The Future Is Blue And White

 For many seasons, Sheffield Wednesday supporters have witnessed their team decline, gone of the days of Chris Waddle thunder bolting a free kick in at Wembley stadium against Sheffield United in the famous FA Cup semi final that fine afternoon. Fast forward around 20 years. Sheffield Wednesday lay in the third tier of English football after dropping from the Premier Division in 2000. Since the relegation the club has endured a turbulent time on and off the pitch with little money available for club for over a decade, and having to buy second rate players on frees, loans or for nominal fees. This period of darkness for Sheffield Wednesday fans has also seen their team slip into the third tier of English football twice.


Since the drop from The Premier Division, the best finish Sheffield Wednesday have managed was a solid 9th placed finish in the 2006/2007 season. This for many fans of the club seemed like the club was moving in the direction once more, but the following season saw them finish 16th, normal service resumes at Hillsborough. The following season saw them rise to 12th. The 2009/2010 season was to be The Owls' last in the Championship as they was relegated on the final day of the season at Hillsborough in a thrilling 2-2 draw, a cracking game for the neutral, but a heart breaking one for Sheffield Wednesday fans, when the referee blew his whistle and confirmed the relegation of The Owls for the second time in a decade, Hillsborough dipped into silence, the only noise being heard was from the West Stand where Crystal Palace fans celebrated their survival. A pin could have been heard drop on The Kop. To some Sheffield Wednesday fans, the general feeling is, that is the end. The administrators would be brought in and the club would be put out of its misery after years of fighting off field issues. Tears all around Hillsborough were understandable, the electric atmosphere at the start of the match all the way through until that whistle went, I have never seen Hillsborough so alive, but then drop into such silence. I myself, had to try hold back a tear or two.

Tears around Hillsborough after the 2nd relegation
but, has this relegation been good for the club long term?

After the heartbreak of the previous season, The Owls' begin their next stint in League 1, with a home tie against Dagenham and Redbridge. This season had high expectations of all Sheffield Wednesday fans, after players such as Gary Teale and Clinton Morrison were signed up by then manager Alan Irvine. These players struggled to perform for the side, and what looked to be a promising start to the season suddenly fell into chaos. The club was on the brink of ending, the HMRC wanted their money, and the club was running on borderline insolvency. An 11th hour deal gave Sheffield Wednesday a lifeline, and the judge allowed more time for the deal to be pushed through, the sharks were circling around the troubled club. The club managed to starve off administration and Milan Mandaric was named new chairman of the club. He wasted no time in wiring funds to Irvine to sign players, quite possibly the best signing of the bunch was Gary Madine.

Results didn't improve and Mandaric put Irvine out of his misery after a 5-3 defeat to Peterborough at London Road. Gary Megson was drafted in, and things stagnated for the rest of the season, slight improvements were seen on the pitch, but in light of events over the season it could have been so much worse, the docking of the 10 points could have potentially had catastrophic events on the club, quite possibly consigning them to League 2. Thankfully this was not the case and the club bowed out in a very disappointing 15th place.

O'Grady cost Sheff Wed around 350k from Rochdale

Over the summer Megson has drafted in players such as Chris O'Grady, Chris Lines, Jose Semedo, Ryan Lowe who have all added quality to the side, which was much needed. The loan signing of Ben Marshall was a revelation at the club, and he will always be remembered by the faithful at S6. The skillful winger has a bright future ahead of him, but his future at the moment looks unclear. This current season has a great vibe about it, the squad want to play for the club, the fans are going to games with a smile on their face again. Megson has created a fantastic unity at the club, and managed to turn Hillsborough into a fortress to an extent with the club only losing once this season. Away, The Owls' can look shaky, but still can turn out solid results, a 2-0 win away to Preston and a more recent 3-1 win to Scunthorpe shows how far this club has come in the past 12 months alone.

Wednesday have a fantastic fan base, especially away

This is the big chance the club has of making its mark again in English football, a new era has been born at S6, the first challenge is to get the club fighting back in the Championship, somewhere, where it at the very least belongs, but its true home is The Premier League. Sheffield Wednesday is still acknowledged by many fans as a 'big club'. The fan base is fantastic, and a promotion from this division would be a great gift to the fans who have had to endure seasons of pain and tears and uncertainty of their club. The players have a fantastic bond with each other and are willing to fight to the end. This is a fantastic foundation to work on, and I hope this continues to happen at Hillsborough, as one day this fantastic club, brimming with history and passion returns to where it actually belongs.

