The ITV digital collapse

[ClaretsPadiham]

What’s the full story ? Did teams overspend thinking they was getting a lump sum which never came because of the collapse ?

Which teams did the collapse affect the most ?

I do remember watching matches on ITV Digital around 2000s but I would of only been young.

I can swear when we got beat 5-1 at Maine Road December 2001 that game was on it ? I had on old VHS tape with games on I remember that game being ITV Digital, Little missed a penalty. We was top and City second. We somehow didnt even make the play offs

[Devils_Advocate]

Im pretty certain Gillingham were the team most impacted by the collapse

[Woodleyclaret]

I remember Barry Kilby blaming ITV digital collapse for our financial issues a long time after others had accepted it and moved on.

[Goody1975]

What’s the full story ? Did teams overspend thinking they was getting a lump sum which never came because of the collapse ?

Which teams did the collapse affect the most ?

I do remember watching matches on ITV Digital around 2000s but I would of only been young.

I can swear when we got beat 5-1 at Maine Road December 2001 that game was on it ? I had on old VHS tape with games on I remember that game being ITV Digital, Little missed a penalty. We was top and City second. We somehow didnt even make the play offs

The City game saw us going for it and coming unstuck, we missed several guilt edged chances as well as the penalty in the first half.

Something that isn't talked about, was the fact that we went into Christmas well clear but came out of it off the top of the league, even though we only lost at Maine Road.

Boxing Day away at Rotherham was called off just over an hour before kick off and the New Year's home game against Bradford was also postponed. Games we would have won at the time but only drew when rearranged later in the season.

[Chester Perry]

What’s the full story ? Did teams overspend thinking they was getting a lump sum which never came because of the collapse ?

Which teams did the collapse affect the most ?

I do remember watching matches on ITV Digital around 2000s but I would of only been young.

I can swear when we got beat 5-1 at Maine Road December 2001 that game was on it ? I had on old VHS tape with games on I remember that game being ITV Digital, Little missed a penalty. We was top and City second. We somehow didnt even make the play offs

A horror story of football's lack of due diligence when presented with the opportunity to get a barrowful of money - football is making these mistakes now, even well run organisations like Manchester City who fell for the charms of a crypto sponsorship run by a group that have been re-packaging their scam for a number of years and are believed to have profited by some £4bn from it. the lack of due diligence by football is one of the common themes on the MMT

this from The Athletic a few years back gives an overview of the itv digital fiasco - there are plenty of reports out on the web about it

When ITV Digital collapsed: the deal that almost took down the Football League
https://archive.ph/XjBBc

[Quickenthetempo]

We had a high wage bill, like many at the time due to the big money deal for the championship.
It didn't bring in enough money for the TV company so they went bump and never paid up.

The Burnley squad took a huge cut. Little and Blake were on 15k a week.
Only Paul Weller refused to take a cut.

[Bosscat]

The City game saw us going for it and coming unstuck, we missed several guilt edged chances as well as the penalty in the first half.

Something that isn't talked about, was the fact that we went into Christmas well clear but came out of it off the top of the league, even though we only lost at Maine Road.

Boxing Day away at Rotherham was called off just over an hour before kick off and the New Year's home game against Bradford was also postponed. Games we would have won at the time but only drew when rearranged later in the season.

We were in Rotherham looking for a parking spot when the news came the match was off...

[Rowls]

We were in Rotherham looking for a parking spot when the news came the match was off...

Lucky you.

We were in a godforsaken pub supping John Smiths smooth.

[Wokingclaret]

The contract was never signed, so the football league had no case

ITV just pulled it

[Bordeauxclaret]

Just imagine this board if it had happened with Pace in charge.

[NL Claret]

I knew one person who subscribed to itv digital, so few people had it, we went round to watch the PNE and City games. There was a story that when Forest played Bradford live on digital on a thursday evening that it would have been more cost effective for itv to taken all those who watched the game on tv actually to the ground and given them hospitality than the cost of screening the game live.

[dougcollins]

Boxing Day away at Rotherham was called off just over an hour before kick off .

I was in the Tivoli pub near the old Rotherham ground, the landlord let me buy a £25 round then told me the game was off.

[ALP]

We were in Rotherham looking for a parking spot when the news came the match was off...

I'd parked at Rotherham that day, been for a pint when we heard it was off. Back onto the carpark where they were giving Rotherham fans their money back, the guy said 'only home fans get the money back' --------- Lots of me swearing and shouting then they did give us our money back.

[dougcollins]

Lucky you.

We were in a godforsaken pub supping John Smiths smooth.

That sounds like the Tivoli, where I was!

[ChrisG]

I seem to recall another game at Rotherham being called off a few years before that too

[dougcollins]

I seem to recall another game at Rotherham being called off a few years before that too

Yes. Another frozen pitch.

