Barry "Messi" Bannan - again

[supertom]

Joey Barton will apparently halve his wages for the opportunity to play for his boyhood club Everton. Granted he'll still be on 35k a week apparently, and if he has any aspiration to play top flight football still, he'll have to do that anywhere, but still...he's willing to take a pay cut.
The Hutton thing seems to suggest that he's changed the goal posts slightly, the way Mallorca make it sound. I'd also guess he'd be getting slightly more than 5k a week. Even so, he's got a choice. He can earn a bit less and live in Mallorca, or he can earn a bit more, but still a shite-load less than what he's on now, to play in the Championship at god knows where.
He could live in Spain for a couple of years on an extremely lavish lifestyle on 5k a week, on top of what he's already earned in his years as a pro footballer.
Personally I'd take the Spanish holiday for slightly less than having to play at Millwall or somewhere like that.

[Phil from the upper holte]

maybe I am naïve,
 but I just don't think you can compare playing football in front of thousands of adoring fans to working in an office or stacking shop shelves
I suppose you are right in that anything becomes normal if its done so often,

however thousands of people play football every week for no money, just for the love of the game,
to my knowledge people don't volunteer to go in to work for nothing, because in general we rather not
apart from a few vocational jobs ie teaching, nursing etc most people would stop work tomorrow if they could

I'm not saying your wrong or arguing against you really, but I just don't get the 'its only a job'  like everyones elses job,
 its not is it, its a totally different way of earning a living like in the entertainment industry, a football career lasts for a few years, why would more money in the bank be more important than a good career to look back on, I just don't get it

With footballers it's probably all they've ever done. From the day they first started school they've been marked out as a special talent. Even someone as limited as Alan Hutton would have been miles better than anyone he ever played with, right up until the day he signed Academy forms and started mixing with other full-timers. His entire life has been geared with one aim in mind - to become a professional footballer. With that in mind it's hardly surprising that he regards it as a job, and one that could end with a crunching tackle tomorrow.
And when you're a Premier League player you don't live a normal life. You earn a fortune, you hang out with people who earn the same so you don't stop to think that you could cut your wages by 90% and still have what mere mortals would consider to be a very tidy living. You couldn't have the lifestyle you've got if you were earning £5k a week rather than £50k. In the same way, most of the world's population would see the average wage in Britain and think it riches beyond comprehension. You can't understand why a player can't live on that £5k, someone in the slums of Calcutta would stare open-mouthed at your belief that dropping from £800 to £600 would cause you hardship.

You've probably got more chance of getting your leg snapped by Hutton than the other way around

[oldhill_avfc]

Re. Players, their love of the game and what they get paid.

The 'Bomb Squad' is made up of those who's careers have not lived up to early promise, journeymen and those who've had decent careers but whose best days are over.

I can readily see why none of them is in a rush to take a pay cut to gain the privilege of playing at a standard way lower than they're used to. 

Bannan is slightly different.  His motivation ought to be to get playing, prove himself and earn transfer back into the premiership. 

[john e]

Re. Players, their love of the game and what they get paid.

The 'Bomb Squad' is made up of those who's careers have not lived up to early promise, journeymen and those who've had decent careers but whose best days are over.

I can readily see why none of them is in a rush to take a pay cut to gain the privilege of playing at a standard way lower than they're used to. 

Bannan is slightly different.  His motivation ought to be to get playing, prove himself and earn transfer back into the premiership. 

the standard will still be a lot higher than Villa reserves though

life is more than about money, we only get so many days, you don't get the day back again, you have to make the most of each one
why would a professional footballer want to waste his time and talent pissing around the training ground with a load of  other rejects

[Concrete John]

Joey Barton will apparently halve his wages for the opportunity to play for his boyhood club Everton. Granted he'll still be on 35k a week apparently, and if he has any aspiration to play top flight football still, he'll have to do that anywhere, but still...he's willing to take a pay cut.
The Hutton thing seems to suggest that he's changed the goal posts slightly, the way Mallorca make it sound. I'd also guess he'd be getting slightly more than 5k a week. Even so, he's got a choice. He can earn a bit less and live in Mallorca, or he can earn a bit more, but still a shite-load less than what he's on now, to play in the Championship at god knows where.
He could live in Spain for a couple of years on an extremely lavish lifestyle on 5k a week, on top of what he's already earned in his years as a pro footballer.
Personally I'd take the Spanish holiday for slightly less than having to play at Millwall or somewhere like that.

