Search: 'Benito Carbone'

Near oblivion might have followed, but David Hobbs loved Bradford’s roller-coaster ride to the Premiership and recalls the tense afternoon at Hull that kick-started it

“So, hypothetically speaking, when are the play-offs?” The question drew a few snorts and guffaws as we trudged towards Turf Moor for another tense encounter with our close neighbours Burrnley. I can’t remember if anyone offered a serious reply, but the query was more in hope than any real expectation that Bradford City would be in Division One in a few weeks. Once again it looked as though we would be subjected to another season of frustration. When our new chairman Geoffrey Richmond had declared in January 1994 that the Bantams would be knocking on the door of the Premier League within five years, those who weren’t giggling at the back of the fans’ forum must have just thought the man was barking. There was nothing wrong with a bit of ambition, but he didn’t have to make us look ridiculous.

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As a survey reveals the extraordinary sums the game has paid some people for doing very little, Barney Ronay hopes one man can be persuaded to put a little back

As Woody Allen once said, money is better than pov­erty, if only for financial reasons. English foot­ball currently has both in equal measures: the League is rife with talk of exactly how many clubs are toting around life-threatening debts; meanwhile, the Sunday Times Pay List 2003, published last month, reveals that, of the 500 best-paid individuals in the United King­dom, 56 made their money from football, 44 of them players.

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Barney Ronay scrolls through the list of Britain's highest earners and finds it an incriminating document in the case against football's economic competence

Benito Carbone, Mark Bosnich and Winston Bo­garde have something in common. Draw up a list of controversial transfers, and all three would un­doubtedly feature. But Beni and the boys appeared on another list this month: the Sunday Times Pay List 2002, which sets out the 500 highest earning individuals in Britain. The List includes 46 footballers, only one of whom – Steve McManaman at No 213 – is em­ployed outside the domestic leagues. At first glance the temptation is merely to gawp at the presence of such high profile failures as Fabrizio Ravanelli and the notoriously overpaid cheeky boys of Chelsea.

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From top to bottom, in Britain and abroad, fooball's finances are in a mess. Dave Jennings examines the plight of one club, Bradford City

I was sitting in my usual seat at Valley Parade, but something was badly wrong. There were only about 200 people there, and we were watching a truly dire game. A handful of away fans were chanting “Hello, hello, League rejects”. Fortunately, I then woke up and realised that it had all been a particularly vivid nightmare. Bradford City weren’t a non-League club… yet.

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Dave Jennings gives his impression on Bradford City – years of under achievement, home supporters and what went wrong last season

Why have City underachieved for so long?
Bradford may be a big city, but in recent years it hasn’t been prosperous. Not many people have a lot of spare cash, and City have never had an exclusive claim on the sporting public. Until 1970, soc­cer loyalties were divided between two lower- division clubs: City and Park Ave­nue. The latter then lost their League status and folded four years later, but City still have to com­pete with the highly successful rugby league team, Bradford Bulls. At least there’s no dan­­­­­­ger of their fixtures clashing, as they are currently groundsharing at Valley Parade.

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