Whole squad on furlough - or not!

[Napster]

Theyr

In 2018 according to this source https://www.footy.com/footballers-vs-the-fans/#efl-league-one our avg players wage bill was £2,149 per week - I believe that is gross. Are we really now above £2,500 after losing some high wage earners over the winter? Do we really have players on £40k per week?

Youre right it is gross.

 

[GBJ]

It shows how crazy football has become if mediocre league one players can earn these sums of money. Hopefully one good thing to come from the fallout of the pandemic will be a re-evaluation of finances in football so that these types of wages are no longer paid out by a club of our size.

Agreed. A team of our stature cannot afford the wages we pay.

That’s why we lose £200k a month & constantly face winding up orders

 

[GBJ]

He's either grossly incompetent or he doesn't have the money. Which is it?

If he had the money, why didn't he use it to lift the transfer embargo so we could sign players in the January window? Then again in February why didn't he pay our debts so the two Macclesfield players could be registered?

Why did he have to seek an extension to the HMRC case instead of simply paying it off which would have dismissed the case?

The facts show that he hasn't the money. I hope he will be able to beg and borrow enough to keep us going but it's not a foregone conclusion.

There is another situation that people haven’t considered yet.

We are on a suspended sentence for not paying wages. If Ron doesn’t pay, then we start next season with minus 3 points.

However, as we’d have once again failed to pay wages, that would start a brand new EFL charge against the club. Which means, we could face additional points deductions, on top of the suspended three.

Worst case scenario, we repeat the carnage of the 09/10 season where we lose everyone, and have to rebuild the entire squad (management included) and begin the new season already adrift.

It’s worst case, granted. But it’s very possible

 

[GBJ]

Yes- I agree with you - I am not disagreeing with you as a point of principle :-) :-) !!

My point all along was about the ones who were negotiating a contract, or had been offered one, and wanted to stay. Just them. No-one else. And hence I was surprised that ALL players had rejected furlough as stated?

The players we want to keep, and would therefore enter into negotiations with, have the upper hand though.

Several of our players have resale value. And some of them values will be very lucrative. We cannot afford to tell them to take a hike.

Our most prized asset IMO is Kelman. If he refuses furlough, what then? Do we allow him to leave on a free in a years time? Elvis? Hump? Gard? Hutch? Phillips? They’re all worth dough and we can’t afford to throw that away

 

[GBJ]

In 2018 according to this source https://www.footy.com/footballers-vs-the-fans/#efl-league-one our avg players wage bill was £2,149 per week - I believe that is gross. Are we really now above £2,500 after losing some high wage earners over the winter? Do we really have players on £40k per week?

Our average weekly wage is between £3k-£4k

Some are on £5k

Some are on more than that, which is a result of “financial gymnastics”

 

[Ex-SouthendUnitedEmployee]

Silly move really... would you rather get 80% of furlough ... or quite clearly in the current situation... 100% of nothing.

The club have no revenue coming in and unless Ron’s going to play monopoly and sell something, I don’t understand where players think the money is going to come from.

I think a lot of clubs have been in the same boat, waiting and waiting to find out if they were going to be made to play the rest of the season, before putting players on furlough... as you have to place the employee on furlough for a minimum of three weeks, so didn’t want to risk not being able to recall players if required.

I can’t see the new season starting to atleast mid-September at the earliest... that’s if League One and Two can financially find a way to do this... or there is a change of rules ... e.g football crowds returning.

 

[Holy Joe]

The players we want to keep, and would therefore enter into negotiations with, have the upper hand though.

Several of our players have resale value. And some of them values will be very lucrative. We cannot afford to tell them to take a hike.

Our most prized asset IMO is Kelman. If he refuses furlough, what then? Do we allow him to leave on a free in a years time? Elvis? Hump? Gard? Hutch? Phillips? They’re all worth dough and we can’t afford to throw that away

But aren't players like Kelman the least impacted by furlough - both in terms of the difference between 80% (or £2.5k per month gross) and 100% of wages and also in that they shouldn't have significant outgoings. It's quite possible, even probable, that future contracts in League one and two will be lower than existing ones, at least over the next year or 2. Big risk in my opinion to risk being unemployed in 6 weeks time.

