Marcos Rojo

To be honest that is probably our best selling point to attract better players. Come to us for a season, if you do well then the CL clubs will come knocking as you can then go and we get big money.

Seems a win win situation, only down side is you need to replace each season but a good way to get a better player to the club.

Thank god we did not sign Rojo......if he is "going on strike" now this would have been a Lovren situation all over again for us in 12 months time if we had secured his transfer.

 

At some stage, we (as a club and fans) have to accept that in todays market making a marquee signing is not necessarily a good thing. Didn't work with Osvaldo, wouldn't have worked with Rojo (judging by his character traits he is displaying) and won't work with the next one (e.g. hernandez). We should concentrate on signing young, hungry players that actually want to play for Saints.

I also think we have to realise that we are not top 7 and that there seems to be a big difference in what they spend (only including Everton because of the Lukaku deal) and what everyone else does. I am sure that someone will point out a signing that "breaks the rule" but the non top 7 don't sign players over £15m. The top 7 quite happily drop £20-25m on players, and then there are the Top 4 (so to speak) who will do £30-40m transfers. I imagine that United are soon to go it alone into the £50m+ territory (and yes, I know Chelsea spent that on Torres).

The difference is wages Man C over £200m, Saints £52m says it all.

SSN saying Rojo has handed in a transfer request and wants a move to Utd. This one is done as far as Saints are concerned.

Time to lock this one.

Fair to say we can move on from this one, I reckon

Standby for the usual knobbers moaning that Saints couldn't get the deal over the line.

Nice to see bbc make no mention of saints target.

It's always the way, we are used to get the big boys to make their move. That's football unfortunately

kind of glad now

had he eventually signed, he would have been hyped up like mad and would have been our record signing and probably would not have lived up to that

We need to aim for sh!tter players.

Let's hope Les' golf was more successful than his transfer dealings whilst in Portugal.

We need to aim for sh!tter players.

indeed. go ugly, go early

We need to aim for sh!tter players.

Wouldn't want the jumped up ***t any way. It's about time the football authorities did something about the lack of respect these players have for the clubs and fans that pay their wages.

As someone said earlier.......this will be another Buttner signing by Man Utd .

Move on SFC.

We need to aim for sh!tter players.

We let Puncheon go.

I see Rojo has pulled a Dejan then. What a knob.

kind of glad now

had he eventually signed, he would have been hyped up like mad and would have been our record signing and probably would not have lived up to that

Just like Buttner a couple of years ago - declined to come here because manure were in the picture - where is he now? Had he come here Shaw would probably not have got his chance so early

I see Rojo has pulled a Dejan then. What a knob.

I don't think I have ever been so ambivalent about football.

I don't think complete disillusionment has set in yet, but it may not be long.

It's got nothing to do with the fact that we look like missing out on Rojo to Manure, but the way that players now conduct themselves and their business since all the power was handed to them on a great big silver platter.

We've been victims of it ourselves this season and we obviously feel it more when it affects us, but this is symptomatic of the malaise that has crept in.

It's been a long journey from the days when we managed to keep the likes of Ron Davies, and we were able to sign players like Keegan and, to be honest, some of the changes had to be made to provide players with some degree of control over their own fate.

But the pendulum has now swung completely the other way. Where they were once players who served the game, football is now there to suit their purposes, and the game is subservient to them.

I'm not given to knee-jerk reactions and always try to take a balanced look from the other person's viewpoint. I've always accepted that professional sport is a precarious way of earning a living, which could be ended prematurely by injury, and which in any event only has a working life of 15 years, 20 max. To that end, sportsmen have always had to maximise their earning potential and I've never been too quick to condemn somebody for moving to better himself.

However, the money top players earn now tends to negate that argument. At any PL club, a player will earn more than a week than most of their fans trouser in a year; and earn in a year what most would not be able to earn in a lifetime. A four-year contract with a PL club probably means a player will never have to work again when he retires in his mid-30s.

So while money is still a powerful driving force (yes, I would go somewhere else if somebody offered to double my salary) I don't think it's entirely down to wonga that players have become dummy-spitting, toy-chucking, tantrum throwing arsewipes.

It's all about inflated egos and a warped sense of entitlement.

