https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53696424

With immediate effect.

Full details in the article

That's got to be good news as now means a more level playing field. Now more than ever may the best manager win

Wonder if Forest Green and Bolton will have a load of offloading to do...

Think anyone signed before the said date will be excemped from cap

Good news and agree with above post
Could and should make for better more competitive games
Doubtless there will be players turning up in suspiciously expensive cars and iffy bank accounts in the Cayman Islands but yes this should sort the men from boys managerwise

Assuming a squad of 25, it works out at a wage of £50,000 as an average salary. Notwithstanding further payments are allowed for promotion and Cup progression.

Now allowing for the fact that a number of players who are on the fringe will be earning considerably less than £50,000 pa I'm not really sure that this cap will make very much difference.

How exactly it will be policed is anyone's guess. The Portsmouth's of this world will simply give massive bonuses for winning promotion. And agents will have the incentive to give kickbacks to players on their books. Further the sanctions need to be agreed. A club paying £20,000 over the odds would require a far lesser sanction than one paying £2,000,000 over.

I hope this works. The balance of power is far too much in the hands of players and their agents. If League chairman stick to the idea then it's a start. Whether the unintended consequences have been fully thought through I'm not really sure. The main problem it seems to me, which may arise, is that £1,000 may become the benchmark. That being every regular first team player will demand it.

All that said it is a start.

Collars wrote:Wonder if Forest Green and Bolton will have a load of offloading to do...

The rumour was that players on a contract before today who are paid above £1,300 a week would be included at £1,300 a week and the excess ignored. So by delaying the vote until today, it allowed teams to sign players on big wages and "cheat" the system over the last few weeks.

It is also rumoured that there will be a vote soon on agreeing a maximum squad size (players over 21 years of age).

mad norm wrote:Doubtless there will be players turning up in suspiciously expensive cars and iffy bank accounts in the Cayman Islands but yes this should sort the men from boys managerwise

This sort of thing started happening in the English Rugby Premiership until they massively clamped down on it, so hopefully the FA can learn lessons from that and get smart to it before it begins.

I have no idea how those figures sit with current average salary expenditure. I suppose clubs can still pay players over the odds but would have to maintain a smaller squad. My criticism is that it wasn't implemented as soon as the season was closed down, other than playoff matches. Players whose contracts expiring in June/July could not then have been quickly replaced with expensive signings.

In the long run this will lead to fairer football in the lower leagues, better financial prudence and, hopefully, sustainability.

In the short term though, the next 1-3 seasons, this will have the opposite effect. It's the 'transitional arrangements' which have been incorporated which will create a bigger divide. This is why clubs like Bolton and Salford have been hurriedly buying new players on lengthy contracts ahead of this new rule, registering their new players in time before this kicks in.

I've a feeling next season will be a real struggle for us unless we have a couple of players scoring regularly and winning MOM awards week in week out. Immediate savings can be made by not paying any agents' fees - if players employ an agent to earn them a new contract or better deal then the player must pay their fees, not our club.

As said it's a move in the right direction. I'd be up for reducing the number of substitutes too. Clubs carrying extra players to mostly sit on the bench doesn't help anyone and do we really need 7 to choose from?

Collars wrote:As said it's a move in the right direction. I'd be up for reducing the number of substitutes too. Clubs carrying extra players to mostly sit on the bench doesn't help anyone and do we really need 7 to choose from?

Totally agree with this post.Reducing the number of subs, for me maximum 3 including 'keeper. would really do something to make the League more competitive.

Not sure it needs a regulation to reduce the number of subs selected. Teams may realise after a while that fewer are needed. Another thought is that the deadweight in the squad won't be amongst the matchday eighteen, but those who are effectively rated at perhaps 24 and above, hence the cap on squad size that may be coming.

excessbee wrote:Not sure it needs a regulation to reduce the number of subs selected. Teams may realise after a while that fewer are needed. Another thought is that the deadweight in the squad won't be amongst the matchday eighteen, but those who are effectively rated at perhaps 24 and above, hence the cap on squad size that may be coming.

I still think that because they need 7 on the bench clubs carry larger squads than they need to (or can afford to at our level). Maybe there's a compromise to include a certain number of youth team/home developed on the bench if logistics with other games allowed.

I've got the opposite view - I'd rather see 7-9 subs, maybe more, named for each game.

If the leagues and clubs are going to (correctly) put a cap on wage bills then they can't reasonably then limit the number of players available to take part in a game, otherwise the PFA will start 'restraint of trade' proceedings. Maybe a rule which says 3 subs must be aged only 22.

If a Newport centre-back gets injured in a match, as a paying fan I'd rather see a replacement centre-back come on, rather than a winger play in defence because he's the only one on the bench.

Certainly, now more subs have been introduced because of covid, I can see that rule staying with us for some time. Maybe even drinks breaks in each half as per the PL and play-offs.