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Message from the Chairman

SirHarryHotspur

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2017
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7,420

yiddopaul

Well-Known Member
Dec 28, 2005
3,418
6,654
Well I'm pretty dusgusted that spurs are using the furlough thing, and i'm pretty disgusted that the lowest paid are the ones to bear the brunt, I'm pretty disgusted that football players still carry on getting paid 10's (or 100's) of thousands a week, so bollocks to it all I'm pretty much done with football tbh. Was before this anyway
I understand the disgust. And I agree, the well-off will be alright Jack. But... see you next season when this all blows over.
 

double0

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2006
14,423
12,258
So Bournemouth furlough their non-playing staff, but unlike us are doing the right thing and paying those people their full wages (by covering the 20% delta)
But that would be illegal won't it. As I understand it if your on the government Furlough which is taxable you're not entitled to other payments from other work.
 

Trotter

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2009
2,169
3,312
But that would be illegal won't it. As I understand it if your on the government Furlough which is taxable you're not entitled to other payments from other work.

No, every employee in the land can be furloughed on their full wages.

It is just that the government will only repay the employers 80% of the salary their furloughed staff were on at end February up to a maximum of £2,500.
The employer makes up the difference.
Bournemouth have decided their lower paid staff are valuable assets and they should not lose money over this, so are covering the delta out of clubs profits/reserves. My daughter who is in hospitality industry, the same, she is furloughed on full salary. Tottenham have decided the opposite.

It is not the government that is paying the employees, it is still the clubs, just that those employees cannot do other paid work, Bouremouth will be taking a P&L hit for them over next few months, Tottenham have passed what would have been a P&L hit on to their employees.
 
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Dinghy

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2005
6,326
15,561
I think it's important to note that Spurs (uniquely) have reported a profit, and thus paid tax, in each of the last 7 years. In the last 2 years THFC have paid £44m in tax. This is more than every other PL club combined.
Now I'm not absolutely certain but I could say with great confidence that their accountants could have minimised that by a great deal more. In fact I'm pretty sure that they could have reported a loss every year...
This really needs to be taken into account before slating the club for furloughing staff and dipping into the pot to take what they are due and what they have put into in the first place.
 

Seafordian Spurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
2,157
4,141
I think it's important to note that Spurs (uniquely) have reported a profit, and thus paid tax, in each of the last 7 years. In the last 2 years THFC have paid £44m in tax. This is more than every other PL club combined.
Now I'm not absolutely certain but I could say with great confidence that their accountants could have minimised that by a great deal more. In fact I'm pretty sure that they could have reported a loss every year...
This really needs to be taken into account before slating the club for furloughing staff and dipping into the pot to take what they are due and what they have put into in the first place.

The issue everyone feels is the fact that all the EPL players are currently getting paid millions for posting selfies of their fitness regimes.
 

double0

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2006
14,423
12,258
The players are not obliged to bail anyone out but (certain governments need to be scrutinised once COVID-19 is under control) the gesture to stand up and help the more needy will go a long way for humanities sake.

By helping to meet the short fall in wages and other gaps within the club and wider community would be superb and further more ask questions of other individuals. I think its an absolute disgrace the health minister targeting footballers. In Westminster they have lords Dames and all sorts of wealthy families hiding their wealth aboard not just that within our own communities you see people driving up and down in top of the Range fully spec cars lavished houses clothes accessories that could do much more too.

In fact Footballers have put a lot of people to shame and it's about time we stop hiding behind them.
 
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spursbhoy67

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2006
1,316
1,475
Is this a serious post?

I am the son of a minimum wage footballer and of the apprentice generation where I was paid with a bus pass and a meal. In time I have played with, played against, coached with, coached against, worked with and for players on huge sums of money.

Some of my comments were based on first hand experience - the player with a Bentley in his garage but who cannot drive. The player who is paying 30 grand a week in spousal support based on the wages he received at the height of his career. Judge won't drop the amount. The player who is paying for his support staff - PR assistant, chef, fitness coach, etc. How sustainable is this over the long term?