It just grate with me that not only do players now demand that they want to rip up the four-year deal they signed only months previously, but dictate where they want to go.

What sort of bargaining position are Sporting Lisbon in when Rojo demands to go to Manure? Rojo hasn't given an ounce of thought to the club that have employed him for the past few years, and as Saints fans, we certainly know what that feeling is like.

Will we soon reach the situation where the pool of the world's top few hundred players end up at nine or 10 clubs (Five in PL, PSG, Barca and Real, Bayern Munich) and those clubs have over-inflated squads of 40 players? What happens then when players aren't getting a regular game? You only have to look at Real Madrid's squad to see that in accruing the world's best players they are laying down a mess of trouble.

Why should we still hail these people as heroes?

Heroes were once people you had contact with. They lived not far from you. They used the same shops, services and pubs as you. They signed autographs when you collared them at the pictures and shoved a scrap of paper and carpenter's pencil at them.

They posed for pics and had time for a chat (providing you weren't a stalking pest) when you spoke to them at the bar, or passed their table in a restuarant.

They didn't coccoon themselves away from the rest of the world in gated communities. They didn't rope themselves off in VIP areas.

Even when players first began to ease themselves away from fans, they were still accessible vicariously. They were happy to make themselves available for interviews for newspapers, magazines and radio/TV.

Granted, they are now buffered by press officers, who have a duty to fulfil to their club's website and subscription TV platform, but the nature of players (and most professional sportsmen) is that if they don't have to do something, they won't. So unless they're forced to be this week's token player put up at pre-match media day, which is strictly controlled, they don't talk to the media and thus another few yards of distance is put between them and those that pay their wages.

And by those who pay their wages, I don't entirely mean those who buy tickets for matches. Those who subscribe to Sky and BT also contribute to their salaries - probably even more so.

A prime example of that is Paul Scholes, who was mute during his playing days and hated dealing with the media and conducting interviews. But now it suits his purpose, you can't shut the little ginger t**t up as a pundit.

I love football. It's provided me with a living for many years and it is still a great game. But - and I never thought I would say this - I am approaching the stage where I can take it or leave it. And that's almost entirely down to the players.

Or perhaps it's our fault.

Our fault for investing too much emotion, support, faith, and even love into something they clearly don't reciprocate.

Perhaps football support should be like attending a circus. Enjoy the spectacle and admire the skills, but at the end of the performance, just go home.

I don't post on here often but Floridamarlin you are spot on.

In real life contracts have to be followed and adhered to. Failure to do so should involve significant penalties to the contracted if broken. If a player had to personally pay off their contract to leave on top of any transfer fee then things would change. However that is not the world we live in!

Marlin, you really are not alone in your thoughts about football. I have always said that I love Saints but hate football - at present (and that might change) my love of Saints is greater than my hate of football. Some seemed not to understand what I was saying but I think that this summer's goings on might have cleared any misunderstanding of my thoughts. I look at the press (radio/papers/TV) and the way they are going on and on and on about the start of another wonderful PL season and that it might be the closest and best ever, and all it does is leave me feeling cold and detached. It's not going to be the best when in reality it is a race between 3 maybe 4 teams to win it. It might be the closest as it is going to be more than a 2 horse race. I really don't care about the PL. I go to SMS to be entertained and I am toying with the idea of not renewing next season. The one thing that I am enjoying is Ronald Koeman. As a manager he comes across as a breath of fresh air - or rather a rare breed as I personally think that Steve Bruce is also like that. I look at the big 6 (excluding Everton here) and I have nothing but contempt for them, save for an admiration in how much money they can make.

The other thing that I am thinking more about, is how "you bought the title" seems to no longer be bandied about. Blackburn had it chucked at them. Chelsea did as well, when Abramovich first turned up. But now? Never hear it, as supporters are demanding that their clubs spend spend spend. Man Utd, being one of the biggest clubs in the world, are doing this and doing it to extremes. They are likely to end up spending nigh on £150m this window. Liverpool are likely to not be too far behind, although of course they have Suarez to offset that. But will anyone accuse Man U of buying the title?

