http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...0-michael-dawson-own-goal-heaps-misery-on-st/ It's all a bit desperate.
I'm only surprised their version of the league table doesn't have our points deduction already factored in.
The Telegraph are on a crusade to expose football. They've already got rid of the England manager, and have unsurprisingly picked on Watford for their next target. I hope their own entrapment and deliberate planting of items within clubs is also exposed, and that will be an even bigger story. Are the Telegraph run by media mogul Elliot Carver?
I'm suprised at how many think a points deduction won't happen. It's probably the only punishment they can hit us with if they conclude that something wrong has been done. A financial fine would probably not make too much of a dent. Being kicked out of the FA and EFL cups isn't that much of an issue. Only big hit would be points and a minimum of 10 of them.
That isn't a proper consideration for a disciplinary commission to make and we would surely successfully appeal if they did.
Even if the offense is proved to be serious enough, which it won't be, The Prem have never docked points for something that happened outside of their competition. We've not broken any Prem rules & there's no precedent so I think it would be extremely dubious legally. And anyway I doubt they are that bothered about that something that happened 4 years ago in another competition. The only people talking up a points deduction are the press, trying to blow it up into a big story, & fans of other clubs who (obviously) would love it.
Don't disagree with you with regards to the overall sentiment but a few corrections. The matter actually relates to the takeover 2 and a bit years ago prior to our season which culminated in promotion to the premier league. It could also be argued that the takeover gave us an advantage. Also, I think UEA means that if we have broken FA rules, they may impose any points deduction.
Very petty stuff - luck run out? Yes the goal was but we could have scored 2/3 in the first 10 minutes... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...atford-but-investigation-into-gino-pozzo-may/
They clearly don't like us. I really hope we escape any sort of significant punishment and continue to get 'lucky' in the league. May shut em up for a while.
Whatever punishment is imposed (by whoever imposes it) has to be "proportionate" to the offence committed. If either the EPL or FA, for whatever reason, decide that a points deduction is warranted, I would be intrigued to see how "proportionate" that would be deemed by the CAS, which is where, I am sure, Gino would take the case if he had to. As long as the HSBC letter is the only thing uncovered, then I do not see how anyone could consider a points deduction "proportionate". However, in a rare manifestation of agreement with zztop, I am not as sanguine as many on here about the fact that nothing else will come out. If the confirmation of funds was required to clear the way for an "internal transfer of control" within Hornets Investments, why the need for the rush to meet a deadline? Such a transfer could happen at any time, I would think, and still be subject to the same EFL approval. So why not wait until the correct paperwork was received? I do not see why waiting an additional month to effect the internal transfer of control would have made a lot of difference. Another thing that seems odd is "Mr X"'s claim that he "did not expect the letter to be used in any formal submissions." Then why create a letter at all? It's all so bizarre.
Totally agree, unless of course Mr X was paid by the Telegraph , if so the ramifications of that could prove highly interesting.
It certainly is, although we're currently only hearing it through the medium of a newspaper who have a different set of priorities to a truly independent investigation. I imagine that results in their agenda taking precedence over everything else, particularly when it comes to asking difficult questions of Mr X like your last one.
Unlikely, the Telegraph would then be complicit in committing fraud, the club would effectively be in the clear and only the EFL would look silly for not having verified the original letter.
Are we being investigated by the same Football League that in the recent past have approved our own Baz, the Wenkys at Blackburn, the Italian hood at Leeds (whose name I can't remember) and many, many more as a 'fit and proper' people to buy a football club? While I understand that forgery and fraud are serious offences (and the person or persons who came up with the idea of producing the note from HSBC are guilty of, at best, a grave error of judgement) this is such a minor bending of the rules that I find the League's bluster pathetic. I have also cancelled my subscription to the Telegraph - although having just read the Guardian, I will renew it again from tomorrow
You wouldn't have enjoyed Saturday's Times either, Lloyd. Full-page article illustrated by a West Ham picture. The thrust of it was that authority is divided between the FA, Prem and EFL and none of them enforce the rules properly. Hard to argue with that. It started with the HSBC letter and went on to cover hooliganism at the "London" Stadium and QPR's apparent avoidance of any punishment for breaching FFP rules when they got promoted to the Prem, asking if this has been quietly forgotten now they're back in the Championship. It then returned to Watford, alleging that we broke FFP rules to get promoted too. The Watford part of the story is the newest, but I think it got excessive coverage in comparison with the lack of action over West Ham's hoolies and the absence of any apparent follow-up to QPR's proven misdemeanour. Our case, or cases, still ongoing, so no point in complaining about the outcome.
Do you have the exact quote? Only ask as the bit in bold certainly wasn't true at the time. It was Bournemouth who flouted FFP that year and I wonder if they've got confused.
Ok, so we may be investigated for not being able to prove we had enough money and for spending too much at the same time? Awesome.
Exactly what I was thinking , if it did go that way would be highly entertaining , its not as if a journalist hasnt used dodgy methodology to get a story before !
Being investigated by City of London police now. Surely that will be against Mr X who acquired it, regardless of what they thought it would be used for?
Did anyone ever come up with a decent theory as to why anyone would go to all the trouble of creating the letter if they genuinely didn't think it would ever be used? (Other than that they're lying, obviously).
There's a maximum 5 year jail sentence for any small club being above Utd after 10 games. Manchester Police investigating.
The police press office are saying the story is bollox apparently. The Telegrass have given them the documents but they are not currently investigating. Update: Sky Sports News have now deleted all tweets relating to this latest "story"
I think at this stage it's just a perfunctory response from a police force probably getting daily enquiries from the Telegraph and pals who are keen to keep the story alive. It certainly doesn't indicate a full blown criminal investigation has been launched. Of course if the police do end up getting involved it will see any FA/EFL action take a back step.
Yes, the threshold for Police fraud investigations is very high, at least 7 figures of loss normally. In saying that, it's rare to kick off knowing you have a definite forgery.
