Players aren’t being paid, staff are going without wages; winding-up orders from HM Revenue and Customs are becoming commonplace and creditors are loitering outside offices with their lawyers, desperate to claw their loans back before it’s too late. Over at Manchester City, Sheik Mansour pulled the same sleight of hand, turning the £305m he owed himself (stay with me on this) into shares for, er, himself. The real concerns are at the clubs where egos are writing cheques their bank accounts can’t cash. Sir Alex Ferguson makes a point of continually insisting he has millions to spend in the transfer market and United’s turnover is certainly healthier than that of their rivals. Unless Alex McLeish fancies spending his latest Birmingham windfall on the south coast, or Roberto Mancini takes a sudden liking to east London goods, it could be curtains for someone. This is patently untrue - how do you KNOW what the figures are going to be for this upcoming financial year and thereafter ? read more