But as you say, the cocooning of players away from the fans is the greatest shame. I am guessing that you are a pre-Premier League supporter as we can remember the good old days. I first went to the Dell in 1976 and going through the 80s and 90s I don't think the competition was particularly any worse than it is today. Am I being a bit deluded though, and my memories are painting a rosier picture than actually was the case? And then Abramovich arrived in 2003, and that was that. I really cannot understand the small measures that the PL are taking to try and keep some semblance of competition in place. Actually that is rather naive, and all they are doing is trying to keep some semblance of competition amongst the big 6 clubs +1, and screw the other 13.

Just like Buttner a couple of years ago - declined to come here because manure were in the picture - where is he now? Had he come here Shaw would probably not have got his chance so early

Oh I don't know, he also decided to leave Man U when Shaw arrived...

I really hope Man Utd withdraw their interest.

He is suspended - will not be able to train with the team and his transfer request has been denied - the president of his current club plays hardball and say - he can watch the games on telly and sit out the reminding 2 years of hid contract. NO PLAYER IS BIGGER THEN THE CLUB he said - here Saints board should take some lessons I think.....

He is suspended - will not be able to train with the team and his transfer request has been denied - the president of his current club plays hardball and say - he can watch the games on telly and sit out the reminding 2 years of hid contract. NO PLAYER IS BIGGER THEN THE CLUB he said - here Saints board should take some lessons I think.....

Much easier for them to say that when they only stand to receive 25% of any transfer fee anyway. If their cut was 75%, I would guess they wouldn't be so enthusiastic about him sitting on his arse for two years and leaving for nothing at the end of it.

I don't think I have ever been so ambivalent about football.

 

I don't think complete disillusionment has set in yet, but it may not be long.

 

It's got nothing to do with the fact that we look like missing out on Rojo to Manure, but the way that players now conduct themselves and their business since all the power was handed to them on a great big silver platter.

 

We've been victims of it ourselves this season and we obviously feel it more when it affects us, but this is symptomatic of the malaise that has crept in.

 

It's been a long journey from the days when we managed to keep the likes of Ron Davies, and we were able to sign players like Keegan and, to be honest, some of the changes had to be made to provide players with some degree of control over their own fate.

 

But the pendulum has now swung completely the other way. Where they were once players who served the game, football is now there to suit their purposes, and the game is subservient to them.

 

I'm not given to knee-jerk reactions and always try to take a balanced look from the other person's viewpoint. I've always accepted that professional sport is a precarious way of earning a living, which could be ended prematurely by injury, and which in any event only has a working life of 15 years, 20 max. To that end, sportsmen have always had to maximise their earning potential and I've never been too quick to condemn somebody for moving to better himself.

 

However, the money top players earn now tends to negate that argument. At any PL club, a player will earn more than a week than most of their fans trouser in a year; and earn in a year what most would not be able to earn in a lifetime. A four-year contract with a PL club probably means a player will never have to work again when he retires in his mid-30s.

 

So while money is still a powerful driving force (yes, I would go somewhere else if somebody offered to double my salary) I don't think it's entirely down to wonga that players have become dummy-spitting, toy-chucking, tantrum throwing arsewipes.

 

It's all about inflated egos and a warped sense of entitlement.

 

It just grate with me that not only do players now demand that they want to rip up the four-year deal they signed only months previously, but dictate where they want to go.

 

What sort of bargaining position are Sporting Lisbon in when Rojo demands to go to Manure? Rojo hasn't given an ounce of thought to the club that have employed him for the past few years, and as Saints fans, we certainly know what that feeling is like.

 

Will we soon reach the situation where the pool of the world's top few hundred players end up at nine or 10 clubs (Five in PL, PSG, Barca and Real, Bayern Munich) and those clubs have over-inflated squads of 40 players? What happens then when players aren't getting a regular game? You only have to look at Real Madrid's squad to see that in accruing the world's best players they are laying down a mess of trouble.

 

Why should we still hail these people as heroes?

 

Heroes were once people you had contact with. They lived not far from you. They used the same shops, services and pubs as you. They signed autographs when you collared them at the pictures and shoved a scrap of paper and carpenter's pencil at them.

 

They posed for pics and had time for a chat (providing you weren't a stalking pest) when you spoke to them at the bar, or passed their table in a restuarant.

 

They didn't coccoon themselves away from the rest of the world in gated communities. They didn't rope themselves off in VIP areas.

