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Clegg: Important to Keep to Budget
Clegg: Important to Keep to Budget
Friday, 13th Jul 2012 07:00

Chief executive Simon Clegg says it’s important for the club to keep to a budget and not give into the often excessive demands of players and their agents. As the Championship moves towards the Financial Fair Play break-even model, manager Paul Jewell and new signing Luke Chambers believe all parties are starting to adjust to a future in which money will be less plentiful at this level.

Clegg is aware that fans are always desperate to see deals done but says sometimes a line has to be drawn: “Fans want these issues to be done instantaneously and the club should just capitulate with whatever figures are demanded.

“We’ve got to operate within a budget. My number one priority is to safeguard the financial situation of this club. I’m not going to lead us down the road of administration again.

“We also need to recognise what’s happening out there in the wider Championship — wages and transfer fees are coming down.”

Jewell says agents are starting to get the message and that out of contract players will also soon begin to come to terms with the Championship’s new situation: “There are a few players who are out of contract who were getting paid by their clubs, but next month they’ll stop getting paid and they’ll realise that football, as I’m tired of saying, is like any other industry, it’s struggling.

“OK, you’ve got the top guys in the Premier League who are always going to spend, but the rest of football financially is in a bit of trouble. We’ve got to be sensible about it.

“Look at Rangers, I said that last year and people said ‘that can’t happen to us’ but it could do, it could happen to anyone.”

The move to the break-even model doesn’t mean that some sides won’t have significant cash to spend and Jewell admits that the Blues won’t be competing on a level playing field with some of them: “I don’t want to comment on other clubs, but when you come down from the Premier League you do get a £40-odd million parachute payment, so that helps.

“At the end of the day, takeovers happen and sometimes someone decides to have a gamble. Birmingham City’s owner came with big ideas and that went a bit wrong for him.

“We’ve got to be honest, we haven’t got fortunes to spend. Certainly at Ipswich there isn’t a lot of money to spend, we’ve got to work to a budget and I’ve got no problem with that.

“If you said to me I’d got £10 million to spend or £100,000 to spend, I’d rather have the £10 million, but I haven’t got that, so I’m happy to work with what I’ve got.”

New signing Chambers says he’s noticed that Championship wages have been dropping in recent seasons: “It’s not just something a chief executive talks about, it’s a fact.

“I think they’ve slowly been coming down for the last three years and being on a free transfer makes it a lot easier for me personally and a lot easier for the club to conclude a deal.

“From what we understand as players, I think the chairmen meet every year and discuss things like wages and I think these things have to come to account because we’re not living in the times we were living in three, four or five years ago and football shouldn’t be immune to that.”

The 26-year-old became the Blues’ second signing of the summer earlier this week but says fans may have to be patient when it comes to further additions with the Championship market having been slow so far this summer: “When you look at the transfer fees that people are demanding and wages on top, and I’m not putting any pressure on Simon whatsoever, it’s difficult to get players in.

“There’s hardly been any movement whatsoever in the Championship and I think that will continue for the next couple of weeks at least.”

With Jewell looking for three of four more signings, Clegg agrees with the club's new central defender: “There’s not been a huge amount of movement in the Championship so far. There’s still a long way to go until the window closes, so let’s see where we get to.”

Photo: Action Images


Photo: Action Images



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MaySixth added 07:18 - Jul 13
i.e "We will not be signing Tom Heaton"
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itfc1981 added 07:27 - Jul 13
Totally agree, we would not want give big contracts to players like Bullard would we!

Yes, well played lets stay in the Championship forever and lose more money in the long term.
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ScottCandage added 07:35 - Jul 13
As long as FPP doesn't rely on only (box office+radio+tv) - (players-staff-upkeep) and includes on the plus side any and every revenue stream available, I think whoever is in charge will get ahead of the game. Up the Freaking Blues!
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BlueBoots added 07:37 - Jul 13
"There's still a long way to go until the window closes, so let's see where we get to."

Let's run that through the Clegg translator:

"We won't spend a penny on transfer fees until at least mid-August when ME's worked out how much cash he's made from the Olympics"
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itfc1981 added 07:49 - Jul 13
Go Guam! Go Guam!
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jlcollins added 07:50 - Jul 13
I agree with clegg!! Wow I neva fort I'd say that!!!! But he is right, clubs like Ipswich have a budget and they have 2 stick 2 it, look at the mess this club was in 8yrs ago, I'm as impatient as any fan and want 2 see players coming in 2day, but that's not goin 2 happen, I beleve that pj, clegg and evans WILL get us out of this league, they r ticking all the right boxes, young players coming in, wages under control, debts managable and for the first time in years I see a little hope in itfc fans faces. Love them or hate them, I think that we all have 2 admit that pj, clegg and evans, deserve a little credit for dragging this club out of near extinction!!!!!!!!! COYB
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bigolconnor added 08:02 - Jul 13
Fair enough
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evansblue added 08:03 - Jul 13
I agree with you jlcollins and I have no issues with anything said by the club in this article.
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Mark added 08:06 - Jul 13
Clegg is right, all of football needs to keep to its budgets. Part of the problem here is the raising of expectations when Evans took over the club, and the high confidence levels about getting into the Premier League which is what his business model seemed to be all about.

