An unfortunate trend in football that shows no sign of dying
Every fan loves to see their players kissing the badge. Every fan wants to feel as though the players feel the same way about the club that they do, that they’ll give everything they can and that they genuinely want success for the club as much as they want personal success. Obviously there will always be movement between clubs; some players want to move abroad, move to a bigger club to achieve success or move to the club they supported as a boy. But it seems that in the last fifteen years player loyalty is on the decline, almost as though it’s going out of fashion. Sol Campbell’s “Spurs is the only club for me” was swiftly followed by a move to their bitter rivals, Wayne Rooney’s “once a blue always a blue” was hastily followed by the image of him in a red shirt and Ashley Cole’s abandonement of the club that he had supported as a boy are just some of vast swathes of examples that exist within the Premier League.
I think that you can definitely find a correlation between the injection of cash from super rich owners and the decline of loyalty too, funny how that works. However I think the problem runs deeper than that. I think the culture of football has changed and everyone: ther media, the fans and the players have all been caught up in it.
Money
It would be unfair on players to suggest that the only reason why some of them wish to jump ship is for money. But then again it would be foolish to deny the obvious pulling power of a double-your-wages offer from some non-specific oligarch. People may now be joining Man City to win trophies as well as the money but originally you can be pretty sure it was just for the money. Did Robinho join the Manchester club because he thought he had a better chance of winning titles their than in Madrid? Probably not. The same applies to Carlos Tevez, Ashley Cole and every other mercenary at those clubs.
The fact is that whilst the players may begin their careers with good intentions the money that certain clubs are able to offer would turn even the noblest head. Who, realistically, could turn their nose up and the £200,000+ per week that some of the City players are on? No, money is doing its bit to destroy player loyalty within our league and others. Players should be able to earn what they can, but within reason. Football is about more than just winning, it is also about having a connection with your club and the fact that the players are feeling less and less sentimental towards their employers will certainly have an effect on the relationship between clubs, players and fans.
Patience
Money however is, as I said, not the only reason for a decrease in loyalty. The culture of wanting everything instantly has taken over football as it has the rest of society. Consumerism has lead be to abandon patience in favour of debt in society in the never ending pursuit of things that we want. The same has happened in football. Instead of being happy to wait and work for success at their current clubs players look to move as soon as things aren’t going exactly as they wish.
Obviously there are exceptions where truly exceptional players need to leave their clubs to grow as footballers but even within the top clubs there is no loyalty. How can we go from having legends like Matt Le Tisser slogging it out at Southampton for all those years and then have players like Samir Nasri who isn’t prepared to wait a more than three years.
Steven Gerrard is testament to the fact that if you stay and work hard at your club you can win the biggest trophies. Gerrard could have left on numerous occasions during his Liverpool career but he didn’t and he has lifted the Champions League, The Uefa Cup and the FA Cup and the League Cup in his time. Had he left it is arguable whether Liverpool would have won nearly as much. They definitley wouldn’t have won the FA Cup against West Ham.
Bosman
The Bosman ruling is another problem in that it highlights the way in which power has shifted from the clubs to the players. In the past the players, knowing they were at the whim of the club, would not have been able to even consider forcing a move away. Now examples such as Rio Ferdinand’s to Man Utd or Nasri’s to Arsenal are demonstrative of the power that players have. And with more power they seem less responsible, less considerate and less loyal.
I know that many people will argue that these players have the right to look after themselves, after all it is their career we are talking about, but you cannot ignore the reasons for their disloyalty. Many of these players are abandoning the clubs and managers that made them what they are today, and the gratitude shown is minimal. Player loyalty is on decline, there can be no doubt, but how far will UEFA let it go before they introduce stronger financial rules to curb the temptations that billionaire owners can offer?
Follow Hamish on Twitter @H_Mackay
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very true, only players like carragher and giggs can claim to be really devoted to their clubs. Players like Rooney kissing the badge is just wrong!
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Hamish Mackay Reply:
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Carragher is definitely one of the most loyal in the league. But Giggs? off field loyalty has to bring into question his notion of the concept
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Gerrard loyal? Threatened more like it , into not going .burning shirts outside training ground mmmm. Bad memories eh
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Paul D Reply:
November 1st, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Most players Gerrard included are self obsessed and put theselves before the team.Football is no longer a team game as most play for themselves before the team.Hint=Look at the subs bench when a player scores and most you get is polite applause!
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Good point Paul D… now you say it.
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Ohhh you cynics you’s.
They all want to be loved their children at heart and play to us fans emotions, in the heat of the moment on scoring its just adrenalin kicking in and a rush of blood to often a vacuum of space.
They have got you’s chittering about it.
All part and parcel of the mosiac that is fitbae.:)
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Two words…….salary cap.
This influx of cash will be long forgotten when the sugar daddies get sick of throwing money away and leave…..where will these clubs be then? Ibramovic is currently being sued for app. 3 billion………and is a decent chance of losing. How long will he be funding Chelsea if it happens?
If no salary cap,at least a minimum number of players who have played at a lower level for the club.
One more thing.
I would never sign a player who is “waiting to see if the club makes Champions League next season”.
I want the guy whose dream is to HELP the club make Champions League.
These guys have been elevated to such a status that they truly believe they are bigger than the club.
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RedScot Reply:
November 2nd, 2011 at 3:45 am
Ha ha regards Abromovich.Priceless you could not make it up, we will see the outcome shall be interesting.
The point regards the salary cap, you can blame Jimmy Hill for that mate(joking) is that allowed under current E.E.C regulations? Not sure.
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Redscot,I am an Aussie…..can’t answer your question on legalities of the salary cap,and you can tell how much notice I take of the Russian,but his legal problems are real.
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Loyalty???? Every one ask for loyalty, where is the loyalty club towards players???? When they sign them they promise to play them and improve them but most of them sell them just for money like being stab on the back if they being loyal to them. Club used them to get more money unless the club not charging for watching football or can they???? Everything with money involve you can’t ask for loyalty just transaction.
Nowadays those football club like a company too just for money not trophy. So can’t really blame players but the whole football as a whole.
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