I just don't understand (footie related)....

[Raffles]

Just been looking at the latest transfer deals.

The money that is sloshed around in football, mainly the Premier League, astound me.

It is surely obscene, saw a new TV show earier today 'Who's Doing The Dishes' which showed the home of Wes Brown (who?). It was ridiculous in the way he's spent money for the sake of it, no taste involved, and if he can earn that, what are the 'top' players earning and wasting when it could do so much good.

I just don't understand how anyone can spend their 'hard earned' on ridiculous ticket prices or shirts to allow mediocre players to disappoint everyone on most Saturdays, and don't even bother talking about the National team. Are we all so easily duped?

Also, how many players play for their 'local' team. They're practically all 'imports' and just sell themselves to the highest bidders. It just doesn't make any sense to me.

Years ago, I used to support my local team with players that grew up in the area, but now they could have come from 'Outer Mongolia'... what's the point, they don't represent me, or the 'local' support we gave them.

What am I missing?

[decoy]

one of the man u players cost more than all of the burnley team
300,000 a week to kick a ball of wind about for 90 mins
I CAN DO THAT for half as much at a push

[OliverB]

Bread and circuses, mate, as ever.

[thatguy]

Sadly, It's not a game anymore, it's a business. Even the players are acting more like businessmen(biting,diving and cheating in general). Team owners care nothing for their fans, and most players are only in it for the cash. It's heartwarming though to see some gentlemen still in the game, players who put the fans and the good of the game first. Alessandro Del Piero comes to mind here.

[Deleted]

Been watching the transfer deadline on the red button and it was quoted that total expenditure is bigger than 17 countries GDP. Falcao reportedly on 350,000 a week.

[prr]

Wrong shaped ball no interest! I am an egg chaser(was) in myprime I was 6'3" and 19 stone with no fat on me at all. Played at a pretty high level and didn't receive a penny. Also played cricket to a pretty good level, but soccer (football) bunch of highly paid primadonnas who have to take 3 weeks off for a broken ------------------ shoelace

[chykensa]

Raffles - I used to be quite a keen armchair football aficionado, especially following MOTD on a Saturday evening, used to quite look forward to it.
These day, no interest whatsoever. Any PL team these days could be playing for any European country you care to mention, and there is no team, or even country, loyalty anymore.
The money is obscene, as is the whole football culture, and the whole essence of the game has been irretrievably lost in my opinion.
The only football I am now remotely interested in is the World Cup, and that is only to see how good teams made up of (mostly) national players, born in that country, play. The entertainment value is much better because you see fleeting glimpses of national pride (though regrettably not English), and some of the best football players in the world playing against each other.
Sorry, but football has lost all its allure for me, and I now have no interest whatsoever in the leagues - just my humble take on things.

[wibble]

Raffles I totally agree !! I also am like prr and prefer the egg shaped ball game. When you hear how much they earn it's disgusting and like decoy said even I would get out of bed on a sunday morning to run after a bag of wind if I got paid 10% of what they earn ! (well maybe 20%).

Will never forget the year my Ex (perhaps one of the reasons he is my ex) bought me a season ticket to man utd knowing I hated football, got dragged to old trafford on a cold boxing day morning to watch grown men run around after a bag of wind (not my idea of boxing day fun I must say) LOL

[Perpetua]

Obscene . . . sums up my opinion Raffles.


I'm all for paying well, someone who has a talent ( in anything ) good luck to them - but I can't get to grips with these mega sums of money that footballers appear to command. ???

[Deleted]

I used to go to Man U games, I refuse to pay the ticket prices now

[ronaldo]

Never miss a super boro match I am a glutton for punishment

[GunJack]

get into a proper sport, Rugby League

not the silly Union version, League is fast, hard and superb in every way. And even Super League has a salary cap, so no stupid over-inflated salaries feeding over-inflated egos of the hairdresser/actors known as soccer players

[chrisjw]

[chrisjw]

Sept 2, 2014 9:30:14 GMT chrisjw said:

I used to follow football until it got ridiculous...........half the players in the PL now are overpaid, overrated prima donnas (most with unpronounceable names too), who have forgotten the true values of the game....& as far as the sorry excuse for a national team that we have, if the powers to be were to concentrate more on bringing home grown youth players through the ranks, instead of spending stupid money on importing even more foreigners into an already overcrowded country, they might actually win something......That, coupled with the incessant banging on from my housemates fella (Arse-anal supporter)about what "HE" would have done if he'd been the manager & the continual reference to the team as "WE", when he doesn't go to any of the games, let alone give the impression that he plays for them or is even remotely associated with the club, has turned me off the "game" of football once & for all.............




P.S.........I have also been a life long supporter of West Ham (because that's where I actually come from, not because they have the most money), which probably doesn't help............

"Life...........is just a bowl of tricks!!!!!!"

[BrenD]

Would you rather the players earned massive salaries for having the skills to provide the entertainment in the first place or the money went into the pockets of a very select few lucky enough to own the clubs?

If wages were cut it wouldn't lead to less TV and sponsorship money coming into the sport and that money would have to go somewhere.

Blame Sky and the TV companies for turning football into this, but don't ever blame the players and their agents, it is only fair that they get their cut.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using proboards