[Inchy]

I was in the Tivoli pub near the old Rotherham ground, the landlord let me buy a £25 round then told me the game was off.

You must have bought the whole pub a drink if you spent 25 quid back then……in Rotherham


I was on a coach. Pulled into the carpark, driver did a lap of the carpark, then headed back to Burnley. Happy times

[Blatherwickstattoo]

Had a massive impact on young players getting new clubs around that time after the collapse.

[StayingDown4Ever]

Had a massive impact on young players getting new clubs around that time after the collapse.

Did you go straight to Padiham/ Nelson after you left?

[dougcollins]

You must have bought the whole pub a drink if you spent 25 quid back then……in Rotherham


I was on a coach. Pulled into the carpark, driver did a lap of the carpark, then headed back to Burnley. Happy times

Not the whole pub mate, but about a minibus load.

[bfcjg]

I think Burnley signed players and contacts on the strength of the so called deal and it did impact us quite badly. Barry Kilby really pulled out all the stops to keep us going.

[Fretters]

I wrote my dissertation on it for my business degree. An absolute shambles, and that was just the dissertation

The Athletic article that Chester Perry links to above tells you everything you need to know about it.

[ClaretTony]

I remember Barry Kilby blaming ITV digital collapse for our financial issues a long time after others had accepted it and moved on.

I take it you mean the clubs who moved on by cheating and using administration with no penalties

[TsarBomba]

I take it you mean the clubs who moved on by cheating and using administration with no penalties

Still irks me to this day thinking how on earth Leicester bagged themselves a nice shiny new stadium.

[Blatherwickstattoo]

Did you go straight to Padiham/ Nelson after you left?

Wigan

[claretonthecoast1882]

Wasn't it ITV Digital where you could put a code and and get it for free or buy chipped cards rather than pay the subscription ?

[Chester Perry]

Still irks me to this day thinking how on earth Leicester bagged themselves a nice shiny new stadium.

not forgetting promotion to the Premier League straight after administration in that shiny new stadium - the 9 point penalty for administration was introduced after the Leicester debacle - but Leicester got away with it all.

[SammyBoy]

Everyone I knew at the time had a chipped card instead of a subscription, which was probably a contributing factor.

[Paul Waine]

Had a massive impact on young players getting new clubs around that time after the collapse.

I don't know you, Blatherwickstattoo. Were you one of the young players? I knew a few of them. I was at the last game of the 2002/03 season, 4th May v Wimbledon at Selhurst Park (last game before Wimbledon left London). I was told 14 of the first team squad had been told a couple of days before the game that their contracts wouldn't be renewed because the club couldn't afford. I know some of the young players joined Accrington Stanley and another went to Southport. But, a lot of more experienced professionals also moved down the pyramid, including non-league.

Dumb decision by Football League not to get ITV to guarantee the £300m offered by ITV Digital. Without the parent company no football club should have been committing any extra spend on the assumption they would see £300.

[wilks_bfc]

Wasn’t out came at Sheff Wed shown on ITV digital?

The came where Stan went ballistic when a fan came onto the pitch?

[Blatherwickstattoo]

I don't know you, Blatherwickstattoo. Were you one of the young players? I knew a few of them. I was at the last game of the 2002/03 season, 4th May v Wimbledon at Selhurst Park (last game before Wimbledon left London). I was told 14 of the first team squad had been told a couple of days before the game that their contracts wouldn't be renewed because the club couldn't afford. I know some of the young players joined Accrington Stanley and another went to Southport. But, a lot of more experienced professionals also moved down the pyramid, including non-league.

Dumb decision by Football League not to get ITV to guarantee the £300m offered by ITV Digital. Without the parent company no football club should have been committing any extra spend on the assumption they would see £300.

Yep that was the season mate. Hit me like a ton of bricks as was leading goalscorer for 2 seasons and appearing and scoring for reserves but it is what it is. Got offered a contract at Wigan but it was peanuts and was better off working and playing semi pro in the end. Crazy time for football and a lot of good young lads I know more or less gave it up.

[bigdavethemaddog]

Wasn’t out came at Sheff Wed shown on ITV digital?

The came where Stan went ballistic when a fan came onto the pitch?

yeah first game of season. 6.15 kick-off on a Sunday or something daft like that. won 2-0

[Foshiznik]

I guess we have seen more recent examples of similar circumstances, with La Liga's deals with CVC and Dazn and Ligue 1 with Mediapro?

[ClaretTony]

Wasn’t out came at Sheff Wed shown on ITV digital?

The came where Stan went ballistic when a fan came onto the pitch?

yeah first game of season. 6.15 kick-off on a Sunday or something daft like that. won 2-0

And Thora Hird on Songs of Praise got much higher viewing figures. It was the first of seven games we had live on that channel during the season.

