Paul Jewell - Fans Hate Rich Stars

Shack Attack · April 2, 2007

I think this was reported in quite a few of the Sunday newspapers and just wondered what everybody elses opinion was :

"Players make vast amounts of money and supporters don''t particularly like them any more. Some of the abuse is down to jealousy, some players don''t help themselves by being flash. But I saw the venom and hatred in the faces of the fans, that was anger. It was almost pre-meditated. In the olden days, fans chanted the names of players, they were revered. Now even praise is grudging. You hear them say ''he''s good but he earns £90,000 a week."

His comments were obviously brought on by the behaviour of the England fans last Wednesday but he seems to making a fairly general statement. Is it just fans of England and of Premiership teams who hate their players or does it apply to the Championship also?

I can see why fans resent the fact that some of these players earn close to £100,000 a week but realistically this will never change if the fans turn up each week without complaint, buy the home and away shirt each season and then retire home to watch the whole match again on SKY.

There''s been talk of introducing a voluntary wage cap recently but realistically I can''t see that happening. For instance, if the wage cap is say £80,000 and Christiano Ronaldo demands £100,000 to sign a new contract then Man Utd are unlikely to just say "sorry old chap but we can only offer £80,000 a week, best you go off and see those Spanish chaps over there.". They''ll find a way round the wage cap (bonuses, image rights etc.) and the hatred that Jewell claims exists for these stars wil continue to grow.

Syteanric · April 2, 2007

[quote user="Shack Attack"]

I think this was reported in quite a few of the Sunday newspapers and just wondered what everybody elses opinion was :

"Players make vast amounts of money and supporters don''t particularly like them any more. Some of the abuse is down to jealousy, some players don''t help themselves by being flash. But I saw the venom and hatred in the faces of the fans, that was anger. It was almost pre-meditated. In the olden days, fans chanted the names of players, they were revered. Now even praise is grudging. You hear them say ''he''s good but he earns £90,000 a week."

His comments were obviously brought on by the behaviour of the England fans last Wednesday but he seems to making a fairly general statement. Is it just fans of England and of Premiership teams who hate their players or does it apply to the Championship also?

I can see why fans resent the fact that some of these players earn close to £100,000 a week but realistically this will never change if the fans turn up each week without complaint, buy the home and away shirt each season and then retire home to watch the whole match again on SKY.

There''s been talk of introducing a voluntary wage cap recently but realistically I can''t see that happening. For instance, if the wage cap is say £80,000 and Christiano Ronaldo demands £100,000 to sign a new contract then Man Utd are unlikely to just say "sorry old chap but we can only offer £80,000 a week, best you go off and see those Spanish chaps over there.". They''ll find a way round the wage cap (bonuses, image rights etc.) and the hatred that Jewell claims exists for these stars wil continue to grow.

[/quote]

if the salary cap is done the same way as it is in the NFL then the premiership would become hugely competitive with EVERY club having a star player of world class ability.. if its done the same way it is in the MLS then it will become a joke.. a players image rights deals etc do not affect the wages paid from their employer... I believe in the NFL that the teams make no money from a players individual rights etc....

Im also a fan of the team finishing bottom getting more money than the team who finishes top... This is down in the NFL.. the team who finishes 32nd get more prize money than the team who wins the superbowl/// Why? because the superbowl winners get the sponsorships, the endoresments, the merchandise etc.. so make more money anually from being champions than anyone else in the league.. the other teams get more prize money and the league becomes competitive.. it means roman Abramovic''s money wouldnt have the effect it has now as the wages wouldnt be paid to the extent they are...

jas :)

Pyro Pete · April 2, 2007

Turkeys don''t vote for Christmas, and in the same way the big

Premiership clubs will not accept a threat to their hegemony that a

wage cap would create. As for fans hating rich players, the game has changed unrecognisably

since football in "the olden days" (whenever that may be!). Players

earn more in one week than most will earn in several years. This

division cannot be reconciled, and an "us and them" mentality is

inevitable.

