Dover Athletic look like another financial COVID victim

[Jaggsy1979]

http://www.doverathletic.com/news/state ... -chairman/

Very sad to read this, wonder how many other clubs will go this way?

[gshaw]

If Lockdown 2 happens many in L1 and L2 I reckon will be in big trouble

[Rich Tea Wellin]

sad to read. think it will be a long term issue for smaller clubs. Not necessarily in the next year but when the losses come through in the accounts and potential loan repayments become too much it will add flames to an already precarious fire that its lower league clubs finances.

[Omygawd]

Sad indeed but their situation reflects what is going to be increasingly widespread not just in lower league football but also business at large. The players may shift ground and if they do the pay cut may help, it only prolongs the agony in my view though. Lack of gate and allied income/sponsorship is going to “do” for many if we can’t get people back into the grounds. Equally I can’t see that happening anytime soon, the words of Private Frazer come to mind Captain.......

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

[LittleMate]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

How so? They are skint. The players had the chance to accept a 20% pay cut and refused. Its not nice - the whole situation isn't - but they made a choice and so the board of Dover had to make a choice too.

[Cheshunto]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

But it’s only what other businesses are doing to survive.
The players need to do their bit IMHO to help the club through this bad patch.

[DuvB]

sad to read. think it will be a long term issue for smaller clubs. Not necessarily in the next year but when the losses come through in the accounts and potential loan repayments become too much it will add flames to an already precarious fire that its lower league clubs finances.

It’s not year end accounts that will dictate things, it will be the availability of cash to fund the business. No income, no cash equals closure.

[Ornchurch]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

[Dohnut]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Maybe they take the view that why should they lose money every week when the owners are millionaires.

[Oiram]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Maybe they take the view that why should they lose money every week when the owners are millionaires.

They have not become ‘millionaires’ by squandering money but by making shrewd business decisions. Football is a business.

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Maybe they take the view that why should they lose money every week when the owners are millionaires.

See this is the thing. If it were Orient in this position our fans would be slating the owners for not footing the bill. But in Dover's case it is down to the players.

[Sid Bishop]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas'' I can foresee some players in the lower divisions going back to being part time professionals, lower wages and second jobs, as used to happen in the past. Talking about the players wages in the top divisions, if we go back to the 50s, footballers wages in Division one were capped at a maximum of £20 a week, At a guess, around 2/12 to 3 times more than the average wage, after 1960 when the minimum wage was abolished, England Captain Johnny Haynes became the first player in the English league to get £100 a week, WOW we thought at the time as the average wage was around £15 a week when that happened ! Look at the difference in the last few years between footballers wages and the Uk general average wage !
First team I ever supported was Spurs, my brothers mate used to take me and his kid brother to watch them first part of the 1961/62 season. Fabulous team they had, Jimmy Greaves first season for them. Players in those days drove much the same cars as everyone else, had more or less normal houses and often in the case of first division players, had little sidelines going for when they retired, paper and tobacconist shops were a favourite. Even the famous England forward Tom Finney worked part time as a plumber.

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas''
<Removed Uncle Albert bit>

They're available for transfer. Probably taken a decision that they can get at least 80% of their salary elsewhere.

[Sid Bishop]

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas''
<Removed Uncle Albert bit>

They're available for transfer. Probably taken a decision that they can get at least 80% of their salary elsewhere.

Maybe, but for some maybe not !

[redintheface]

Really throwing their playing squad under the bus there

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas'' I can foresee some players in the lower divisions going back to being part time professionals, lower wages and second jobs, as used to happen in the past. Talking about the players wages in the top divisions, if we go back to the 50s, footballers wages in Division one were capped at a maximum of £20 a week, At a guess, around 2/12 to 3 times more than the average wage, after 1960 when the minimum wage was abolished, England Captain Johnny Haynes became the first player in the English league to get £100 a week, WOW we thought at the time as the average wage was around £15 a week when that happened ! Look at the difference in the last few years between footballers wages and the Uk general average wage !

A shame for the blokes involved at Dover but I suspect this type of situation will gradually start to creep up the football pyramid to the EFL in due course. The structure is not going to be sustainable unless something changes and a lot of people who have made a good living out of the game are going to see their livelihoods threatened.

[Sid Bishop]

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas''
<Removed Uncle Albert bit>

They're available for transfer. Probably taken a decision that they can get at least 80% of their salary elsewhere.

