Daniel Levy - Chairman

[Bedfordspurs]

Yeah I get that and as @Grays_1890 says, it must burn handing Ndombele 200k a week. But I’m looking in terms of our wages to turnover ratio which is always the lowest in the league by a good distance. That to me indicates he’s too conservative on wages.

But, let’s be fair, I know fudge all about running a football club. So I can offer an opinion, but there’s a decent chance I’m wrong.

No, it also shows that other clubs are spending too much on wages

 

[DTA]

We've had about 15 transfers (ins and outs, including loans and obligations to buy). If Levy's negotiating made us 2m on average per deal then that's probably the difference between getting Johnson and not getting him.
Instead, we just hear fans shouting "Pay the extra couple of mill and get him in early" without being able to see that all those couple of million add up. Yes, there's times to go out on a limb for a certain player but in general we have to get the biggest bang for a buck in order to compete.

I mean I don’t want to go all @scaramanga here, but the majority of the Enic out lot are fûcking dumb cünts that have never achieved anything with their lives but feel empowered to tell someone like Levy they are not good enough to run the club.

there are exceptions @Finney Is Back for one is intelligent and although I disagree with a lot of what he says regarding Levy, I respect his input as it’s at least considered… if bias.

 

[DeanoAustin]

No, it also shows that other clubs are spending too much on wages

I don’t know if that’s necessarily true. I’m a believer that if 19 clubs are doing something and 1 club isn’t, the 1 club is probably doing it wrong. Time will tell on this one but I don’t believe that clubs like Man U or Liverpool are going to suffer any serious ramifications from spending a higher percentage of their revenue on wages.

Don't we have the biggest bonuses in the prem though (at least i think we did a while back)?

Having said that. I've said for a while i would like new owners though. I think levy is too risk averse.But i won't hate them for it. I understand their perspective. I'd just like to see us go to the next level. Which admittedly is going to be difficult when you have countries owning teams.

Yeah I believe Levy is huge on pay for performance. And that’s absolutely the right way to run a business. That way, our wage spend only soars if revenue soars from CL qualification or whatever. Makes perfect sense and is fiscally responsible. But if I’m a player and one club is offering me a guaranteed wage and another club is offering the same wage only if I meet certain targets, most of which rely on the performance of my team mates, I know which offer we’re all more likely to accept. That’s where my belief is that Levy is too fiscally conservative and too good a businessman to be a truly successful chairman.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I don’t know if that’s necessarily true. I’m a believer that if 19 clubs are doing something and 1 club isn’t, the 1 club is probably doing it wrong. Time will tell on this one but I don’t believe that clubs like Man U or Liverpool are going to suffer any serious ramifications from spending a higher percentage of their revenue on wages.



Yeah I believe Levy is huge on pay for performance. And that’s absolutely the right way to run a business. That way, our wage spend only soars if revenue soars from CL qualification or whatever. Makes perfect sense and is fiscally responsible. But if I’m a player and one club is offering me a guaranteed wage and another club is offering the same wage only if I meet certain targets, most of which rely on the performance of my team mates, I know which offer we’re all more likely to accept. That’s where my belief is that Levy is too fiscally conservative and too good a businessman to be a truly successful chairman.

By your logic If 1 club is winning everything and 19 others aren’t… they are the club to copy ?
If only we were owned by a country
All clubs are trying to get their wages down
Most have been over paying to retain players

 

[DeanoAustin]

By your logic If 1 club is winning everything and 19 others aren’t… they are the club to copy ?
If only we were owned by a country
All clubs are trying to get their wages down
Most have been over paying to retain players

It’s not really the same. Only one club can win a league. All clubs have the choice of what % of revenue to spend on wages and we consistently rank at the bottom of that table. I’m not suggesting we go all Everton, who have been reckless, but there is a lot of headroom to spend more. Levy chooses not to.

 

[Lilbaz]

It’s not really the same. Only one club can win a league. All clubs have the choice of what % of revenue to spend on wages and we consistently rank at the bottom of that table. I’m not suggesting we go all Everton, who have been reckless, but there is a lot of headroom to spend more. Levy chooses not to.

There isn't that much head room tbf. This year yes. We're not in europe so their rules won't apply. But the allowance for wages, agents fees and amortisation will be dropping over the next couple of years to settle at 70% of turnover. Prem have voted to follow suit but need agreement with the efl first.

It's difficult to judge where we are at the moment. Our wages are fairly low but we have spent quite a bit over the last couple of years so our amortisation will be high. No cl cuts our turnover quite a bit and any financials we see, are out of date. As players have joined/left since.

We do have some wiggle room. Other clubs do need to cut though. Across europe. Think we are seeing that.

 

[monkeybarry]

Vicario
Porro
VdV
Maddison
Solomon
Johnson

Ok, fine.
But where the fudge is the N'Randomer?! Or is it actually Brenna N'Johnson? They do have some odd names in Wales, so could be.

 

[Roland Beurre]

Sanchez is faster. But if he costs a goal a game what use is his pace?

A goal a game is stronging it a bit. Even one "heart in the mouth" moment a game is possibly over-egging it.

