Cats, caps and ownership… your questions are answered
The questions just keep on coming...
Sunderland await a verdict on how their season will end.
Another year in League One looks likely.
Then there are the issues of club ownership, contracts and season tickets.
So we asked for your questions, and our man Phil Smith has answered them...
Is there still a planned new ownership by the end of the month and how's it progressing?
It’s probably worth starting by saying that timescale was given in an interview by Charlie Methven towards the end of March.
I think Stewart Donald played that down significantly when he then said that interested parties were ‘pausing for breath’ in the COVID-19 crisis.
That he said he was still hopeful of ultimately staying suggest she wasn’ t on the brink of selling.
It’ s impossible to know how these things would unfold but it seems unlikely to say the least the club will change ownership by the end of this month.
My personal opinion is that the appointment of Jim Rodwell as CEO is a sign that even if the club remains up for sale, there is a vast amount of absolutely critical work that needs to be done in the short term to deal with the crisis.
The situation surrounding budget planning and the contractand recruitment implications that stem from that was already complex and critical, even before you add the current uncertainty to it.
There are, still, the financial implications of playing behind closed doors to plan for and mitigate against.
I don’t see an imminent sale, but it’s the biggest cliche in the game that the takeovers that happen are often the ones you hear little about.
We will have to wait and see, but there’s a huge amount of work to be done regardless.
If games are going to be played behind closed doors, what are the plans for supporters to be able to watch televised coverage of the games? How will this offset the money that’s been paid for season card holders?
If – and it’s a big IF – the season resumes, the EFL’s plan is that all games will be available to stream on the iFollow service.
This is something that will require negotiation in terms of the current broadcast arrangementsthey have and it will also require the ban on broadcasting 3pm Saturday games to be lifted, you would imagine.
In terms of then moving to the further hypotheticals, the question for clubs will be how they then offer that service to supporters.
Will season card holders be able to stream games free of charge? Will refunds be offeredto those who don’ t want to take up that option?
Again, with the caveat that the season could end imminently, those are the questions currently being considered but I would say it is pretty much inconceivable that games will be played behind closed doors without every fan having at least the option to watch it.
What are the club doing or going to do to keep Premier League clubs from taking our promising youngsters?
When the club has been asked about this, they say they are offering very competitive contracts for a League One club, and that they are sitting down with players and families to offer a vision for their future at the club, the pathway through the age groups, training etc.
They did have a major success recently when the very talented goalkeeper Adam Richardson signed up on professional terms and Bali Mumba obviously turned down top Premier League clubs last year (though given he was already in the first team group, I think it’s fair to see that instance as a bit of an exception).
I suppose the simple answer to this question has to be not enough, doesn’t it?
Some very talented players have moved on and the top end of the academy has been weakened significantly as a result.
Unquestionably, the number one thing Sunderland could do to improve the situation is to climb through the divisions and offer these players a pathway to Championship/ Premier League football.
As long as they are in League One, I think players will be open to moving up to the top Premier League clubs and I don’t think anyone would begrudge them doing so.
Many of these players and their families have incredibly deep connections to the club.
It’s not certainly not just a question of money, either.
I think there are nevertheless a lot of other things to ponder and improve.
Will a League One salary cap put SAFC at a big disadvantage?
Hopefully you’ll appreciate that we can only speak purely in hypothetical son this one but it is an absolutely fascinating question as there is no doubt that a cap of some sort is imminent.
In terms of Sunderland, my instinct is that it depends on what cap is implemented.
If, as suggested, it is a simple cap on playing budget, then I think that would put Sunderland at a disadvantage.
Theoretically, the power of their remarkable attendances should give them an enormous advantage( both in this division and the one above).
The reality recently has been a bit more complex given the burden of the Premier League legacy (and their example is interesting because it underlines the challenges of imposing a cap on teams dropping into the division, so I think there would have to be a period of grace).
A set cap on a playing budget would potentially make it harder to turn that fan power into a financial advantage.
A strengthening of the current rules, which say you can only spend a certain level of your turnover on wages, would potentially put them at an advantage. I also think that’s fairer in that it rewards clubs who recruit smartly and make big profits on player sales.
They can then reinvest that money, grow as a club and compete with the bigger teams.
Smart recruitment, academyinvestment and clever use of the loan system will be more important than ever. Phil Smith phil.smith@jpimedia.co.uk @Phil__Smith