Tight fisted Liverpool?

Maverick · Tight fisted Liverpool?

I've just read about the forthcoming Luton v Liverpool game, Luton are in administration and are losing £400,000 a month and their players have only been paid 2 and a half weeks wages out of the last 9. Because it is on the BBC and the revenue earned from gate receipts each team will get around £250,000.

Luton approached Liverpool and asked them to donate their earnings from the game, their response.....no!

Now you are not telling me that they couldn't afford to grant their request.

Do you think that Liverpool should have shown some grace and donated their earnings or do you think that Luton have got themselves into the mess they are in and Liverpool are right not to grant their request?

Diane

^I think a club like mighty Liverpool could easily afford to waiver their fee and donate it to Luton, its not the Luton players fault their club is in a mess and they deserve to get paid. I would have thought £250,000 is a drop in the ocean for a club like Liverpool!

7.Ronaldo

Why should they though?

The likes of McDonalds or Coca-Cola don't donate their earnings to struggling businesses.

Luton Town have put their players on contracts that they can't afford to honor. Thats nothing to do with being a small club, it's just bad business. They have nobody to blame but themselves.

jimmyq

It's not Liverpools fault that Luton are in the mess they are. It's sad that a threat of administraition is hanging over them and I would hate it for them to fold but what about Liverpools masive wage bill? a 50% take from FA Cup gate receipts is not to be sniffed at. If you go an a run in the cup the finacial rewards are lovely.

I would rather Luton try to beat Liverpool on the pitch and gain more finance from a 4th round match than resort to cap in hand tactics.

Penny

In a perfect world, of course it would be nice and dandy if Liverpool donated the money to Luton, but football is a business - I can't imagine them donating that money, and there's no reason why they should really. It's pretty harsh, but its just the way things are.

madhattertom

I am a massive Luton Town fan and I think this is really tight of Liverpool. Its hard supporting them been in admin 3 times in 10 years now. We never have a decent owner always taking money out the club we sold quality players in Nicholls, Howard, Edwards and Vine and did not replace them, sacked the best manager we had in Newell. Blackwell did not know what trouble Luton was in when he took over was told lies this is why he bought loads of players. Liverpool should have donated the money so Luton will surrive as its hardly any money to a big club like Liverpool. Anyway I hope we draw against them so we will get money from a game at Anfield. Hopefully should be a good game. COME ON U HATTERS!

AlexH

I think just for the good media they probably should have donated it as it wont affect their finances that much and might just help Luton survive. However, Liverpool dont have to donate it so the criticism is unjust in some parts. It would have been nice of Liverpool to donate it though.

Marcucas

7.Ronaldo

If they were to do that though it would cause more financial mis-management outside of the Premiership. If clubs know they'll get bailed out of administration by Premiership clubs then theirs no incentive for them to manage their finances correctly.

It's simple really. You calculate what you expect to earn in the next season and make sure you expenditure is under that. A lot of clubs gamble by bringing in better players on bigger wages in the hope that they get promotion which will allow them to stay within their budget but when they don't get the results on the pitch you get a situation like this. Nobody to blame but themselves.

Norton

When exactly did Liverpool say 'no'?

It's all rubbish. The journalists chatting there rubbish as usual.

clevelandspur

I feel bad for the Luton supporters but honestly it is managements fault they are in this state. Liverpool should not be obligated to give them that money as there is nothing stating that they should. It is a business and you would be hard pressed to find any business that would donate a quarter million pounds to another business just out of good nature.

sandz

I saw the paper too and immediatly though of this. No it isn't Liverpools fault Luton are in the situation they are in but who wants to see another club being in soo much trouble? Liverpool could have easily given the money, if it was Manutd and we didn't give them the money id be ashamed tbh. Football was should i say fun and loyal now the premiership is nothing but a business, thats why i follow the championship it's more passionate, not so much high wages and shows real football and the unpredictable than the business league. It's not as if Liverpool need the money do they?

I do see Liverpools side don't get me wrong but i think of football as a community not a business and i know if my team went into the way Luton do, my local team probably have done id love a big team like Liverpool to help us out. I guess Riise should be thanked, they will get a bit of money from the away game and i hope not just for my dislike for Liverpool but for Luton to have a chance in surviving they beat Liverpool. That's a football fans view.

A business view than no Liverpool shouldn't help, it's not there problem it's Luton's but hey we got to deal with the sad fact football is all about money for the top teams, to prove i'm not being biased to Liverpool Manutd are also becoming a business and some of the wage bills in football are ridiculous, Rooney 100,000 Terry 120,000 Luton want that much just to get an owner in. Sad isn't it? I guess the owners are more concerned about business rather than other teams and if i was a business women fair play to them i guess.

So overall, are Liverpool tight fisted? No, it's not their problem but back when football was about spirit and passion rather than a business we probably would have seen a different outcome but hey good luck to Luton.

Norton

I'll post what i posted in the Xpert11 forum:

There crisis is down to the greedy chairman and board of Luton Town who decided to flaunt the rules and channel agents' payments through a third-party company, knowing full well what the penalty would be. It's not for Liverpool to provide restitution for that, it's for the former chairman and board members to put their hands in their pockets and give the money to Luton. They got the club where it is, it's up to them to sort it out. It would set an unwanted and unhealthy precedent Liverpool giving up their rights, and clubs who fall foul to deliberate mismanagement in the future would be looking to put moral pressure on wealthier clubs to bail them out. I'm all for fairer distribution of money in football, but not to right criminal wrongs.

Also it's a ridiculous thing Luton Town have done to drag this into the media. Attention-seeking.