I will say, Dier probably takes a better penalty than Sanchez.

 

[Gazza Dazzla]

I mean I don’t want to go all @scaramanga here, but the majority of the Enic out lot are fûcking dumb cünts that have never achieved nothing with their lives but feel empowered to tell someone like Levy they are not good enough to run the club.

there are exceptions @Finney Is Back for one is intelligent and although I disagree with a lot of what he says regarding Levy, I respect his input as it’s at least considered… if bias.

Never go full @scaramanga

 

[monkeybarry]

A goal a game is stronging it a bit. Even one "heart in the mouth" moment a game is possibly over-egging it.

I will say, Dier probably takes a better penalty than Sanchez.

I think Sanchez will be really useful under Ange, the style and shape will mean his pace will be very useful and his weaknesses will matter less.
Yes he'll still make errors, but he's 3rd choice should you'd expect that. For a team aiming for top 6 he's about right level as 3rd choice.

I'd say overall our squad is about right for where are and where we want to go. It doesn't need many additions now, it's needs time to gel and grow.
Maybe it needs a CF next summer, depending on what Richi, Johnson and Veliz do. And a transition past Sanchez - this might be Phillips in the next year or two, with the focus on Romero and VdV becoming a solid partnership.

GK. Strong. Backup needed in next year or two.
RB. Sorted.
CB. Strong. Scope for development of 3rd choice.
LB. Strong.
CM. Strong with huge scope for progression.
AM. Strong. Question mark over GLC as back up.
Wide forwards. Strong.
CF. Question mark. Hard to judge because we've been blessed with greatness for so long. Will will even play with a CF?!

It's a pretty young squad - only Davies, Son, Perisic and 2nd choice GK over 30. Even Royal is only 24!

It's a squad that'll push for EL this season.
Should definitely qualify for EL next season with a possible CL push.
Season three, CL qualification is realistic.
That all depends on development of course and if any other clubs have a printing press in the board room.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

It’s not really the same. Only one club can win a league. All clubs have the choice of what % of revenue to spend on wages and we consistently rank at the bottom of that table. I’m not suggesting we go all Everton, who have been reckless, but there is a lot of headroom to spend more. Levy chooses not to.

It is though
Because we know the team that spends the most wins
We can’t spend the most as we’re not funded by a country
So operating at a sensible level is what is needed
The ratio is always proportionate don’t forget.

 

[SpurMeUp]

A goal a game is stronging it a bit. Even one "heart in the mouth" moment a game is possibly over-egging it.

I will say, Dier probably takes a better penalty than Sanchez.

Sanchez - and we've seen him play for years now - tends to have a couple of mistakes a game. We saw it in the last game. He was turned inside out and we conceeded a goal. Then for the pen his head wsan't right - which is always the problem with him. To be fair he made some good blocks too.

In the CB position it is more important to have a player who's making less errors, and in Ange's system can move the ball around. While Sanchez has a decent pass on him, his head is never right, and he dallies and passes back. Then losses confidence and spaffs a few wayward passes as we saw against Fullham. He needs to drop down a level so he can feel he's the man, and pay with some confidence. Then he could look very good. Using that pace and last ditch tackling ability. But for us, playing in a high pressure setup, he doesn't have the confidence, mentality or skill level on the ball. For me, and its just my opinion, Dier is a more reliable option. We've seen him play well in spells. We've never really seen Sanchez cut out the mistakes and look settled.

 

[Hotspur75]

I think Sanchez will be really useful under Ange, the style and shape will mean his pace will be very useful and his weaknesses will matter less.
Yes he'll still make errors, but he's 3rd choice should you'd expect that. For a team aiming for top 6 he's about right level as 3rd choice.

I'd say overall our squad is about right for where are and where we want to go. It doesn't need many additions now, it's needs time to gel and grow.
Maybe it needs a CF next summer, depending on what Richi, Johnson and Veliz do. And a transition past Sanchez - this might be Phillips in the next year or two, with the focus on Romero and VdV becoming a solid partnership.

GK. Strong. Backup needed in next year or two.
RB. Sorted.
CB. Strong. Scope for development of 3rd choice.
LB. Strong.
CM. Strong with huge scope for progression.
AM. Strong. Question mark over GLC as back up.
Wide forwards. Strong.
CF. Question mark. Hard to judge because we've been blessed with greatness for so long. Will will even play with a CF?!

It's a pretty young squad - only Davies, Son, Perisic and 2nd choice GK over 30. Even Royal is only 24!

It's a squad that'll push for EL this season.
Should definitely qualify for EL next season with a possible CL push.
Season three, CL qualification is realistic.
That all depends on development of course and if any other clubs have a printing press in the board room.

Excellent post, agree with everything but for the final paragraph. With the PL transfer craze as it is, and the rules for CL qualification about to change, planning of the kind you suggest is a great idea - one I totally support btw - but I wonder if it's still possible. I think we should hope to make the most this season of having only one game a week. And hope that we fluke 4th place, even though quality-wise we do not have one of the best four squads in the league.

 

[Lemonade Money]

Never go full @scaramanga

Unless you are @scaramanga, then always go full @scaramanga.

