Salary Cap/Wage Cap

[StLGooner]

Simple really. Do you think that European football would benefit from having a salary cap.

Now, like with everything there is always a negative side to it. And with a salary cap, I would assume the big issue, like all leagues that have salary caps, would be that the players wouldn't like it cause it could possibly stunt the inflation of players salaries. I've already mentioned how I feel about it in another thread, so I'll just copy that to here, so that you can see my thoughts on it.

So lets here everyones opinion on it.

Heres mine:

We don't need a billionaire owner, what football needs is a salary cap. If European football had a salary cap, you would see a lot more loyalty with players. They wouldn't be running off to teams like Man City (sorry Yorky) to make more money. You would see more players playing for they're childhood teams. It would separate the true coaches and organizations from the ones that just go out and buy all the best players, and it would point out the real talents within the organization itself. It would also help younger players develope, and in England it would help young English players develope, and then maybe you lot would've made the Euros. It would definately prove that Wenger is one of the greatest managers in football, and it would also show that maybe SAF isn't as great as of coach as so many think. I could've won trophies with some of the talent that he's coached.

Now just cause a financially strapped owner can afford any player he wants, that doesn't mean that trophies come automatically, I understand that, but it certainly does help and give a distinct advantage and its ruining football.

[Trina]

the only way it would work was if there was a cap on every peney the club make.

And i mean everything from ticket prices to how much the can get from sponsorship deals or it not be fair.

Clubs make millions every year so why shouldn't the players, its them that make the club the money so why should it be the club that get rich and not the players.

It was said the sale Beckham shirts paid his transfer fee in a day when he joined Real Madrid so how much do you think they made in a year, so why should he not get paid thousands.

And they would only find a way round it ie paying the tax or Extra bonuses and stuff. Plus they would not be able to make anyone get paid less so they would have to cap it where it is now and with some players on 180,000 a week it would take 20 years before anyone saw any benefit from it by which time it would have gone up

[Reverend Gooner]

I think a salary cap should be introduced but i think it should be £100,000. That will mean that big clubs can still afford more than the smaller teams (which they have a right to do i think as they are more successful) but it will stop things getting silly and prevent super inflation.


It also means that a lesser club (say newcastle or Villa) can stretch to it if they really want to without someone like Chelsea going "Ok, here's £150,000 a week, see you later". It is also a big amount so players couldn't complain either.

[StLGooner]

I think you're kinda of seeing it wrong here Trina. The players would still be rich, its not as if they would have to start selling their mansions and bentley's. It would just keep certain clubs like Chelski, Manc, Madrid, Barca, and now City from buying all the top players, this way the top players would have to be spread out and it would bring parity to European football. The top players that performed the best would still be offered the best contracts, not any less than they get now, but you wouldn't see 4 or 5 players with wages of 120k per week all on one team. It would cause the clubs and coaches to spend their money wisely and pick out the best availabe players for their club with the money that they have to use.

Example, the NFL here has a salary cap, and it works perfectly, the sport is so big here it has taken over baseball as the main sport in the US now. And its because baseball doesn't have a salary cap and the fans are sick of watching the same teams win over and over again. And NFL players make just as much as the baseball players.

[Fordy]

the only way it would work was if there was a cap on every peney the club make.

And i mean everything from ticket prices to how much the can get from sponsorship deals or it not be fair.

Clubs make millions every year so why shouldn't the players, its them that make the club the money so why should it be the club that get rich and not the players.

It was said the sale Beckham shirts paid his transfer fee in a day when he joined Real Madrid so how much do you think they made in a year, so why should he not get paid thousands.

And they would only find a way round it ie paying the tax or Extra bonuses and stuff. Plus they would not be able to make anyone get paid less so they would have to cap it where it is now and with some players on 180,000 a week it would take 20 years before anyone saw any benefit from it by which time it would have gone up

i posted this aswell logged in as trina sorry

[StLGooner]

Another thing to mention is, there are different ways to input a cap. You could cap the players weekly wages, or you could cap how much a club can spend on the whole teams salary. If you did it that way, top players could still make the most but you would have to budget the rest of the salaries.

Its been proven to work. But it would have to be a European thing, otherwise, if it was just in England, all the top players would play elsewhere.

[StLGooner]

the only way it would work was if there was a cap on every peney the club make.

And i mean everything from ticket prices to how much the can get from sponsorship deals or it not be fair.

