Everybody out

[Mick Brolly]

            
 
This really makes my blood boil top players on millions a year whinging about playing twice a week.

what do yo guys think? 🐼

[Day]

I sympathise with the players. I Honestly do.

It's not just 2 games a week, it's the training, the tactical information you're inputting, the travelling. 

They get paid mega money, I know, yet you can't buy energy. 

When you have FIFA and UEFA expanding tournaments, big clubs sending the top players out on PR tours in the US and Asia.

They will reach a breaking point and we could be close to that.

Managers have been mocked for complaining, yet when the demands for European and domestic success are so high, it's a relentless game where the players bodies are being treated as robots.

Take Man City, they have their next 3 games at home. After that they travel up to Newcastle for a 12.30pm kick off on the Saturday, back to Manchester for what would be a day off I would presume on Sunday as they will be flying out to Bratislava on the Monday for a game on the Tuesday. Back home on Wednesday and it's down to London for a game on Saturday.

After that, it's straight out to Spain for back to back games in 3 days for Rodri.

Yeah it's too much.

The players are not blameless here. When you have these players who are appointing agents holding clubs to ransom with wage demands, clubs need to fund those so these PR trips are needed for the extra streaming passes, merchandise, sponsorships etc.

Covid was the perfect opportunity to reset football, wasn't taken. 

 

[Mick Brolly]

4 minutes ago, Day said:

I sympathise with the players. I Honestly do.

It's not just 2 games a week, it's the training, the tactical information you're inputting, the travelling. 

They get paid mega money, I know, yet you can't buy energy. 

When you have FIFA and UEFA expanding tournaments, big clubs sending the top players out on PR tours in the US and Asia.

They will reach a breaking point and we could be close to that.

Managers have been mocked for complaining, yet when the demands for European and domestic success are so high, it's a relentless game where the players bodies are being treated as robots.

Take Man City, they have their next 3 games at home. After that they travel up to Newcastle for a 12.30pm kick off on the Saturday, back to Manchester for what would be a day off I would presume on Sunday as they will be flying out to Bratislava on the Monday for a game on the Tuesday. Back home on Wednesday and it's down to London for a game on Saturday.

After that, it's straight out to Spain for back to back games in 3 days for Rodri.

Yeah it's too much.

The players are not blameless here. When you have these players who are appointing agents holding clubs to ransom with wage demands, clubs need to fund those so these PR trips are needed for the extra streaming passes, merchandise, sponsorships etc.

Covid was the perfect opportunity to reset football, wasn't taken. 

 

I get some of that but some people have to get up at 5 in the morning 6 days a week so they can pay their bills and I’m sure they don’t have a endless amount of energy either.

[Day]

Just now, Mick Brolly said:

I get some of that but some people have to get up at 5 in the morning 6 days a week so they can pay their bills and I’m sure they don’t have a endless amount of energy either.

You're right, would not dispute that. 

However most jobs wouldn't involve running for say 7 miles whilst getting booted about, not blowing out your ACL with 9 months of rehab, missing your children's birthdays, first day at school, Christmas.

You can get pissed at the weekend, even if it's a 2 litre bottle of white lightning at home without being weighed in on Monday morning.

You're not getting abuse thrown at you from thousands of "customers" each week, nor do many not have to travel up and down the country, into Europe and spend their summers in tournaments.

These are young men, in their 20's and early 30's, living completely different lives that their mates. They can't walk freely round city centres or just go to the cinema without mass intrusion. I'm talking the likes of Beckham, Rooney in their primes. It's a sheltered life in many respects.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not out here with the violin out, plenty of worse jobs to be in, packing fish in a frozen factory for 12 hours a day on minimum wage. Whilst footballers will not experience the financial struggles of the average workers, I'm not sure we truly appreciate the strains on their body and minds. 

 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

39 minutes ago, Day said:

I sympathise with the players. I Honestly do.

It's not just 2 games a week, it's the training, the tactical information you're inputting, the travelling. 

They get paid mega money, I know, yet you can't buy energy. 

When you have FIFA and UEFA expanding tournaments, big clubs sending the top players out on PR tours in the US and Asia.

They will reach a breaking point and we could be close to that.

Managers have been mocked for complaining, yet when the demands for European and domestic success are so high, it's a relentless game where the players bodies are being treated as robots.

Take Man City, they have their next 3 games at home. After that they travel up to Newcastle for a 12.30pm kick off on the Saturday, back to Manchester for what would be a day off I would presume on Sunday as they will be flying out to Bratislava on the Monday for a game on the Tuesday. Back home on Wednesday and it's down to London for a game on Saturday.

After that, it's straight out to Spain for back to back games in 3 days for Rodri.

Yeah it's too much.

The players are not blameless here. When you have these players who are appointing agents holding clubs to ransom with wage demands, clubs need to fund those so these PR trips are needed for the extra streaming passes, merchandise, sponsorships etc.

Covid was the perfect opportunity to reset football, wasn't taken. 

 

Yep. There are enough players speaking out to suggest that it's a real issue.

Yeah they're earning ludicrous amounts of money, but I don't think that justifies them ruining their bodies for the sport. 

I think player power will ultimately win out, but it will be domestic institutions like the FA Cup that will suffer. International pre-season tours and global tournaments will continue to expand, because that's where the money and power is.

Edited Tuesday at 16:49 by DarkFruitsRam7

[hintonsboots]

It’s a short career with untold riches. They need to get a grip, it not as though they will be doing it until 67 and then claiming the state pension. We should ask Hinton, Hector, Todd and McFarland what they think ? I can’t see Haaland doing a postman’s job when he hangs up his ponytail.

[Gabby'sThighs]

I support workers' rights. Regardless of how much they get paid, footballers shouldn't work in dangerous conditions, and they shouldn't be exploited by entities like FIFA & UEFA, who also rake in huge amounts of cash.

