Tranmere fans fear their newly redeveloped stadium may not be long for this world. Tony Morris reports on the chairman's post-ITV Digital manoeuvring
Dave Watson is not the first manager to be sacked after a heavy defeat and he won’t be the last. But events surrounding his dismissal by Tranmere Rovers – after a 7-0 pre-season friendly loss to Birmingham City – hint at something more than another knee-jerk reaction by a club chairman.
With financial uncertainty and franchising in the air, Barney Ronay looks at Fulham's 'temporary' move
Fulham fans really are extremely stylish and well dressed individuals. Certainly, the group of people queuing to buy tickets on the morning of the Cottagers’ first Premiership fixture at Loftus Road look a sartorial cut above your average football supporter. Designer labels mingle with vintage denim. Beneath immaculately styled hair, Gucci sunglasses glint in the August haze. The Fulham look is retro, perfectly accessorised… and strangely Japanese.
Tom Davies's update on clubs with pocket problems
Bournemouth fans have been trying to prevent the club embarking on a “sale and leaseback” of their ground, similar to that at Watford (see page 19). The chairman Tony Swaisland, who dreamt up the plan, resigned at the end of July after vociferous protests, including a walk-out at one pre-season friendly. His replacement Peter Phillips is reluctant to go through with the deal, but has the backing of the AFCB Trust Fund (which controls a majority of shares in the club) to do so unless the club can raise £2 million by the end of September.
Thursday 1 The Football League lose their court case against ITV Digital on the basis that the TV companies were not contractually bound to pay the full amount owed, £178.5 million of which is outstanding. The League may sue the legal advisers who drew up the contract with Carlton and Granada. Bradford City come out of administration after agreeing a repayment schedule with their creditors. Chairman Geoffrey Richmond is remorseful about the club’s over-spending: “I wish I had played it a different way. It looked right at the time though.” Dave Watson is sacked by Tranmere. Debt-ridden Fiorentina go bust, but may be allowed to restart in Italy’s fourth division.
While fan violence may well be on the decrease, Mark Rowe says little can be read into the latest batch of arrest figures for the season just gone
In what is becoming a pre-season tradition, the government and police recently unveiled football arrest figures for 2001-02 and proclaimed their policies are kicking hooligans out. Their headlines this time: arrests for football-related offences associated with Football League matches down by 30 per cent in the last ten years, despite bigger crowds; Premier League arrests also down; far fewer arrests at internationals; the vast majority of matches trouble-free.