A good article in the times

[Chris Moss Acid]

This is a must read for any football fan.

 

 

 

Quiz question: What have Chelsea and AFC Bournemouth got in common? Answer: They are both top of their leagues – and are banned from signing players.

 

That, though, is where the similarities end. Chelsea are not reduced to naming only three substitutes and will not have to field their assistant manager, who retired three years ago, in their next game.

It is also highly unlikely that Carlo Ancelotti will field a player still suffering from the after-effects of swine flu, or another who can kick with only one leg. And Chelsea did not have to go to court on Monday to ask for a stay of execution against a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs.

 

Such are the perils facing Bournemouth, who are burdened by debts of just over £1 million, yet somehow they are top of League Two, after avoiding relegation last season despite a 10-point deduction for going into administration. In Eddie Howe, 31, they have the youngest manager in the league – and have produced their best start to a campaign yet.

 

The Football League, who imposed a ban on signing new players, relented last week when Bournemouth were unable to name the minimum three substitutes by agreeing to the emergency loan of West Ham's Antony Edgar, 19. But hopes of adding Leicester's Maxi Gradel were rejected on Monday.

 

So for Tuesday night's Johnstone's Paint Trophy game at Northampton, Howe will include his assistant Jason Tindall, now 31, and very much in retirement. He may, though, rest Ryan Garry.

 

"Ryan is still struggling with the side effects of swine flu and he's weak," said Howe, who has six of his 19 players injured. "He played 70 minutes at Port Vale. But the big issue we have is with a player who is playing on one leg because he has a slight problem with one of the muscles in his leg.

 

"We spoke to the Football League and said you could be risking a player's career here, because they're playing with injuries and it's not right. But we have no other option.

"

Eddie Mitchell, the chairman, was disappointed he did not get eight wee

ks' leave from HMRC on Monday but is confident he can repay debts by the end of November instead.

 

"We've got a lot going for us, a hell of a lot, but we just have to get our house in order," said Mitchell, a well-respected property developer who took over in the summer. "We have to clear the HMRC debt of £180,000 and maintain a certain amount of cash and pay wages."

 

Local man Mitchell, whose company has a £25 million-a-year turnover, specialises in the 'upper end' of the property market. "We have just built an £8 million house for a Russian.

 

" No, it was not Roman Abramovich, but Mitchell would be delighted if his ilk spared a thought for the boys at the rough end of the league.

"If there isn't help passed down from the top it's going to be like the supermarkets," added Mitchell. "The corner shop is going to disappear and there are just going to be the big boys."

 

Mitchell admits he came into football to give his son Tom, now 21, a chance to become a footballer. Previously chairman at non-League Dorchester, he got his son a personal trainer.

 

"I managed to get him into Portsmouth. That's where my involvement started; Dorchester were for sale so I bought them, he sat on the bench for a year and a half. He improved and scored the goal that kept them up last season. He got me into football and I've progressed faster than him."

 

Tom Mitchell is now training at Bournemouth full-time but may have to wait for his chance. Howe has other things on his mind, like battling to get the club into League One. And like his chairman, he believes bigger clubs could help.

 

"It would be nice to have some help from the Premier League but they have their own problems. All clubs are struggling for money at this level and it's no coincidence.

"Ancelotti still has a fantastic squad but he's under pressure to win trophies, to go and win in Europe. He's under a different kinds of pressure to me and his are probably more extreme as Chelsea have thousands of supporters. I wouldn't say he's got any easier job than I have."

 

But if Bournemouth win promotion, that achievement would be every bit as great as Chelsea, with all their millions, finally winning the Champions League.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/leaguetwo/bournemouth/6263319/Bournemouth-facing-crisis-point-on-debt-and-injuries.html

[Guest Coalbucket PI]

might start supporting bournemouth

[Guest Dirty Protest]

When Leeds went into admin, all the clubs in the football league voted whether to give them a 25 point penalty or not. At the time, Leeds were looking as if they would have to close the club and trade under a different name( same thing happened in 1919, Leeds City went under and were forced to become Leeds United )and drop out of the league. Out of the 92 clubs, if my memory serves me right, only two voted in favour of Leeds ,Barnsely and I cant remember the other of hand. Every other club and most of their supporters seemed to think it was funny watching 'mightly' Leeds collapse, not realising that if it could happen to a club that size then it could happen to any club. So sorry, I have very little sympathy to the extent that football clubs going out of business kind of just leave me with a wry smile. Shame Newcastle are doing so well, would have loved to seen those fuckers go under, especially by the hands of the messiah, tho that was just Mike Ashley PR bollocks unfortunately.

[Guest abusivegeorge]

Luton are crap but I still support, Mick Harford, our manager, got sacked on Wednesday.