I hope fans realise that with much less to spend than Magilton or Keane, Jewell's job is far tougher and promotion will be much more difficult that it was before (and even then we came nowhere close!). Investing in youth and scouting, and taking a long-term view has to be the way to go, and I am glad we are doing that finally.
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sereneblue added 08:10 - Jul 13
Itfc81
Your a gold plated muppet. If the CEO did spend more money than the club has,it wouldn't even come under the heading of a "calculated risk" it would be shear stupidity! A true fan ( which I really dought you are) would rather see us stay in existence than go down the plug hole like Portsmouth and Rangers.
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itfc1981 added 08:30 - Jul 13
sereneblue. Poor board moves has meant we enter FFP in a very poor state. A if they appointed good managers the cash they had would have been ample to get us up. B as we have stayed down attendances have collaspes which means under FFP rules we have less room to manouver. The blame lies at Clegg and Evans door.

They can only spend money by FFP rules for a couple more seasons so, it would be a calculated risk, after that we are stuck in the championship for years rattling around in an empty stadium.

Funny our fans think after spending loads under Jim and Keane Evans money has dried up, Its still there, he has just taken a different line at the worst possible time for ITFC.
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oldbluestu added 08:38 - Jul 13
itfc1981 - if more fans stopped moaning and purchased a season ticket the club would have more money to spend on players.
The trouble with Town fans is they moan moan moan and want everything for free..
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itfc1981 added 08:53 - Jul 13
Oldbluestu. very true. The board will have to reflect on why people choose not to go then wont they.
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Brazils_Hair added 08:58 - Jul 13
Doubt - To be uncertain about/consider questionable

Dought - no known meaning in the English language
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jlcollins added 09:02 - Jul 13
You can't blame evans and clegg itfc1981, the blame lies at the door of the previous owners, the only reason we rattle around in a half empty stadium, is they spent money we didn't have on stands we won't fill in the championship, b4 those stands went up our average attendance was 18,000, I watched games in the old division 1 when the attendance was 12,000, the club is stable, the fans are still coming through the turnstiles, and there is hope, I'm happy so stop moaning and support the people that have kept this club alive!!!! COYB
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irishtim added 09:02 - Jul 13
Have to agree with what mr clegg had to say. We dont want to end up like portsmouth. Lets keep the club stable, invest in youth & we will getn there.
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Marshalls_Mullet added 09:06 - Jul 13
Agree Cleggy, but please..................... dont tar us all with the same brush!!
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TR11BLU added 09:10 - Jul 13
I agree entirely with Clegg here, jlcollins and Evansblue also. Think we all need to understand that unless in the league of Man City owners (not for me, loss of identity etc)who can sustain the ridiculous fees/wages then short term gambles will always end in tears. Give me sensible wages to players who are hungry from lower down and the youths and a decent style of footy and I will continue to follow this club up and down the country through thick and thin.
Bullard is an example of how NOT to do business. Its no coincidence that his performances waned (when actually 'fit')once he had his contract, but thats another story.
COYB Boys
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oldbluestu added 09:13 - Jul 13
yes itfc1981 - not true fans

Other clubs who have spent a lot less than us and below us in the league have more season ticket holders
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itfc1981 added 09:14 - Jul 13
Marcus Evans = Wealthy owner

I seem to have missed us being taken over by a poorper.
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oldbri added 09:17 - Jul 13
Do I detect a slight change in the attitude of posters.A new dawn maybe.CLEGG IN. CLEGG IN. LOL.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 09:19 - Jul 13
itfc1981 - you seem to miss a lot of things
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suffolklad added 09:31 - Jul 13
Supporters have to except the club is being run as a championship side and only with alot of luck will we get into the premiership.So as supporters we have to get behind them which ever league we are in.
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greenkingtone added 10:09 - Jul 13
May I remind ITFC81 it is not your money. Its Marcus Evans' money and he is not a Russian oligarch. Spending money is not a sure route to success.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 10:16 - Jul 13
'Oligarch' - wow, thats word of the week. I had to look it up.
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