I also think many of those England players will have never experienced the

kind of pressure-cooker environment you get at a club in a relegation

battle, and the Israel and Andorra games were a brief taste of real

life outside of the big Premiership clubs where fans get upset if you play like you don''t give a crap.The reaction from various Premiership managers to the stick

McClaren received was simply a case of managers closing ranks, and protecting

their own backs. They aren''t going to come out in public and say "McClaren is clueless. He

has the cream of English football at his finger tips, yet he gets them

playing like a pub team". But I bet many of them said and thought that in private. Especially those who were rejected for the England job, like Sam Allardyce.

GB1902 · April 2, 2007

I am a member of a quite well known American "sawker" forum and this subject of transposing NFL rules onto the Premiership comes up from time to time and is always effectively shot down by the English members. The NFL operates a completely different league system effectively closed to outsiders. They don''t have a Promotion or Relegation nor do they have the worry of rival leagues. Lets face it if you want to play American Football then there is only 1 league to do it in, if you want to play Football then take your pick. The Premiership operating a wage cap would just simply drive the top players to other leagues, even a UEFA wide wage cap would mean players starting to move out of Europe to play Football for the highest bidder. As for giving the most money to the worst team. Well the worst team in the Premiership gets relegated, so that means they would effectively be able to buy there way out of the championship the season after. That would be disastorous for championship teams such as us. It is already difficult enough with the amount bottom premiership teams are now recieving. Sadly there isn''t any easy answer to the amount players are currently getting paid as obscene as it is.

Syteanric · April 2, 2007

[quote user="Pyro Pete"]Turkeys don''t vote for Christmas, and in the same way the big Premiership clubs will not accept a threat to their hegemony that a wage cap would create.

[/quote]

like to see what they can do if it was enforced.. the phrase "not much" springs to mind... everyones worried about treading on the big 4''s toes so no one does it.. fact of the matter is what will they do if a change was enforced upon them? nothing.. thats what.... they wont pull out and set up a super league as the champions league is far too lucative.. theyd just shut up and accept it.

jas :)

Jerzy Krukowski · April 2, 2007

The sad thing they''re all pissing on their own bonfire. I can''t see how the current state of affairs will continue, especially if the economy takes a downturn and people just don''t want to spend their disposable on a bunch of mercenaries. Can''t remember who it was, but the ex Everton player who said that team-mates told him to kiss the badge ''cos the mugs love it, said it all about the modern game.As an industry it''s appalling, jobs for the boys, almost entirely run and populated by greedy half-wits, back-handers and money grabbing while the going''s good. I''m finding it increasingly hard to care. Certainly I don''t really care about the premier league at the moment when the competition is so non-existent and as for England...hmm. When could anyone imagine that getting promotion wouldn''t be seen as 100% a good thing? I''m not so sure, as Man in the Stands says, hoping every year just to be above Blackburn with perhaps a UEFA or Worthless cup run occasionally? For all this we can certainly blame the big 4 in part. Liverpool pushed through the removal of a proportion of gate money to opposing teams and none of them will see any reason to change the status quo. They''ll take the cash and run so long as everyone puts up with it. Jewell may come out and say what he likes, but has he offered to take a pay cut, made his players work on performance based pay only? doubt it. Most of us would probably do the same in their position, it''s just depressing that they''re mostly so thick they can''t see what''s happening.

The Voice of the Thorpe Area · April 2, 2007

The Premiership is fast becoming a less attractive league. Okay, so the top 4 teams have sell out crowds every week- but look at the other 16 sides in the division. How many have regular sell-out crowds? Not many. How many teams get attendances under 25,000? Alot- this is because the Premiership is fast becoming the most predictable league in the world.

This is due to the high influx of foreign superstars- the vast majority of whom are on large contracts, with bonuses, image rights, etc. This is ruining football- and this is why attendances in the fizzy pop leagues, even the non-leagues, are going up.

19,000 saw Bristol City vs Notts Forest on saturday- this is more than what Wigan get against the top sides at home. King''s Lynn get crowds of neally 1,000 on a regular basis. It''s no coincidence that whilst Premiership attendances fall- others rise.