He may well think the same, but also think that if he waits for another month, a month in which he'll still be earing the £40k a week we pay him, then Mallorca might increase their offer by a couple of grand a week?  There's no real risk to him as he could probably retire now/at the end of his Villa contract and never have to work again.  And Bannan might be doing something very similar.

Ultimately, I still think we'll see both player make these moves, just they'll wait until nearer the deadline to see if they can wrangle any more money out of it. 

[Dave]

why would a professional footballer want to waste his time and talent pissing around the training ground with a load of  other rejects

Because in one case we are talking about a 37 year old at the end of what has already been an extremely successful career writing off hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Or in another case a young player, rumoured to be lacking a bit of self-belief and whose career has stalled a bit who might well be thinking that the £20,000 per week contract might well the biggest one he ever signs and wants to make the most of it while it's there.

It's all very well sitting there saying that there are more important things than money but until you've actively taken the choice to sacrifice that sort of sum that you're complaining that other people are not, then I'm afraid that I'm not going to take it particularly seriously.

[oldhill_avfc]

Re. Players, their love of the game and what they get paid.

The 'Bomb Squad' is made up of those who's careers have not lived up to early promise, journeymen and those who've had decent careers but whose best days are over.

I can readily see why none of them is in a rush to take a pay cut to gain the privilege of playing at a standard way lower than they're used to. 

Bannan is slightly different.  His motivation ought to be to get playing, prove himself and earn transfer back into the premiership. 

the standard will still be a lot higher than Villa reserves though

life is more than about money, we only get so many days, you don't get the day back again, you have to make the most of each one
why would a professional footballer want to waste his time and talent pissing around the training ground with a load of  other rejects

John - not sure I quite follow what you're saying here. 

I'm arguing Bannan should pursue a career in the championship in order to prove himself.  I'd say the standard is way higher than reserve team football.

As for the rest - their best days are gone.  Why would they not want to quietly see out their days earning a massive wage.  There a very few competitors who enjoy slogging on in the lower reaches of their chosen sport.

[Chris Jameson]

It's all very well sitting there saying that there are more important things than money but until you've actively taken the choice to sacrifice that sort of sum that you're complaining that other people are not, then I'm afraid that I'm not going to take it particularly seriously.

How many of us are ever likely to be in that sort of position though? It's all relative, I've never earned a great deal of money but we took the decision for me to give up work when our children were born, as they got older I went back to work part time and our joint income is nowhere near what it used to be but I'm glad we made that decision.

Our kids are happy which means more to me than any amount of money.

[Dave]

It's all very well sitting there saying that there are more important things than money but until you've actively taken the choice to sacrifice that sort of sum that you're complaining that other people are not, then I'm afraid that I'm not going to take it particularly seriously.

How many of us are ever likely to be in that sort of position though?

Not many. Which is why it's extremely easy to say that you'd happily turn down hundreds of thousands of pounds when you know that there's no possibility that you're ever going to need to prove it.

[Chris Jameson]

It's all very well sitting there saying that there are more important things than money but until you've actively taken the choice to sacrifice that sort of sum that you're complaining that other people are not, then I'm afraid that I'm not going to take it particularly seriously.

How many of us are ever likely to be in that sort of position though?

Not many. Which is why it's extremely easy to say that you'd happily turn down hundreds of thousands of pounds when you know that there's no possibility that you're ever going to need to prove it.

As I say it's all relative though, as I stated I could have earned a lot more than I'm earning now but chose not to. There are players who perhaps aren't as money obsessed as others, Mascherano for example took a huge drop in wages to join Barcelona, the 'it's only a short career' argument could be applied a few years ago and still applies to lower league players but a couple of seasons in the Premier League and a player doesn't need to worry about money for the rest of their lives.

[Percy McCarthy]

All these players have slightly differing circumstances on the choices they have to make - some need to make a career, some face a bigger drop in money etc. A lot of it will come down to the sums involved. I'm fairly sure that if there was a slight drop involved, they'd all choose to move and play. The bigger the drop, the less likely that is. Then maybe, while it's still a question of money being important, it may become a question of money that secures their children's education or current home rather than fancy cars and crap watches.

Same as all of us I suspect. I took a 25 percent drop in money for an easier job that I'll be able to do for longer. Much more than that and it would have been a non-starter.

I think without knowing the figures, it's harsh to judge them all as money-grabbing wankers with no love for what they do.

