ITV Digital’s major contract is with the Football League.”If the Football League doesn’t accept a downgraded deal, it faces having no deal at all,” said a source close to negotiations. The clubs may be forced to accept less, however, or face the prospect of no money at all.Granada and Carlton Communications, joint owners of ITV Digital, said in a statement yesterday that a “fundamental restructuring of ITV Digital’s cost base must be concluded as a matter of urgency in order to secure the long-term future of the business”. This may allow the ITV Sport Channel, which hosts most of the Nationwide League’s games, to stay in business long-term. Many clubs, shackled with expensive and binding players’ contracts, would struggle to cope with the loss of revenue and could face going out of business.
ITV Digital could re-negotiate the deal significantly downwards, even though it is not yet at the end of its first season. A worst-case scenario could see the deal collapse, leaving the League’s 72 clubs with no television income from August onwards. The short-term futures of several dozen Nationwide League clubs were thrown in doubt yesterday as ITV Digital sought an urgent re-negotiation of its current £315m television deal with the Football League.

His No 2 will be the ex-Barnet manager Gary Phillips.Barnet also have a new man at the helm, the former Tottenham and Sheffield Wednesday manager Peter Shreeves.. Wayne Turner, who left his post as assistant manager at Peterborough United last week, is now in charge. Clitheroe entertain Whitley Bay in the other quarter-final.Stevenage Borough, having sacked Paul Fairclough for the second time in four years this week, have quickly appointed a new manager. Tiptree, whose nickname the Jam-makers reflects a major local trade, were not expected to make progress when they could only draw at home to the Vase holders, Taunton Town, in the last round, but they won the replay in Somerset 2-1.Two of Tiptree’s Jewson Eastern League rivals have also reached the last eight of the Vase Sudbury take on Lewes, while Wroxham tackle Durham City.

“The language barrier was a bit of a problem,” John Wibsey, Tiptree’s secretary, admitted, “but eventually we spoke to their secretary, who said he didn’t see it as a problem.”Their director of football didn’t see it as a problem either but, when it got into the hands of the club’s legal department, they basically didn’t want to know.” So Tiptree will rely on their unsung stalwarts, such as the veteran centre-forward Steve Parnell, at Burgess Hill.”We haven’t got one superstar, no ex-professionals, just a bunch of local lads who enjoy playing with each other,” Wibsey said. Collymore, who is now working for a radio station, is apparently still registered with Oviedo, and that was the hurdle Tiptree were unable to clear. Boston United are among the teams who have tried to hire his services this term They failed – and so did Tiptree. The incentive that they hoped would interest the 31-year-old was the venue for the Vase final: his old home ground, Villa Park.
Collymore has not played football since he unexpectedly announced his retirement when with the Spanish club, Real Oviedo, last season. The Essex village club, who have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Carlsberg Vase, wanted to include the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker in their side for tomorrow’s tie at Burgess Hill Town.

Stan Collymore has had several offers to try to tempt him out of retirement, but none as ambitious as the one made in the past week by Tiptree United. In hindsight it may have been a misjudgment.”davidconn freeuk . It seemed too good an opportunity and I thought we had several layers of safety net. Asked whether he regretted signing the takeover deal without having the finance in place, he said: “I haven’t really thought about it. If neither bid is approved, the club could be plunged into administration imminently, with no obvious route out.Scardino refused to consider administration and said backers could be found to take the club forward.