Shortly before 12.30pm today @TruroCityTweet declared 'ALL CLEAR FOR CITY -TAX BILL PAID IN FULL' (their capitals not mine but worthy of shouting nonetheless) and it seemed in light of the current cloud of doom hanging over parts of non-league that the sun has broken through over Cornwall at least.

Over the last few years it has become one of English footballs most instantly recognisable totems of the folly of ego, and now it seems as if The Reynolds Arena currently known as The Northern Echo Arena which has been an albatross around the neck of the club since it moved into it in 2003, may finally be play a significant role in the end of Darlington Football Club.

Yesterday in Plymouth, some people with lots of money demanded more money, some people with much less money were told they were getting no more money, until the people with lots of money got more money. This was morally indefensible. Doubtless, there will be people on hand to claim "it isn't as simple as that.

Racing Santander's administrators have announced that the club has a total debt of almost €48m, a figure over €10m in excess of the one presented when the Cantabrians applied to enter bankruptcy in July.

The difference was explained by the fact that investment company Western Gulf Advisory (WGA), owned by Indian businessman Ahsan Ali Syed who purchased the club in January, 2011, is shown amongst the list of creditors as being owed €8.

Chelsea FC directors say their club needs more season tickets as the ground isn't big enough. There is a suspicion that their Russian Oligarch wants away from financing them and it's time for them to stand on their own feet as Financial Fair Play looms large. Player's wages versus gate receipts cannot be justified if they stay where they are.

There was always something faintly ridiculous about the decision of Rushden & Diamonds FC try and appeal against their expulsion from the Football Conference. Leagues have their rules and, if clubs don't abide by them, they are likely to run into problems and, whilst the Conference has got many things wrong in recent years, one thing that they have managed to get a proper hold of has been the seemingly perpetual financial shenanigans going on at several of their clubs.

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre admits the failure of former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to build a new stadium "set the club back several years".
And Ayre, promoted from commercial director late last season by new owners Fenway Sports Group, said had it not been for huge strides made in off-field business during that time the finances would have been in a bigger mess than they were just before FSG assumed control.

It is the Annual General Meeting of the Southern Football League today, at which the ratification of the constitution of the league for next season will take place. One of the teams that is supposed to be starting the new season, however, Rushden & Diamonds, is now almost certainly not going be starting the new season at the end of a week that seems likely to change the face of football in Northamptonshire forever.

The non-league football AGM cup had been eagerly awaited, but the early results have still come as a bit of a shock. Rushden & Diamonds were expelled from the Football Conference this morning, a decision that will have ramifications throughout the non-league game. Southport, who finished in fourth from bottom place in the league and were to be relegated into the Blue Square North for next season, will be reprieved and Hertfordshire club Bishops Stortford, in one of those quirks that is always possible in a regional system, seem likely to be shifted into the Blue Square North.

Real Zaragoza have applied to the courts to go into voluntary administration in a bid to sort out their finances.

Zaragoza avoided relegation on the final day of the season last month and have sought protection from creditors while they put together a new plan to deal with a net debt of 110 million euros ($161 million).

With the club season completed with Swansea City's victory in the Championship Play-Off final, and only a handful of European Championship qualifiers to go on the continent this evening, the focus for football over the next few weeks will be off the pitch. And, while the majority of news may come from the fallout of the FA v FIFA crisis, as well as the comings and goings of the transfer market, the most important fixtures of the next month will not be anything to do with Sepp Blatter, nor will they be the European Under 21 Championships or any of the opening games in the Women's World Cup – in fact, these fixtures may not get any sort of coverage whatsoever, and certainly will not be televised.

Is Peter Risdale the man to bring Plymouth Argyle out of their slump?

For all you Birmingham and West Ham fans who are finding the thought of playing at a lower level deplorable, that your finances will be stretched and your stature to lower, consider this – at least you're not a Plymouth Argyle fan.

Brendan Ambrose Guilfoyle has a ‘complex' track record in football club administrations a reputation to which he is living down as ‘lead' administrator at Plymouth Argyle, it appears. Argyle's current situation was neatly, if inadvertently, summed up by adjacent headlines on Plymouth's Herald newspaper web-site, as "Argyle's creditors agree debt offer as anonymous preferred owner signs deal" jostled for position with "Argyle acting chairman on fraud and trading charges.

Was it really two years ago? I am in the middle of rebuilding this site for a summer relaunch, and some of the new pages that will be available will be covering various running themes that we have gone into over the course of the last five years or so. I thought that I may as well put these up as posts as well, so that you can trace back some of longer running sagas.

Di Benedetto takeover complete: What is the future for Roma? is a post from: Just Football

Last Friday evening, Thomas Di Benedetto entered the world of Italian football. He signed a preliminary agreement to takeover AS Roma, and in June will become the first overseas president in their history, and the first of the traditional big clubs in Italy to be owned by a foreign individual.

It had been hoped that, when Halesowen Town of the Zamaretto League Premier Division entered into administration in September of 2009 that their problems might finally be starting to come to an end. The club exited administration after having been bought by the brothers Graham and Godfrey Ingram (Godfrey was a former player with Luton Town, just in case the name is ringing any bells) and the Supporters Trust, which had been boycotting thee club on account of the mismanagement of previous owner Morrell Maison, cautiously ended the boycott of the club that had seen crowds slump by 70% to only around the 100 mark.

This news has been brewing for several weeks in Costa Rica, but the final decision is still quite a shock. The Costa Rican league has expelled Barrio México from the top flight and heavily penalized Herediano for failing to meet financial obligations to players and other creditors. Barrio México is the name of the team that took the place of Liberia Mía in the Primera División, who had gone from a Costa Rican league title and appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League to a voluntary demotion to the Segunda.

It has taken until nearly March, but the first ten point deduction of the season in the Football League is now finally upon us with the news that Plymouth Argyle have lodged a "notice of intention" to enter into administration. The notice of intention the date of which, the 21st of February, is no coincidence considering that another tax bill fell due yesterday is a technicality that allows a company protection on a short-term basis from legal action taken by their creditors, but the deduction has been applied by the Football League regardless of this.

By Chris Wright

Liverpool have released a statement on behalf of their current owners Fenway Sports Group (formerly NESV), former creditors the Royal Bank of Scotland and former chairman Sir Martin Broughton in to express their collective delight at hearing that 'swindled' former owner (his words, not mine) Tom Hicks has been thwarted once again in his bid to sue the club for over £140 million's worth of damages i.

The first reaction, when the news broke that Dundee's CVA had been passed at a creditors' meeting on Tuesday, was relief. I'd never really thought there would be much danger of it not doing, but it's hard to be sure of such things, and with various different quotes of the total debt and of HMRC's share of it, it did seem there was some possibility that HMRC might be able to block it, particlarly if anyone else voted with them.

Aaron Davidson, NASL CEO, was a guest on Daniel Feuerstein's podcast last night. Feuerstein's Fire episode #42 features the NASL spokesperson who broke news that the team being set up in Cary, NC is a "new entity."

Davidson states in the interview that Selby Wellman "wound up his team.

Mirko Vucinic is no longer untouchable, as Roma would sell him to Liverpool if budgetary constraints forced a need for immediate cash flow.
Il Corriere dello Sport reports the Italians have never generated much favour for selling the 27-year-old Montenegrin ace, but firm interest from Liverpool, and a need for cash could change their position.