Levy / ENIC

[scott]

Football has to stop its obsession with spending. Except when it comes to my wages & bonus. 7m is nowhere near enough.

 

[scott]

“He’s one of our own” I shouted and pointed at my local BA pilot as he walked past my house last night at 8pm.

All the neighbours came out and clapped.

True story Bro.

I am more of an easyjet united fan.

 

[Blanchflower]

At the moment our closet comparison is with fucking Mike Ashley.

Not a good look.

Mike Ashley's PR is terrible, but he's probably the best retailer in the country.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

You're describing the ugly face of Capitalism.
You may be cynical but you're right.
Unfortunately. people have to live this way because there isn't another viable option in the world that has been created
I'm trying to do my bit by "furloughing" private patients and doing solely NHS work.
Hopefully everyone is trying to do their bit. Football seems so very unimportant in light of a real emergency. Does put things into perspective doesn't it
Take care and be well.

You to mate!

 

[Hrytn]

We are so lucky, our club will come out stronger from this crises. We have an owner in Joe Lewis apparently worth £4.4 billion . THFC annual wages is around £180m or so, JL will pump the money in no problem, of course without sacrificing FFP.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

Mike Ashley's PR is terrible, but he's probably the best retailer in the country.

Mind you his 30% shareholding in Debenhams has just been wiped out.

 

[Blanchflower]

Mind you his 30% shareholding in Debenhams has just been wiped out.

He was threatening to sue over that iirc - he put forward an offer that would stop them from going into administration and it was turned down

 

[pipes]

With all due respect your missing the point that most of us making.

I'd were holding THFC up to the standards of Branson and your real estate firm then what are we supporting? I keep asking this from people who keep defending levy but not one person has replied.

If you see spurs as a corporate entity. If you think they should be held to the same standards as your employer then I dont see why were all here.

Surely a football club is like a family. Surely it's strives to be a hub of the communinity and ideally the club, staff , players and fans stick together.

This is not that. Nobody goes to the shops and buys your companies uniform for their kids, I highly doubt that thousands of people go to your head office every week and sing songs about how much they love you.

It's not the same, not at all. Levy is in a privileged position of having customers that more often than not will turn up no matter how bad his product his, and let be honest in his 2p years it's been more bad than good, ain't nobody going to go over the Emirates if the food isnt good enough at the lane.

Let's do some real idiot maths for a second. Presume all the people being furloughed are on the maximum 2500 a month (they arent) and say it goes on for 8 weeks ( it wont) that's only 11 million quid. Only you say? Yes only , that's what we spent on Clinton n'jie.

It ain't bankrupting us. The negotiations with the players and his fellow board members are what the future depends on, not screwing over his core staff who actually need the money.

So forgive me if I dont care what companies like BA and others do . I support spurs because were meant to be family, a movement not some shitty corporate giant who treat people like numbers.

I think a few people replied. Just think you either have them on ignore, or didn’t read them.

The main basis of the responses was that people support the club, but understand that the club cannot exist without the business. So, in essence, we really must “support” the business too. Obviously not to the ridiculous level you’ve previously suggested of singing songs, but wanting the commercial side to be successful.

More business success generally means more money and in turn more success on the pitch. The rich clubs generally win more than the poor ones.

 

[Devanteswing]

I think a few people replied. Just think you either have them on ignore, or didn’t read them.

The main basis of the responses was that people support the club, but understand that the club cannot exist without the business. So, in essence, we really must “support” the business too. Obviously not to the ridiculous level you’ve previously suggested of singing songs, but wanting the commercial side to be successful.

More business success generally means more money and in turn more success on the pitch. The rich clubs generally win more than the poor ones.

I've ignored nobody.

Your answer is the closest but still isnt really an answer.

What are you supporting? You say you want the commercial side to succeed which I understand but there is a difference in supporting him charging high ticket prices or paying our squad almost half of what our rivals do to him not paying his lowest paid staff- those in most need during a global crisis and then not even making up the 20%.

It comes across as heartless, greedy and not something to be proud of. And that last bit is the important part. You want to be proud of your football club, you want to feel part of it, were all in it together. That's why you support them right? You may not like my point about singing etc but it's an example of the huge different between the way we look at say BA to our club.

