TIME TO PAUSE

While the arguments continue over whether the football season should be paused or not, now is the perfect time to look at how the game is run. I could write a book on what's wrong with the Premier League but someones already done that, but it's no surprise that some of the richest clubs are showing their true colours.  

This no holds barred interview with a Premier League player says all you need to know. "It's absolutely disgusting the amount players get. It's ridiculous. We're just footballers, not brain surgeons. The fact that i'm paid more money than an actual brain surgeon is fucking stupid. And all the while millions live in poverty, getting cans of beans from a food bank. How can that be? I couldn't live with that, which is why I give it all away now. But the thing with this current situation is, it shouldn’t be left up to the lads to make individual donations. The non-playing staff wage bill isn’t that big. The club should fork out for that or the fucking owners should; they’re richer than any of us. The FA or Premier League or PFA or whoever should just say ‘no money for three months, we’re putting it all into an account to donate it to the NHS and other charities.’ Make it compulsory and across the board, including directors. So no-one has to make a choice. Because some will give all their money and some only a few quid. There are greedy, selfish bastards in football like in any walk of life and there are lovely lads who’d do anything they can to help."  

The outspoken Accrington Stanley Chairman Andy Holt has said many times that you have to be mad to take on a football league club and with the economic turmoil that is happening, just how many more lunatics will be left to come to footballs rescue? As he says 'Football is the only industry I have ever known where you're punished for being sensible.'  Football finance expert and author of 'Price of Football' Kieran Maguire said "I do think the football industry, which has been living on credit and living on owners subsidising clubs for many years, was in a very, very weak position if a relatively small shock hit the industry, but this is obviously far more than that. Football is not well placed to deal with this, it is a house of cards that we operate on and we all kind of accept that as well. For instance, operating looses in the Championship were round and about £600 million last season. Nobody is denying that the clubs are losing the money but it's always just accepted with a nod and a wink that somehow they'll muddle through on a the basis that there's another match soon and they'll get some money from that." 

So it's not a pause we need but a total reboot.  

For starters, I don't buy this argument that there are too many clubs. Each city, town, village, even housing estate is unique. People want to belong and their local football club is perfectly placed to bring people together.

So here's a few suggestions.

The English Football League have got to see sense over artificial pitches. They are going to become even more of a lifeline when football restarts. Refusing to promote clubs from the National League and worse threatening to relegate them if they don't rip them up if they get promoted, is insane. Slough's is in constant use, which as much as anything shows people that there is a club in town. 

Relax ground grading regulations A club getting an average gate of 80 doesn't need a 200 seater stand or a turnstile block. Instead help them invest in artificial pitches and community facilities. 

Put a cap on clubs spending to stop the Salford City's of this world buying promotion. Barnet lost £399,000 in 2018/19, Orient £2.7 million despite getting promoted. Notts County £2.8 million taking total losses over the last few years to a staggering £23 million! Bristol Rovers have debts of £24 million despite two recent promotions. And that's before the coronavirsus pandemic. Since then Yeovil have asked staff and players to take a 50% wage cut, Maidstone are talking about going part-time again and Barnet have sacked 60 staff.

Do we need a National League? Should part time players have to make Tuesday night trips from one end of the country to another? Slough have gradually added to our squad each season, with stability the key and the majority of our players on 100 plus games. When we go back to normal, how many companies are going to be flexible about players taking time off for a midweek trip to Hartlepool? How many self employed players who have taken a financial hit are going to be able to turn work down for a football match?

Advertising. Business is taking a battering - how many will have the spare cash for advertising and sponsorship? Already West Hams sleeve sponsor have gone into administration, how many others will go that way. If a company does survive, will supporting their local football club be top of their agenda? 

Programmes. Will they survive if advertisers desert them? I like a piece of paper in my hand but this virus has massively accelerated peoples use of tech and I can see many more programmes only being available on line. 

Thanks to our fantastic former chairman Steve 'Sensible' Easterbrook and a couple of decent FA Cup runs, Slough are in a sound financial position, even if we are not flushed with cash and have no big backers. If we got promoted we would no doubt be the poorest club in the National League. We can play on this backs-against-the-wall mentality but it's not exactly fair to have our legs tied together as well. I don't want a suicide mission. I want a level playing field based on sporting prowess because isn't that what all sport should be about?

When football does restart I expect, just like after the end of the Second World War, for people to flock back to football. But with finances tight we need to look at admission prices. We've already been dishing out free tickets to attract new people but I reckon the minimum we do is kids get in free with an adult. We need to be clever and show what we have been doing before the crisis, that Slough Town is a proper community club and not just about ninety minutes on the pitch.

And whenever we do restart, let's get off to a bang with the Vase and Trophy semi finals being made one leg at a big neutral venue that thousands can attend. Beats all those meaningless friendlies anyday, although suddenly Slough playing any sort of friendly, becomes a very enticing prospect.