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Let's not laugh at Leyton Orient

Jan 28, 2011
5,645
78,675
I hate the league's policy of draconian penalties like points deductions for clubs that go into administration. The idea of a deterrent is OK in theory if it deters crooked owners from dodging their obligations or trying to get an unfair advantage over the competition. But generally the days of Leeds Utd type "unfair competition" are over, and if it has been replaced it is by genuinely unfair oil and gas financed financial doping.

So all this punishment regime does in reality is make a very bad situatation for financially weak clubs even worse.

And as always the people who suffer the most are the supporters.

I'd tend to agree but for one thing.

The last team to gain the unfair advantage to which you refer was Leicester City. In October 2002, they went into administration, in part because they'd built up a large wage bill and because they'd had to pay for a new stadium. The club was rescued by a takeover and gained automatic promotion back to the Premiership that very same season.

It was only after several other clubs complained to the Football League, that the Football League introduced a ruling that any club placed in administration would be deducted ten points.

That promotion and their ability to just wipe away debt at a stroke of a pen had a positive knock-on effect on their stability as a club that meant that 14 years later they were in a position to win the Premier League ahead of two other clubs who had never gone into administration, always managed their pay bill and whose financial clout had been hit by the building of a new stadium.

So, while I understand your viewpoint, I'm bound to say that there must be punishments for clubs who can't get their financial shit together and, although I feel sorry for the fans, it may well be that, one day, those very same fans might turn out to be just like the entitled little shits who support Leicester City and so, given that, I really can't bring myself to agree.
 

beats1

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2010
30,006
29,551
Its insane how things worked out, 3 seasons ago I had all 3 of my local teams that I have lived near throughout my life, all in the playoffs

Derby in the championship play offs
The O's in the League 1 play offs
Burton in the league 2 play offs

All 3 teams all of them lost but they all looked good

Today, Derby and Burton are in the championship and Orient are in the drop zone in League 2

I dont understand how that has worked out
 

Led's Zeppelin

Can't Re Member
May 28, 2013
7,333
20,178
I'd tend to agree but for one thing.

The last team to gain the unfair advantage to which you refer was Leicester City. In October 2002, they went into administration, in part because they'd built up a large wage bill and because they'd had to pay for a new stadium. The club was rescued by a takeover and gained automatic promotion back to the Premiership that very same season.

It was only after several other clubs complained to the Football League, that the Football League introduced a ruling that any club placed in administration would be deducted ten points.

That promotion and their ability to just wipe away debt at a stroke of a pen had a positive knock-on effect on their stability as a club that meant that 14 years later they were in a position to win the Premier League ahead of two other clubs who had never gone into administration, always managed their pay bill and whose financial clout had been hit by the building of a new stadium.

So, while I understand your viewpoint, I'm bound to say that there must be punishments for clubs who can't get their financial shit together and, although I feel sorry for the fans, it may well be that, one day, those very same fans might turn out to be just like the entitled little shits who support Leicester City and so, given that, I really can't bring myself to agree.

I remember that.

I thought at the time that League didn't really understand what Administration was, and I still think that's true.

Certainly we need rules and sanctions to prevent abuses from happening, but it is a gross misunderstanding to assume that administration is always a dodge and that it must always be punished. Like all financial arrangements it can be abused but it is not something that a sporting authority ought to be uniformly treating as an abuse, in the way that the league doe rather ignorantly in my opinion.

If the league wants that sort of power, they need to show that they know how to exercise it responsibly and apply it when it is appropriate.
 

Ionman34

SC Supporter
Jun 1, 2011
7,182
16,793
School..
1967-1969
St Ignatius College, formerly Cardinal Allen school, Cotswold Way Nr Jolly Farmers, between Oakwood and Chase Side
1969-1970
St Ig's College. Turkey Street.

I lived in Stoke Newington during that time but came out on the rattler every school day, it was a kind of grammar school
back then. Entry dependent on exam results and connections.

I hated it and because they had never ever expelled any kid before I was asked to leave, which I gladly did.
My old man was born on Turkey Street. Lived on the top floor of the flats on Remington Road growing up.
My Nan lived there until the day she died. My Cousin and me used to go there Saturday morning, have tea with her then, when we started seeing the crowds making their way to the Lane, get on our toes.

God I miss them days, pure Gold.
 

Spurs 1961

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
6,665
8,739
Used to go to many Orient games when at school and lived within walking distance in Walthamstow, Sad times
 

WorcesterTHFC

Well-Known Member
May 4, 2016
1,777
2,545
This was a message that the Spurs trust sent:

We wanted to express our support and sympathy for your efforts to rescue your football club from the sorry state the current ownership has brought it to. Leyton Orient v Tottenham Hotspur is the original North London Derby and there have been many connections between fans of both clubs over the years. We hope to see a healthy, thriving LOFC emerge from the current crisis. We are happy to help you in whatever way we can.

Martin Cloake & Katrina Law | Co-Chairs
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust
The original North London Derby goes back to Orient's Clapton days, when they played their home games on Millfields Road in Lower Clapton, before moving to the Lea Bridge Road.
 

CosmicHotspur

Better a wag than a WAG
Aug 14, 2006
51,069
22,383
Great to see that two of their 18 year olds have scored today.

I really hope Orient can survive.
 

sbrustad

SC Supporter
Jan 27, 2011
1,893
2,580
Sad times. Been to watch them a couple of times when I've been in London to watch spurs. Also spent many, many hours managing them in Football Manager.. ;)

Donated £15. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but I really hope they manage to save their club.
 

Ray_Evans

SC Supporter
Aug 28, 2011
1,367
1,878

nailsy

SC Supporter
Jul 24, 2005
30,536
46,628
Nice 4-0 win yesterday for the O's. :)

Yeah, but it's a shame Hartlepool won as well as they're still six points away from safety. If they go into administration they'll get hit with a big points deduction anyway so their chances of staying up look pretty slim at the moment.
 

fridgemagnet

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2009
2,410
2,864
Crazy that £250k is "only" a weeks wages for some of the PL players, i say it all the time when the smaller clubs get wound up for owing amounts like 1to10K

Was it Darlington that built a larger ground, couldn't fill it and got wound up for owing relative peanuts?

I'm not suggesting it's for PL footballers to bail out others but it's going on out on loan to clubs like Orient and the fans that allows them to further their careers and go on to take home such generous wages.

How long/much would it take the players who grew up at London clubs to put a bit each in a pot and buy L.O and some of it's debt and hand the keys over to somebody decent in return for a certain percentage of their donation being paid back upon their retirement from the game. A sort of pension pot that keeps them involved with football doesn't seem the most mental of ideas although i grant you it's a very unlikely romantic idea that won't happen.

Football sometimes needs saving from itself and the FA should be sacked off, replaced and overhauled for incompetence and negligence the show on an alarming rate and scale.
 
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