A soccer fan's guide to going into administration

Twenty-two over the past 11 years.

And they are?

Barnsley, Bradford, Bury, Carlisle, Crystal Palace, Chesterfield, Exeter, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull, Ipswich, Leicester, Lincoln, Luton, Northampton, Oldham, Notts County, Port Vale, QPR, Swindon, Wimbledon, York.

Have any of them ceased to exist as football clubs?

No, they are all still playing, in one guise or other.

How many of them are still in administration?

Five - Notts County, Barnsley, Wimbledon, Luton and Oldham.

What's the great appeal?

Clubs can at least buy themselves time by handing over control to an administrator and having all debts frozen for the duration of his stay. He is basically an accountant. His task is to maximise the value of the club's assets for their creditors.

So will stars like Alan Smith, Mark Viduka and Paul Robinson be on their way out when the transfer window opens?

Quite possibly. But while the administrator is authorised to raise funds, as well as cut costs in any way he sees fit, he will be mindful of leaving behind a going concern when his job is done. He may just be able to convince creditors that safeguarding their Premiership status with international players makes more sense than chipping at a small fraction off their huge debt.

So Leeds fans needn't worry about it then?

Oh, yes they should. When Leicester went into administration with debts of around £30million 14 months ago, they released onequarter of their non-playing staff without redundancy. Going into administration can only hasten departures.

So how can Leeds possibly survive after accumulating a debt of £83m?

With difficulty. Some businesses manage to trade their way out of trouble while others are rescued by a new injection of cash. The first will take some doing, given the scale of Leeds' plight, while the second looks a distant hope after Sheik Abdul bin Mubarak al Khalifa played down reports of an imminent investment. The best bet is for creditors to accept shares against, say, half of what they are owed and hope it will lead to a revival that would, in turn, be reflected on the Stock Market.