Maybe, but for some maybe not !
Lastly, why not put the ''Uncle Albert '' part back.......Love it !
This particular ''Uncle Albert'' has been busy this spring and summer doing a multitude of jobs, car repairs, gardening, growing 150 tomato plants from seed, giving away many but keeping 50 for myself, same with runner beans and kept 60 for planting in the garden, painting and doing building work for lady friend, on top of my house roof repairing, why pay a roofer a fortune when I can do the job myself ! OMG non stop working and on the go, work does not end when you retire, its just a start of a new chapter of your life story. Have a good day !

[Sid Bishop]

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas'' I can foresee some players in the lower divisions going back to being part time professionals, lower wages and second jobs, as used to happen in the past. Talking about the players wages in the top divisions, if we go back to the 50s, footballers wages in Division one were capped at a maximum of £20 a week, At a guess, around 2/12 to 3 times more than the average wage, after 1960 when the minimum wage was abolished, England Captain Johnny Haynes became the first player in the English league to get £100 a week, WOW we thought at the time as the average wage was around £15 a week when that happened ! Look at the difference in the last few years between footballers wages and the Uk general average wage !

A shame for the blokes involved at Dover but I suspect this type of situation will gradually start to creep up the football pyramid to the EFL in due course. The structure is not going to be sustainable unless something changes and a lot of people who have made a good living out of the game are going to see their livelihoods threatened.

Yes exactly.

[HeyO]

Connor replacing Marvin?

[Ornchurch]

Looks like the players threw themselves under the bus.

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas''
<Removed Uncle Albert bit>

They're available for transfer. Probably taken a decision that they can get at least 80% of their salary elsewhere.

Some will get a new contract, some will be out of a job and some if they want to stay in football will have to move down the pyramid. The question is though wherever they get a contract will they earn more than 80% of their Dover contract?

Sometimes it is better to take 80% of something rather than 100% of nothing.

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Indeed a case if ever, of ''Turkeys voting for an early Christmas''
<Removed Uncle Albert bit>

They're available for transfer. Probably taken a decision that they can get at least 80% of their salary elsewhere.

Some will get a new contract, some will be out of a job and some if they want to stay in football will have to move down the pyramid. The question is though wherever they get a contract will they earn more than 80% of their Dover contract?

Sometimes it is better to take 80% of something rather than 100% of nothing.

Well, there you go. They're backing themselves to not be worse off in the event that the club goes bust. TIme will tell if they make the right decision.
Ownership could be creative here though. Instead of making it a 20% cut then furlough them (with the appropriate conribtuion they need to make) and call them back to training closer to the start of the season. Or ask if they can defer 20% or more of their salaries for a few months so the players still get what they are contractually obliged to. Or stump up their own money in the way we'd expect our owners to do (and criticise for not doing).

[Sid Bishop]

They're available for transfer. Probably taken a decision that they can get at least 80% of their salary elsewhere.

Some will get a new contract, some will be out of a job and some if they want to stay in football will have to move down the pyramid. The question is though wherever they get a contract will they earn more than 80% of their Dover contract?

Sometimes it is better to take 80% of something rather than 100% of nothing.

Well, there you go. They're backing themselves to not be worse off in the event that the club goes bust. TIme will tell if they make the right decision.
Ownership could be creative here though. Instead of making it a 20% cut then furlough them (with the appropriate conribtuion they need to make) and call them back to training closer to the start of the season. Or ask if they can defer 20% or more of their salaries for a few months so the players still get what they are contractually obliged to. Or stump up their own money in the way we'd expect our owners to do (and criticise for not doing).

At the end of the day, when the well runs out of water, there is nothing left to drink.

[Lofctillwedie]

Connor replacing Marvin?

If that’s Connor essam he left a few months ago when they switched to full time went to Hemel Hempstead the club sammy Moore was at.

[EH16]

Just an unfortunate situation. Can't really blame the players or the board. Difficult decisions to be made and all you can do is what seems to you the right thing at the time. Too easy for outsiders to pontificate on what other people should do.

[redintheface]

Just an unfortunate situation. Can't really blame the players or the board. Difficult decisions to be made and all you can do is what seems to you the right thing at the time. Too easy for outsiders to pontificate on what other people should do.

agreed - no blame attached to either side, its what often happens when interests differ.