Championship

5 Championship clubs voted in ’10 worst-run football clubs’

5 Championship clubs have been voted in the Telegraph’s ’10 worst-run football clubs’ today, as the newspaper looks to establish which clubs are more poorly-controlled than others.

Alongside two League One clubs, two Premier League clubs and Rangers in the Scottish Leagues, Bolton, Blackburn, Cardiff, Leeds and Queens Park Rangers were all deemed to be poorly-run in comparison to their Championship rivals.

In 8th position was Bolton Wanderers. The reason for this is the enormous debt that the club finds itself in, as identified by the Telegraph, Bolton are currently in £172.9 million of debt, almost all of which is owed to owner Eddie Davies who has continued to loan the club money throughout his 15 years in charge. Bolton have only managed to finish in the top-half once in their last 8 seasons, a 7th place finish in the 2012/13 season following their relegation from the Premier League.

Next up in 7th place is Blackburn Rovers. With the Venky’s acquisition of the club in 2010, and the appointment of Steve Kean to replace Sam Allardyce, the club went onto see five years of misery. Another club with poor financial control, with the announcement of £42 million losses last season resulted in a transfer embargo for Rovers for failing to meet the Financial Fair Play regulations. Whilst the club is in a lot of debt, they have a prized asset in striker Jordan Rhodes who is attracting interest and could leave for an eight-figure fee.

In 6th place is Leeds United. Nine managers and three owners in over three seasons has seen Leeds become one of the most chaotic clubs in Britain. Last season was one riddled with turmoil and off-field exploits dominating those on it. The appointment of ex-Forest Green manager David Hockaday saw a spell that lasted 70 days, his replacement Darko Milanic broke the infamous Brian Clough record by lasting 33 days in the job. Owner Massimo Cellino was banned by the league for the majority of the second-half of the season for failing the Owners and Directors Test following a conviction for tax evasion in Italy. Numerous sackings, poor decisions and scandals saw Leeds end up in a disappointing 15th place last season. New Head Coach Uwe Rosler probably has the best chance of stability this season.

The next team to appear on the list in 5th place was Cardiff City. Following the club being saved from administration by an Malaysian consortium in 2010, which included owner Vincent Tan, Cardiff went onto have three successive failures in the play-offs before finally securing promotion to the Premier League in 2013. Despite this, a lack of footballing knowledge and changing Cardiff’s kit from blue to red and black saw Tan become one of the most well-known owners in England. Despite hitting the heights and wealth of the Premier League, Cardiff were still losing around £1 million a month, coupled with poor season-ticket sales and the £12 million extension to Ninian Stand at the Cardiff City Stadium means that it will be closed for the new season, and a note in the club’s annual report says that Tan’s “long-term funding is not guaranteed.”

The highest place Championship team, and the club voted the 2nd worst-run in the country is Queens Park Rangers. The main reason for this would be their reckless financial control and the amount they spend in the transfer market. Following their promotion from the Championship in 2013/14, their wage-bill was double their turnover and was twice as much as Leicester City, who had been promoted as champions the same season. Immediate relegation last season means that the club debt stands at around £200 million and the club is facing a £40 million fine for breaking the Financial Fair Play regulations. The constant spending by the club is catching up with them now, and they may struggle financially in the long-term.

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