• Financial Results

    West Ham United 2017 Financial Results: Fool’s Gold

    After an emotional farewell to the Boleyn Ground the previous season, West Ham moved to the London Stadium, and fans had high expectations that the club could start to chip away at the glass ceiling of the self-styled ‘Big 6’, who have a disproportionate share of the income, and therefore best players, within the Premier League. Those hopes failed to materialise. A poor start in the Europa League, where they were knocked out before the group stage by the team that finished 6th in the Romanian League the previous season, was followed by problems with the new stadium in terms of logistics, stewarding and atmosphere. A spat with the council…

  • Financial Results

    Sheffield Wednesday: Play to win

    Sheffield Wednesday announced their results for 2016/17, which revealed that they made a loss of nearly £21 million in the season, as the club invested heavily in a promotion push, which faltered in the playoffs against Huddersfield. Since then there’s been a debate on social media in relation to the present level of financial distress experienced by the club, with some suggesting that administration is feasible, so we’ve taken a look. Income Not all clubs have announced their results for 2016/17 yet. In the previous season the average for a Championship club was £22.9 million, we expect this to be higher in 2017/18. Like all clubs Wednesday earn their income…

  • Financial Results

    Preston: Maybe Someday

      Clubs in the Championship lost £366 million in 2015/16, and that figure could easily be exceeded in 2016/17, as many clubs gambled on big signings and big wages to try to make the £100 million a year broadcasting income of the Premier League. Preston haven’t taken such a route, but they have still managed to finish 11th in the Championship in the last two seasons, without troubling either the playoff chasers, or those in the relegation scrap. That has come at a cost, as the club lost £67,000 a week last season, but that is chickenfeed compared to the losses of some other Championship clubs. Income Football club income…

  • Financial Results

    Coventry: Too Much Too Young

    I might be talking utter bilge (Not for the first time: Ed) but Coventry City, by being relegated to League 2 last season, became the first team in the inaugural season of the Premier League to drop to that level. Even winning the Checkatrade Trophy last season could not paper over the cracks of relegation. Their finances over the last decade, under a series of opportunists, asset strippers, charlatans and scumbags, have suffered a similar decline. For a few seasons their holding company, Sky Blue Sports and Leisure Ltd, also included the activities of ProZone, which was under the club’s control when Ray Ranson (yes, that one) was in charge.…

  • Financial Results

    Aston Villa: Burning Sky

    Aston Villa 2016/17  Introduction:  Aston Villa Football Club Ltd announced their financial results, which were published in the local newspapers, and fans sighed with relief. The fears that the club was heading into a Financial Fair Play (FFP) meltdown seemed overstated, as the losses of £7 million quoted in the papers appeared to give wiggle room in terms of the £39 million losses allowed over three years. However, there’s a problem, and it’s a sizeable one. Aston Villa Football Club Ltd doesn’t cover all of the activities of Villa, and certain costs, most notably player wages, are excluded from the costs. The accounts being reviewed by media sources and fans…

  • Financial Results

    Chelsea: Suffer Little Childreni

    Introduction: Oh Manchester, so much to answer for… Chelsea announced their financial results recently, and since then manager Antonio Conte has been muttering about not being able to compete in the football transfer and wages markets with the two big Manchester clubs. Is this true, and what are the state of Chelsea’s finances? Time to take a peek. On the face of it, being Premier League Champions in 2017, progress through the group stages of the Champions League, semi-finalists in the League Cup and presently in the FA Cup, you would think there would be plenty to cheer about. Income Clubs have three sources of income. In 2016/17 Chelsea’s total…

  • Financial Results

    Millwall financial results 2017: Our House

    Introduction: I like Millwall for many reasons. I was born in Southwark, so they were the nearest club to me as a kid. My Uncle Tom had trials for them in the early 50’s. My Uncle Terry, who taught me how to play football, love the game and hate Crystal Palace, supported them for over 60 years. Add to that the Danny Baker factor (and ignoring that Rod Liddle is a CJTC) and there’s a lot of positives. 2016/17 was a successful year in League One, with the club returning to the Championship via the playoffs, and there was some success in the FA Cup too, reaching the quarter final…

  • Financial Results

    Everton Financial Results: We Are Glass

    Introduction: In what could have been a good title for a song title by The Cure, 10:30 on a Friday Night is a very odd time for a club to tease out its financial results. Initially there was a press release, full of positives as one would expect, and enough for the media to put out a column or two. To find out the full details it was necessary to wait though, and that’s something we don’t like because the story has become old news by the time some of the key numbers have been released (Chelsea have just done the same). Having said that, it was a memorable season…

  • Financial Results

    Bristol City: Unfinished sympathy

    Introduction: Bristol City showed the challenge that exists for clubs trying to survive, let alone compete, in the Championship after racking up a recurring loss of £19.2 million before player sales last season. This is for a club that finished 17th in the division. The previous season similar losses were £14.4 million for finishing one place lower in the division. The continued development of Ashton Gate should give City a better base on which to generate income. The Championship remains the most frightening division in European football in terms of the financial gamble that exists there, as club owners decide whether to fund a promotion push with the potential £100…

  • Financial Results

    Brighton and Hove Albion. Please, please, please, let me get what I want

    Brighton and Hove Albion: Please, please, please, let me get what I want. Introduction: Bigmouth strikes again. This report will focus on the cost of Brighton being promoted to the Premier League in the six years since they’ve moved to the Amex stadium in 2011. Key figures for 2016/17: Panic Income £29.2m (up 18.3%). Wages £31.3m* (up 11.0%) *excludes £9.1million bonus paid to staff upon promotion, would be a 42.9% increase if bonus included. Losses before player sales £38.9 million (up 50.1%) Player signings £19.0 million Player sales £ 0.3 million Tony Bloom investment £280 million The Albion just missed out on promotion at the end of 2015/16, first on…