Southampton Relegated

[Baddar]

Southampton will be relegated from the Championship after being docked 10 points by the Football League. The penalty comes after the club's parent company went into administration in recent weeks.

Southampton are currently four points off safety with two games to go and will be deducted 10 points even if they beat the drop.

If they do not avoid finishing in the bottom three then the points penalty will take effect next season.

More to follow.

Bad luck.

Edited April 23, 2009 by Baddar®

[MGW]

I live in Portsmouth, and I'm willing to bet there will be some serious partying done tonight. I had to laugh last season, when in a fans review of the season in Four Four Two Magazine, the Pompey fan listed the season's biggest dissapoinment as Southampton avoiding the drop.

[-A-]

They'd better really fight to try and get the points this season. Presumably whatever happens they'll have the same 17 point deduction Bournemouth and Rotherham got this season when they came out of administration. If they can get the 10 points take off this season they'll be in a much better position.

[METALMAN]

Poor Southampton. It's always a bit sad when the established Premiership clubs from back when I was really into football fall upon bad times. I want Notthingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City, Wimbledon, Leicester City and Leeds United back.

Well...maybe not Leeds.

[Matt]

Damn you titaniumman taunting me, I thought we had a friend then.

Bad luck Saints, hope they bounce back but starting on -15 will be hard for them

[IAceI]

Portsmouth fans find this funny? I know they're rivals but still, it's a bit cold.

I wouldn't want Newcastle to lose points because of something like this, it's not got anything to do with football really, I want Newcastle to get relegated on their own merit of being shit.

[IAceI]

EDIT: Sorry bout the double post. Internet rubbishy.

Edited April 23, 2009 by IAceI

[Matt]

I'd love it if it happened to Man Utd, granted A) it never would and B) it's only because I had to put up with so much shit about -15, but still...

[therockbox]

The one good thing about this is that it's going to make Matt Le Tissier miserable, which is something I can fully support.

[IJS]

I'd be raging if I was playing for them. Playing All season and seemingly going to survive the drop then for this to happen........ Damn.

[Matt]

I'd be raging if I was playing for them. Playing All season and seemingly going to survive the drop then for this to happen........ Damn.

To be fair they needed to win their last 2 games and hope everyone else loses. And it's not as if they didn't know it could happen. Besides, the players will just leave and join a new club, so it's no skin off their backs. The next 15 points they'll lose I don't agree with though

[hugobomb]

I thought if they finished in the bottom three they would start next year on -10. Where's this -15 stuff coming from?

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

It's so unfair that they're screwed whatever. They survive? Tough -10 and relegation. Go down anyway? -10 to screw you over next season.

It needs to just be -10 now or -10 next season whatever happens.

[Adam]

No, I think the way they do it now is fair-it's to stop incidents like we had with Leeds & Boston a couple of years ago. Leeds went into administration and took a 10 point hit after already being relegated. That wasn't fair as it was no real punishment.

Boston really took the piss. They faced Wrexham on the last day, and with 5 minutes to go, they were 2-0 down and knew that they were going down, so they went into administration ten minutes before the end of the season. Luckily both then broke further rules and received further punishment in the end anyway.

This way is fair-if Southampton go down on their own merit and then get a 10 point deduction this season, it makes no difference. This way, they WILL be punished and the -10 will affect them as it should, it's not unfair at all.

[EddieG]

Yeah, kick em while they're down, always works well (Y)

No money? Here lose some points, go down a league and get even less money

[Matt]

No, I think the way they do it now is fair-it's to stop incidents like we had with Leeds & Boston a couple of years ago. Leeds went into administration and took a 10 point hit after already being relegated. That wasn't fair as it was no real punishment.

Boston really took the piss. They faced Wrexham on the last day, and with 5 minutes to go, they were 2-0 down and knew that they were going down, so they went into administration ten minutes before the end of the season. Luckily both then broke further rules and received further punishment in the end anyway.

This way is fair-if Southampton go down on their own merit and then get a 10 point deduction this season, it makes no difference. This way, they WILL be punished and the -10 will affect them as it should, it's not unfair at all.

Well technically we weren't relegated... We just had to get a 9 goal swingback on Barnsley on the last day... gayest thing was Barnsley went and lost 6-0, and we only lost 2-0 to Derby and we played our youth team and had 10 men for most of the game.

But yeah, I digress. The 10 points for going into administration I don't particularly disagree with because before it was in place teams just abused the system (for instance Leicester built a new stadium, went into administration and didn't have to pay for most of it), perhaps something like a 6 ban on signing players in the next window would be more appopriate but still not ideal.

[Matt]

I thought if they finished in the bottom three they would start next year on -10. Where's this -15 stuff coming from?

Just seen this.

When they come out of administration, they won't be able to negotiate a CVA because the HMRC won't accept anything less than full payment (and if they could get full payment then there'd be no point to going into administration anyway). So the only way to come out of administration is through the "Exceptional Circumstances" clause and the Football League have decided that anyone who uses that clause gets a 15 point penalty (Leeds) if it's their first time in administration, 17 points penalty (Rotherham and Bournemouth) if it's their second and 20 point penalty (Luton) if it's their third.

The fact that the HMRC demand 100% of their money is only because of the football league's own stupid rule that the football creditors must get their 100% first and everyone else shares the rest, which the HMRC used to get by legislation but it was taken away from them a couple of years ago. The HMRC's argument is "if we, the taxmen, don't get the right to have priority, why should football clubs/players/management/etc" which is pretty justified, I think, I mean, if an Electronics company went into administration, that doesn't mean all electronics companies that are owed money by them should get priority, why should football be different? The FL refuse to stop giving football creditors the priority and as such the HMRC won't accept any CVAs unless they get 100% (which means every creditor would have to get 100% which will never happen).

So yeah, it's in Southampton's interest to try and stay up this year cos then at least they'll only have -15 next year, and not -25.

[Adam]

Yeah, kick em while they're down, always works well (Y)

No money? Here lose some points, go down a league and get even less money

But...it's the clubs own fault that they have no money and have gone into administration, not the football leagues, and they're there to punish those teams for failing to run properly. So you're saying they deserve help for their own shortcomings? No.

And as Matt correctly said, teams could just abuse the system before. Leicester went into administration and then got promoted into the Premier League for God's sake!

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

well how about you say that the team takes -10 points next season whether they stay up or not? Gives the players and fans something to play for and they take the minus ten next season in the Champ or First.

[IAceI]

At the same time it's not the players or fans fault the team went into administration, I think there should be punishment but I guess I just don't know enough about it. But I firmly believe it should be behind the scenes.

Like I heard on SSN in a letter, how do you tell a 10 year old child who loves the football club that they have had 10 points taken off them because of financial problems? Meh. I hate this. I liked Southampton, they've produced some good talented players and I don't want to see them playing in League one next season