We all want the same thing as football fans (generally speaking) when it comes to the Premiership- we want to tune into MOTD on a saturday evening and be entertained by a good football match (not necessarily the quality)- and we would like to see, once in a while, the under-dog win.

Unfortunatly- we don''t seem to get too many of these any more. Away teams (apart from the top 4) go away from home (generally speaking again) and sit 11 players infront of their goal. How many shocks have we seen this season? Man Utd and Chelsea, out of a combined total of 62 games, have lost just 6 matches- just 1 at home (Man Utd to Arsenal).

Why? Because they have a combination of highly paid players and foreign players- whilst the rest have to settle for the leftovers, player-wise, in the transfer window.

Solutions? Take your pick out of salary caps, caps on number of non-British players in squad, cap on number of transfers per season. But this would have to be done world-wide (at least Euro-wide).

Karl Pilkington · April 2, 2007

I was thinking this myself. The championship has turned into what the top division used to be. Anyone had a chance of winning it and anyone could go down. The game belonged to the fans. Tickets were much cheaper. I think what I''ve said is a little rose tinted glasses but the top divsiion as we know it has gone to the dogs!

Sky''s money has ruined football. End of story!

a1canary · April 2, 2007

[quote user="SPat"]The sad thing they''re all pissing on their own bonfire. I can''t see how the current state of affairs will continue, especially if the economy takes a downturn and people just don''t want to spend their disposable on a bunch of mercenaries. Can''t remember who it was, but the ex Everton player who said that team-mates told him to kiss the badge ''cos the mugs love it, said it all about the modern game.As an industry it''s appalling, jobs for the boys, almost entirely run and populated by greedy half-wits, back-handers and money grabbing while the going''s good. I''m finding it increasingly hard to care. Certainly I don''t really care about the premier league at the moment when the competition is so non-existent and as for England...hmm. When could anyone imagine that getting promotion wouldn''t be seen as 100% a good thing? I''m not so sure, as Man in the Stands says, hoping every year just to be above Blackburn with perhaps a UEFA or Worthless cup run occasionally? For all this we can certainly blame the big 4 in part. Liverpool pushed through the removal of a proportion of gate money to opposing teams and none of them will see any reason to change the status quo. They''ll take the cash and run so long as everyone puts up with it. Jewell may come out and say what he likes, but has he offered to take a pay cut, made his players work on performance based pay only? doubt it. Most of us would probably do the same in their position, it''s just depressing that they''re mostly so thick they can''t see what''s happening. [/quote]Depressing but true Spat - although that''s a bit harsh on Jewell as you can''t expect any single club to voluntarily take actions that will reduce their competitiveness with their peers. It has to be done across the board. And i mean right across the board, not just the Premiership. Salary caps implemented by UEFA across all the west european leagues - Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France the Premiership etc.

Pyro Pete · April 2, 2007

[quote user="jas the barclay king"]

[quote user="Pyro Pete"]Turkeys don''t vote for Christmas, and in the same way the big Premiership clubs will not accept a threat to their hegemony that a wage cap would create.

[/quote]

like to see what they can do if it was enforced.. the phrase "not much" springs to mind... everyones worried about treading on the big 4''s toes so no one does it.. fact of the matter is what will they do if a change was enforced upon them? nothing.. thats what.... they wont pull out and set up a super league as the champions league is far too lucative.. theyd just shut up and accept it.

jas :)

[/quote]Sadly it''s more likely that the club''s would simply threaten to litigate. A wage cap is currently illegal under EC law.However, there could be a collective effort to try and prove that football should be given special treatment under EC law, and therefore an exceptional case compared to other industries. I can''t see that happening any time soon though.

yellow hammer · April 3, 2007

Folks, I think the solution is in your own hands. Take your Sky dish and throw it in the River Wensum.t

If all football fans did that, Sky would not be bidding obscene amounts of money for TV viewing rights, and Premiership clubs would once again depend on fans coming through the turnstile for income.

