Bury may not be the last to go as fear grips North West football hotbed
FUNERAL suits in Bury, Bolton saved at the death.
And across the north west, football in fear.
The demise of the Shakers has, unsurprisingly, shaken supporters throughout the land.
But in the area where the Football League was formed, born and raised 131 years ago, those concerns are even starker.
A 75-mile radius from Morecambe to the north, Crewe to the south, Tranmere to the west and Oldham to the east was home to no fewer than five Premier League clubs and 15 EFL clubs.
Now, of course, it is 14 teams from the remaining 71 Football League sides. That is almost 20 per cent of the bottom three divisions.
Yet the brutal reality is that the likes of Blackburn — Premier League winners just 24 years ago — and troubled Bolton, are now economic small fry.
Even compared to Burnley, now part of the elite.
They have to fight, fight, fight for crowds, with the appeal of Manchester and Merseyside’s giants a constant shadow overhanging them. Make no mistake, the squeeze is on. A squeeze that has already claimed one victim. And might yet claim more . . .
Every weekend, the battle is between the lower leagues and the Prem, a scramble for cash and customers.
And every other midweek from September, as the nights close in, the wind blows and the rain lashes down, fans know they can watch England’s best against Europe’s finest in the Champions League.
And they can do that from the comfort of their own front rooms — rather than venturing out to see a goalless draw with Colchester.
EFL executive chair Debbie Jevans said she was “devastated” to have to pull the plug on Bury and its 134 years of football history in the town.
Not since 1992, when Maidstone disappeared from the old Division Four, has the Football League lost a member after the start of a season.
Of course, there are exceptions.
Not just league new-boys Salford, bankrolled by United’s Class of 92, but also the calm stability offered by Accrington’s Andy Holt.
Yet the worry now, a deep and genuine one, is that Bury will be the start.
That their demise will set in motion a domino effect, with creditors no longer fearing they will carry the blame for a club’s financial failings. Asked, directly, if she feared that the 71 remaining EFL clubs might be reduced, to 68 or 69, Jevans tried to remain upbeat.
She said: “My understanding is that HMRC (the taxman) has said that the insolvency of clubs is currently at the least it has been in the modern era.
“While we are not taking this situation lightly, there are a lot of good and well-run clubs out there.
“We are going to take the lessons from this and move forward.
“And the EFL will do everything it can, working with the clubs, to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
But as Jevans was forced to concede, if the lessons are not learned, things could become bleak pretty swiftly. Over the past 12 months, cash troubles have plagued Bury and Bolton.
Yet do not forget the worries over Macclesfield — where Sol Campbell recently quit after going unpaid for five months — Oldham and Morecambe.
Oldham fans plan a march to raise concerns about ownership of their club before the match against Colchester on Saturday.
The PFA is a trades union, not a bank, but has helped out a number of clubs to keep the players afloat.
With money tight, prospects tighter, and real concerns about what happens next, the possibility of lower-division sides having to consider strongly-enforced salary caps becomes increasingly realistic.
Jevans added: “If you look at the way clubs run themselves, they need to be sustainable.
“As well as looking at revenue, we need to look at the costs.
“I would like to have a discussion with the clubs and look at those costs. That includes player wages.”
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Simple economics suggests that may be one answer.
So would a proper system for checking the truth of owners’ financial claims.
Yet maybe none of it will be enough. And others might soon be sharing the grief of the Bury fans.