Sympathise for victims of points deductions? Not likely

I'm a Leeds United fan, in case you didn't know. So the sight of many league clubs being deducted points over the last couple of seasons hasn't exactly filled me with sadness. Upon Leeds United appealing the 15 point deduction they received for exiting admin without a CVA (company voluntary agreement) in place they were ordered in front of an appeals court made up not of impartial lawyers or the board of the FL, but their fellow football league clubs chairmen. Hardly the height of impartiality. I'm by no means being bitter, after our second appeal was thrown out it emerged that we had no right to appeal and the deduction was never going to be lifted, rather than being the victims of injustice, we were the victims of our own chairman, but I digress.

Upon appearing in front of their peers only a select few agreed that the punishment was harsh. This may have at the time seemed to be a decision impacting upon one club, but, several of the clubs who voted against the appeal have found themselves in the same position recently. Over the time period after the appeal several reports of who voted for Leeds came out, with most of them agreeing on who the clubs were. Out of those rumoured clubs only Darlington have found themselves in a position to be deducted points, for them alone I have sympathy. For the others it seems like they shot themselves in their collective feet with the decision they made in August 2007.

The reason I find myself writing about this is the plight of Southampton that was announced today. They have entered administration and will receive a ten point deduction, when that is applied depends on where they finish in the league. Should they be relegated without they deduction it will be held over till next year, but, should they manage to finish above the bottom three the deduction will be applied there and then possibly forcing them into relegation. This though is a different deduction to the one the clubs debated 19 months ago, however it does lead one to wonder if they, or rather their administrators, will be more thorough in the way they handle the exit from admin. Should they come out with a proper CVA in place they will receive no extra punishment. It has not always been that straightforward for clubs though in recent years.

Southamptons fall from grace rivals that of Leeds

Other than Leeds deduction Luton, Bournemouth and Rotherham (none of whom were on the rumoured list of pro Leeds voters) have faced a large deduction at the start of a season after a period under the stewardship of the administrators. None of those clubs came out with a CVA in place and as such faced the dread 15 (or in this case now 17) point deduction. This deduction, along with a separate one for some underhand dealing with agents in the past, has relegated Luton Town out of the Football League. They will therefore come up against my other team Rushden and Diamonds. Will I show them and their captain Kevin Nicholls (who enraged Leeds fans by trying to bail out of the relegation battle and return to Luton whilst captain of Leeds United) and sympathy? No is the simple answer. They voted for these punishments and have had to face their own consequences. I'm angry at those at Leeds who have brought us into administration multiple times and caused a fall from grace that television commentators delight in pointing out every time the whites appear play live on TV, and have no sympathy for any football club in the league that spends beyond its means.

Boston United were kicked out of the Football Conference a couple of years back having failed to come out of administration before a deadline (this after being relegated straight past the Conference National to the Conference North for their financial situation. Imagine the outcry if the FL took the same stance as the Conference board to this kind of situation?

Outside of the league punishments are harsher

So I say do not complain about 'unjust' deductions. Remember these clubs (not their fans) brought it upon themselves with the decisions they made in the past. Think of Boston and the deaths of Halifax and Scarborough and remember that those in the League get off lightly in comparison. Bitter Leeds fan? No Leeds United got a points deduction that was in the rules, other clubs should remember where those rules were affirmed.