By Neil Ravenscroft
November 21 2002

The Nationwide League Chairmen are meeting in Oxford today and one of the items on the agenda is a wage cap. Are they about to follow the G14 Group? With the news this week that Coventry City were trying to bring the number of Premiership loan signings up to no fewer than six, despite the club's debts, the news that the Nationwide Chairman were at last considering a salary cap came as a blessed relief. Of course, the problem is, they might not bring it into force!

The proposals are for the wage bills of Nationwide League clubs to be pegged at 60% of the turnover of the club. Very few of the First Division clubs could meet this stringent standard at the moment.

But, hang on a minute, I hear you say, what about Walsall? Well, the last time I saw any figures, Walsall was the fifth lowest payer in the country, as a percentage of turnover, at just over 50%. Manchester United had the lowest, of course, (just over 30%), as their turnover is immense.

What effect the demise of ITV Digital has had on the club's finances and the
proportion of turnover paid out, but, I suspect, we are still running a very tight ship.
This move by the Chairmen, should they be so courageous, is bound to benefit our
club, because we are so careful.

However, will they be sensible enough to take such a step?

Well, that brings me back to the Coventry Chairman. When asked about McAllister's attempts to bring in another high paid Premiership loan signing, he said that the fact they had let the Manager bring in five or six players showed their commitment to the fans.
It's about time these people got a dose of the real world and realised their commitment to the club and the fans might just, occasionally, to say NO to the Manager, otherwise they could well be going down the administration route. OK, several clubs have escaped after close shaves recently, but I am sure that the time is not far off when one does an "Accrington Stanley" and runs out of the money needed to fulfil its fixtures.

When Barnsley hit rock bottom a few weeks ago, one of their fans came on the message board, thanking Walsall fans for their support in times of trouble. I replied at the time that my patience was running thin and very soon I'd be smiling when one of these overspending clubs got into trouble. Should the League Chairmen shirk their responsibilities on Thursday, I think that time will have arrived.

It used to be fans protesting about clubs not spending money, perhaps now, at a good many clubs, they should be protesting about the people in charge mortgaging the entire future of their club. In the end, I'd rather have a club in the Third Division than not have one at all.