Until you ditch the dish you cn''t bemoan the current state of affairs.

charlies dad · April 3, 2007

Its a fact the premiership is dull and predictable. The league is now densely populated by Ersatz football clubs, Fulham, wigan, Reading, blackburn etc. etc. artificially higher than should be the case in the pecking order, due entirely to a rich benefactor, while REAL football clubs, which regularly attract 25,000 to watch even when the product is abysmal, are left floundering in the second or even third tier. Even the people of Wigan cant be arsed to watch the local football club, why the hell would anybody else want to? Too much money in the game is ruining it, the natural order is unbalanced. Jewell and Graham Taylor wittering on about poor footballers and managers getting stick from the public shows how removed these idiots are from reality.

Cluck · April 3, 2007

[quote user="yellow hammer"]

Folks, I think the solution is in your own hands. Take your Sky dish and throw it in the River Wensum.t

If all football fans did that, Sky would not be bidding obscene amounts of money for TV viewing rights, and Premiership clubs would once again depend on fans coming through the turnstile for income.

Until you ditch the dish you cn''t bemoan the current state of affairs.

[/quote]

I don''t have Sky for that very reason....and rarely watch Match of the Day highlights these days. True I miss a few England games, but that is hardly anything to weep about...and if I so desired I could watch it at the local pub anyway.

Sky have completely buggered up English football for me....and while I would not like to pollute the Wensum (my deep environmental concerns surfacing here [;)] ) ....I''m all for boycotting Satellite tv. Having said that though...how many armchair "United" supporters would agree to that? Once again it is the few "super" clubs and their so-called followers who are calling the shots for the rest of us.

One Flew Over... · April 3, 2007

A wage cap may be illegal, but is a wage budget for a whole club illegal? If it was introduced at a European wide level it could work. Top players could leave Europe for more money, but that is already happening in the case of Beckham, but a players career would be seen by many to be over.

If it means less movement from some countries to others then so be it. It would benefit all domestic leagues, or at least force them to look for more local talent.

With regards to players getting the money generated by TV etc. where else should it go? I''d rather it went to players than "investors" who do nothing but loan money to see a return.

Syteanric · April 3, 2007

i dont have sky.. nor do i want it...

People who pay for sky are throwing money down the toilet.. why pay for a service where 95% of the channels are paid for by Commercials?

On terrestrial television the liscence pays for the Beeb channels (including those on Free view), the radio stations and the BBC I online/interactive Service... if "auntie beeb" bought in commercials then TV would be completely free...

Sky however charge u every month... where is the justification in this? unlike ITV, the 4 network (c4, E4 More4 and Film four) and Channel 5, they are charging for a service that makes the majority of its money through advertising. That is FACT!

Sky is not in the majority of households in this country, neither is cable. think of your family members and friends, how many have sky compared to how many have freeview (or just plain old Terrestrial)? If sky made their money solely on subscriptions they wouldnt be in business... they make their money through the huge advertising Profits...

Having the Premiership is a huge coop for them, imagine watching say Man utd vs Arsenal... how many people will watch that? people who dont support either team will watch, theres a media Draw from across the world, so (as anyone with a basic understanding of business will know) you up your advertising costs for Premium shows and Prime time viewing.

Phone Sky''s marketing department and ask them how much it costs for a commercial at 3 in the morning on a Tuesday... then ask them how much it will cost for the same advert to be screened 3 times during the course of a Premiership match, the Cricket world cup, or formula 1?

End your sky subscription, and the adverts aren''t being seen... the advertising companies pull out.. and Sky goes down the pan....

Might not be a bad thing in the end? to get a bit of normailty back into sport...Sky is nothing more than a Cash coo.. and until its offered free (which technically it should be, as i have explained above) then i wont be getting it....

the Beeb have just lost football, and are losing big name stars to ITV... i can see the TV liscence being scrapped and Commercials appearing soon... the financial cost is that its a must for the TV stations.

jas :)

Smudger · April 3, 2007