What now?

So at least we now know that we face a 12 point deduction. A little bit of certainty! How many of us feel better for knowing? It's taken forever (or so it seems) to get to this point. I'm sure that you, like me, have got up each morning and headed straight for your favoured footy news source in the fond hope that there would be some good news for a change but now, even though we are a little further "advanced", there are still all sorts of problems to be resolved and which are at present unquantifiable unless you are MM or SP.

According to the Telegraph's John Percy we owe 26 million to HMRC, 6 million in unpaid transfer fees and 5 million to Cocu and friends. HMRC will be a preferred creditor and I believe players' wages rank as preferred liabilities. Somehow the administrator will have to find the money to pay these and other debts, presumably in full and somehow keep the business of playing Championship footy going. Goodness knows what assets he will have available other than players and they are not available for sale right now. Some say MM owns the stadium and presumably Moor Farm. I have no clue as to whether these assets will be part of the admin. Presumably there will be redundancies. Will the administrator be able to keep the Academy running or are all non-contract players to be "released"? (Will MM actually help with funding for a while or is he now totally out of the picture? He can presumably play no part in the actual running of the business now.)

It's difficult to understand how a loss-making concern can owe so much in taxes. I assume that the income tax deductions at source from players' wages have been kept back and not paid to HMRC. That could just account for that huge debt. Whatever - it all adds to the awful mismanagement of the club over the Morris years. I remember Peter Ridsdale who just about finished Leeds off some years ago. His plea was that he had "lived the dream". MM would doubtless claim the same. I do feel some sympathy but it just shows that a mad rush for Premiership gold is not sustainable unless your owner is a billionaire.

I do wonder, if a new owner had been in place a few months ago, whether he would have put us in admin as happened with Wigan. I think it's pretty likely.

VC, a few weeks ago you agreed with me that the two of us would be unlikely to see Prem football again at Pride Park. Well it now seems nigh on impossible!