The playoff final is worth an estimated £90 million, which gives the winner a substantial financial windfall and with Tom's enthusiasm and knowledge of the beautiful game's financial side, he was asked to speak intensively on his specialised area.

Tom's devotion to football is noticeable through the quantity of research he has concluded. His MSc dissertation ?The Plight of Football Clubs as Listed Companies from an Investor's Viewpoint' analysed the investment potential and financial of the then seventeen listed British clubs using comprehensive ratio analysis and a bespoke multivariate bankruptcy prediction model.

His MBA dissertation 'The Valuation and Solvency of Top Tier British Clubs since the Inception of the Premier League. Is the Current Model Sustainable?' was supervised by football finance expert Professor Tom Cannon, who regularly appears on Sky Sports News.

Tom collected his MBA (FI) with distinction from the University of Liverpool in December 2009. He is currently embarking on a PhD in Football Finance - under the supervision of Professor Adrian Bell and Professor Chris Brooks - at the ICMA Centre.

Find Tom's interview here at the 1:06:00 mark .