by JBG » Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:04 pm
Just going slightly off topic, but (sort of) relevant to what peewee and Daglish were saying about how players have changed, attitude-wise.
Apparently Craig Bellamy told the guy he was marking at Clyde last weekend, after Bellamy had scored, that Bellamy was infinitely richer than him and that he would give the guy a job weeding his garden in the summer.
Even years ago there was a gap between the rich players and the average ones, but back then your wages might buy you a 3 bedroom house, a reasonably decent car and a pub which you could run when you retired, but there definitely was a limit to what you could do and you knew that once you retired as a footballer you knew that you had to find another job to pay the bills. Players knew this and they tried their best, as extra success might get them bonuses or a better contract, and a few extra quid made during their career might help sort themselves and their family out for a couple of years, like buy a pub or a hardware shop like Phil Thompson did. Nowadays even ****** Premiership players earn so much money that almost all could never have to worry about money again once they retire, and I think that factor also needs to be considered.
Tommy Smith, Phil Thompson, Sammy Lee, Jimmy Case et al were all renowned for their great passion on the pitch, but I bet you the most important thing on their minds was earning a wage to pay the mortgage and bills and feed the family. Getting pints bought for them by supporters and winning medals were probably the cream on the top of it all. Now so many players seem to be dizzy with money that they can always say "Sure, we lost 4-0 and were relegated, but I can always go home to my mock Tudor house in my Lotus and play Playstation games on my 50 inch plasma screen tv".
Last edited by
JBG on Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jolly Bob Grumbine.