Rotherham set to lose 17 points

Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium is due to be Rotherham's new home.

Rotherham will have to start the new season with a deduction of 17 points if they agree to a set of criteria for a place in League Two next season.

The club has been unable to satisfy the normal conditions of Football League rules for exiting administration.

They must accept the punishment and agree not to challenge it by a deadline of midday this Friday in order to start the new season on Saturday.

Meanwhile the League will rule on the position of Bournemouth on Thursday.

The League's board considered applications from both clubs to retain their membership after they were each beset by financial difficulties.

Rotherham could not agree a Company Voluntary Arrangement with its creditors but the League decided under the 'exceptional circumstances' provisions of its insolvency rules to set the conditions for their League future.

In a statement, the League said it was imposing the punishment because it was the Millers' second insolvency in recent seasons.

They also said the club must return to Rotherham within four years after they were forced to leave the town and play home games at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield from the start of 2008/09.

The deduction would put them second bottom of the League Two table above Luton, who had 30 points taken away for misconduct and for failing to satisfy the League's insolvency rules.

Bournemouth may face a similar punishment when the League consider their case.

The League statement added: "The Board is not yet satisfied with the viability of the new company's proposals and consquently it has been asked to reflect further on its position."

Shocking when West Sham got away with a fine.good luck to Rotherham.

Shocking when West Sham got away with a fine.good luck to Rotherham.

West Ham didn't go into admin, so what happened to them is completely irrelevant.

With Bournemouth's punishment yet to be decided and Luton starting on -30, Rotherham could be in a rare, and unique in English football as far as I know, position of starting the season on -17 points yet still having the morale boost of not being rock bottom and with every chance of staying up.

I do feel sorry for Rovrum in the same way I felt for Donny and they came out of it eventually and I hope they do too.
The moving back to Rotherham bit I don't understand considering how close Don Valley is. I hope both Sheffield teams try and help them out if they are able too.

Its getting beyond a joke now with all these clubs going into admin, the league as 1 should help em out, grassroots is the future of English footy especially in the current climate what with all the foreign players about.

I can't quite work out how docking points from teams going into administration is supposed to help them survive...!

West Ham didn't go into admin, so what happened to them is completely irrelevant.

I know they did not go into admin ,my point is the big clubs get away with murder,just because they can afford to pay the fine.How many more small clubs are going to the wall.

I can't quite work out how docking points from teams going into administration is supposed to help them survive...!

The problem it was designed to solve is this:

Cheating Gits FC borrow 25 million pounds to buy the best players, go into administration, get the debt written off, promptly jump up from League Two to the Championship - basically having stolen a team.

This is why, if you go into administration at all, the League won't allow you to continue as a member unless you pay off all football-related debts in full. They also require you to obtain a CVA with your other creditors.

The problem it's created is, since you're paying off football creditors in full and not the other creditors, there's no way in hell that the other creditors will agree to a CVA. They expect, and deserve, equal treatment. As a result, what you've basically got is that teams must not go into administration. They must live within their means, or else pretty much die.

I don't know the finer details of why Rotherham went into administration but i believe it was partly down to the huge rent they were having to pay to their former landlord at Millmoor.

If this is the case they've been forced into administration which is a little unfair to say the least.

Now if for instance 'Wednesday' turned round having got relegated on the last day of the season (ala Leeds) and decided to take the hit of admin for the following season i'd be confident they would be amongst the contenders for promotion at the end of the year. This would be a wrong way of using the new ruling, Wednesday would effectively clear 90% of their debt (probably having to pay a few pence in the pound to creditors), Leicester did it a few years ago and Mr Warnock complained it was wrong and got plenty of stick for it at the time but has since been proven to be right about the matter.

Whats happened to Rotherham is wrong, they shouldn't be allowed to crumble over which are in the grand scheme of football these days fairly minor debts.

I don't know the finer details of why Rotherham went into administration but i believe it was partly down to the huge rent they were having to pay to their former landlord at Millmoor.

If this is the case they've been forced into administration which is a little unfair to say the least.

Now if for instance 'Wednesday' turned round having got relegated on the last day of the season (ala Leeds) and decided to take the hit of admin for the following season i'd be confident they would be amongst the contenders for promotion at the end of the year. This would be a wrong way of using the new ruling, Wednesday would effectively clear 90% of their debt (probably having to pay a few pence in the pound to creditors), Leicester did it a few years ago and Mr Warnock complained it was wrong and got plenty of stick for it at the time but has since been proven to be right about the matter.

Whats happened to Rotherham is wrong, they shouldn't be allowed to crumble over which are in the grand scheme of football these days fairly minor debts.

I think it was the Leicester issue that forced the League into changing the rule.

How come they have to move back to Rotherham. They are only playing 3 miles from the old ground.

How did Wimbledon get away with moving to Milton Keynes and changing their name?