[john e]

why would a professional footballer want to waste his time and talent pissing around the training ground with a load of  other rejects

Because in one case we are talking about a 37 year old at the end of what has already been an extremely successful career writing off hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Or in another case a young player, rumoured to be lacking a bit of self-belief and whose career has stalled a bit who might well be thinking that the £20,000 per week contract might well the biggest one he ever signs and wants to make the most of it while it's there.

It's all very well sitting there saying that there are more important things than money but until you've actively taken the choice to sacrifice that sort of sum that you're complaining that other people are not, then I'm afraid that I'm not going to take it particularly seriously.

we all make lifestyle choices, like others have said its all relative to our own individual curcumstances,

I personaly cant see the point in wasting away valuable days doing nothing in the reserves when you could be doing what you do best, ie playing football somewhere for someone, maybe for a bit less money but far more job satisfaction I would imagine,
that would go for someone at the beginning or the end of there career, but that's just the way I see it,

I can understand other peoples point of view, but for me life is to short to waste on making a few more bucks, at the expense of doing something more worthwhile

as others have said, I think people do make those choices especially when they have children and give up careers and money to spend a few years with their kids, it might not be the same amounts, but relatively its probably more

choose life, is the saying,
 and footballers offered a career actually playing football at a bit less money, I think is a better life choice than rotting about in the reserves, ok they are getting payed big wages still, but for me its not worth it

[pauliewalnuts]

why would a professional footballer want to waste his time and talent pissing around the training ground with a load of  other rejects

Because in one case we are talking about a 37 year old at the end of what has already been an extremely successful career writing off hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Or in another case a young player, rumoured to be lacking a bit of self-belief and whose career has stalled a bit who might well be thinking that the £20,000 per week contract might well the biggest one he ever signs and wants to make the most of it while it's there.

It's all very well sitting there saying that there are more important things than money but until you've actively taken the choice to sacrifice that sort of sum that you're complaining that other people are not, then I'm afraid that I'm not going to take it particularly seriously.

we all make lifestyle choices, like others have said its all relative to our own individual curcumstances,

I personaly cant see the point in wasting away valuable days doing nothing in the reserves when you could be doing what you do best, ie playing football somewhere for someone, maybe for a bit less money but far more job satisfaction I would imagine,
that would go for someone at the beginning or the end of there career, but that's just the way I see it,

I can understand other peoples point of view, but for me life is to short to waste on making a few more bucks, at the expense of doing something more worthwhile

as others have said, I think people do make those choices especially when they have children and give up careers and money to spend a few years with their kids, it might not be the same amounts, but relatively its probably more

choose life, is the saying,
 and footballers offered a career actually playing football at a bit less money, I think is a better life choice than rotting about in the reserves, ok they are getting payed big wages still, but for me its not worth it

Surely there's a point at which a footballer will tip from one choice to another.

So, someone like Given would have this choice:

Option A: Stay at Villa, aged 37, on 70k a week for the next 3 years
Option B: Leave Villa, play somewhere else, almost certainly at a lower level, for a lot less money.

Obviously, he'll want to play, given the choice, but the money is certainly going to soften the blow of not playing. 70k a week for three years is the best part of £10m. He could go somewhere else for, say, 20k a week, and it is still £3m.

That's a lot of money, too, but he has to decide whether to forego £7m just to play every week rather than not get to play. Maybe he wouldn't do it for a loss of 7m, but he would for a loss of 1 or 2m?

As Dave said, it's dead easy to say you'd make the life quality choice and go and play actual matches when you're almost certainly never going to actually find yourself opting to do without a sum like £7m. Regardless  of whether or not you have loads in the bank already.

[Chris Jameson]

I'm managing to get by nicely without £7m. I'm not saying I wouldn't like it but I'm not sure what I'd do with it!

[john e]

Paulie,depends on your philosophy in life, you don't get the days back
no one on their death bed ever said they wished they had more money in the bank

I suppose the discussion just keeps revolving,
 and in the end we wont agree, but I reckon that chap Winston Bogarde or what ever his name is, wasted his time talent and life, but no doubt he is a rich man now
I wonder when he gets an old man he will have a few regrets

my own view is that a artiste wants to paint, a actor wants to act, a performer wants to put on a show, and a footballer should want to play football, if he doesn't because of money he's making the wrong choice

yes its easy for me as I don't have to make that choice, but that's still my philosophy on life, and that's what I think they should do, but its every one to there own

but i still don't get why a footballer doesn't want to play the game if he gets the chance, just to put a few more quid in the bank, and I never will