Blue Square Clubs Could Get Torpedoed By Sinking Setanta

Setanta Sports are drowning in debt, up the proverbial creek without a paddle and are about to walk the plank, among other, similar, marine themed euphemisms about being in trouble and having no money.

Having failed to meet its target of 1.9 million subscribers needed to break even - managing only 1.2 million - the company have found themselves hemorrhaging money at a reported rate of £100 million a year.

As a consequence they have failed to make payments to the Scottish and English Premier Leagues (£3 million and £30+ million respectively), loosing their rights to their EPL games in the process.

The channel has also been forced to stop taking new subscribers. People trying to subscribe online were faced with a screen reading: "Oops... somethings gone wrong.", a contender for understatement of the decade.

It has been widely reported that a number of SPL clubs could be severely hit by the Irish Network's collapse but it is not just clubs north of the border which could take significant damage.

Clubs in the top flight of non-league football may also be forced to re-plan the upcoming season.

Setanta are two years into a £2.5m, five-year, contract with the Football Conference. A failure to honour this contract could see Blue Square Premier clubs losing £120,000 over the next three years, not including extra money clubs gain from televised matches.

Ebbsfleet United chairman John Moules, who was Conference chief-executive when the deal was made, told BBC Radio Kent:

"We can't afford to lose six pounds let alone £60,000.

"I'm sure we'll pull together but it will not be easy, it'll be a challenge," he added.

"We also receive money every time we appear on TV so it's probably nearer £200,000 over the next three years we each stand to lose.

"It isn't just the revenue. What concerns me is the profile it has given the competition which has attracted other sponsors to the game."

Andy Perry, chairman of Mansfield Town, also has concerns over the penalty clubs may have to pay over Setanta's demise.

"We are keeping an eye on the situation but it doesn't look good at the moment," he told the Mansfield Chad.

"For Mansfield Town, being on the television meant £20,000 in cash as well as valuable publicity. "

It's not just the top tier of non-league football that has been affected by Setanta's collapse. Hinckley United, of the Blue Square North, are currently owed £5,000 by the T.V. network.

Hinckley chairman Kevin Downes told thisisleicestershire.co.uk: "We are owed £5,000 by Setanta.

"It was the last scheduled payment from the 2008-9 season."But I think other clubs in the Premier Division might be owed a lot more.

"It is obviously a worry when any major sponsor hits financial trouble, and while £5,000 might not seem a huge amount of money it is to the likes of ourselves."

While the Setanta failed to meet a deadline for payments to the SPL and EPL, the Blue Square leagues have imposed no such thing.

"The Conference aren't in as strong a position as the Premier League," explained Moules.

"I don't think we would set a deadline and we hope along the line there will be a saviour at Setanta who could keep this level of coverage at this level at the game."

The 'saviour', however, is unlikely to be Len Blavatnik, whose Access Industries pulled out of a rescue deal. However, it is rumoured that they could launch another bid for the broadcaster should it go into administration, when the price for a deal would certainly become lower.

If there is no last ditch rescue Moules is confident that there will be help from the FA to help minimise and damage done.

"Five years ago when ITV digital went a similar way it looks like Setanta are going, the Football League went to the FA who went to the Premier League and Football Foundation and found millions of pounds to ease the blow.

"I still think at this level we could go to the FA and ask to support us."

Blue Square club chairmen across the country will be anxious to know the final fete of the deal and whichever way it goes they will want to know sooner rather than later.

Iker Casillas - The new Given is better than Buffon

If anything stood out from last night's Champion's League games it wasn't the 12-1 aggregate scoreline at the Bayern - Sporting game or even Liverpool's impressive 4-0 win over Real Madrid.

It was the Shay Given-esque performance of Iker Casillas.

The poor lad did absolutely nothing wrong, in fact he turned in a 'Man-of-the-Match' performance, but his side still managed to ship four goals.



















This scenario will be eerily familiar to Newcastle fans as this seemed to happen an awful lot to the Irish custodian. The last being a 5-0 loss against, coincidentally, Liverpool when, without 'MotM' Given, it could have been 10.

Liverpool could have, quite easily, won by five, six or even seven goals,last night, if Casillias didn't have the ability to pull off saves that, at times, defied the laws of physics and saved whatever dignity his non-existent defence had left.

His early save from Fernando Torres was made despite seemingly committing to the other direction and his flying stop from a spinning Mascherano drive is still hard to fathom, as he wouldn't have seen the ball until very late.

The Spanish stopper has been touted as one of the world's top 'keepers for a long time but has always been over shadowed by Italy's formidable Gianluigi Buffon. Yesterday night, however, added further evidence to claims that he has overtaken his Juventus counterpart.

The scary thing is that, at only 27-years-old (that's only two years older than Ben Foster, by the way), he has at least another 10 years in him at the top level, if he stays free from serious injury.

In the next year or two, if he hasn't already, he will overtake Buffon as the world's best and will have to make himself comfortable because he could be there for many years to come.

What do you think? Is Casillas now the best or is Buffon still the number one? Leave a comment.

Ronaldo the "King of Free Kicks"? He's not even good enough to shine Juninho's crown!

Last night, Manchester United claimed another three points to strengthen their strangle hold on the top spot in the Premier League.

It was by no means a vintage performance by the Red Devils but grabbed all three points regardless.

Many people in the media are lauding this and are saying that to pull a win from such a performance is, as Phil McNulty states in his BBC Sport blog, "the hallmark of champions".

It is very difficult to argue with this and it is also hard to see anyone overtaking Manchester United, barring a monumental turn-around of form from the current holders.

But while all this media adulation is understandable (Man United are so consistently able to do this and are unstoppable at the moment) it reminded me of another, more questionable, media based Man Utd love in.

It's interesting to see that Cristiano Ronaldo has been labeled by the media as some sort of 'dead ball expert'.

He isn't. Just as Roberto Carlos wasn't.

Hitting the ball very hard and managing to put unbelievable dip or swerve on it is very impressive, but make a free kick expert it does not.

Nor does hitting the wall or ballooning it over 20 times out of 25 attempts.

On ITV's highlights show, of the first leg of the Champions' League round of 16, Juninho Pernambucano was said to have "done a Ronaldo".

He didn't. If anything Ronaldo 'did a Juninho'.

Most bewilderingly, Craig Doyle, the presenter, asked his studio 'expert' Robbie Earle:

"We all know Ronaldo is the King of Free Kicks, but what about Juninho?"

To which Earle replied: "He's definitely up there."

Up there?! He's more than just up there. He IS there!

The Lyon playmaker can take all kinds of free kicks; Beckham and Pirlo-esque curlers, Carlos/Ronaldo style dippers and swervers and even Riise style, straight forward, pile drivers. All with devastating consistency.

His delivery from corners and free kicks in wide areas is also exceptionally accurate and, what's more, he's been doing it for more than seven years.

It makes you wonder whether these 'experts' really watch football or just pander to favouritism.

Agree? Disagree? Make your own mind up. Watch this Juninho Compilation and this Ronaldo Compilation and then leave a comment.