I know that there are a lot of demands on our pockets these days and that austerity is biting, but I would like to make an appeal to the famous generosity of Watford fans for an exceptional cause that is very close to all our hearts. As I'm sure everyone is aware, the financial well-being of our dear Premier League Chairman, Mr Richard Scudamore, has for some time past engaged the anxious attention of all of us at Vicarage Road. Although naturally robust, long, continued overwork and the loving solicitude for others that has characterised his time as our Premier League leader, has often prevented him taking even necessary rest. I'm sure that all of you, like me, the missus and nippers were hugely saddened to hear that too rigorous a devotion to the practice of economic self-denial, with only a humble stipend of £2.5 million per year, has at last brought about the inevitable breakdown, and rendered a period of rest absolutely imperative. I am sure also, that like me, you were outraged to discover that Premier League clubs intend to dismiss him with an insulting pittance of a mere £5 million going away golden handshake. That sort of small change won't buy the sort of yacht that'll get dear ****ie into St Moritz marina and there'll barely be enough left over for the sort of private jet that someone so esteemed richly deserves. Do you want him to have to have his bath taps only gold plated instead of proper solid gold? Is that what you want? Because that's what'll happen! Therefore a Subscription List was quietly opened by us Kremlins a couple of days ago and we are now issuing cards to all footballing flash-bang super Sky Sunday Premiership fans so they can assist in the good work of collecting donations. Our aim is to collect sufficient to present our dear Shepherd with an illuminated address and a purse of gold sufficient to defray the expenses of a month's holiday in the South of France. Please PM me for details of the Paypal account to which donations can be sent. Please title your messages of goodwill and contributions with the words "Scuddy In Need". Please give generously
But he's overseen a raise in tv income from 600 million to 30 billion. All on his own and the club's owe him. Or as Simon Jordan said "easy to be successful when your job is to accept cheques". I do feel dirty for quoting simon Jordan in a positive light.
I heard Watford will pay £250k directly out of the compensation they receive from Everton, which the Premier League have reliably negotiated for us.
He is getting more dough as a bonus for setting up the new TV deal .. Earning more than most of the players!
Matt LawtonVerified account @Matt_Lawton_DM Watford, Fulham and Southampton all voiced their disapproval to £5m Scudamore golden handshake but in the end no vote. Consultancy payment pushed through by Buck’s remuneration committee. Story to follow on @MailSport
I can understand the big clubs grateful for the tv money he has brought them but not any of the recently promoted clubs. Why Cardiff, for example, should show equal appreciation as Man Utd seems odd.
And in other papers I've read Wolves, Leicester, Burnley and Huddersfield rejected the ideal so that sounds like almost the league! Maybe the top teams (and Bournemouth) got a double vote....
**** ‘Jockey’ Scudamore did a brilliant job for the Top 6. In fact, made them a Top 6 rather a Top 2. This George Graham style bung, though, is seedy in the extreme. Russian levels of seediness. Gino could have got a left back for that money.
When the envelope goes round at work, the donation is confidential. One time, for the biggest **** I ever nominally reported into, I popped in a fiver &, under the guise of needing time to compose a celebratory haiku for the card, whipped out a tenner. Shocked that Gino hasn’t pulled a similar stunt. Very possibly, he has.
This is the idiot who wanted a thirty ninth game and even contemplated reducing games to an hour for American audiences. He is already on a huge salary with bonuses. Why he should receive an additional bonus is nonsensical. The facts are that the Premier League was already an attractive proposition for television companies and any person worth their salt could organize a bidding war and companies were willing to bid tens of millions anyway. What he is doing job wise is not unique or irreplaceable. And it was a time when football was booming anyway. It's a slap in the face of football fans where clubs can award another overpaid CEO a bonus while dragging their feet on reducing ticket prices and where many clubs refuse to pay their ground and support staff without whom the clubs would grind to a halt the minimum wage. It is a reflection of what is going on in general society where the rich enrich themselves ever further because they can and can apply pressure to the relevant levers. If he has any sense of shame or morality he would do well to donate the money to grass roots football or some of the charities that help the thousands of footballers many from a former era who are struggling with medical problems and when they earned a pittance. It has gone from one extreme in that regard to another.
