[St Charles Owl]

That's how it's panned out but surely that can't have been the stated reason it was brought in?

To be fair its nothing to do with the Prem, they do not have to follow the FFP we have to follow. There is a UEFA version for clubs competing in European competition but there is nothing I am aware of for the Prem itself. The current FFP rules we follow were set up and agreed by the 72 FL clubs, not the Prem.

FFP was brought in by the FL to prevent clubs from over spending and ending up like Portsmouth or Blackburn or Bolton or any number of clubs who have gone through admin. The reasons for it were sound and were right for the game as a whole if it prevents club forever over spending and ending up in severe financial strife, but the downside is it does prevent a club like us who have a wealthy owner from spending what we want and letting him pick up the tab. But we have also seen time and again so called rich owners pumping money in to a club, putting them in debt and then losing interest leaving the club in serious trouble.

Of course the real problem is not FFP, its the parachute payments the failed prem teams get, this puts them so far ahead of all the other teams in terms of available revenue that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get into the prem for other clubs. But FFP didn't cause that, the Sky deal and Prem did, FFP does exacerbate the situation though!! Imre is right that it does prevent clubs doing what Chelsea, Man City etc did to rise through the ranks spending whatever they wanted to get to the promised land, but for every one of them there are 10 clubs who have been in admin because of poor management and over spending. We got our wealthy owner about 5 years too late, now its just so much harder than it was to get up.

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Slight amendment to above, the Prem does have its own version that allows them losses of 105m over three years, not likely with the Sky money anyway!! The Prem version was implemented first along with other UEFA ones and ones in other top leagues, but it was still the FL that decided to introduce one for their 72 clubs in 2011.