Premiership, Parachutes, Pounds and Punching

Yesterdays trouncing has come as no surprise to many people. Perhaps a little unfairly today's broadsheets are having a field day of "The club punching above their weight is found out" cliches. The Times describes us as being "shown up for what they really are; a limited, but enthusiastic, team who have taken full advantage of being underestimated by some better sides". The Guardian says "the gulf between the two teams on this evidence is far greater than the three points that separate them". Even The Independent said "Once behind, City tended to lose shape and concentration". The comments are unfair not because of their accuracy, but more because they don't fully reflect the financial position that the respective clubs are in because of the dominance of the game by Sky, Rupert Murdoch and his money.

West Brom were relegated from the Premiership in 2006 and as a result are still in receipt of parachute payments, a reward for that failure. As a consequence their substitutes bench yesterday was valued at more than our entire squad. That is the gulf that exists between the two clubs. Bristol City are sensibly managed from within our own means. We are punching above our weight but if we reached the Premiership and stayed there for only a year, we would be able to punch with some of the heavy weights that are only heavy weights because of their time in the Premiership. Charlton, Coventry, Southampton, Sheff Utd, Sheff Weds, Wolves, Ipswich, Crystal Palace, Norwich are all former heavy weights we are currently out-punching. I hope we make it to the fifteenth round.

The Guardian itself explained the gulf between the two teams in terms of the financial advantage afforded to West Brom for having played in the Premiership. Summarised below; how can the likes of Bristol City be expected to compete with the likes of West Brom?

How the TV pot expanded - the Football League is still nowhere near the pot the Premiership started with 15 years ago!!

Premiership
1992/3 - 1996/7 Five-year deal £304m
1997/8-2000/1 Four-year deal £670m
2001/2-2003/4 Three-year deal £1.6bn
2004/5 - 2006/7 Three-year deal £1.189bn
2007/8-2009/10 Three-year deal £1.65bn

Coca Cola Football League
1992/3 - 1995/6 Four-year deal £24m
1996/7-2000/1 Five-year deal £125m
2001/2 Three-year deal £315m* OnDigital deal collaped after one year after £136.5m paid for one year
2002/3 - 2005/6 Four-year deal £95m
2006/7-2008/9 Three-year deal £110m

The Football League is at melting point with a record number of clubs on the brink of administration. The entire Football League (Championship plus Leagues One and Two} is currently funded at half the rate of that of the Premiership at it's formation back in 1992/3. Why is this?

Skys monopoly is the reason. Working men are being priced out of attending the working mans game as prices become over-inflated to afford wage demands in an attempt to attract the quality of player required to reach the Premiership promised land. Cardiff, Leeds, Coventry all clubs with great history forced to the brink of extinction in pursuit of that pot of gold that is the Premiership. Did we learn nothing from over-inflation in the 70s? Football nearly died in the 80s because of it. We cannot sustain football at current costs. Something is bound to give.

The 2010s may be a little grim for the Coca Cola Football League unless those in the higher echelons of football do something about it.