EAs BBC - Squad May Be Dismantled

[Neils]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51013178

Now - if he is saying that now surely it is confirmation of being over,

[JF]

Let's say they have to get rid of half a dozen players. There will be termination payments. are they covered by the salary cap?

Those players will have to find new clubs. But what if they don't get signed because the clubs are either spending up to the cap or aren't but don't have the funds to spend on major signings. These players cannot play in the Prem. Are $arri€$ now breaching some sort of restraint of trade law by making them, in the short term anyway, unemployable?

This is what happens when you sweep things under the carpet.

[backdoc]

This is the preamble for Sarries to make a later statement saying that they all love the club so much they have decided to take a pay cut.

Cue gushings of sentiment worthy of Charles Dickens on Xmas eve.

[Eezamarlowman]

Oh what a mess saint Nigel has created. For any teams not spending upto the cap currently, they should use the ‘windfall fine’ from the EA’s to secure released players on short term deals. This will include Wasps I think, but they can keep Daly ! 😀

I still think it’s unreasonable to not strip them of their Prem titles for the years they breached the salary cap.

[Heathen]

This was mentioned when the story was bubbling under at the start of the season. £900K cut in salaries was mooted.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

The problem with that is that as soon as the let players go they are admitting that they have used an illegally assembled squad to beat the points deduction they were given.

I'd like to see them docked all the points from those games as an absolute minimum.

[SilverShire]

The problem with docking them of points again is that they are rumoured to have cut a deal that by admitting fault the premiership will be ring-fenced this season, no? So they can come dead last in the table but not suffer any consequences 

[Vespula Vulgaris]

Yeah I get it.  I'm inherently against ring fencing, but based on the fact we have contrived to lose almost every game we have played in living memory I'm starting to come around to the idea...

[Neils]

I would like to see the bottom team take the PRL and the EAs down the legal path thus getting all the details released. However I think that is the very reason we will see ringfencing.

[MarleyWasp]

This was mentioned when the story was bubbling under at the start of the season. £900K cut in salaries was mooted.

On the presumption that they're roughly £600k over based on the figures I'd heard when I told you that...

Axing £600k off the wage bill now is not as simple as releasing two players on £300k now, as the Salary Cap year started in July, so we're now a week into month seven, meaning out of that £600k they've already paid £312,500.

By my calculations by the end of this month they will need to reduce their annual wage bill by £1.44m in order to save £600k by the end of the season.

That gets really tricky as players will have clauses saying the club would have to pay up their contract or make good on loss of earnings and this is where clubs can really turn the screw. It's widely accepted that most clubs are now spending up to the cap, so even though they've had a bonus £490k, they can't actually spend it all on players. Therefore clubs could easily turn round and say "We'd love to sign Ben Spencer/Maro Itoje/Owen Farrell but can only spare £5k a month. Saracens would have to make up the shortfall.

Personally I'd expect their top four earners to agree to wave the final £150k of their salary owed, but I doubt this will appease supporters of other clubs.

They may well be forced to admit it can't be done satisfactorily and agree to a further fine and points deduction next season.

[WickedWasp]

I enjoyed reading it. Finally some honesty from Salaries but then I read the line "We are undertaking this process now not because anyone is telling us to do it but because we want to do it. This has been driven internally.”

My hatred for that badge is not healthy and I'm sorry anyone connected for me is tainted. Players and all. I'm feed up of reading how generous Nigel Wray was etc I'm not saying it's on the same level but it's a similar reason why certain celebrities who have been since found to be the worst of human beings were not confronted for their wrong doings for so long. People like Nigel see themselves as above the rules and yes he might have spent millions on rugby but proportionately I've probably spent just as much given my wealth. It does not give him the right to have ruined the last 10 years of rugby. It's also becoming more and more clear that they have gone over consistently by a considerable amount. Initially there were some transactions missing then there was a slight over spend and now they need cut their squad etc.

What is going to happen to the wins they have had so far this season with the squad they have got. They should have been deducted points and stopped from playing until they can prove their under the cap. No good giving them all this time.

It has taken them two months to get to an apology.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

For what it is worth I don't believe we are fully up to the cap this season.  And if only one of the high profile players rumoured to be going actually do go, then we'll have plenty to spare next season.

[SilverShire]

For what it is worth I don't believe we are fully up to the cap this season.  And if only one of the high profile players rumoured to be going actually do go, then we'll have plenty to spare next season.

Pure matter of interest how much do you reckon we are under by?

[westwaleswasp]

I am not a ring fencing fan, but, and this is controversial, I would reluctantly accept it as a price of dismantling their squad. If the alternative is they continue to cheat and a fair club get relegated, that is worse. I would add that ring fencing, whilst distasteful, must include a 13 team league as a minimum, Falcons must come up. If there was a chance the EAs got relegated this year I would be saying something different, but let us face it, they won't.
 

[Shugs]

I'll believe this when I see it. Not sure about ringfencing but if there is any doubt about Sarries being above the cap this year I really don't see how you can relegate someone (who won't be Sarries). In terms of any dismantling of their squad who would you want. I'd take Lozowski to play 12 but not sure I could stomach many of the others.