Today`s News
Author: Niall Shaw Date: Friday, 13th Sep 2002Today`s roundup of Pars News.
SPL clubs in denial over cash crisis fears
It is a familiar mantra at this time of year, and one that the author of the report has grown tired of. Now in its 13th year, the Price Waterhouse Coopers financial review of Scottish football has brought bad news for the game on each of the past five years. On this occasion, the report has highlighted record combined losses of £48million for season 2000/01, taking the level of debt shared by the 12 clubs in the Scottish Premier League from £55million to £132million. Three clubs paid out more in wages than they earned in total revenue, and four clubs were technically insolvent.
Despite these figures showing a dangerous deterioration when compared to the previous year`s unimpressive results, the Scottish Premierleague insisted yesterday that the top flight clubs are "moving in the right direction".
"Dunfermline`s [wage bill] went up £1.6million; Dundee`s flew up; even Dundee United`s went up £0.5million. They said not to worry about it because they had it under control. Well, it didn`t happen that season. And I`m not convinced it happened last season. It certainly didn`t happen at Rangers, and Celtic`s figures are flattered by the Champions League run."
The three clubs who spent more on wages than their entire turnover were Dunfermline, Dundee and Motherwell. Dundee insist that they have responded to the rapid changes in the game since that season.
Scotmsan Full Report.
Dunfermline boss backs his strike veteran for Scotland
The man is getting on a bit, all right. Nudging his 36th birthday in December as it happens. But right here, right now, Brewster is the best Scottish striker in the business.
His manager knows it, the fans of Dunfermline know it and you suspect the player himself knows it, even if he would never admit it publicly.
More than that, he is making Scotland`s current second-best striker, Stevie Crawford, even better by the week.
Crawford, Scotland`s only real success in the Faroes, is bound to be handed a jersey by Berti Vogts as we attempt a European Championship face-saving mission in Iceland next month.
Daily Record full report
Climbdown opens the transfer window
FIFA yesterday bowed to mounting pressure and agreed to allow out-of-contract players to sign for clubs when the transfer window is closed.
Having been lobbied by a number of member associations, including the SFA, football`s governing body has decreed that players who did not have a club when the current transfer window closed on 31 August can be registered by their national association.
Those players who feared for their livelihood at the end of last month have been offered a welcome reprieve, a decision both SFA chief executive David Taylor and Players` Union secretary Tony Higgins hailed as eminently sensible.
Taylor was among those who wrote to FIFA regarding reservations about the sweeping nature of the transfer window, which became, in truth, a registrations window also. It worked against those players who, due to no fault of their own, were suddenly rendered redundant for a four-month spell before the transfer window opens again in January.
Scotsman full report
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