Originally Posted by
Danbert Nocurry
Iain In 1981 five clubs (you lot, Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal & Spurs) threatened to form a breakaway league unless the other clubs agreed to their proposal to stop sharing gate receipts and allow the home team to keep them all.
From that moment, the financial dynamic was changed in football and only Leeds managed to briefly break the stranglehold that these five clubs had on the league and that eventually bankrupted them.
In 1992, the same five clubs pushed for the formation of the Premier League and took the TV money (which had previously been shared with the lower divisions) all for themselves.
In the 32 years since 1981 only 4 teams outside that group of 5 have won the title, with only Chelsea winning it more than once so far. The "gang of 5" have won the title on 25 occasions. In the 30 years prior to 1981/2, something like 14 different teams won the league.
The system of revenue sharing prior to 1981 was designed to ensure a relatively level playing field financially. That's what happens in the NFL, NBA and MLB and no one dominates. Only Liverpool & Everton, with the wealth of the Moores family, had a little bit more money in those days. There was very little TV money and therefore not much prize money in those days so gate money was the main revenue stream. So taking money off the smaller clubs was inherently unfair as that tipped the balance financially. Those 5 clubs went on to dominate the landscape as they then had more money (and the clubs with the most money usually win more things) while the other clubs had less.
Put simply you can say what you want about our finances but at least we've not 'stolen' money off other clubs to get where we are.
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