 

Even when players first began to ease themselves away from fans, they were still accessible vicariously. They were happy to make themselves available for interviews for newspapers, magazines and radio/TV.

 

Granted, they are now buffered by press officers, who have a duty to fulfil to their club's website and subscription TV platform, but the nature of players (and most professional sportsmen) is that if they don't have to do something, they won't. So unless they're forced to be this week's token player put up at pre-match media day, which is strictly controlled, they don't talk to the media and thus another few yards of distance is put between them and those that pay their wages.

 

And by those who pay their wages, I don't entirely mean those who buy tickets for matches. Those who subscribe to Sky and BT also contribute to their salaries - probably even more so.

 

A prime example of that is Paul Scholes, who was mute during his playing days and hated dealing with the media and conducting interviews. But now it suits his purpose, you can't shut the little ginger t**t up as a pundit.

 

I love football. It's provided me with a living for many years and it is still a great game. But - and I never thought I would say this - I am approaching the stage where I can take it or leave it. And that's almost entirely down to the players.

 

Or perhaps it's our fault.

 

Our fault for investing too much emotion, support, faith, and even love into something they clearly don't reciprocate.

 

Perhaps football support should be like attending a circus. Enjoy the spectacle and admire the skills, but at the end of the performance, just go home.

Couldn't agree more

He is suspended - will not be able to train with the team and his transfer request has been denied - the president of his current club plays hardball and say - he can watch the games on telly and sit out the reminding 2 years of hid contract. NO PLAYER IS BIGGER THEN THE CLUB he said - here Saints board should take some lessons I think.....

Haven't we done that with Morgan?

He is suspended - will not be able to train with the team and his transfer request has been denied - the president of his current club plays hardball and say - he can watch the games on telly and sit out the reminding 2 years of hid contract. NO PLAYER IS BIGGER THEN THE CLUB he said - here Saints board should take some lessons I think.....

How does that work if he have 5 or 6 of your better players sitting at home watching TV???

Top post Florida........it's quite amazing really. Baseball is awash with huge contracts yet you don't see any of the entitlement issues that football (both UK and US) and NBA have.

We sure dodged a bullet with Rojo...........

I don't think I have ever been so ambivalent about football.

 

I don't think complete disillusionment has set in yet, but it may not be long.

 

It's got nothing to do with the fact that we look like missing out on Rojo to Manure, but the way that players now conduct themselves and their business since all the power was handed to them on a great big silver platter.

 

We've been victims of it ourselves this season and we obviously feel it more when it affects us, but this is symptomatic of the malaise that has crept in.

 

It's been a long journey from the days when we managed to keep the likes of Ron Davies, and we were able to sign players like Keegan and, to be honest, some of the changes had to be made to provide players with some degree of control over their own fate.

 

But the pendulum has now swung completely the other way. Where they were once players who served the game, football is now there to suit their purposes, and the game is subservient to them.

 

I'm not given to knee-jerk reactions and always try to take a balanced look from the other person's viewpoint. I've always accepted that professional sport is a precarious way of earning a living, which could be ended prematurely by injury, and which in any event only has a working life of 15 years, 20 max. To that end, sportsmen have always had to maximise their earning potential and I've never been too quick to condemn somebody for moving to better himself.

 

However, the money top players earn now tends to negate that argument. At any PL club, a player will earn more than a week than most of their fans trouser in a year; and earn in a year what most would not be able to earn in a lifetime. A four-year contract with a PL club probably means a player will never have to work again when he retires in his mid-30s.

 

So while money is still a powerful driving force (yes, I would go somewhere else if somebody offered to double my salary) I don't think it's entirely down to wonga that players have become dummy-spitting, toy-chucking, tantrum throwing arsewipes.

 

It's all about inflated egos and a warped sense of entitlement.

 

It just grate with me that not only do players now demand that they want to rip up the four-year deal they signed only months previously, but dictate where they want to go.

 

What sort of bargaining position are Sporting Lisbon in when Rojo demands to go to Manure? Rojo hasn't given an ounce of thought to the club that have employed him for the past few years, and as Saints fans, we certainly know what that feeling is like.

