BBC SPORT | Football | Teams | Watford | PFA warns against anarchy

Taylor feels players should not pay the price

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has threatened to stop funding Nationwide League clubs who are not prepared to honour players' contracts.

Taylor's dart was aimed at Watford, who have asked their players to take a 12% pay cut to stave off disaster.

Watford need to raise �9.5m to avoid going into administration and claim they could "cease to exist" unless they can raise the money within a matter of days.

It is intimidation of players to say 'take a cut or we will fold'

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor

But Taylor insisted the PFA would take its own steps if players were being asked to get clubs out of their financial crises.

Taylor said: "We have put millions into keeping clubs alive but we can't agree to this.

"We put a lot of money into the league but if clubs aren't prepared to honour their agreements, then we will have to look at our agreements.

"There are plenty of ways of suddenly reducing your costs instead of reneging on what you have promised.

"It is intimidation of players to say 'take a cut or we will fold.'

"With the passage of time and cash flow it can be resolved, paticularly as footballers' contracts are not long-running.

Gianluca Vialli
Former manager Vialli is still waiting for a pay-off

"If we go down this road we will start to have anarchy," said Taylor.

According to the club's statement, Watford hope to raise �6.3m from "existing directors and current shareholders" but are relying on fans or shareholders to stump up the remaining �3.2m.

Players' wages would only be repaid "when either the �9.5m is raised or the �3.2m gap has been closed by other means."

Watford's attempts to slash their wage bill by releasing players and management staff meant paying costly compensation packages.

Former manager Gianluca Vialli is among those who have yet to be paid off.

Watford in financial peril

Ex-Watford striker Luther Blissett believes players will oppose the proposed wage cuts, but urged them to put the club first.

Blissett said: "I can't see too many players being happy but if it means they will have a job they will have to look at it form that point of view.

"Players have to look at themselves and make sure the club survive."


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