Promoted Crystal Palace urged to follow Swansea's example
Kevin Phillips' penalty winner is set to ear Palace £120million windfall
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Your support makes all the difference.Crystal Palace have been advised to be prudent in the Barclays Premier League after winning promotion to the top flight with victory in yesterday's npower Championship play-off final.
Kevin Phillips' penalty winner earned Palace a 1-0 Wembley win over Watford and the accompanying £120million windfall.
But rather than spend, spend, spend, football finance expert Professor Tom Cannon of the University of Liverpool believes Palace should follow Swansea's example.
"Swansea are the role models for anybody who wants to survive, prosper and not go bankrupt," Cannon told Press Association Sport.
"What's got you promoted will probably, in terms of the operation of the club, get you to survive.
"The temptation is to desperately plan as if you're going to compete, but you have to plan for relegation; don't plan for winning the Premier League.
"You've got to be very clever in the transfer market. You've got to make absolutely certain when signing players that you sign players with contingencies. And the motivation powers of your manager become crucial.
"Ian Holloway has a good reputation for being able to motivate players. He did that with Blackpool, at least initially."
More than half of the sides promoted to the Premier League through the play-offs have been relegated the following season, including Holloway's former club Blackpool.
Holloway knows his management credentials - squad recruitment, man-management and tactical nous - will be fiercely tested as Palace attempt to beat the odds, with numerous examples of what can go wrong.
Even if Palace finish bottom of the Premier League next term, they will receive £60m in TV revenue - more than £25m more than in the current TV deal - and a further £60m in parachute payments.
The money is no guarantee of long-term prosperity, said Cannon, pointing to the examples of Wolves, Birmingham and Portsmouth, who recruited heavily, with high wages, and are now a long way from the top-flight.
"If you start looking at who has gone into administration, an awful lot of clubs went into administration despite parachute payments," Cannon said.
"Birmingham and Portsmouth both benefited from parachute payments, but had so exposed themselves when in the top flight that actually those parachute payments...it's easy for that money to go."
PA
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