Levante UD

LA LIGA MAY BE BLACKED OUT BY PLAYERS STRIKE

In marked contrast to the sums of money being spent by the big two of the Primera Division, is the case last year of UD Levante, the bottom team, relegated and essentially bankrupt. They did not pay the players regularly or at all, for large parts of the season and look certain to slide through the Segundo Division into the third level of Spanish football unless changes take place at the club very quickly. The lessons of their demise are not being learned though and is the root of a clash between the league and players union.

AS reports that the union want the league to change the insolvency rules to ensure that players salaries are paid before anyone else in these situations. They are right to be nervous; Spanish top flight clubs have a recent history of financial mismanagement with even the champions, Real Madrid, teetering on the edge of this abyss at the start of the century, saved only by the sale of land for dubious values.

If the two sides cannot reach an agreement before the start of the season, the union has the mandate to call for strike action with echoes of the PFA dispute over Broadcasting revenues in England. Then the players voted overwhelmingly to strike if the argument was not resolved which led to the clubs backing down from reducing the moneys paid to the PFA. The Spanish dispute is more crucial than even that; this is the players wages and not all earn the multi-million euro salaries of the elite, a higher proportion need to pay their bills every month.

With the inflated transfer fees paid for players in the Champions League sides, it is hard to see any justification on moral grounds that the clubs have to not accede to the request of the players union. In football though, morals and commonsense are two qualities in short supply.

Derby Seek Reinforcements to Counter Relegation Concerns

With Derby County at the bottom of the EPL table at a mere 7 points, it’s hard to imagine any new signing could make a tremendous impact to counter their relegation worries. But with the confidence of chairman Adam Pearson—and cash to back it up—Derby manager Paul Jewell is moving into the remainder of the 2007/2008 season full steam ahead.

Jewell is looking to bolster the team, whose performances he recently described as not “good enough”, with strategic signings during the January transfer window. Derby are presently the only side with no European players, having invested heavily in homegrown talent; Pearson revealed it’s part of the club’s plan to look outside of the UK for reinforcements.

That search has already bearing fruit, with Argentinian striker Emanuel Villa arriving from UAG Tecos in Mexico. Frenchman Laurent Robert, a winger with a past in Newcastle and Portsmouth, is likely to join after a trial period. He was with Spanish team Levante until his contract was canceled following a lackluster season.

Derby will see the inclusion of at least one UK player during the transfer period, however; they are set to welcome defender Danny Mills from Manchester City (on loan), perhaps in time for this weekend’s FA Cup 3rd round. The former international player has previously been playing on loan to Charlton.

Derby need all the fresh blood they can muster; with only 1 win and 4 draws in 21 games played, they are far from a threat in the Premiership. Yet Pearson remains optimistic. “We will be a Premier League force, I’ve no doubt about that,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “The club’s in good shape. It’s got a fantastic fan base, great facilities, one of the best managers we could have possibly have attracted to the club and we’ve got potential investment coming into the club in the new year. With or without it, this club will come back.”

Source:
ESPN [1] [2] [3]
BBC