Clubs make millions every year so why shouldn't the players, its them that make the club the money so why should it be the club that get rich and not the players.

It was said the sale Beckham shirts paid his transfer fee in a day when he joined Real Madrid so how much do you think they made in a year, so why should he not get paid thousands.

And they would only find a way round it ie paying the tax or Extra bonuses and stuff. Plus they would not be able to make anyone get paid less so they would have to cap it where it is now and with some players on 180,000 a week it would take 20 years before anyone saw any benefit from it by which time it would have gone up

i posted this aswell logged in as trina sorry

You're fired!!! I thought that sounded like you Fordy.

[Leody]

I don't like it to be honest...

Reason being is there is soooooo much to risk. Parity is not a good thing in football with relegation risks. It's not uncommon in US sports where there are salary caps to see a club challenge for the title one year then finish near the bottom the next. It is almost certain that Arsenal would be relegated at some point in the next 20 years... Is that something you'd like to see?

I think things are fine. Over time things have a way of balancing out. We're in a silly money time, but at some point you'll see these billionaires are going to realize this is a beyond stupid way to spend. They'll leave or start being smarter about things eventually.

[Reverend Gooner]

I don't like it to be honest...
It is almost certain that Arsenal would be relegated at some point in the next 20 years... Is that something you'd like to see?

But as it stands we don't pay silly transfer fees and we do not pay extortionate salaries, i would have though that we would be affected the least out of all the big/semi big teams.

[StLGooner]

I don't like it to be honest...

Reason being is there is soooooo much to risk. Parity is not a good thing in football with relegation risks. It's not uncommon in US sports where there are salary caps to see a club challenge for the title one year then finish near the bottom the next. It is almost certain that Arsenal would be relegated at some point in the next 20 years... Is that something you'd like to see?

I think things are fine. Over time things have a way of balancing out. We're in a silly money time, but at some point you'll see these billionaires are going to realize this is a beyond stupid way to spend. They'll leave or start being smarter about things eventually.

Actually, it would benefit Arsenal, because they already run on some sort of budget, and with the way Arsene spots talent and signs them for less, thats what would make them stand out.
People hear the word salary cap and they automatically freak the f**k out cause they think, "hey, I don't want to make less money". But thats not the case, its a way to kind of control inflation within the entertainment industry, cause when it comes down to it, thats what football is ....entertainment, but everybody, including players still get rich. Win, win imo.

[Leody]

I don't like it to be honest...

Reason being is there is soooooo much to risk. Parity is not a good thing in football with relegation risks. It's not uncommon in US sports where there are salary caps to see a club challenge for the title one year then finish near the bottom the next. It is almost certain that Arsenal would be relegated at some point in the next 20 years... Is that something you'd like to see?

I think things are fine. Over time things have a way of balancing out. We're in a silly money time, but at some point you'll see these billionaires are going to realize this is a beyond stupid way to spend. They'll leave or start being smarter about things eventually.

Actually, it would benefit Arsenal, because they already run on some sort of budget, and with the way Arsene spots talent and signs them for less, thats what would make them stand out.
People hear the word salary cap and they automatically freak the f**k out cause they think, "hey, I don't want to make less money". But thats not the case, its a way to kind of control inflation within the entertainment industry, cause when it comes down to it, thats what football is ....entertainment, but everybody, including players still get rich. Win, win imo.

ChVint.... name one team in the NFL that has never finished at the bottom of their division in the last 20 years. I HIGHLY doubt that you can.

That's exactly what a salary cap is intended to do. Give everybody a turn at the top.

Sure, Arsenal would probably benefit in the short term since we don't spend big today. However, when you put 20 teams all on a level playing field we'd have to worry about alot more than ManUre, Chelski and Poo. Over the years it would be nearly impossible to stay at the top year in and year out.

I really hope I never get the chance to be proven right on this one. I would bet everything I own that at some point in the first 25 years after a salary cap were put in place Arsenal would be relegated. As would the rest of the big four at some point.

EDIT: I'm making the assumption that the salary cap is going to be at a level that all clubs would be able to reach, like they are in the US. If it were high enough that only the big four could reach, then things would be different.

I dread the day that a player is cut for "salary cap" reason though...

[StLGooner]

I don't like it to be honest...

Reason being is there is soooooo much to risk. Parity is not a good thing in football with relegation risks. It's not uncommon in US sports where there are salary caps to see a club challenge for the title one year then finish near the bottom the next. It is almost certain that Arsenal would be relegated at some point in the next 20 years... Is that something you'd like to see?

