As Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa take on Sheffield United this afternoon, much will be made of the result. Although, in most cases, an early round FA Cup match would provide little discussion – barring giant killings – a lot has been written about recent comments by Villa’s manager.
Ahead of the United game, Lambert made comments at the pre-match press conference in response to a direct question from a journalist. The question? Whether clubs could do without the distraction of the cup, especially clubs like Villa who are still in the midst of a challenging league campaign.
Lambert’s answer essentially stated what many already feel – that the cup, whilst important, can not be seen as more relevant than league survival. Yes, cup wins are great for the history of the club, but with the game governed by money, being relegated is a financial catastrophe.
Is this a sad situation? Of course, but when it comes to Premier League clubs, many of them in real financial peril if they lose the massive amounts of money TV revenue brings in, losing £80m in revenue couldn’t just be frustrating, it could end many clubs who are relegated unexpectedly.
When we consider that in recent years Villa have been approaching £100m in revenue, and that seasons prior to this one have offered around £40m in TV rights, relegation could take the club’s turnover into a point where getting back up is far from a certainty.
After all, when you contrast the £80m in TV revenue being paid this season, dropping down to a comparatively minute £12m per season, turnover could lurch from an expected £140m to less than half that amount.
Which, if we are being honest, would be an absolute nightmare, especially at the point we are looking to spend money on new, more expensively paid individuals – could Villa survive on even less money than they have made during recent austerity measures.
To give a little more context on the cost of relegation, three players – Darren Bent, Shay Given and Alan Hutton – earn an approximate £200k per week between them.
Factored yearly, the trio earn over £10m meaning that the parachute payment – if the club actually did the unthinkable and got relegated – would only just cover the bomb squad, never mind the actual team.
That there is something to certainly ponder when the league is put forward as the priority – it may not be a sentimental answer, but it is one that acknowledges the past (and present) margins the club’s finances operate under.
In addition, those wages being paid out will also factor into what can be spent on wages for new players in the window, with the total cost of any incoming player’s wage far more relevant than the ability to find £10m or even £20m this month – short term cash hasn’t been Villa’s issue, badly managed long term contracts have been & therefore need to be closely managed by Gary Karsa.
Getting back to the game, the atmosphere may well point to a situation where nothing less than a win is acceptable. Should Lambert play a strong team and lose, he’ll likely get both barrels. If Villa win but suffer an injury to a first team player, the manager may get it from the fans for risking them. And, of course, if Villa lose playing a weakened team, there will be calls that he should well have used more experience.
In my opinion, the stink blowing up about the manager’s comments has been vastly overplayed, fuelling articles written by hacks who lambast Lambert for doing little other than responding to a question honestly.
However, come kick off, all comments will be consigned to history. Win, and Villa can try and keep up some inertia. Lose, and the manager may well regret being candid about his views on the cup.
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