Geezer

Good BBC News article yesterday about how the nation thinks very lowly of footballers after the humility and success of our Olympic athletes.

I have to say I agree, but like the article says, how many of the athletes would stay pure in the face of that much money.

I doubt it will make much difference, but you never know, the newer generation of footballers may take some heed.

Geezer

richs2891

Interesting article, So much for the love of the sport ! Start capping their salaries to say a max of £3K a week, (still more than enough than enough to live on). I can not name a single one that is worth the money they pay them. That simply will make a lot of them behave with a lot more humility.
I understand that part of the grossly inflated salary can be argued that they have a short career spell, but then the extra money on top of the capped salary (as above) can be paid out over a number of years in effect a pension for them.
Richard

Leslie

There is one very noticeable point and that is the difference between women's and men's football.

The women seem to be just as skilful and they spend far time being entertaining by continuing to attack the opponent's goal while the men just fiddle about defending half the time.

The really big difference is that the women just get on with the match instead of falling about at the slightest touch holding onto parts of their anatomy wailing and trying to con the ref into awarding a foul! We used to get thumped much harder when we played at school and carried on without feeling we had to act like a load of drama queens!

I would far prefer to watch a women's match these days than a man's one for the sake of watching good football.

Les

DYK

I watched the women's GB Olympics football,and i have to say i really enjoyed it,i thought they played really well..

SJ_Skyline

Press beating on the footballers, guess it gives the bankers a week off

DYK

Well Parliament is also on holiday..

An0n0m0us

Unfortunately you miss the point about why they are paid that much. It isn't about how skillfull they are as an individual it's about their worth to the club they play for in advertising and merchandising and preventing them from joining another club. If they bring qualities to an already strong team that helps that team win trophies then they are worth every penny of their outrageous salary to that club.

Football is a global business that attracts vast sums of money in advertising and merchandise due to the sheers numbers of football supporters Worldwide. The only Olympic sport to get close to that is Basketball with the NBA and the huge sums those players are paid. The other sports in the Olympics just don't sadly attract that amount of money as they aren't globally popular enough.

apac

iTrader: (2)

Watching a football match is like watching old school Saturday lunch time wrestling.....

Total pantomime that fanatics fall for like grannies at the ring side!

Geezer

I don't agree with that at all. Most clubs are terribly in debt, so those players are not making them better off finanically. Without TV money they wouldn't survive at all. Football in it's present form is unsustainable as a business model.

Geezer

An0n0m0us

And I don't agree with that at all. How do you think they get that TV money? The big money is from Champions League hence buying the players that will ensure they qualify and get the huge TV money. So if they didn't have those players to help them achieve that they would be far worse off.

richie001

iTrader: (3)

Good point,

But players couldn't a **** how much a clubs in debt along they get paid,if the club goes under.....so what another club will take them and pay them.

They are employees and clubs are paying them what is the going rate so good luck to em.

ScoobySteve69

iTrader: (13)

Spoilt, overpaid w@nkers!

DYK

To make another point though,i guess it don't help matters when football media and the like and even to some extent supporters bigging up a certain player,as if he is Jesus come to Earth and is gonna perform miracles,i mean take your Rooney for example.Even in the recent Euros the amount of b0ll0cks being spouted out about this guy AGAIN,oh wait till Rooney comes back after his match ban,he'll do it for us,our secret weapon,he has to play can't be left out of the team,blah blah blah and they happened to play worse when he came back,yet he'll get paid more money because his name is out and about.Then the commentators try to justify his poor performance because he hasn't played for 5 games or whatever it was,no wonder the clubs are getting in trouble paying silly money for these players.
And this thing about it being a sport for the working class person,i think that was lost years ago.

This could be just all utter B0ll0cks of course

mrmadcap

Personally I’m glad the Football season is back, that Olympic stuff was so camp it was untrue, particularly the divers wearing their budgie smugglers. They desperately need to contact the Fosters helpline, but I suspect they are well beyond help.
The number of times i heard the adjective "amazing" in a totally ghey form of phrasing.
Welcome back football, all is forgiven!

urban

iTrader: (1)

Indeed - welcome back football

Suresh

My oldest has recently switched allegiances* from Ajax to the local Eredivisie team (cycling distance away) and whilst they'll never win the league, it does mean we'll be going to some games this season. Welcome back football!

* like you do when you're 7 years old

^Qwerty^

Whilst people are stupid enough to pay the prices for getting in to games, buying replica kit and subscribing to Sky Sports, the footy players will carry on getting the money that they do.
Unfortunately there are a lot of stupid people about.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't say I was a football fan per se but when I lived in England I went to one match and that was MUFC v Reading in about 1992 at Elm park.

Since moving to Germany I have been to see Bayern Munich play 4 times. Stuttgart play once, Frankfurt v NUFC once, MUFC v AC Milan, Bayern Munich v AC Milan, Bayern Munich v Dortmund aswell as Bayern v Barcelona and a smatering of other teams like Boca Juniors and another team from Brazil.

The last match I went to at the Allianz Arena in Munich was a supercup match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. In all the games I have been to we have had mixed stands. The last Audi cup I had Milan fans behind, bayern fans to my right Boca fans to my left and me in my MUFC shirt.

Last weekend in Munich both sets of fans were all sitting in the beer garden in English park enjoying the sun and beer, then we all got on a train and had Bayern fans at one end of the carriage and Dortmund fans at the other and the the only trouble was not being able to understand the different clubs songs. Then we all got off and walked to the stadium in a sea of red shirts and yellow shirts. I counted a total of 8 police officers en route. 2 standing doing nothing and 6 on horses riding in the other direction.

I know this is a pointless post but can you still do this in England or would you be kettled amongst millions of riot police to and from the stadium and if you dare venture outside get your head kicked in.

Carlh

waste of time and effort, footballers. sorry but they're overpaid, egotistical and dont live in the real world, one bit.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Only in Rugby.

Football is no longer the beautiful game but just a bunch of Primadonna **** ends with trophy plastic girlfriends/wives, no loyalties and the morals of sewer rats.

Rant over.

dirtybarry

trying being a arsenal fan lol

Butty

iTrader: (2)

Unfortunately when the team gets to Europe then the salaries go up, wiping out any benefit of the TV and commercial benefit gained.

Salaries typically make up 70% of turnover in the premier****, regardless of whether the club is in Europe or not.

Don't blame the footballers, they are feckless morons. Blame their agents, poor company management and a corrupt FA.