The promoted club doesn’t have to pay the players more though do they? Granted the argument would be about being at a disadvantage etc but they could just stick with the players who got them promoted and stick with the same budget. edit: not sure if it’s still the case but in the mid 80’s Lincoln were top of old L2 and literally threw it away in the new year, it came out later that the board decided they could not afford to go up as the costs to go up were too prohibitive.
Was editing as you posted mate. (When read it back to missen). I think they were given grace because of it being media related. That's why they couldn't play at home till then. Spectator priorities are more outside the premier. I don't know if its each division down from there. But almost definitely at all non league levels.
Think your correct, In Luton defence they must have been caught in a difficult situation as they are a long way into building a whole new stadium so do they spend money on upgrading current, given promotion wasnt in their foreseeable future until it happened.
Used to infuriate me. When us and Chelsea I think it was. were penalised after the Taylor report. And clubs were using the excuse. Eg Newcastle I think it was. Undersoil heating issues had meant spending vast amounts on em. They still had standing. As did others in the championship. Stating moving to a new ground. But kept delaying the process.
That's something that disgusted me as well in 1994. The August 1st deadline meant our standing areas couldn't be used anymore, but loads of other clubs were allowed to keep using theirs for various reasons.