7:05am Wednesday 20th February 2008
By Neil Perrett
CHERRIES star Josh Gowling says Kevin Bond's troops would "willingly" take a temporary pay cut to help the club in its hour of need.
Bond's squad is today due to meet officials from the Professional Footballers' Association - the players' union - to discuss the implications of the club entering administration.
And at the request of administrator Gerald Krasner, the players could be asked to defer their wages to give the club some breathing space as it searches for a solution to its financial problems.
When contacted by the Daily Echo, Krasner confirmed he had attended "a fairly positive meeting" with PFA chiefs last week, but understandably declined to elaborate any further.
Should the players agree to a possible deferral, any shortfall would be paid once the club was out of administration and back on a firmer financial footing.
Gowling, Cherries' PFA representative, told the Daily Echo: "If it's got to be done then I'm sure the lads would willingly do it because nobody wants to see the club go under.
"Some of the lads have got families and most of us have got mortgages to pay so any pay cut would be diffiuclt and we would have to find the money from somewhere.
"We're a League One club and we've been struggling for money for years. The lads don't earn fortunes but I'm sure they would do anything to help keep the club going."
In an interview with the Echo last month, Luton's former Cherries ace Steve Robinson revealed that players at his club had taken a 100 per cent wages deferral for six weeks.
The Hatters went in administration in November and Robinson said: "It wasn't until pay day that it really hit everybody because there were no wages."
PFA deputy chief executive Mick McQuire confirmed players were protected during the administration process because they were "preferential creditors".
He told the Daily Echo: "From the players' point of view, the one thing we've always been able to achieve is the fact that the contracts are protected as long as the club stays in business.
"Like any company, if a club were to go under then there wouldn't be money to pay anybody.
"But you have to be hopeful that Bournemouth will survive administration and clubs often come out of it stronger at the other side.
"We've had a number of clubs go into formal administration and a lot of others negotiate deals with creditors in a very similar way to administrators."
McQuire said the players were footballing creditors and were protected accordingly by Football League rules which govern clubs in administration.
Should any player be unhappy with a wage deferral, he could invoke a 14-day notice clause in his contract if he feels there has been a breach of its terms and conditions.
However, as players are not permitted to move outside of the transfer window, this option could be seen as counter-productive.
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