Taylor says clubs must learn from Bradford near miss

Gordon Taylor believes that clubs must emerge from an "Alice in Wonderland world" in which television incomes rises each year as a matter of course.

In the wake of the Football League's failure in court to win compensation from Carlton and Granada following the collapse of ITV Digital, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association called for the game's governing bodies to have more control over clubs' finances as they are forced back into the real world.

After helping Bradford City narrowly avoid the threat of liquidation on Thursday, Taylor believes the club should now stand as a "lesson to others" in the dangers of gambling on success with huge wage bills.

"It is a question of changing mind-sets," Taylor said. "We have to realise that the TV bubble is not going to get any bigger. It is time for clubs to face up to the harsh reality of not spending any more money than is coming in. It is not just a question of management skills these days but financial management skills. I don't want to paint too much of a gloom and doom picture as the irony is that the game hasn't ever been more popular. But clubs that have been living in an Alice in Wonderland world, thinking that TV revenues would go on rising for ever, must realise that what goes up must eventually come down again."

The Football League has yet to decide whether to appeal against the High Court ruling which rejected its claim to recover £131.9m from Carlton and Granada, the parent companies of the now defunct ITV Digital. The League's legal bill has already topped £400,000 and it is liable for the costs of the two television companies. With a total bill already of around £1m, it may be that directors decide at their board meeting next Tuesday to look to the future instead.

While First Division clubs will lose £2m per year from their original TV deal, the losses for Second Division teams will be £450,000 per year and up to £300,000 a season for Third Division clubs.

Middlesbrough yesterday secured a work permit on ap-peal for the World Cup winner, Juninho, who can now complete his move from Atletico Madrid back to Boro. The Brazilian's initial application had been rejected on the grounds that he had not played in enough of his country's competitive internationals over the last two years.

George Boateng yesterday agreed personal terms with Middlesbrough. The Dutch midfielder's move from Aston Villa for a reported £5m is due to be finalised on Monday. Portsmouth have agreed personal terms with another Villa midfielder, Paul Merson, over a move to Fratton Park.

The Manchester City striker Paulo Wanchope has undergone successful surgery on his right knee, according to his agent.

The Costa Rican international went under the knife in Ohio in the United States and his agent, Elias Soley, said he is already planning his comeback to the Premiership.

Football is braced for a revolution in the offside law this season, with linesmen being asked to give attackers even more advantage.

The League Managers' Association has been informed that the assistant referees "must see air" – the exact def-inition – between the forwards and the defenders before giving offside this coming season.

This new interpretation, given out by the referees' spokesman, Philip Don, should make it even more difficult for sides to be pulled up for offside and encourage attacking play.

At present strikers are onside if they are level with the last man, but from this season that goes forward a few vital inches until there is daylight.

Some managers such as Tottenham Hotspur's Glenn Hoddle have ex-pressed reservations about the directive handed down by the world game's governing body, Fifa, despite Don attending a meeting in London this week to try to explain the idea.

However, after a discussion, in which the managers queried the interpretation and were told it was "nothing new", Hoddle remarked: "There is no point arguing, they have made up their minds already."