 

Will we soon reach the situation where the pool of the world's top few hundred players end up at nine or 10 clubs (Five in PL, PSG, Barca and Real, Bayern Munich) and those clubs have over-inflated squads of 40 players? What happens then when players aren't getting a regular game? You only have to look at Real Madrid's squad to see that in accruing the world's best players they are laying down a mess of trouble.

 

Why should we still hail these people as heroes?

 

Heroes were once people you had contact with. They lived not far from you. They used the same shops, services and pubs as you. They signed autographs when you collared them at the pictures and shoved a scrap of paper and carpenter's pencil at them.

 

They posed for pics and had time for a chat (providing you weren't a stalking pest) when you spoke to them at the bar, or passed their table in a restuarant.

 

They didn't coccoon themselves away from the rest of the world in gated communities. They didn't rope themselves off in VIP areas.

 

Even when players first began to ease themselves away from fans, they were still accessible vicariously. They were happy to make themselves available for interviews for newspapers, magazines and radio/TV.

 

Granted, they are now buffered by press officers, who have a duty to fulfil to their club's website and subscription TV platform, but the nature of players (and most professional sportsmen) is that if they don't have to do something, they won't. So unless they're forced to be this week's token player put up at pre-match media day, which is strictly controlled, they don't talk to the media and thus another few yards of distance is put between them and those that pay their wages.

 

And by those who pay their wages, I don't entirely mean those who buy tickets for matches. Those who subscribe to Sky and BT also contribute to their salaries - probably even more so.

 

A prime example of that is Paul Scholes, who was mute during his playing days and hated dealing with the media and conducting interviews. But now it suits his purpose, you can't shut the little ginger t**t up as a pundit.

 

I love football. It's provided me with a living for many years and it is still a great game. But - and I never thought I would say this - I am approaching the stage where I can take it or leave it. And that's almost entirely down to the players.

 

Or perhaps it's our fault.

 

Our fault for investing too much emotion, support, faith, and even love into something they clearly don't reciprocate.

 

Perhaps football support should be like attending a circus. Enjoy the spectacle and admire the skills, but at the end of the performance, just go home.

Excellent post FloridaMarlin

I don't think I have ever been so ambivalent about football.

 

I don't think complete disillusionment has set in yet, but it may not be long.

 

It's got nothing to do with the fact that we look like missing out on Rojo to Manure, but the way that players now conduct themselves and their business since all the power was handed to them on a great big silver platter.

 

We've been victims of it ourselves this season and we obviously feel it more when it affects us, but this is symptomatic of the malaise that has crept in.

 

It's been a long journey from the days when we managed to keep the likes of Ron Davies, and we were able to sign players like Keegan and, to be honest, some of the changes had to be made to provide players with some degree of control over their own fate.

 

But the pendulum has now swung completely the other way. Where they were once players who served the game, football is now there to suit their purposes, and the game is subservient to them.

 

I'm not given to knee-jerk reactions and always try to take a balanced look from the other person's viewpoint. I've always accepted that professional sport is a precarious way of earning a living, which could be ended prematurely by injury, and which in any event only has a working life of 15 years, 20 max. To that end, sportsmen have always had to maximise their earning potential and I've never been too quick to condemn somebody for moving to better himself.

 

However, the money top players earn now tends to negate that argument. At any PL club, a player will earn more than a week than most of their fans trouser in a year; and earn in a year what most would not be able to earn in a lifetime. A four-year contract with a PL club probably means a player will never have to work again when he retires in his mid-30s.

 

So while money is still a powerful driving force (yes, I would go somewhere else if somebody offered to double my salary) I don't think it's entirely down to wonga that players have become dummy-spitting, toy-chucking, tantrum throwing arsewipes.

 

It's all about inflated egos and a warped sense of entitlement.

 

It just grate with me that not only do players now demand that they want to rip up the four-year deal they signed only months previously, but dictate where they want to go.

 

What sort of bargaining position are Sporting Lisbon in when Rojo demands to go to Manure? Rojo hasn't given an ounce of thought to the club that have employed him for the past few years, and as Saints fans, we certainly know what that feeling is like.

