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Bristol Post

Sport

Richard Forrester

How Bristol City's bleak wages to revenue ratio compare to their Championship rivals

Bristol City EPL Nigel Pearson Robins (Person) Brentford Birmingham (Organization) Kieran Maguire Norwich Stoke Watford

If there was a piece of evidence to back Nigel Pearson's suggestions that Bristol City have been passive in the past, then data detailing the club's spending this week certainly brings it to light.

Figures posted on social media have highlighted the extent of wages City have been paying their players and staff in relation to the revenue they receive and it's a startling and worrying number.

The crux of the information is that the Robins, who posted losses of £38.4million in December, were paying 212 per cent of wages in comparison to the income received. It's important to note that these were figures are in relation to last season.

To put it in layman's terms, City have been paying £212 on wages that cover players and staff members for every £100 they received through income. It's no secret that the club have put their huge losses in revenue down to the collapse of the transfer market outside of the Premier League following to coronavirus pandemic.

Their revenue in that department fell from just £26m to £6m with Sammie Szmodics to Peterborough and Niclas Eliasson to Nimes the only substantial sales.

The informative data, supplied by Price of Football expert Kieran Maguire, showed that only three Championship clubs were forking out more in Birmingham, Brentford and Reading.

Five clubs weren't included in the data, the three clubs that were relegated in Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham and Wycombe while Derby and Swansea reportedly hadn't published their financial accounts.

Brentford's gamble paid off as they secured promotion to the Premier League but the data is a stark reminder of the unsustainable risks clubs are taking to achieve their dream of reaching the promised land.

Only four clubs weren't functioning beyond their means in Huddersfield, Cardiff, Bournemouth and Barnsley. The latter were the only club that hadn't recently received some sort of parachute payments to help ease the financial burden of paying wages when relegated from the Premier League.

Nigel Pearson has been vocal about City's bleak finances (Daniel Chesterton/JMP)

It also echoes the study recently released that highlights the disparity parachute payments can create in the Championship, with owner Steve Lansdown critical of the system and the unfair playing field it creates.

Maguire also released information regarding the average weekly wage of clubs in the Championship and it's also not pretty reading for Bristol City.

It claims the club are paying an average of £16,419 per player on wages with only five teams paying more in Brentford, Stoke, Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford - again, three of those were promoted while Stoke and Bournemouth still have Premier League wages on their books.

City have been working hard to reduce those numbers this season which also suggested why less than £2m was spent in last summer's transfer market on Rob Atkinson and George Tanner.

Famara Diedhiou, Henri Lansbury and Jamie Paterson were some of the notable names to leave last summer, albeit on free transfers, although their departures did help reduce the wage bill.

Manager Pearson has been blunt in City's assessment of their finances as he plans a summer shakeup with no, or very limited, funds available.

Last week, when asked about transfer plans, he responded: "As it stands at the moment, I can't see us spending any money". He was slightly more positive yesterday when he said "there may be some money but we have to be prepared, it depends on how things go with the financial fair play situation."

Pearson has clearly stated the importance of trimming the squad and the wage bill to help reinvest in his squad and progress but the figures remain a stark reminder of the task at hand and the financial obstacles he will need to overcome.