Rodri played 63 times last season, and he normally does a 10k minimum per game. In his interview, he said he's happy with 40-50 games a season, but he could potentially play 85 matches.  Then there's travel, training, meet-and-greets, choosing your next tattoo, pursuing extra-marital affairs, etc, etc. Players need time to recover. Eventually, they'll get injured.

No fan really wants an expanded World Cup, or pointless extra qualifiers for the Champions League, or the FIFA World Club Cup, or a US tour a week after the Premier League season finishes. It's purely designed to generate more games and increased revenue.

[Ewe Ram]

More competitions, more matches, but clubs have enough revenue to not play the same players in so many matches. So I’m not on their side in this. 

[Loughborough Ram]

f*** em! Go on strike, see how much sympathy they get.

I'm a postman, I walk 10 miles a day, cycle 12 miles a day to get to and from work, get treated like sh*t, and get paid less per year than an average footballer gets paid a week, f*ckin jokers. If they aren't happy stop doing it and find a different job.

[nottingram]

7 minutes ago, Ewe Ram said:

More competitions, more matches, but clubs have enough revenue to not play the same players in so many matches. So I’m not on their side in this. 

Big clubs stockpiling more players doesn’t seem particularly optimal to me either though, in fairness.

[Ewe Ram]

26 minutes ago, nottingram said:

Big clubs stockpiling more players doesn’t seem particularly optimal to me either though, in fairness.

We’ve all worked at places that are understaffed, we get to work longer/harder 

[Carnero]

If they want say 20% less games then they should offer to reduce their pay by 20% in return. They won't though.

[RadioactiveWaste]

I'm instinctively behind the players to an extent but this is hardly the bygone days where clubs bullied and kept down players and even fine footballers might hope to "make enough to open a pub after they're done"

My argument is the complete oversaturated of football is making it less appealing. Too many matches, especially European ones. I'd be up for slimming the calendar back a fair bit.

Too much of a good thing.

I don't feel particularly sorry for the players, but I do feel there's too much.

[Tamworthram]

I know it will never happen but I wonder what the players would say,  if the authorities offered to reduce the number of tournaments (and consequently games they have to play in a season) or agree a maximum number of games any player can be asked to play (similar to the working time directive)  but their wages would have to be reduced accordingly?

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

There are umpteen sports where at a high level the demands are much greater on the body and the rewards nowhere near as much. Not just sports, entertainment at large. Through some close relations I know a bit about the world of dance. Even people at the top of the profession do not get paid anywhere near and put their bodies through a lot more stress. If they cant dance they don't get paid, if they get injured for over 2 weeks, contract is cancelled. 

[Ram-Alf]

11 minutes ago, EtoileSportiveDeDerby said:

Through some close relations I know a bit about the world of dance. Even people at the top of the profession do not get paid anywhere near and put their bodies through a lot more stress. If they cant dance they don't get paid, 

I should bloody hope not 😁

 

[Anon]

Why do the players and coaches always aim this criticism at FIFA/UEFA/TV companies, basically anyone other than their actual employers? The clubs that play this absurd number of matches have gargantuan squads, if they are unable or unwilling to rotate and rest players, then the fault lies with them.

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

I know it will never happen but I wonder what the players would say,  if the authorities offered to reduce the number of tournaments (and consequently games they have to play in a season) or agree a maximum number of games any player can be asked to play (similar to the working time directive)  but their wages would have to be reduced accordingly?

You know what the answer would be. Players have a crazy amount of power in contract negotiations, yet how often do you hear about a player asking his agent to negotiate a cap on playing time rather than more money. Never. There are leagues that play fewer games than the Premier League and schedule a winter break. Rodri and his ilk could play there, but they choose to seek transfers to the most greedy and demanding league in football and then cry about it.

[Grumpy Git]

Mardarses the lot of em.

I'm early 60's and have spent the last 35 years in a job where a 150 mile trip to site is local.

Try getting up at 3 a.m. Monday, flying 1,000 miles to site, then working 50+ hours and flying home Friday afternoon for a month if you want "knackered".

 

[ilkleyram]

3 hours ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

I'm instinctively behind the players to an extent but this is hardly the bygone days where clubs bullied and kept down players and even fine footballers might hope to "make enough to open a pub after they're done"

My argument is the complete oversaturated of football is making it less appealing. Too many matches, especially European ones. I'd be up for slimming the calendar back a fair bit.

Too much of a good thing.

I don't feel particularly sorry for the players, but I do feel there's too much.

I agree. All the major sports - football, cricket, rugby -union and league - tennis, golf - have all forgotten that familiarity breeds contempt or boredom anyway.  The same things link them all - TV companies desperate to fill hours of electronic wallpaper, administrators of governing bodies desperate for income for their own use (and salaries), clubs (or tournaments) desperate for income to meet their needs, participants well represented and desperate to maximise their income in a short career often cut short by injury.

Thus we get wall to wall chasing of more and more sport with no one in any overall control to exert some rationing that, ironically, might make the ‘product’ more appealing by virtue of its rarity.

I am lucky enough to remember and have experienced our European nights. Half the excitement was in seeing players and clubs you had heard of but never seen before. Rarity is valuable is a phrase that should be posted over the front door of every governing body, every club and every tournament and should be built into every TV contract. And won’t.

[Foreveram]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Git said:

Mardarses the lot of em.

I'm early 60's and have spent the last 35 years in a job where a 150 mile trip to site is local.

Try getting up at 3 a.m. Monday, flying 1,000 miles to site, then working 50+ hours and flying home Friday afternoon for a month if you want "knackered".

 

You were lucky, I used to get up at 5 o’clock in the morning, half an hour before I went to bed.🙄