[Quicknick]

Good lass, was Thora.

[ClaretTony]

Good lass, was Thora.

She was, very funny lady.

[Quicknick]

She was, very funny lady.

I googled her after posting, and I can't believe it was so long ago that she died, or just how old she was.

[Quickenthetempo]

Yep that was the season mate. Hit me like a ton of bricks as was leading goalscorer for 2 seasons and appearing and scoring for reserves but it is what it is. Got offered a contract at Wigan but it was peanuts and was better off working and playing semi pro in the end. Crazy time for football and a lot of good young lads I know more or less gave it up.

Who was the lad who played for our reserves with the odd first team game around the time. Great left foot. Probably left back.
I met him a few times in Kavos while the world cup was on, on holiday.
Said he was playing the odd game for Morecambe for 500 a game after being released by Burnley.

He kept playing the penalty shoot out games and smashing them in the top corner every time. You won a cheap bottle of champagne for scoring all 3.

[ClaretTony]

I googled her after posting, and I can't believe it was so long ago that she died, or just how old she was.

I knew she'd reached a good old age but I'd no idea it was that long ago

[ClaretTony]

Who was the lad who played for our reserves with the odd first team game around the time. Great left foot. Probably left back.
I met him a few times in Kavos while the world cup was on, on holiday.
Said he was playing the odd game for Morecambe for 500 a game after being released by Burnley.

He kept playing the penalty shoot out games and smashing them in the top corner every time. You won a cheap bottle of champagne for scoring all 3.

Andy Leeson played left-back in the reserves. Got on the bench for the first team for last few games of 2002/03 season but never made a debut. Other than him, I can't think of anyone else. The two players who did make debuts as subs at that time were Andrew Waine and Mark Rasmussen.

[Herts Clarets]

Who was the lad who played for our reserves with the odd first team game around the time. Great left foot. Probably left back.
I met him a few times in Kavos while the world cup was on, on holiday.
Said he was playing the odd game for Morecambe for 500 a game after being released by Burnley.

He kept playing the penalty shoot out games and smashing them in the top corner every time. You won a cheap bottle of champagne for scoring all 3.

Phil Eastwood?

[Quickenthetempo]

Phil Eastwood?

Andy Leeson played left-back in the reserves. Got on the bench for the first team for last few games of 2002/03 season but never made a debut. Other than him, I can't think of anyone else. The two players who did make debuts as subs at that time were Andrew Waine and Mark Rasmussen.

It might have been Phil Eastwood. I definitely knew his name when he told me who he was.
I don't recognise the names CT has mentioned apart from Rasmussen, but it wasn't him.

Maybe he left Burnley in 2001? It was June 2002 when I spoke to him and he had already played for Morecombe.

[Blatherwickstattoo]

Leeson was right back and all right foot. We had a lad called John boardman we got from Liverpool. He had a wand of a left peg.

[ClaretTony]

Leeson was right back and all right foot. We had a lad called John boardman we got from Liverpool. He had a wand of a left peg.

Of course Leeson was on the right, my mistake. John Boardman came with high hopes too.

[Quickenthetempo]

Just seen Phil Eastwood was at Morecombe in 2001 but left the the Clarets in 98.

[ClaretTony]

It might have been Phil Eastwood. I definitely knew his name when he told me who he was.
I don't recognise the names CT has mentioned apart from Rasmussen, but it wasn't him.

Maybe he left Burnley in 2001? It was June 2002 when I spoke to him and he had already played for Morecombe.

Phil Eastwood left in 1999 at the end of Stan’s first season. He got a shock debut at Watford in Waddle’s first game in charge and he scored in the next season in the 4-1 defeat at Preston. Blackburn fan I believe.

[Quickenthetempo]

Phil Eastwood left in 1999 at the end of Stan’s first season. He got a shock debut at Watford in Waddle’s first game in charge and he scored in the next season in the 4-1 defeat at Preston. Blackburn fan I believe.

He was at Blackburn before Burnley and born in Whalley according to wiki.

[Quicknick]

Of course Leeson was on the right, my mistake. John Boardman came with high hopes too.

I was rather excited about Boardman.

[Blatherwickstattoo]

Of course Leeson was on the right, my mistake. John Boardman came with high hopes too.

Some great lads I had the privilege of playing with but Stan was pretty against all youth at the time . Was a shame as I really think my strike partner Anthony Shandran was destined for big things . He had it all.

[Blatherwickstattoo]

Burnley rebuffed an offer from Leeds for shandy at the time and they were a champions league team back then . So pretty bizzare he never got a go at it. Saying that we had so many strikers in the first team squad . From the top of my head about 7