ONE GREAT... PODCAST

MANY friends and colleagues celebrated Leeds United’s return to the Premier League and are giddy about the season ahead, which kicks off against champions Liverpool at Anfield today. But what of the football jungle that Leeds finally escaped from, the EFL, embracing the Championship, League One and League Two? The BBC Radio 5 live ‘Football Daily’ podcast yesterday offered revealing insights into life outside the Premier League bubble of affluence. For starters, it’s estimated that the black hole in the EFL’s finances will jump from €220m by the end of June to around €277m by next summer, due to the impact of Covid-19 and empty stadiums - a pilot scheme sees 1,000 fans allowed in for today’s League Two game between Cambridge and Carlisle. It also reported on the madcap spending by Championship clubs. For every €100 they bring in, €107 goes out on players’ wages. Lower down, in League One and Two where clubs generate 35-40% of overall income from match day revenue, salary caps have been introduced. It’s a dog eat dog world which got underway last night when Watford hosted Middlesbrough. Watford head coach Vladimir Ivic was hired on August 15 on a one-year contract, which indicates how stable his job is. In contrast, 71-year-old Neil Warnock is closing in on 1,500 games as a manager. Ivic is one of five managers appointed to Championship clubs since July 23, all hired to lead their club to the promised land of the Premier League. He’s also one of two Serbs as Reading appointed Veljko Paunovic, formerly of Chicago Fire, as recently as August 29. Amid the merry-go round, there was no call to arms for either Chris Hughton or Mick McCarthy but as managers last less than nine months on average, there will be vacancies. Everyone starts level but if your team plays in red and white and gets to the play-off finals, forget it. Between them, Brentford, Exeter, Lincoln, Sheffield United, Southampton and Sunderland have contested 30 finals since 1987 - and lost the lot.