 

Will we soon reach the situation where the pool of the world's top few hundred players end up at nine or 10 clubs (Five in PL, PSG, Barca and Real, Bayern Munich) and those clubs have over-inflated squads of 40 players? What happens then when players aren't getting a regular game? You only have to look at Real Madrid's squad to see that in accruing the world's best players they are laying down a mess of trouble.

 

Why should we still hail these people as heroes?

 

Heroes were once people you had contact with. They lived not far from you. They used the same shops, services and pubs as you. They signed autographs when you collared them at the pictures and shoved a scrap of paper and carpenter's pencil at them.

 

They posed for pics and had time for a chat (providing you weren't a stalking pest) when you spoke to them at the bar, or passed their table in a restuarant.

 

They didn't coccoon themselves away from the rest of the world in gated communities. They didn't rope themselves off in VIP areas.

 

Even when players first began to ease themselves away from fans, they were still accessible vicariously. They were happy to make themselves available for interviews for newspapers, magazines and radio/TV.

 

Granted, they are now buffered by press officers, who have a duty to fulfil to their club's website and subscription TV platform, but the nature of players (and most professional sportsmen) is that if they don't have to do something, they won't. So unless they're forced to be this week's token player put up at pre-match media day, which is strictly controlled, they don't talk to the media and thus another few yards of distance is put between them and those that pay their wages.

 

And by those who pay their wages, I don't entirely mean those who buy tickets for matches. Those who subscribe to Sky and BT also contribute to their salaries - probably even more so.

 

A prime example of that is Paul Scholes, who was mute during his playing days and hated dealing with the media and conducting interviews. But now it suits his purpose, you can't shut the little ginger t**t up as a pundit.

 

I love football. It's provided me with a living for many years and it is still a great game. But - and I never thought I would say this - I am approaching the stage where I can take it or leave it. And that's almost entirely down to the players.

 

Or perhaps it's our fault.

 

Our fault for investing too much emotion, support, faith, and even love into something they clearly don't reciprocate.

 

Perhaps football support should be like attending a circus. Enjoy the spectacle and admire the skills, but at the end of the performance, just go home.

LIKE.

I don't think I have ever been so ambivalent about football.

 

I don't think complete disillusionment has set in yet, but it may not be long.

 

It's got nothing to do with the fact that we look like missing out on Rojo to Manure, but the way that players now conduct themselves and their business since all the power was handed to them on a great big silver platter.

 

We've been victims of it ourselves this season and we obviously feel it more when it affects us, but this is symptomatic of the malaise that has crept in.

 

It's been a long journey from the days when we managed to keep the likes of Ron Davies, and we were able to sign players like Keegan and, to be honest, some of the changes had to be made to provide players with some degree of control over their own fate.

 

But the pendulum has now swung completely the other way. Where they were once players who served the game, football is now there to suit their purposes, and the game is subservient to them.

 

I'm not given to knee-jerk reactions and always try to take a balanced look from the other person's viewpoint. I've always accepted that professional sport is a precarious way of earning a living, which could be ended prematurely by injury, and which in any event only has a working life of 15 years, 20 max. To that end, sportsmen have always had to maximise their earning potential and I've never been too quick to condemn somebody for moving to better himself.

 

However, the money top players earn now tends to negate that argument. At any PL club, a player will earn more than a week than most of their fans trouser in a year; and earn in a year what most would not be able to earn in a lifetime. A four-year contract with a PL club probably means a player will never have to work again when he retires in his mid-30s.

 

So while money is still a powerful driving force (yes, I would go somewhere else if somebody offered to double my salary) I don't think it's entirely down to wonga that players have become dummy-spitting, toy-chucking, tantrum throwing arsewipes.

 

It's all about inflated egos and a warped sense of entitlement.

 

It just grate with me that not only do players now demand that they want to rip up the four-year deal they signed only months previously, but dictate where they want to go.

 

What sort of bargaining position are Sporting Lisbon in when Rojo demands to go to Manure? Rojo hasn't given an ounce of thought to the club that have employed him for the past few years, and as Saints fans, we certainly know what that feeling is like.

 

Will we soon reach the situation where the pool of the world's top few hundred players end up at nine or 10 clubs (Five in PL, PSG, Barca and Real, Bayern Munich) and those clubs have over-inflated squads of 40 players? What happens then when players aren't getting a regular game? You only have to look at Real Madrid's squad to see that in accruing the world's best players they are laying down a mess of trouble.