The PFA and especially players agents will not let them take a 25% cut which is why players are quiet on the subject. Players down the years have always been advised not to comment on such matters and let the PFA rep speak for them. Agents do the talking for the big earners and can speak more publicly. They hold the cards in such discussions. But if you think for a minute that the agents are going to give up their percentage you would be wrong. They don't care about Tottenham, the NHS or doing the right thing. Some do, but the majority don't.

Taking a pay cut sets a bad precedent for the players union and it is not one that they will accept without specific guarantees. It is the same across all professional sports. The players taking cuts in Europe are getting their wages deferred not cut. Huge difference. UEFA will also have to act because this will have implications for FFP when the game restarts, which it will.

I don't disagree with the sentiment that this might not look good for Spurs and Daniel Levy, but other clubs will follow. Notice how players are not commenting? That is a deliberate strategy.

I will guarantee that there are players at Spurs (and other PL clubs) who will use any decision to reduce or cut their contracts as a chance to leave for another club.

I have made my living from the game but as a fan I have lost a lot of love for how money has changed the sport.
 
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$hoguN

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2005
26,626
34,700
Ashamed of the club furloughing staff before agreeing pay cuts with the players. I understand that we have a heavy debt burden etc. But it’s embarrassing, and a quite frankly disgusting thing to do.

just another thing that makes me have even less interest in football.
 

benaudere

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2006
524
641
Yeah I ain't pleased with the pay cuts of the non-playing staffs. They still help with the operations of the club and there is no reason to deduct their salaries. These glamourous players are so rich that even with a pay cut, they are still so damn wealthy. They are not even doing anything to justify their pays at the moment. Sorry I have to say that I have lost a lot of respect for this club.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Yeah I ain't pleased with the pay cuts of the non-playing staffs. They still help with the operations of the club and there is no reason to deduct their salaries. These glamourous players are so rich that even with a pay cut, they are still so damn wealthy. They are not even doing anything to justify their pays at the moment. Sorry I have to say that I have lost a lot of respect for this club.

It's not just our players, it's every player because the PFA are telling them not to take any pay cuts.

Sorry but people who think that clubs should be cutting player wages don't live in the real world, how would you implement such a strategy without breaking contract?
 

mawspurs

Staff
Jun 29, 2003
35,066
17,740
It's not just our players, it's every player because the PFA are telling them not to take any pay cuts.

Sorry but people who think that clubs should be cutting player wages don't live in the real world, how would you implement such a strategy without breaking contract?
Agreed, it has to be voluntary by the players, let’s see what comes out of the talks with the PFA.
 

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,956
There seems to have been a wide misreading of Levy's quote that 550 people are to be furloughed. He doesn't actually say that at all, we don't know the true number.

"we ourselves made the difficult decision – in order to protect jobs – to reduce the remuneration of all 550 non-playing directors and employees for April and May by 20% utilising, where appropriate, the Government’s furlough scheme. We shall continue to review this position."
 

Trees

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
1,534
4,203
It's not just our players, it's every player because the PFA are telling them not to take any pay cuts.

Sorry but people who think that clubs should be cutting player wages don't live in the real world, how would you implement such a strategy without breaking contract?
Point taken. This is absolutely correct. Breach of contract and all that. In my view this will start to leak out over the next week as to which clubs and possibly even actual players are holding out against a reduction. The PFA have to very careful here because I am amazed at how many mates that are fans of our club and others who are saying they are falling out of love with football.

To give an example my 9 year old gets a new kit each year for his birthday. The price is what £100 ? My wife always moans saying that we could a copy from the Far East for a fraction of the price. My response is, no we should invest and support in the club. I think I might agree with my wife going fw.

After all this, the world will have changed. The recession initially will be worse than 2008. Recessions are terrible, bring about misery, losing jobs, worrying about providing for the kids. The PFA do not want to be the wrong side of this.
 

$hoguN

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2005
26,626
34,700
There seems to have been a wide misreading of Levy's quote that 550 people are to be furloughed. He doesn't actually say that at all, we don't know the true number.

"we ourselves made the difficult decision – in order to protect jobs – to reduce the remuneration of all 550 non-playing directors and employees for April and May by 20% utilising, where appropriate, the Government’s furlough scheme. We shall continue to review this position."
Which can be taken as furlough low paid staff and reduce high paid staff salaries which doesn’t make it any better
 
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