When writing a piece for the Montreal Gazette concerning how much each promoted side had paid to assemble their roster, it was interesting to note the circumstances of each team. Queens Park Rangers, though ostensibly backed by the capacious pockets of Bernie Ecclestone and perhaps Lakshmi Mittal, have spent a miserly ₤1.25 million on striker D.J. Campbell while both Swansea City and Norwich City have repeatedly raided the Football League for standouts and bargains.
courtesy: thecomet.net |
Though both are spending - both appear to have spent nearly nine million pounds - it seems both are following the WBA and Blackpool approach to the Premiership: survival would be nice, but not worth overextending the club's finances. With sound investment and a keen eye on the wage bill, the parachute payments should see a club in contention for promotion again within a year or two.
Prudence has been the order of the day in both far East and West. Not only do lower-leaguers cost less, but they also demand smaller wage packets as they seek a chance for Premier League success. Like the global economy, we could see these clubs prepared to "double-dip" to avoid mimicking the harrowing fortunes of Hull City or Portsmouth.
courtesy: goal.com |
Newcastle United are perhaps the most atypical promoted side in recent history. Rather than being a long-term Championship heavyweight such as WBA, Birmingham or (to a lesser extent) Wolves, they easily won the Championship after years of bringing in players who fit a Tyneside lust for power. Like perhaps West Ham United will be this term, Newcastle were a Premier League squad playing in the Championship.
The table below is designed to give ballpark figures of how much each club spent in their promotion year. Please note that these figures were assembled using a variety of websites such as SkySports, transfermarkt.co.uk, soccerbase.com and news reports. When transfer fees were not disclosed, the last known rumoured price was used (often preceding the actual deal by only hours). This means it's unlikely the figures are 100% accurate; however, they are as close to accurate as can be found online or without detailed knowledge of a club's inner workings. Loans are not included.
Key: K = thousand, M = million. All figures in pounds. "Accurate" to 5th August 2011. Players not given a squad number (eg. Lee Cook, Rowan Vine & Martin Rowlands) not included.
Championship Winner | Automatic Promotion | Playoffs Winner | ||||
Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2010 | 2011 | 2010 | 2011 |
Team | Newcastle | QPR | West Brom | Norwich | Blackpool | Swansea |
Years in Champ'ship | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Plyrs in on Promotion: | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 4 |
Spent when Promoted | 9.5M | 1.25M | 7.6M | 8.6M | 3.85M* | 8.75M |
Spent Year before | 5.15M | 4.05M | 3.1M | 3.025M | 500K | 1.75M |
Squad Academy Graduates | 5 | 4 | Nil | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Highest fee paid for current plyr: | 10.3M (Coloccini) | 3.5M (Faurlin) | 3M (Brunt) | 2.8M (Morison) | 1.2M (Campbell) | 3.5M (Graham) |
Squad FTs: | 5 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 9 |
GK Spend | 0 | 750 000 | 3.25M | 100 000 | 0 | 1.5M |
DF Spend | 19.35M | 2.45M | 11.1M | 2.125M | 1.675M | 400K |
MID Spend | 29.2M | 8.3M | 6.55M | 3.35 M | 2.325M | 3.985M |
Fwd Spend | 11.2M | 3.4M | 9.2M | 8.4M | 1.29M | 6.7M |
Total: | 59.75M | 14.9M | 30.1M | 13.98M | 5.29M | 12.185M |
Avg p/plyr: | 2.39M | 596K | 1.2M | 559K | 211.6K | 487.4K |
*Includes estimates of price paid for David Carney and Neal Eardley.
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