 

Why should we still hail these people as heroes?

 

Heroes were once people you had contact with. They lived not far from you. They used the same shops, services and pubs as you. They signed autographs when you collared them at the pictures and shoved a scrap of paper and carpenter's pencil at them.

 

They posed for pics and had time for a chat (providing you weren't a stalking pest) when you spoke to them at the bar, or passed their table in a restuarant.

 

They didn't coccoon themselves away from the rest of the world in gated communities. They didn't rope themselves off in VIP areas.

 

Even when players first began to ease themselves away from fans, they were still accessible vicariously. They were happy to make themselves available for interviews for newspapers, magazines and radio/TV.

 

Granted, they are now buffered by press officers, who have a duty to fulfil to their club's website and subscription TV platform, but the nature of players (and most professional sportsmen) is that if they don't have to do something, they won't. So unless they're forced to be this week's token player put up at pre-match media day, which is strictly controlled, they don't talk to the media and thus another few yards of distance is put between them and those that pay their wages.

 

And by those who pay their wages, I don't entirely mean those who buy tickets for matches. Those who subscribe to Sky and BT also contribute to their salaries - probably even more so.

 

A prime example of that is Paul Scholes, who was mute during his playing days and hated dealing with the media and conducting interviews. But now it suits his purpose, you can't shut the little ginger t**t up as a pundit.

 

I love football. It's provided me with a living for many years and it is still a great game. But - and I never thought I would say this - I am approaching the stage where I can take it or leave it. And that's almost entirely down to the players.

 

Or perhaps it's our fault.

 

Our fault for investing too much emotion, support, faith, and even love into something they clearly don't reciprocate.

 

Perhaps football support should be like attending a circus. Enjoy the spectacle and admire the skills, but at the end of the performance, just go home.

You support a team owned by Jeffrey Loria...no wonder you get uncomfortable with players having a bit of control over their own fate!

I don't think I have ever been so ambivalent about football.

 

I don't think complete disillusionment has set in yet, but it may not be long.

 

It's got nothing to do with the fact that we look like missing out on Rojo to Manure, but the way that players now conduct themselves and their business since all the power was handed to them on a great big silver platter.

 

We've been victims of it ourselves this season and we obviously feel it more when it affects us, but this is symptomatic of the malaise that has crept in.

 

It's been a long journey from the days when we managed to keep the likes of Ron Davies, and we were able to sign players like Keegan and, to be honest, some of the changes had to be made to provide players with some degree of control over their own fate.

 

But the pendulum has now swung completely the other way. Where they were once players who served the game, football is now there to suit their purposes, and the game is subservient to them.

 

I'm not given to knee-jerk reactions and always try to take a balanced look from the other person's viewpoint. I've always accepted that professional sport is a precarious way of earning a living, which could be ended prematurely by injury, and which in any event only has a working life of 15 years, 20 max. To that end, sportsmen have always had to maximise their earning potential and I've never been too quick to condemn somebody for moving to better himself.

 

However, the money top players earn now tends to negate that argument. At any PL club, a player will earn more than a week than most of their fans trouser in a year; and earn in a year what most would not be able to earn in a lifetime. A four-year contract with a PL club probably means a player will never have to work again when he retires in his mid-30s.

 

So while money is still a powerful driving force (yes, I would go somewhere else if somebody offered to double my salary) I don't think it's entirely down to wonga that players have become dummy-spitting, toy-chucking, tantrum throwing arsewipes.

 

It's all about inflated egos and a warped sense of entitlement.

 

It just grate with me that not only do players now demand that they want to rip up the four-year deal they signed only months previously, but dictate where they want to go.

 

What sort of bargaining position are Sporting Lisbon in when Rojo demands to go to Manure? Rojo hasn't given an ounce of thought to the club that have employed him for the past few years, and as Saints fans, we certainly know what that feeling is like.

 

Will we soon reach the situation where the pool of the world's top few hundred players end up at nine or 10 clubs (Five in PL, PSG, Barca and Real, Bayern Munich) and those clubs have over-inflated squads of 40 players? What happens then when players aren't getting a regular game? You only have to look at Real Madrid's squad to see that in accruing the world's best players they are laying down a mess of trouble.

