Shrewsbury Town manager Graham Turner today called for the strongest possible penalties to be imposed on clubs who over-stretch themselves financially.

Within the last 48 hours, Town’s new divisional rivals Portsmouth have been deducted 10 points for the second successive season while, north of the border, Rangers Newco have been placed in the Irn-Bru Third Division after the Scottish giants went into liquidation.

And Turner, who spent more than a decade combining his role as manager with the position of chairman at Hereford, believes the football authorities should clamp down on owners who put their clubs futures in jeopardy.

“We had a lot of conversations over the last few days about how clubs are run because several officers at RAF Shawbury follow Rangers and are distraught,” said Turner, who took his squad on a training camp to the north Shropshire base this week.

“The only ones who suffer are the supporters and it’s the same situation with Portsmouth.

“People come in, take over and throw contracts around that the club can’t afford and the result is the state that Portsmouth or Rangers are in now.

“There has got to be a tightening up of the rules so that people can’t come in and treat the club almost like toys.

“I find it difficult to accept that big clubs like Portsmouth finish in the state they are.

“I known the administrator at Portsmouth, Trevor Birch.

“He was here as a player and is doing his best but his hands are tied behind his back because of the financial position and Football League rules.

“It should be a lesson to other clubs that you have to live within your means.

“I think the Football League are right in putting rules down and I would like to see them stronger.

“The harder the rules on financial affairs governing a club, the better.”

Turner is angered when owners put their club’s long-term future in doubt in pursuit of short-term gain.

“We have got to stop these boom and bust clubs where someone goes in, throws money at it, loses interest, can’t afford to keep it going and two years later that club is in administration,” he added.

“That has just got to change.”

See also:

• Shrewsbury Town increase ticket prices
• Shrewsbury Town toughen up at RAF boot camp
• Reuben Hazell vows to rebuild Shrewsbury Town career