I think things are fine. Over time things have a way of balancing out. We're in a silly money time, but at some point you'll see these billionaires are going to realize this is a beyond stupid way to spend. They'll leave or start being smarter about things eventually.

Actually, it would benefit Arsenal, because they already run on some sort of budget, and with the way Arsene spots talent and signs them for less, thats what would make them stand out.
People hear the word salary cap and they automatically freak the f**k out cause they think, "hey, I don't want to make less money". But thats not the case, its a way to kind of control inflation within the entertainment industry, cause when it comes down to it, thats what football is ....entertainment, but everybody, including players still get rich. Win, win imo.

ChVint.... name one team in the NFL that has never finished at the bottom of their division in the last 20 years. I HIGHLY doubt that you can.

That's exactly what a salary cap is intended to do. Give everybody a turn at the top.

Sure, Arsenal would probably benefit in the short term since we don't spend big today. However, when you put 20 teams all on a level playing field we'd have to worry about alot more than ManUre, Chelski and Poo. Over the years it would be nearly impossible to stay at the top year in and year out.

I really hope I never get the chance to be proven right on this one. I would bet everything I own that at some point in the first 25 years after a salary cap were put in place Arsenal would be relegated. As would the rest of the big four at some point.

EDIT: I'm making the assumption that the salary cap is going to be at a level that all clubs would be able to reach, like they are in the US. If it were high enough that only the big four could reach, then things would be different.

I dread the day that a player is cut for "salary cap" reason though...

Well thats the whole point, yes. It would make it a fair playing field. You're just afraid it would effect Arsenal and you wouldn't want to see them go down. Of course nobody wants to see them go down or finish in the bottom half. But still, it would make it fair, do you not want to play fairly? Is that all you love football for, is for the winning? The way it stands now, if football keeps going on like it is, Arsenal will be in trouble. We don't have oil tycoons as owners, we earned our way to the top like it should be done, not have some gazillionaire come and make us who we are. Aren't you proud of that? And I'm sure the English folks in here would appreciate that, and so should all Arsenal fans.

[SE13]

OK, forgive me for going down the "oldie" path, but it really isn't so many years since the like of Wimbledon could attract top names, pay top wages and still survive.

Then came some multi-billionaire from Russia, and it all went tits-up.

Now there was no even playing field, and as is the case in almost every modern Country, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

I'd be VERY interested to see how C$KA Fulham would have attracted big names with a salary cap, how ManUre would have survived without megacash, and more importantly how we could have been over that same period of time....

[StLGooner]

It would be very interesting indeed Chris.

The thing is, you probably wouldn't see to significant of a change for a good 6-8 years I would guess. Its not as if they would just change every current contract/salary right off the get go. They would have to wait for contracts to run out, and then restructure the whole financial budget I would assume. I don't pretent to be an expert on this at all, but these seem like some of the obvious changes that would have to take place. I'm sure their are others, but like I said I don't know everything.

[Leody]

Well thats the whole point, yes. It would make it a fair playing field. You're just afraid it would effect Arsenal and you wouldn't want to see them go down. Of course nobody wants to see them go down or finish in the bottom half. But still, it would make it fair, do you not want to play fairly? Is that all you love football for, is for the winning? The way it stands now, if football keeps going on like it is, Arsenal will be in trouble. We don't have oil tycoons as owners, we earned our way to the top like it should be done, not have some gazillionaire come and make us who we are. Aren't you proud of that? And I'm sure the English folks in here would appreciate that, and so should all Arsenal fans.

Well, when you're 50 and sitting in your living room on a Saturday morning and can't watch Arsenal play because they're in the 1st division don't come crying to me.

No, it's not all about the winning. I like watching Arsenal play beautiful football with class players. You'd never see that again at this same level anywhere in the world if there were a salary cap. As much as I dislike Man U, Barca, Madrid and Milan... I can't deny the fact that they are entertaining to watch. You put in a salary cap and they have to scrap half their talent the quality will drop.

I would miss that. I would miss that very much.

Besides, you say you like the fact that we've achieved w/o spending big... Wouldn't you like it even more if we won while everybody else outspent us?

I really really don't like the idea because it will disperse the talent and you won't have teams that equal the quality of the big boys ever again and that's what I like to watch.