 

Why should we still hail these people as heroes?

 

Heroes were once people you had contact with. They lived not far from you. They used the same shops, services and pubs as you. They signed autographs when you collared them at the pictures and shoved a scrap of paper and carpenter's pencil at them.

 

They posed for pics and had time for a chat (providing you weren't a stalking pest) when you spoke to them at the bar, or passed their table in a restuarant.

 

They didn't coccoon themselves away from the rest of the world in gated communities. They didn't rope themselves off in VIP areas.

 

Even when players first began to ease themselves away from fans, they were still accessible vicariously. They were happy to make themselves available for interviews for newspapers, magazines and radio/TV.

 

Granted, they are now buffered by press officers, who have a duty to fulfil to their club's website and subscription TV platform, but the nature of players (and most professional sportsmen) is that if they don't have to do something, they won't. So unless they're forced to be this week's token player put up at pre-match media day, which is strictly controlled, they don't talk to the media and thus another few yards of distance is put between them and those that pay their wages.

 

And by those who pay their wages, I don't entirely mean those who buy tickets for matches. Those who subscribe to Sky and BT also contribute to their salaries - probably even more so.

 

A prime example of that is Paul Scholes, who was mute during his playing days and hated dealing with the media and conducting interviews. But now it suits his purpose, you can't shut the little ginger t**t up as a pundit.

 

I love football. It's provided me with a living for many years and it is still a great game. But - and I never thought I would say this - I am approaching the stage where I can take it or leave it. And that's almost entirely down to the players.

 

Or perhaps it's our fault.

 

Our fault for investing too much emotion, support, faith, and even love into something they clearly don't reciprocate.

 

Perhaps football support should be like attending a circus. Enjoy the spectacle and admire the skills, but at the end of the performance, just go home.

Sadly...I too agree.

http://www.latintimes.com/manchester-uniteds-new-transfer-marcos-rojo-could-go-prison-ever-taking-pitch-old-trafford-203344

looks like we dodged a bullet with this one

http://www.latintimes.com/manchester-uniteds-new-transfer-marcos-rojo-could-go-prison-ever-taking-pitch-old-trafford-203344

 

looks like we dodged a bullet with this one

He's a multi million pound footballer on a shed load of wages, and owned by a dodgy sports agency. He won't serve any time behind bars.

He's a multi million pound footballer on a shed load of wages, and owned by a dodgy sports agency. He won't serve any time behind bars.

thats as maybe, but it would be funny if the Home Office refuse to issue a WP.

thats as maybe, but it would be funny if the Home Office refuse to issue a WP.

What for hitting someone with a bottle two years or so ago, they usually give out commendations for that sort of thing.

you can guarantee they wouldn't have given him a WP if he had signed for us....but I'm sure they'll do whatever Man U ask...

you can guarantee they wouldn't have given him a WP if he had signed for us....but I'm sure they'll do whatever Man U ask...

To be fair, dave jones did swim against the tide and get us a work permit for marian against all the odds. I'd agree about the rojo situation though, it won't be a problem for the plastics, he'll be watching his maserati getting its alloys nicked in no time flat.

To be fair, dave jones did swim against the tide and get us a work permit for marian against all the odds. I'd agree about the rojo situation though, it won't be a problem for the plastics, he'll be watching his maserati getting its alloys nicked in no time flat.

And then Bleidilis and Tadanari Lee to mention but two. We get our share of WPs from special tribunals, can't say we don't. Trouble is we keep telling them that these lads are exceptional talents whereas in fact they're sick notes and piles of crap. It's our track record that would go against us rather than any bias on their part.

But most that we get WPs don't have a criminal case hanging over them. As posted earlier, if their crime would fetch a sentence in this country of 12 months or more (ie if someone did what he did here in this country), then chances are that they will be refused a WP.

But most that we get WPs don't have a criminal case hanging over them. As posted earlier, if their crime would fetch a sentence in this country of 12 months or more (ie if someone did what he did here in this country), then chances are that they will be refused a WP.

Must be that because normally he would be an automatic WP candidate.

Thanks, but I'm very surprised Les would reveal things like that. A wind up?

..........