Not sure "stump up" wasn't a wee Freudian slip, but point taken.
Thing is, the investment on the part of these guys has been influential, but returns must have been there -I don't mean that there isn't a love for club, but anyone with series business acumen would surely endeavour to make sure that their passion (the club) breaks even, at least. The difference now is that everyone is shoring in, thinking about their expendables. Football takes a back seat when you've got rent or mortgage, fuel or transport, food and the rest. Add kids and your priorities deepen.
We probably aren't in as 'bad' a situation as the Ibrox mob, but then we've been mostly on pursestrings for a while.
To be completely frank, I saw that a man could get £500,000 a week to kick a ball about and felt sick. Maybe that is bitter but sport is a diversion.