' NEIL WARNOCK / FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY? '
The veteran boss wanted clarity over Financial Fair Play and what it means to his wage budget as he eyes up reinforcements for a Cardiff promotion push
Neil Warnock has met with Cardiff City' s finance chiefs as he plots a blueprint for the Bluebirds' summer spending.
Warnock said last night, he himself did not understand what the Financial Play Rules(FFP) meant.
BBC
By Rob Phillips
Tuesday 14th March 2017
Warnock, 67, wanted clarity over the club's position when it comes to Financial Fair Play(FFP), the profit and sustainability rules in the Football League that dictate how much he will be able to use to fund new signings, particularly when it comes to wage bill.
The veteran boss met with director Phillip Jenkins and controller Charlotte Latham, and following the discussions said: “I’ve had a chat with Vincent and Mehmet and Ken so they know, roughly, what I'm asking for in terms of budget and I'm not asking for a fortune.
“But I wanted a meeting with the financial director to go through what the FFP means, the players whose contracts are coming to an end and what we need to generate to bring in the players."
“I had a couple of hours with the financial director because I don't quite understand - and I'm sure everybody else is the same – how all this FFP works and I wanted a layman's impression of what I'm looking at and how to work it.
“When you don't understand where you're going, it's difficult to be clear in your mind about where you can go so the meeting was very constructive from my point of view.
“He told me about those out of contract and other things at the club, I told him about the number of players I want to bring in and the type wages I'm looking to pay. He's gone away to work out where we're going.”
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Warnock continued: “I've said what sort of fees these players are going to cost, we've got players on loan whose contracts are up who will go and we'll lose them off the wage bill. It's about putting it all together
“Within a week's time I'll have far more idea about what's possible and what's not. They're going to go away and within a week all things we talked about – all the cost effective measures we might take - will all be put together to come up with a plan.
"It's impossible to do it completely because I'll talk about one player who might cost this and somebody else might sign him. But it gives me a broad idea what I'm doing and that's what we need – and idea of what we can do and what we can't.
Adam Le Fondre, one of Cardiff's on-loan players, celebrates a goal during his 2015 Bolton loan spell
“We have to be fortunate because other clubs will be after the players we'll be after, but we have to be a bit lucky and hopefully get the right players we need to take us that little step further.”
Warnock has made it clear he will be prepared to ship out players he doesn't see as part of his plans and has warned his squad that he is still assessing who he thinks can fit into his aims for next season having recently committed to a new contract.
The club's need to be careful when it comes to finances was illustrated by the release of the most recent accounts that revealed a loss of £8.74m for the 2015/16 season. The figures showed the club are having to cope with falling revenues with next season expected to bring further challenges.
But Warnock is confident he will be able to make things happen and add to his team as he eyes 50 points and a period of experimentation ahead of a fresh start in the summer.
" WE NEED NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR SQUAD "
“I don't think anything is insurmountable when I look at what we’re talking about,” he said after the weekend 1-1 draw with Birmingham that highlighted the need for new additions to really support the chance of a promotion push. “We’re hoping we can have a good season. You can’t guarantee anything, we might be glad to be mid-table, but it won’t be for the lack of trying.
“We have to get well organised for the summer get that little bit of magic in one or two areas and a few more goals.
“It’s a bright time at the minute. I think it’s an exiting time ahead and I just can’t wait for it to start. “It’s one of those where we've got to put up with what we’ve got and try to get the wins.”
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