Football: Pinefox Prediction Proves Prophetic

the most worrying trend in football must be the way that the financial survival of clubs in the lower English divisions appears to depend on television deals. Is this the result of very poor accounting practices on the part of the clubs? Have they upped the players' wages, built new stands and other facilities etc etc "safe" in the knowledge that they would always have the tv revenue, without thinking that perhaps this wouldn't always be available to them? Or is the financial dependence of these clubs on tv not as extreme as the media would have us believe?

The Chairmen of these clubs are mincewitted idiots in the main; they have no conception of running a budget, they subsidise the losses and write it off against tax in their other businesses and count the money as a loan and get it paid when they sell the club to someone else.

Some clubs looked at the Monkey Spanker TV business plan and realised something didn't add up; they therefore assumed that the money might come, and if so, treat it as capital, not revenue. Most didn't though - it merely paid off existing debts.

The most worrying trend in football is surely Arsenal winning the league.

the least worrying trend in football is that all clubs and sports broadcast media are going bust

N. I salute you. The wisest comment for many a week on ILE.

Don't forget the cup....

What if Liverpool had won?

I'd be a lot happier.