have stated that "we don't want to own a football club"!
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 2, 2020 9:30:14 GMT
Yes, fair enough Terry, hindsight is a wonderful thing - but surely there must be SOME depth to an investigation into the whole fit and proper thing...??
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Post by terryb on Jul 2, 2020 9:35:41 GMT
You would hope so Ashdown, but I've not seen any so far!
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Post by stylecouncillor on Jul 2, 2020 14:18:15 GMT
I Feel The EFL have to enforce the 12 point Penalty or find themselves in court being with whoever finishes 3rd from bottom if they don't deduct the 12 points. Therefore deduct the 12 points now its not exactly far fetched to think Wigan would escape relegation anyway, and benefit knowing what they have to do rather than like us wait until the last day of the season not knowing if your up or down.
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Post by rickyqpr on Jul 2, 2020 14:37:50 GMT
I Feel The EFL have to enforce the 12 point Penalty or find themselves in court being with whoever finishes 3rd from bottom if they don't deduct the 12 points. Therefore deduct the 12 points now its not exactly far fetched to think Wigan would escape relegation anyway, and benefit knowing what they have to do rather than like us wait until the last day of the season not knowing if your up or down. Well I guess a reduced punishment would only work it it had been announced as a general rule ahead of the first case. There is also the risk that some owners could feel their club would be safe from relegation with 6pts punishment and so worth going into administration. The more I read about Wigan, the more suspicious it seems and given that the new owners only acquired the club during lockdown, how can they possibly blame Covid-19? So it would appear that there are strange things afoot with 2 Chinese consortiums and their agendas. So I guess 12pt deduction is the only outcome possible. Sad for the fans. But at least there is no end of interested parties to keep the club going. The #Wigan administrator has just said that there are 12 interested parties in buying the club but expects 30 in total. He also says one other #EFL Championship club is in serious risk of going into administration before the season is out. #wafc
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Post by kenthoop on Jul 3, 2020 9:42:19 GMT
Four weeks since the last owners took over that has to be a record ,so much got checking finances and fit and proper person the EFL certainly have egg all over their faces with this situation and imo they certainly have to apply the 12 point deduction 😀😀
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 3, 2020 10:27:33 GMT
Four weeks since the last owners took over that has to be a record ,so much got checking finances and fit and proper person the EFL certainly have egg all over their faces with this situation and imo they certainly have to apply the 12 point deduction 😀😀 Not sure the EFL leadership could pass a 'fit and proper' person' test, if applied on the grounds of simple capability/suitability for the job...
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Post by rickyqpr on Jul 3, 2020 18:51:33 GMT
Lisa Nandy on the case amid rumours of betting scandal on Wigan being relegated
Wigan Athletic: Administration is a 'major global scandal' says MP By Simon Stone and Dan Roan Wigan are 14th in the Championship, seven points clear of the relegation zone Local MP Lisa Nandy has called for a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Wigan being placed in administration and says the club are the victim of a "major global scandal". Nandy made the comments in a letter to Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. On Wednesday Wigan entered administration just weeks after the club changed owners. "What has been allowed to happen in recent days is disgraceful," she wrote. "It shows the complete failure of governance safeguards to protect clubs like ours." Nandy, the MP for Wigan and also shadow foreign secretary, added: "Wigan Athletic FC has been a well-run, much-loved club at the heart of our community for almost 90 years. "I am at a complete loss as to how the new ownership model could have been approved by the EFL. There must be a full inquiry." Wigan face a 12-point deduction to be applied either this season - if they finish outside the Championship relegation zone - or at the start of 2020-21. The club's administrators intend to investigate how the club ended up in the situation barely a month after changing owners. Wigan will fulfil their Championship game at Brentford on Saturday despite players not being paid their wages they were due on Friday. Parry secretly filmed discussing situation EFL chairman Rick Parry has been secretly recorded by a Wigan fan discussing rumours related to the club's administration. In the recording, Parry discusses an alleged bet on the club's relegation from the Championship. On Wednesday, Wigan became the first English professional club to enter administration since the coronavirus pandemic began. The club's administration is currently being investigated. The EFL said it was "aware" of the video, adding Parry was "unaware he was being filmed". "It was part of a much wider and impromptu discussion he was having with a Wigan supporter he does not know but who lives in the same area," said an EFL spokesperson. "The private conversation focused around the events of the last 24-48 hours, how the EFL can assist and what happens next. The various rumours and reports that have been circulating throughout today were also discussed. "While the chairman was unaware he was being filmed, he was happy to engage in the debate and appreciates this is a concerning and challenging time for all those associated with the club." Wigan fan David Curtis, who claimed to have filmed the video, told BBC Sport: "Football is nothing without fans and when the fans want questions answered they need to be answered, and I had the power to ask them. "I hope Wigan Athletic appeal the point deduction and the EFL accept the appeal." Background The club wrote to fans last month to tell them International Entertainment Corporation (IEC) had