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

It’s not really the same. Only one club can win a league. All clubs have the choice of what % of revenue to spend on wages and we consistently rank at the bottom of that table. I’m not suggesting we go all Everton, who have been reckless, but there is a lot of headroom to spend more. Levy chooses not to.

I think we can up our %, and I think that was the plan post stadium and when all our finances had been streamlined and set (which they are now) Of course, COVID got in the way and probably cost us £200m (approx).

The irony about being 'annoyed' about it, is anyone governing the game would suggest a guideline percentage (as they are now introducing) and would undoubtedly recommend contracts be performance structured so in effect your wage bill is pegged to the up and downs of your season outcomes. All for the health of clubs and the good of the game.

So the reality is we operate in a way that should be a blueprint but suffer the consequences of that (which is ultimately quite sad)

 

[Chrissivad]

I think we can up our %, and I think that was the plan post stadium and when all our finances had been streamlined and set (which they are now) Of course, COVID got in the way and probably cost us £200m (approx).

The irony about being 'annoyed' about it, is anyone governing the game would suggest a guideline percentage (as they are now introducing) and would undoubtedly recommend contracts be performance structured so in effect your wage bill is pegged to the up and downs of your season outcomes. All for the health of clubs and the good of the game.

So the reality is we operate in a way that should be a blueprint but suffer the consequences of that (which is ultimately quite sad)

I'm not sure it was.
The stadium increases what that % value is, but I didn't expect the % to move much if at all.

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

I'm not sure it was.
The stadium increases what that % value is, but I didn't expect the % to move much if at all.

I agree to a point, but I'm sure there is an aim to increase the %.... especially if you think you're heading (or hoping) to reach the elite group. It's almost a forced consequence of aiming that high.

I'm sure we are happy in the 55-60% range.

Is the managers (and the eventual pay-offs) included in the salary % totals?

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

Excellent post, agree with everything but for the final paragraph. With the PL transfer craze as it is, and the rules for CL qualification about to change, planning of the kind you suggest is a great idea - one I totally support btw - but I wonder if it's still possible. I think we should hope to make the most this season of having only one game a week. And hope that we fluke 4th place, even though quality-wise we do not have one of the best four squads in the league.

I think we have a squeak (especially if it's top 5).
Man United and Chelsea both look capable of either not sorting themselves out or underperforming.

City Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Arsenal all look solid as a group. Both Arsenal and Saudi Sportswashing Machine have the extra European game schedule to deal with this year.

I think Liverpool will get their act together for at least top 4.

Hope that Brighton or Villa don't go on a tear. Once again both with Europe to worry about.

No Europe for us could be worth 10-12 pts imo

 

[DeanoAustin]

It is though
Because we know the team that spends the most wins
We can’t spend the most as we’re not funded by a country
So operating at a sensible level is what is needed
The ratio is always proportionate don’t forget.

That's false equivalence. Only one team can win a league or cup and we're probably not going to compete with the likes of City and my argument isn't about being the biggest spenders in the league. Every club has a decision to make on how much of their turnover to spend on wages. We make a decision to keep it lower than everyone else. You have to ask if we're doing it right when the other 19 clubs spend more (in terms of the percentage of their revenue) on wages than we do. This is where I believe the criticism of Levy has some validity and I would personally agree with criticism of him in that respect. I can fully understand people disagreeing with me but you surely have to see the difference.

I think we can up our %, and I think that was the plan post stadium and when all our finances had been streamlined and set (which they are now) Of course, COVID got in the way and probably cost us £200m (approx).

The irony about being 'annoyed' about it, is anyone governing the game would suggest a guideline percentage (as they are now introducing) and would undoubtedly recommend contracts be performance structured so in effect your wage bill is pegged to the up and downs of your season outcomes. All for the health of clubs and the good of the game.

So the reality is we operate in a way that should be a blueprint but suffer the consequences of that (which is ultimately quite sad)

I think the way we are governed is very, very sensible. From a business and sustainability point of view, it makes perfect sense. I believe Levy is an absolutely brilliant businessman and a very, very safe pair of hands. But we're in a competitive environment. And one where some clubs have endless funds and will do anything to succeed. Even if performance related pay becomes the recommended gold standard, clubs will deviate from that to gain any advantage they can. It's sad but that will not change.

 

[Grays_1890]

I think we have a squeak (especially if it's top 5).
Man United and Chelsea both look capable of either not sorting themselves out or underperforming.

City Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Arsenal all look solid as a group. Both Arsenal and Saudi Sportswashing Machine have the extra European game schedule to deal with this year.

I think Liverpool will get their act together for at least top 4.

Hope that Brighton or Villa don't go on a tear. Once again both with Europe to worry about.

No Europe for us could be worth 10-12 pts imo

I said before the start of the season that this season has the chance to be the most open ever, bar City and thus far I think it probably looks more open than I thought. United look like the bismark, Saudi Sportswashing Machine are abit licorice allsorts, Villa and Brighton taken a bad loss and sole good games. Liverpool and Chelsea look the most solid from the pack early doors, the rest could be absolutely anything