ESSEX: Credit crunch forces clubs to tighten belts

By dward

THE credit crunch is hitting top Essex non-league football clubs forcing many to drastically cut their playing budgets for next season.

Both Blue Square South rivals Chelmsford City and Braintree Town have this month cut their budgets as have many local Ryman League clubs, some of whom are increasingly relying on home grown players for their first teams.

Although Chelmsford City chairman Mansell Wallace denied the club had cut £2,000 from their weekly players' wages bill he did confirm they would have a smaller budget than last season.

Braintree Town chairman Lee Harding also confirmed that the Iron's new manager Robbie Garvey had been given a budget of just over 15 per cent less than last season.

The overall situation is that it's leaving many players with a 'take it or leave it' option – they either accept a pay cut or join the ever growing band of footballers looking elsewhere for the kind of money they've become used to in the past.

City's chairman explained: "We have reduced our budget slightly from last season but we feel it's still good enough for us to have a side that can win promotion which again is our aim."

He said City, who have released seven first team players, needed to lose some of what he described as some "luxury" experienced players who had not performed to the level expected.

"Along with our remaining more experienced players we're also going for some younger, hungrier players this time and that will help towards a more sustainable budget.

"We're also adding the incentive that if the club has a good cup run then that money will be made available for the manager to use – that was not the case last season.

"Any extra money has to be earned because we have to be self sufficient as a club.

"It's like any other business and has to be run like one in a sensible and realistic way and that's what we are doing, particularly in the current financial climate."

Wallace said most other senior clubs were acting the same way in the same situation which was only commonsense adding: "We're still confident that the manager (Jeff King) has a sound budget and will produce a side good enough to make promotion."

Town chairman Harding said he had been on the record for some time insisting that the Iron wouldn't put themselves in debt by paying out big wages to players.

"We did spend more last season on some more experienced players and it didn't work out because some players weren't hungry enough and failed to perform to what we expected," he said. "This season we have reduced the budget by just over 15 per cent and Robbie has been aware of that from his appointment and as a club we are working to the revised limit."

The Iron, who are still waiting to hear from club captain Brad Quinton if he has accepted his new deal for the coming season, have gone down one level to make their two latest signings.

The experienced midfielder Matt Game, 24, and 27-year-old centre half Lynvall Duncan have both signed from Billericay Town.

Game had a brief spell at the Iron on loan in 2004 when he was at Leyton Orient.

Harding added: "There are players still going around expecting the kind of wages they've been getting at some clubs in the past but the climate has changed and so they will have to change with their demands.

"It's now a buyer's market and when the Professional Footballers' Association release their annual list of available players released by Football League clubs within the next couple of weeks, there will be an unprecedented number of players looking for clubs.

"It used to be a couple of hundred but this time round it will be several hundred as those clubs cut back on full-time playing staff."

The Football Association will finally announce the league constitution tomorrow (Friday) following a delay. Check our website tomorrow for details.