The 'not' so beautiful game

Darlington look set to the the latest football sob story

In a day where, Inter Milan offer a sum of 21 million pounds for Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez, and later on in the day, the sad news that Darlington FC edge closer to the end, you couldn't ask for things to be put into perspective more. All of Darlingtons first team players and manager had their contracts terminated today by the administrators of the club. Whilst the top clubs in europe hurl chunks of eye watering money about which only sides in the lower leagues can dream of. Something a little wrong there?... I think so.

Darlington are another casulaty of the football world as they follow the likes of Chester, Kings Lynn and so forth into a 're-birth'. Hundreds of years of history wiped off, in a single pen stroke of the tax man. You could say, these clubs should not spend beyond their means, which some would say is a fair argument. But when other clubs are spending money around you, which they, themselves do not have. You need to spend to keep up with them, otherwise you will be left behind and effectivley bullied by other sides in the same league.

Drawing an example up with Sheffield Wednesday, when they were the cash strapped club they were, I feel we was bullied in the league because of our lack of funds, as in we couldn't buy the best players, or we got out bid by other teams for players who offered them higher salaries. So in actual fact when rivals start spending money, you are forced into the same posistion.

'The Darlington Arena' One of many factors that got
Darlington into financial bother

But the sickening truth is, the huge gap in the football ocean is huge, the FA should be doing more to combat this and ensure responsible spending, football clubs will continue to fall under the current status quo. When you read stories of players earning 250k a week, and getting 60 million pound transfers, and you have a club who cannot rub two pennies together, really does say everything that is wrong in football. The commercialisation of the game has not helped either, by encouraging clubs to spend big to showcase the biggest league in the world.

Money has taken the heart and soul out of football, the inch perfect bowl stadiums which have no feel of home are constantly being constructed. Whilst these are nice to the eye, the millions spent on these massive stadiums can endager the clubs stability, just one of the factors Darlington have suffered financially.

Going to the match to stand in a rain swept terrace and to look at the odd dodgey stand which was smaller than all the others, gave a British football ground the feeling of 'home'. Singing your heart out for 90 minutes whilst getting piss wet through gave that sense of togetherness, you only see in the lower leagues now. I would rather go to an original old ground, than a 'dome' any day. As they all look the same. Pride Park and The Riverside look exactly alike. Wheres the feeling of home there?. A football stadium is supposed to be unique a marker, that this is our home, and nothing can take that away.

The million dollor question really is, how do we stop teams from going under again?, there are a few ways of doing this, you cannot 100% stop a team from meltdown, but there are ways to prevent the problem as much as possible...

Wage Caps and Transfer Caps
This would be the easiest to implent, and something which everyone would agree is a fair yard stick, is to set league, wage and transfer caps against clubs, so they are suitable for the said divison they are in, but keeps them safe from over spending. This brings a nice balence to the divisons. Sides which are relegated whom may have higher wage bills in a lower league, won't be able to sign new players until they re-structure the wage bill, this would be a way to ensure an advantage is short-lived.

Propper 'fit for purpose' checks

Plymouth fans state their anger at their clubs decline

The FA has made a big noise about this issue, they have tried to implent this, but so far it seems to be failing, a bigger in depth look into prospective buyers history and actual wealth would help a lot. This will stop businessmen taking on something they can not financially sustain.

'Football Insurance' 
Now, this is an idea I have thought about, basically, every football club from, the Premier Divison to League Two, would pay a certain amount of money in every season, contributions are subject to the clubs wealth and league, so a Premier Divison club would pay a higher amount than a League Two club. Basically acting as a safety net for ALL clubs who get into financial problems. You could say its an IMF of football. This money is paid out to clubs who are struggling to help them pay off debts, or some of the debt. But then the club has to pay that 'loan' back, over an agreed amount of time when they manage to get back on their feet. This alone would save many clubs, think how much a season you could collect, 2-3 million perhaps? if all clubs agreed to pay a contribution?. Its a bizzare idea. But clubs would argue why should they pay for other clubs financial problems...

No matter what you suggest, something needs to be done to stop clubs falling into administration, fans are following their team up and down the country every Saturday, following the team they love, to wake up one morning and find out they have been sat on a huge amount of debt, and are about to be liquidated in a court room.

Money is killing the beautiful game.