A captivating yet fragile division begins its frenzied run-in on Saturday with Leeds and West Brom well-placed for promotion but much else is hard to call and precarious finances loom largeOn the face of it, it is not the most mouthwatering Championship ding-dong but if anything sums up the increasingly dog-eat-dog nature of the division it is confirmation that the bottom club, Barnsley, this week refused to allow Mallik Wilks to extend his loan at Hull for the remainder of the season for fear of strengthening a relegation rival. Looking after number one is the priority with nine games remaining, even if they are clinging on to their second-tier status by a thread and so, at the end of the...
The argument for financial reform is at last beyond credible dispute as historic clubs face ruin owing to the Covid-19 crisisEven before football was plunged into crisis by the Covid-19 pandemic, influential people in the game were discussing the need for the Premier League’s improbable fortunes to be shared more equally. As historic, stalwart lower-division and semi-professional clubs stare at ruin, and promised investment could drain from the grassroots, the argument is finally beyond credible dispute.However the Premier League resolves its struggle to finish this season so that it can clutch the remainder of the TV money, it will still be a huge draw for broadcast billions when normal life finally returns. The pre-pandemic position, that the big clubs keep...
Ben Mercer’s thought-provoking new book offers an insight into the life of an itinerant rugby union player, a lifestyle likely to become a thing of the pastIf the penny is not already dropping for the majority of English rugby’s professional rugby players it soon will. When the sport does finally resume there will be tighter budgets, fewer alternative boltholes for those out of contract and, in the worst-case scenario, a rise in insolvent clubs. Aside from a lucky few, rugby’s age of austerity is about to kick off in earnest.The repercussions are starting to lap at the feet of Premiership players during the current lockdown and things will become significantly worse should the next Premiership TV deal involve less money...
The Bedford fly-half Will Hooley accepts wage cuts are necessary during the crisis but asks have those running the sport been maximising its potential?Unprecedented times call for drastic measures. People are struggling to cope with lockdown and the financial pressures that come with it. Rugby players are no exception.A front-row forward suddenly knows more about the government’s furlough scheme and pay cuts than many who work within the financial sector. I am one of the players, coaches, physios and other support staff who have found our lives turned upside down. But this is not just about reducing player wages to help clubs survive the crisis. The parlous state of the game’s finances pre-dates Covid-19. Related: The Breakdown | Shutdown gives...
The innovative manager of the Championship promotion hopefuls will stop at nothing to take the club forward Lee Johnson is discussing confidence and courage, traits that will likely go some way to determining his team’s play-off credentials across the remaining nine games of another marathon Championship season, though he is not talking Bristol City but rather a night behind-the-scenes at Cirque du Soleil.“It is not as random as football but it is interesting to see how athletes control their environment,” he says in an Ashton Gate office usually home to Mark Ashton, the club’s chief executive officer. “It’s a billion-dollar business all over the world and they are often put in dangerous situations. There’s a sphere the size of this...