Last Chance Saloon For Leeds, Leicester, Watford and Nottingham Forest

Leeds fans keep rabbiting on about the Financial Fair Play rules to justify low expenditure on players, but they are missing out on one very crucial point. There are NO sanctions for any teams breaking the rules until December 1, 2014.


That means that any of the clubs recently, or soon to be, taken over by cash rich owners, are at total liberty to spend what the FA they like in order to get out of the Championship and into the promised land of the Prem.

And let's face it, the need to escape the clutches of the Championship has never been greater. In two years time, there will be approximating to a level playing field for all teams rooted in the division, so a glorious past will do the likes of Leeds and Forest no good whatsoever. True they will generate more revenue than the likes of Barnsley but the gap will not be so huge as to make a material difference. However, teams relegated from the Premiership will have a massive advantage as they will retain a huge parachute payment, enabling them to outspend all the teams in the division below - and to offer higher salaries to coax away their rivals' better players into the bargain.

In fact, the new arrangement will give birth to the genuine Yo Yo club, as a team falling from the Prem will be at such a massive advantage against their rivals that they will be virtually guaranteed a return. So, to all those Leeds fans trying to score points by predicting that West Ham will plummet back down again this year, I reply, "You are missing the point"! A relegated team will, from now on, be the equivalent of Man City in the Prem!

So it really is shit or bust time. If Leeds, Forest, Watford and Leicester want to capitalise on wealthy owners, they have to do it now - or never! Which is why it is so strange that Leeds are populating their squad with cheap dross and are not offering huge wages to keep the likes of Snodgrass. True Leicester proved last season that spending big is no guarantee to success, but if a club isn't going to gamble now, the ambition must be close to zero!

If I was Bahraini and buying Leeds, I would be rushing through the deal and buying a squad capable of walking the division, not twiddling my thumbs and allowing the transfer window to tick away to virtually nothing. And if I was Kuwaiti and owning Forest, I wouldn't have appointed a man with no experience of winning promotion to the Prem and with no profile of capturing big name, quality players! Meanwhile, if running Watford, I would have appointed a shagged out Swede rather than the Italian turnip Zola!

Wolves must be loving this! My money is on them and Birmingham to battle it out for the title.

In case you want clarification of the rules guys, follow this link:

http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/FLExplainedDetail/0,,10794~2748246,00.html