Wednesday's six loan players- PART 2

[markscfc72]

hebangsthedrums said:

* Published Date: 05 April 2008
* Source: Sheffield Star
* Location: Sheffield

Owls hold breath over loans decision

WEDNESDAY should learn next week what price they must pay for breaking the rules over loan players.
D-day will be Thursday when the affair will be discussed by the eight members of the Football League board.

The Owls named six on-loan players in the 16 to face Stoke last Saturday; League rules say that a club can name or field only five loan men on match day.

There has been some speculation that the Owls could be hit by a deduction of at least a point - which would be a blow to their Championship survival fight.

But it is believed that they will be merely fined, as Leeds were for the same offence in December, 2006.

What do you think? Post your comments below.

It is understood that the League almost certainly will view Wednesday's transgression as a technical one that had no direct bearing on the 1-1 draw with Stoke.

Two of the six loan men were not used - including Bartosz Slusarski, whose signing on deadline day two days earlier led to the team being over the limit on match day.

If the Owls had used all six players then they could have been in big trouble.

Wednesday are now down to five loan players after Enoch Showunmi's return to Bristol City.

So today is D-Day then!!

[FullerMagic]

Interestingly, the Norwich Chief Exec is on the FL Board.
I'm sure he'll be banging the drum for a point deduction.

Can't see it though, with all the noises indicating it's slap on the wrists time again.

Ridiculous.

Mawhinney (Chairman)
Arthur (Forest)
Beeks (Wycombe)
Doncaster (Norwich)
Ritchie (Independent Director)
Rogers (Tranmere)
Robinson (Sheff Utd)
Sheepshanks (Ipswich)

[Deleted]

Sheepshanks ... big mate of St Peter I'm told. Norwich, also gotta be a vote for points. Blades, I should think will vote for any penalties going, given the way they were treated.

All that we need now, is for the FA Fans-Representative bloke to wade in with his big spoon.

Malcolm, where are ya?!!



ah






(It'll be a fine ... we all know it really)

[markscfc72]

Owls in the dock over 'Stoke six'

Owls: League to consider 'infringement'

FOOTBALL League board members will today meet to discuss whether to punish Sheffield Wednesday over their breach of the loan rules.
The Owls, in the dock for naming too many loan players in their matchday 16 to face Stoke City in March, will be hoping to escape with a rap over the knuckles.

However, should League officials instead decide that a more appropriate sanction would be the docking of the point gained from last month's 1-1 draw with the Potters then it would hand a major boost to Barnsley and the rest of Wednesday's relegation rivals.

There could even be a knock-on effect for clubs such as Hull City at the top end of the Championship with promotion-chasing Stoke then possibly calling for two points to be added to their current tally of 69.

Any plea by the Potters would be likely to focus on the March 29 equaliser being scored by one of the loanees, Franck Songo'o, and the fact that manager Tony Pulis had to omit on-loan duo Paul Gallagher and Gabriel Zakuani from his own matchday 16 at Hillsborough to comply with League rules.

The matter will be discussed at the League's monthly board meeting, although spokesman John Nagle last night stressed that a decision will not necessarily be reached today over what punishment, if any, will be handed out.

However, he did confirm to the Yorkshire Post: "The matter is on the agenda."

Neither the Owls nor Stoke would comment yesterday with the Potters' only public pronouncement so far coming 24 hours after the game.

Chief executive Tony Scholes said: "We are waiting to see what emerges before deciding whether it is appropriate for us to consider any further action on the matter."

Much will depend on how serious the League board view the breach, though precedent points to Wednesday being hit with, at worst, a fine.

When Leeds United were guilty of the same offence last season during a 2-1 defeat at Burnley, they were fined £2,000 (half of which was suspended) with the fact not all six loanees named in the 16 made it on to the field weighing heavily in their favour.

That has clear parallels with Wednesday's case due to two of the six loanees, Adam Bolder and Bartosz Sluarski, being confined to the bench throughout the 90 minutes against Stoke.

Any fans from S6 worried that Leeds losing at Burnley may have been a factor in the Elland Road club's punishment being a fine rather than the docking of points are also likely to be cheered by the case of Swansea City in 2003.

Like the Owls, the Welsh club named half-a-dozen loan players in their 16 for a game that finished 1-1, but due to not all six getting on the field, they were let off with a reprimand.

Such an outcome this time around would be a major boost to not only Laws's men, but also Stoke's rivals in the race for automatic promotion.

The addition of two points to their current tally of 69, for instance, would give Pulis's side a massive boost in the race for the Premier League and leave the division's other high-fliers fuming.

One chairman who is unconcerned by the saga, however, is Hull's Paul Duffen – even though the Tigers trail Stoke by a point with a game in hand.

Duffen said: "Whatever the Football League decide to do over Sheffield Wednesday having too many loan players, we do not envisage any additional points being awarded to Stoke."

The League, meanwhile, have confirmed that the Championship play-off final will take place on Saturday, May 24.

The switch from the traditional Bank Holiday Monday date is due to Euro 2008 with the deadline for players to be called up by the competing nations being midnight on the Saturday.

With none of the home countries having qualified, a possible return to the Monday was considered, but the League felt the presence of several foreign internationals in the Championship meant it should remain on the original date.

The League One final will take place on Sunday, May 25 with the League Two promotion decider rounding off the play-off final weekend at Wembley the following day.

[potters11]

So it looks like the punishment will be delayed....probably until the end of the season!

[dexter97]

potters11 said:

So it looks like the punishment will be delayed....probably until the end of the season!

If The Wendies are well clear of the drop, they'll be deducted the point. If the point deduction would have any impact on relegation issues, it'll be a fine only.

[knowles]

What a complete farce this is becoming.

We know it will end with Sheff Wed getting a minor fine and a slap on the wrist. I don't know why I wasted my time in becoming upset over the matter when it happened.

We know what the answer is though- play Gallagher and Zakuani on Saturday

[s8to]

well thats all handy so they add or delete as much as they like when its all dusted anyway!!