I dont give a fuck about BA. I get their greedy , horrible to their staff and pay their bosses far to much, I dont want them to go out of business as people need the jobs and I'd imagine the furloughing is on a massive massive scale.

If I thought the future of the club depended on it I'd be with you but it doesnt. He could easily afford to at the very least make up the 20% but he doesnt because whilst he maybe good at saving money he comes across like a really greedy uncaring man and that means the club comes across that way to.

I dont want something I've loved all my life to be like that. Do you?

 

[Spursidol]

I fully understand and agree that a number of individuals won’t be employed in productive work at the club at this time but in terms of PR and of morality the way in which Spurs have dealt with this is just wrong.

None of the PL clubs are that cash strapped, Spurs certainly aren’t, and the sums being claimed from the Government scheme is minuscule in term of cash available or available via borrowing facility.

It’s pretty obvious that football is under the microscope but no matter what happens going forward in terms of players wages the fact that Spurs , Newcastle and Norwich want the taxpayer to inject cash into a business that almost certainly in a few month will be shelling out millions on new players is just wrong .

Defend the club when negative press isn’t justified but the negatives here are fully justified.

Actually not true that no PL clubs are cash strapped.

A number of PL clubs pay out such huge wages they are loss making - Everton and Chelsea reported losses of circa £100m each for last year, and their wage bills will have got larger this year.

Without doing something over player wages I would suggest about 4 or 5 PL clubs could become bankrupt without action on player wages, whilst a number more ill be virtually zombies.

Position is far worse in the lower leagues - probably half or three quarters in the championship going to the wall and more in Leagues 1 and 2 and National League.

Most clubs will have factored in cash flow from season ticket sales for 20/21 coming in now (but pretty much all clubs have postponed selling them) which is used to tide clubs over the closed season.

And the big elephant in the room is tv companies and sponsors wanting money back for missing the last games of the season - circa £1 bn to £2bn from PL clubs so an average of £50m - £100m which PL clubs will not see.

 

[Devanteswing]

And by the way. I'm.not someone who demands his head. He does some amazing things and some not so good things but as long as were heading in the right direction im relatively happy.

This isnt a football question for me though it's a moral one.

 

[pipes]

I've ignored nobody.

Your answer is the closest but still isnt really an answer.

What are you supporting? You say you want the commercial side to succeed which I understand but there is a difference in supporting him charging high ticket prices or paying our squad almost half of what our rivals do to him not paying his lowest paid staff- those in most need during a global crisis

That’s a fair point on the ticket prices and salaries. But I believe we pay well when you add in bonuses, etc.

i also believe his grip on the purse strings will help us come out of this crisis relatively unscathed.

I personally believe it’s the correct decision to furlough and the correct decision to take advantage of the government scheme. But I think we should be making up the difference in salary.

Look at that, I think Levy has made a mistake, but done other things correctly.

In ending, I support the club, players, manager, directors, tea lady, programme sellers, etc.

 

[Devanteswing]

That’s a fair point on the ticket prices and salaries. But I believe we pay well when you add in bonuses, etc.

i also believe his grip on the purse strings will help us come out of this crisis relatively unscathed.

I personally believe it’s the correct decision to furlough and the correct decision to take advantage of the government scheme. But I think we should be making up the difference in salary.

Look at that, I think Levy has made a mistake, but done other things correctly.

In ending, I support the club, players, manager, directors, tea lady, programme sellers, etc.

Let's agree to disagree but I wasnt saying I didnt think the wages etc were a bad thing but their contentious points that are fair game to debate when talking about the commercial aspect.

 

[Spursidol]

I've ignored nobody.

Your answer is the closest but still isnt really an answer.

What are you supporting? You say you want the commercial side to succeed which I understand but there is a difference in supporting him charging high ticket prices or paying our squad almost half of what our rivals do to him not paying his lowest paid staff- those in most need during a global crisis and then not even making up the 20%.

