Sunday 25 December 2011

It’s all about the money.
In any walk of life you work to get paid. People regularly leave jobs for pastures new to earn more money and enjoy better career prospects – many of whom openly site the increased salary as the reason for moving on. If this happens to one of your friends you are happy for them and would expect them to jump at the opportunity, however if this happens to a footballer the sentiments seem to change.
At the end of the day, football is a job – a job many would love to have, but a job none the less. And footballers have the exact same motivation as the rest of us: wake up, earn money, pay bills, and hopefully enjoy a comfortable life.  
If a player at a lower club is targeted by one of the bigger clubs, with the chance of doubling or even tripling his wages and significantly increasing his chances of winning trophies who in their right mind could berate him for wanting to move?
Football is a short career and at the end of it all you have is your bank balance, trophy cabinet, and the memories of past glory. If you knew you only had 15 years to support the rest of your life I’m certain you would take what you could, whilst you could.
Ultimately football is a billion pound industry, and as with any other business those who excel make the most money! Players spend 1000s of hours training in the transition from youngster to an established professional, and if they did not make the huge wages, the money would be in the pockets of the suits who own the club; surely those who entertain us week in week out are the more deserving of the two?
Many fans say there is no loyalty left in football, but a club will sell a player against his will – where is the loyalty there? Footballers DO have a duty to be loyal, to themselves and their families, just the same as everyone else!