The Football League Paper

says...

It must be fair for all

LIKE us, you were probably delighted that real, competitive football kicked off this weekend after the seemingly never-ending weeks of pre-season friendlies.

Of course, you may not be so happy if your team suffered a first day defeat, but, remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint.

When there are points to play for, more emotions come into play, whether they are happy or sad ones. But one thing you want to know beforehand is that your team are competing on an even playing field.

Which is why our front page story today about parachute payments is important. If some clubs coming down from the Premier League are going to receive potentially close to £90m over three years, there is a danger that others who have never reached the top table will be priced out of the competition before they’ve even started.

Yes, clubs without financial clout must look to be smarter than their rivals, but they need a fair crack of the whip, too.

As Reading boss Jaap Stam suggests, there is a danger we will see the same three clubs that come down going straight back up again in future.

One of the key questions with parachute payments is: why are we rewarding failure? If you’re receiving mega-bucks in the Premier League, why should you then receive more massive payouts when you’ve left?

An argument is that clubs coming down have previously handed out big contracts to players and will be put in financial jeopardy if they have to honour them while their income is cut in the Championship.

But surely you should only pay what you can afford in the first place and there should be clauses in contracts to take account of a possible demotion.

It is an issue that needs to be addressed. We want fair competiton and the chance for everyone to reach the top.

Out of Toon

THE bookies rarely get things wrong and they’ve got Newcastle United down as big favourites to win the Championship this season.

That 1-0 defeat at Fulham on Friday night suggests they may not have it all their own way, though we doubt if Rafa Benitez will be panicking yet.