Clubs haven’t been treating TV cash with love – and it’s going to cost
Super sub Molyneux’s first touch silences the Gunners SUCCESS AND PROFIT AREN’T MUTUAL
SUB Luke Molyneux scored with his first touch as Sunderland came from behind to beat Arsenal at Eppleton.
The Black Cats trailed to Donyell Malen’s strike shortly before the hour, but Lynden Gooch levelled for Elliot Dickman’s side midway through the second half before Molyneux hit the winner two minutes from time.
The victory in Sunderland’s final home Premier League 2 game lifted the Black Cats up two places to sixth in the table.
Sunderland complete their campaign at basement side Reading next month, but cannot finish any higher than sixth in the table.
Arsenal shaded the first half, but without making their chances count.
Joseph Willock had an early sight of goal for the Gunners but his shot from eight yards was deflected across the face of goal and out for a corner.
And 10 minutes before the break, Max Stryjek was called upon to make a good save to deny Ainsley Maitland-Niles from close range after Tom Beadling’s pass out of defence was intercepted and played into the path of the Arsenal midfielder.
Sunderland created a couple of chances themselves with Donald Love releasing George Honeyman down the right inside the first 10 minutes and he teed up Joel Asoro who saw his shot blocked, as was Ethan Robson’s follow-up.
Rees Greenwood volleyed over the bar on the quarter-hour after being picked out by Love with a raking cross from the right to the far post.
And just before half-time, Gooch cut inside across the edge of the area from the left flank but his right-foot shot was straight at keeper Hugo Keto.
Arsenal made the breakthrough 10 minutes into the second half when Maitland-Niles’ throughball split the Sunderland defence and released Malen, who steered his finish beyond the oncoming Stryjek and just inside the left-hand post.
But Sunderland struck back a little over 10 minutes later.
Greenwood tried to release Gooch down the left but Arsenal skipper Ben Sheaf intercepted, only for Greenwood to dispossess him. Maja stabbed the loose ball back to Gooch who ran on into the area before hitting a low left-foot shot which squirmed under the keeper into the net.
Sunderland were the better side after levelling the scores, and put Arsenal under pressure in the final quarter of the game with Honeyman, Greenwood, and sub Josh Maja all having opportunities.
But it was Molyneux who found the winner two minutes from time, racing on to Ethan Robson’s clearance and outpacing the defence before rolling the ball past the advancing Keto.
Arsenal almost grabbed an equaliser from a corner in injury time but Stryjek made a brilliant save to tip sub Vlad Dragomir’s header over the bar. DELOITTE’S latest report into football finances shows football clubs just keep throwing as much money as they can after success, and if they are not careful 2017 could be the season it finally catches up with Sunderland.
The accountancy firm have been studying Premier League finances since the 1998-99 season – a period of unprecedented wealth thanks to Sky Television and others. Yet only twice in that time have the clubs collectively produced a pre-tax profit. The 2015-16 season was back to normal – in the red again after a £200m surplus in 2013-14 and half as much the following year.
Deloitte are expecting the worldrecord three-year TV deal which began this season to see clubs return to profit next season but it just shows throwing more money at them is no guarantee at all they will run their finances any better.
The report found that last season the 20 clubs produced record combined revenues of £3.6bn, yet still ended up losing £110m before tax.
The £5.136bn deal with Sky and BT was the main problem. Rather than wait for the money to hit their bank accounts, relegation-threatened clubs spent it first to ensure they were still on the gravy train when it arrived.
It pushed Premier League wages up 12 percent to £2.3bn at a time when revenue only went up 10 per cent.
For Newcastle United, who spent £70.7m on players, the gamble backfired. For Sunderland, who had to be more restrained, it worked – but only to a point.
January recruits Lamine Kone, Jan Kirchhoff and Wahbi Khazri played a big part in keeping the Black Cats in the division last season but for various different reasons, they have proven to be only short-term successes. The club were only able to tread water not pull away from the endemic problems which have made keeping their head above water such a struggle in recent years.
Kirchhoff has been beset by injuries which caused him to be available at such a knockdown price – £750,000 – in the first place. His contract expires in the summer and will surely not be renewed.
The Sunderland disease of constantly changing manager has had its effect on Khazri. David Moyes has not taken to the player the way his predecessor Sam Allardyce did and to the frustration of supporters, the playmaker has been sidelined. His start against West Ham United was his first since October, and he marked the occasion with his opening goal this season.
Kone was a colossus last term, but has not been the same since. Unhappy he was not presented with the new contract Allardyce apparently promised him, he handed in a transfer request in August. When Sunderland stood firm in the face of some big bids – worried about the