handed over control to another Hong Kong-based company, Next Leader Fund, on 29 May. That completed a deal the publicly quoted IEC first mentioned in November. At that time, it was stated IEC chairman Stanley Choi would act as "a limited partner" in NLF. The speed from the change of ownership being executed to Wigan being put into administration has raised eyebrows. Joint administrator Gerald Krasner, who took over as chairman of Leeds United in 2004 in the middle of the Yorkshire club's dire financial situation, said the matter would be investigated. "Every administration I have been involved in had its peculiarities," he said. "But this is a first. Four weeks is a record that will stand for some time. "We are aware of concerns that have been raised. The investigation won't go away. It will be done. Once I know we have saved the club and got non-disclosure letters out [to prospective buyers] - we're talking about two weeks - we will sit down with our lawyers to see if there is any litigation there that will be for the benefit of the creditors." There is also uncertainty over the status of a £28.77m loan given to Wigan by IEC that attracted 8% interest. This loan now appears to have been repaid by a third party but it is not known what the Latics' liability for it is. "There will be a lot of incredible things that come out when we get into the paperwork," said Krasner. "On the loans, nothing appears to be registered at Companies House to say they are secured against anything. What we don't know is whether the new owner has repaid that loan by putting his own money in, which would swap the loan over." Krasner said there are "no guarantees" Wigan's players will receive their wages, which are due on Friday, although he hoped to pay at least some of them. He revealed the approach to the administrators was initially made on 24 June but it was decided not to do anything until after Wigan's 3-0 win over Stoke at the DW Stadium on Tuesday as it couldn't be assumed the players were insured and the administrators wanted to avoid being liable for any injuries. It was subsequently established the insurance was in place. Krasner has extensive experience in football, having also been involved in administrations at Bournemouth and Port Vale. He shares the view of many within the game that Wigan will not be the last club to be brought to its knees by the financial impact of Covid-19. "The world has changed," he said. "Everything we thought about football has gone out of the window. "It's my personal view that there are a number of clubs in Leagues One and Two that may not survive by coming back. "There's possibly at least one Championship club that may seriously be thinking about doing the same." Representatives of IEC have been contacted about this story. Analysis Simon Stone Wigan Athletic executives spent last week dealing with contracts and turning down offers for some of their players, oblivious the club was about to be put into administration. It has emerged that Wigan's staff were kept completely in the dark about the plan, even though administrators were first contacted last week by representatives of the club's Hong Kong-based owners. On 25 June the club announced they had given striker Joe Garner a new one-year contract and had signed defender Leon Balogun from Brighton on a permanent deal until the end of the season. It was not until Tuesday that details began to emerge, although officials were keen to shield manager Paul Cook and his players from the issue given the importance of their Championship game against Stoke the same evening. Club staff are now working with the administrators, attempting to find a way out of the situation, with many unsure about the precise reasons for the club being put into administrationhttps ://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53261368
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Post by bowranger on Jul 4, 2020 8:39:38 GMT
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Post by terryb on Jul 4, 2020 11:07:13 GMT
Nick De Marco, fresh from representing Sheffield Wednesday, has sugested that the EFL may not be able to impose the 12 point penalty due to possible illeagal activity. I'm at a loss on this one as if the owners have acted illegally surely a deduction would have to be in place. It would be totally unfair on the next owners & the fans though.
I have also seen that it is rumoured that Nick has won his battle with the EFL regarding Wednesday. I've no idea what this is based on & I still await either the EFL or the club to announce the outcome!
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Post by harr on Jul 14, 2020 17:42:22 GMT
Wigan carry on like this ( currently 4-0 up )for 2 more games they might yet get 12 points deducted and still finish above Barnsley, Luton and Hull. That would be an achievement. I see they have Charlton and Fulham there last 2.
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Post by Marc on Jul 14, 2020 17:44:29 GMT
5-0 now!
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Post by Marc on Jul 14, 2020 17:47:31 GMT
6-0
I wonder what the record is for a 1st half score.
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Post by Marc on Jul 14, 2020 17:50:07 GMT
7-0
Can't began to imagine what the Hull dressing room will be like at half time.
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Post by harr on Jul 14, 2020 18:11:28 GMT
Wow, that’s some 1st half thumping, we thought things were bad at QPR
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 14, 2020 18:26:38 GMT
It's now 8!!!
And (former QPR) Josh Bowler subbed on 35 minutes.
Still time for double figures...
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 14, 2020 18:34:48 GMT
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Post by londonranger on Jul 14, 2020 18:37:33 GMT
Wigan 8 Hull city 0
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 14, 2020 18:42:18 GMT
Wiki now reading: "He purposely lost 8-0 to Wigan in an effort to save Charlton Athletic from relegation."
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jul 14, 2020 18:47:28 GMT
Another QPR connection with Hull tonight - Matt Ingram is sub keeper. Bet he's glad he didn't start!
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