Normally, I'd have some sympathy for their argument. Without the owners, we wouldn't have a competition. They deserve our respect and support, because they've earned it.

But times have changed. The new broadcast deal has underwritten the salary cap, removing a huge handicap - financially and morally. What clubs spend above and beyond the cap is now at their own discretion.

Some clubs, such as Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix, run a tight ship and are on the way to breaking even. Others, like Sydney FC, continue to spend more freely (Alessandro Del Piero being a prime example) and thus remain bathed in red ink. Such are the vagaries of a free-market economy - something the arch-capitalists who own the clubs understand better than anyone else. Fact is, making money or losing money is more of a choice than it's ever been.

That same laissez-faire has already helped these owners benefit from the inclusion of Western Sydney Wanderers. No club in the nine-year history of the A-League has taken more supporters on the road than the Wanderers and that's been money in the bank for the other clubs. There's also a very persuasive argument that, without the immediate impact made by Western Sydney, the new broadcast deal would not have more than doubled in value, thereby dramatically increasing the dividend each club receives.

So it's fair to say the other nine clubs have already got their money's worth out of the Wanderers. They don't need, or deserve, to get another bonus out of the sale price. There are far better ways to share the love around.