 

[GBJ]

But aren't players like Kelman the least impacted by furlough - both in terms of the difference between 80% (or £2.5k per month gross) and 100% of wages and also in that they shouldn't have significant outgoings. It's quite possible, even probable, that future contracts in League one and two will be lower than existing ones, at least over the next year or 2. Big risk in my opinion to risk being unemployed in 6 weeks time.

Only Charlie could answer that really. It’s not for us to say how he’d be affected or not.

Personally, I wouldn’t necessarily want to chuck my job away. But on the flip side, I’ve always known my value, and wouldn’t allow any employer to mug me off. I’m not saying that’s the case here, just that’s my personal stance.

And I think you’re right, the landscape of contracts may very well be different over the course of the next few years.

 

[GBJ]

The club have no revenue coming in and unless Ron’s going to play monopoly and sell something, I don’t understand where players think the money is going to come from.

I wish HMRC thought like that

 

[jarvisyeh]

But aren't players like Kelman the least impacted by furlough - both in terms of the difference between 80% (or £2.5k per month gross) and 100% of wages and also in that they shouldn't have significant outgoings. It's quite possible, even probable, that future contracts in League one and two will be lower than existing ones, at least over the next year or 2. Big risk in my opinion to risk being unemployed in 6 weeks time.

Weren't Spurs showing interest in Kelman? If so I don't think he would be particularly worried about finding a better contract.

 

[Dave Smiths Love Child]

Our average weekly wage is between £3k-£4k

Some are on £5k

Some are on more than that, which is a result of “financial gymnastics”

And then there is the management team unbelievable salary per month !!!

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Lower league football is in a hell of a state, a vast correction is needed, players and management will have to accept much lower salaries in the future, or league one and two will either die or end up as a part time employer.

 

[Ricey]

And then there is the management team unbelievable salary per month !!!

How Ron has paid that when we were in such a **** state at the time is beyond me. They need to go for that reason alone!

 

[Austin the Shrimper]

Teams are literally letting all their staff go. I think clubs will find it easier to recruit players than players will finding a new club. Gonna be a lot of players having to except less money and dropping down to lower leagues than what they would normally play in.

 

[stortford]

A bit late to the party but the ACAS website is very clear and concise on the details of the furlough scheme at this page and the following one https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus/furlough-scheme-pay.
Last Wednesday was the last day anyone could be furloughed for the first time and talks with the PFA aren't going to change that.

 

[stortford]

Teams are literally letting all their staff go. I think clubs will find it easier to recruit players than players will finding a new club. Gonna be a lot of players having to except less money and dropping down to lower leagues than what they would normally play in.

Dropping down the league is the key phrase. Less contracts above is likely to mean it's League 2 and bottom end League 1 players who are most likely to find a new career needed.

 

[GBJ]

And then there is the management team unbelievable salary per month !!!

Indeed. Hence my final line in that post ?

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

See this is where football has its’ own rules. Any one of us would have to accept being placed on furlough and the employer would call the shots throughout. I appreciate players (and management teams!!) are on much higher salaries and will feel the impact more.

Maybe this is a massive wake up call for players and agents? Maybe it’ll be a case of “we don’t need you, you need us” ..?

 

[OldBlueLady]

See this is where football has its’ own rules. Any one of us would have to accept being placed on furlough and the employer would call the shots throughout. I appreciate players (and management teams!!) are on much higher salaries and will feel the impact more.

Maybe this is a massive wake up call for players and agents? Maybe it’ll be a case of “we don’t need you, you need us” ..?

Maybe some players will wake up to not needing agents!

 

[Austin the Shrimper]

in respect to the high earners, Self employed who earn over 50K a year get nothing. I guess If you are a high earner you should be in a position to save money for a rainy day and not need a bailout- in the governments eyes. So it’s not really Southend’s fault this situation. All high earners, that have had their business affected by COVID-19 haven’t faired well.