It comes across as heartless, greedy and not something to be proud of. And that last bit is the important part. You want to be proud of your football club, you want to feel part of it, were all in it together. That's why you support them right? You may not like my point about singing etc but it's an example of the huge different between the way we look at say BA to our club.

I dont give a fuck about BA. I get their greedy , horrible to their staff and pay their bosses far to much, I dont want them to go out of business as people need the jobs and I'd imagine the furloughing is on a massive massive scale.

If I thought the future of the club depended on it I'd be with you but it doesnt. He could easily afford to at the very least make up the 20% but he doesnt because whilst he maybe good at saving money he comes across like a really greedy uncaring man and that means the club comes across that way to.

I dont want something I've loved all my life to be like that. Do you?

The point I've made on numerous times is the PFA have written to all players asking them not to make any agreement to cut pay without involving PFA.

Meanwhile PFA have pontificated and done nothing constructive for weeks - even after players at Barcelona, Juventus Bayern and other European clubs showed the way.

So Levy has brought things to the boil by issuing a statement saying 550 staff and Directors have taken a 20% pay cut - and for information, THST have said circa 40% or 200 staff have been put on government scheme of a maximum of £2,500 for 2 months so a total cost of £1m to HMG for the 2 months pay for the 200 staff. To put that number into perspective Spurs have paid £43m in corporation tax over the last 2 years - we are the highest payers in PL, and that tax payment is more than double the amount that the next 2 largest corporation tax payers (ManU and Woolwich) have paid in that time.

Levy's certainly succeeded in bringing things to a head - PL issued a statement earlier saying all clubs have agreed to suggest to players a 30% cut (some permanent and the rest deferred, how much of each may depend on the time before football restarts and amount tv/sponsors/season ticket holders claw back I guess).

Now PFA has been put in the position of having to make a decision - something its been avoiding for weeks. If PFA continues to avoid a decision all clubs will negotiate players direct.



BTW, one issue which I'm not sure everyone understands is the problem everyone is wrestling with is the money from tv, sponsors ticket sales etc is probably 25 % or more less than everyone was expecting - and the amount all clubs budgeted when agreeing player contracts. So if money is much less everyone involved needs to agree to take less - the biggest takers of revenue are the players hence they need to take less. If the players don't take less most clubs go bankrupt - even if Spurs are the last nan standing it will not be in great shape. And when the clubs go bankrupt all the non football staff also lose their jobs and wages. So its all down to the players now.


As an aside I was pleased to hear that PL are to advance Championship, League 1, League 2 and National League £125m as otherwise they too will go bust. Hope The FA offers to match that with support to both these clubs and clubs in leagues below the National League.

And also pleased to note PL are to channel to the NHS £20m.

 

[pipes]

Let's agree to disagree but I wasnt saying I didnt think the wages etc were a bad thing but their contentious points that are fair game to debate when talking about the commercial aspect.

Of course they are.

And I’m not fully in Board that we disagree. Or aren’t far apart at least.

We should be furloughing staff. To save money and to protect their health. But we should also be taking a hit to make up the difference from the £2500 or 80%. I firmly believe all businesses should be doing that.

 

[Herclueless]

What has Kane done in the past to show a character to be the first to want a paycut so that others get a full wage?

You don't think he comes across as a down to Earth, decent bloke? I do, or did, and would have thought such a person would forego a portion of his frankly ridiculous wage so that a lot of minimum wagers could keep their full income.

Clearly I overestimated him.

 

[Spursidol]

PL offer to EFL and National League. Advance payment certainly helps lower leagues cash flow (and for that reason it will be welcomed), but won't necessarily help all those clubs. Personally doubt if the lower leagues will ever be able to pay all of this back, but that might be pessimistic.

 

[Spursidol]

The Times now repeating the ball is in PFA court to make a decision - its been avoiding that for weeks

 

[BernardMatthews]

I am more of an easyjet united fan.

The late night European flights against AFC Virgin do get me excited.

 

[RESPECT THE COCK]

Everton and Chelsea reported losses of circa £100m each for last year, and their wage bills will have got larger this year.

Crikey. I was under the impression Chelsea had been attempting to run a tighter operation in the last few years.