Premiership: Roeder predicts shake-down

Glenn Roeder has warned that Premiership clubs will have to take a long look at their finances this summer following the problems of ITV Digital.

The West Ham manager believes funds will not be as readily available to top-flight bosses in the wake of the financial uncertainty caused by the company reneging on their television deal with the Football League.

Although the direct threat is to Nationwide League clubs, Roeder suggests the knock-on will be that all clubs will take stock.

That will mean a reassessment of wage structures and transfer fees.

Preparing for tomorrow’s match with strugglers Ipswich at Upton Park, Roeder said: ‘‘We’re going to be like a lot of other clubs who won’t have a lot of transfer cash this summer.

‘‘Because of that I think that transfer fees and salaries will start to come down.

‘‘We’d never be able to afford the top-drawer players anyway - they’ll always go to the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.’’

But he added: ‘‘I don’t think there’s so much transfer cash slopping around in the Premiership that we’ll be left behind and not be able to compete.

‘‘I think prices will be forced to come down. The evidence is that when you speak to the agents they’re not doing any business.

‘‘What happened with ITV Digital is going to mean a ‘shake-down’.

‘‘Every manager always whinges about wanting more money to spend, but we also have a responsibility to make sure the club survives. The club is the most important thing.

‘‘There’s no point having a short-term policy of pushing your boat out beyond your means, and then it crashes down around you.’’

Since taking over from Harry Redknapp last summer, Roeder has had to be relatively frugal with his shopping.

Using the £11m from the sale of Frank Lampard to Chelsea he brought in Czech Republic defender Tomas Repka, Don Hutchison from Sunderland and left-sided Slovakian player Vladimir Labant.

Roeder added: ‘‘I’d like more money and I’ve confidence in myself when I buy players. But there was only an amount available, and I used that up early in the season because I had to.

‘‘There’s a lot more surgery to be done, but I won’t be able to do it as quickly as I’d like to.

‘‘There are certain players you must do everything you can to hang on to. If I’m right and not many clubs have large transfer kitties to play with this summer then I’ll be able to compete with the rest.

‘‘We’ve never been able to compete with the top three or four anyway.’’

Roeder also warned: ‘‘The clubs who have been living beyond their means will have to pull back.

‘‘The bill has to be paid somewhere along the line or there are going to be problems.

‘‘There have been clubs around the bottom of the table taking a lot of loan players in for a short fix to make sure they stay in the Premiership.

‘‘They say they are taking those players with a view to a buy, but if you know how the game works all those loan players will go back to their clubs whatever happens.’’

One of the stars Roeder is keen to keep in east London is Frederic Kanoute, who has attracted a great deal of interest most notably from Liverpool, Chelsea and Fulham - since signing from Lyon two years ago.

Paris St Germain, who are expecting to sell Nicolas Anelka at the end of the season, have been linked with the Frenchman this week.

But Roeder said: ‘‘We’ve had no contact from Paris St Germain.

‘‘We’ve got seven or eight players here I want to build a team round, and Freddie’s one of those.

‘‘I don’t think anyone has given Freddie as much credit as he deserves this year. He’s only had 19 starts and he’s scored nine goals. That stands up to virtually anybody.

‘‘That’s because he’s missed 11 games and the emergence of Jermain Defoe who keeps coming off the bench and scoring. We all get carried away with something new.

‘‘But Freddie is very important in our team because he’s the one striker with physical presence and when he’s on his game he’s not a striker you’d want to play against.

‘‘There are a group of players I wouldn’t like to sell at any price.’’

West Ham’s main priority, however, is to ensure their own Premiership future - and Roeder is aware that failure to beat Ipswich and Fulham, whom they face on Easter Monday, would re-engage his team in the relegation equation.

He said: ‘‘Lots of people were surprised by Ipswich last year and are equally surprised this year. They’re still fighting for their lives.

‘‘I’ll make sure my players are fully aware how hard Ipswich are still fighting. This is a tough game.

‘‘Six points over Easter should make us safe, but we’ve not thought about Monday yet.

‘‘This time around no-one knows what the safety point is going to be.

‘‘This time last year 37 points would have got you home - but it’s not going to this year. It’s incredibly tight.’’