Prem wage bill to top 1 billion!

[overkill]

Good news for those of you feeling the pinch from interest rate rises and spiralling house costs, footballers in the prem are set to earn one billion in wages next year, and one piece of fil...., sorry agent, says that wages of over £200,000 a week are 'totally justified'. This is of course at the same time as it's revealed that wages in Italy, the next highest earners, have in fact fallen over the last five seasons, and that no other leauges top flight earnings comes to more than just over half of what UK footballers earn!

Supply and demand? I think not. Is the Spanish leauge inferior to ours? Please say yes, I need a good laugh. Yet, they're not earning anywhere near as much as our, fat, lazy, useless, etc, etc. Gates are falling, the national team is useless, we see far too much rubbish football in the top flight now, yet we are supposed to be convinced that these 'top' footballers are worth more in a week than a heart specialist will earn in a year.

I just cannot see how these wages are justified. Someone explain to me, strictly economically speaking, how someone selling an inferior product to someone else can keep paying their workers (Huh! Thats a laugh. ) more? A LOT more.

TV money, that could be better spent on reducing season ticket prices, is set to end up in the pockets of players already grossly overpaid.

Ask me again? Why do we put up with it?

[metropolis]

Originally Posted by overkill

Is the Spanish leauge inferior to ours? Please say yes, I need a good laugh.

yes

[KevD]

Its the fans paying these wages, and while gates are falling, at the minute they are not falling enough to affect the clubs. However, over the next few years, I can see attendances dropping down significantly.
I really think that a salary cap is needed now, not only would this stop these wages going up and up but also could create a slightly more competitive league. Would be difficult to implement, all the major nations would have to do it, but it is used and works in most others major sports.

Ask me again? Why do we put up with it?

I dont, cant afford to anymore. Spent 15 years going to nearly every Spurs home game, but just cant afford it now

[johnscarlet]

My career ends at 35 . I've just been offered a job by another company doubling my salary and giving me a bonus for joining them . Am I going to take it ? Yes I am , why not ?








They are really not doing anything anybody else wouldn't . Its just the amounts are different . If it was not been payed to the players , whose pocket would it be going in ? It wouldn't be staying in ours , thats for sure

[overkill]

Originally Posted by johnscarlet

My career ends at 35 . I've just been offered a job by another company doubling my salary and giving me a bonus for joining them . Am I going to take it ? Yes I am , why not ?








They are really not doing anything anybody else wouldn't . Its just the amounts are different . If it was not been payed to the players , whose pocket would it be going in ? It wouldn't be staying in ours , thats for sure

So, if you know the people you are working for, which in this case is the fans, can no longer afford the already massively high wages you are being paid, you would still demand more? Only someone looking to end up on the dole does that.

As KevD says, the way it's going, that's exactly what's going to happen.

I would also like to point out, unlike footballers, we aren't all mind numbingly greedy.

Sorry, but demanding even higher wages when you are already earning more than a normal, balanced human being would earn in two years, in a week, is just plain unadulterated greed.

And no, going on the fact that other leauges players don't earn as much, and that they aren't all falling over themselves to play in England, your premise isn't correct. They are not doing what 'anyone else' would.

[KevD]

Originally Posted by johnscarlet

My career ends at 35 . I've just been offered a job by another company doubling my salary and giving me a bonus for joining them . Am I going to take it ? Yes I am , why not ?

They are really not doing anything anybody else wouldn't . Its just the amounts are different . If it was not been payed to the players , whose pocket would it be going in ? It wouldn't be staying in ours , thats for sure

Not really the same. If that company were raising the cost of their good/service just to employ you it might be, but this doesnt happen in many other areas.

I dont blame the players, the money is offered they will take. I also think the idea a footballers career is over when they stop playing, this is possibly the case in the lower leagues but not the Prem. There are always jobs in the backroom staff and coaching, at the club in media capacity, if they think they are too big a star to anything else, then that shows the problem.

You dont think prices may be lower if so many stars were not on excessive salaries??

[overkill]

Originally Posted by KevD

Not really the same. If that company were raising the cost of their good/service just to employ you it might be, but this doesnt happen in many other areas.

I dont blame the players, the money is offered they will take. I also think the idea a footballers career is over when they stop playing, this is possibly the case in the lower leagues but not the Prem. There are always jobs in the backroom staff and coaching, at the club in media capacity, if they think they are too big a star to anything else, then that shows the problem.

You dont think prices may be lower if so many stars were not on excessive salaries??

I do. It's funny, we all berated the unions (we still do) in just about every other area of life if they demand more money for the workforce they represent, and moan that it will cause inflation, then a load of greedy layabouts posing as footballers demand wages that would bust the inflation barrier into a million pieces, and we all say 'well they aren't doing anything anyone else wouldn't'. Blimey, talk about double standards............

Agreed Kev, that old 'we only have a short career' chestnut is a thing from an age that died in the 80's with the 'job for life'. No-one has a job for life now, so why should footballers feel any different? When a footballer even in the lower divisions is earning some ludicrous amount of money a year, the whole notion of footballers needing 'to earn as much as they can in a short time' is a sick joke. Add to that, that unlike the 'days of yore' footballers are given a full education and training programme in case they don't make it, and it becomes even more laughable when they whine about having no 'career alternatives'. Well, I've got news for them - welcome to the real World!

Again Kev, spot on. If wages weren't so ludicrous, gate prices would fall. When players are earning more than the club can pay unless TV bails them out, there is no way that they can afford to cut prices without taking some hurt.

[KevD]

The only reason I say I dont blame the players is, beacuase in their situation I would probably do the same! But then its easy for the players to hide behind agents doing the work, but they are grown men and know whats going on.

Not long ago I was reading about Dennis Irwin and how when his contracts were up he would just go to meeting with the Manager and Chairman and just agree the deal themselves, no agent.

[MedMick]

Originally Posted by overkill

Gates are falling, the national team is useless

Gates are not falling, Average gates went up last year (2 reasons for that i know, but they still went up). National team is useless, correct, but they have been for years. Businesses for years have headhunted staff by paying them more than their last company, why should football be any different? I put up with pants football at Arsenal for years because of wage caps. As far as im concerned, good luck to the players, lifes too short to be jealous of someone elses earning potential. If Arsenal dont cough up the dough for Thierry Henry, then someone else will(as long as he doesnt meet Kenyon in a london hotel behind Arsenal's back!)

[Sonic67]

I don't like it but it's a unique sort of job. If 30,000 people (or more) were prepared to pay £30 (or more) to watch me do my job I'd want a lot of money too.

[BrianC]

I'm not convinced that the fan who actually attends matches makes that much of a financial contribution any more. Clubs seem to be more dependant on TV money and extra sponsership that TV coverage brings. If the arm chair fan starts voting with his wallet and the TV people start pulling funding then we'll see a major crash.

[domtheone]

Yep.

If there were no more TV money, i'd like to see what would hapen then.

Certainly cause a shake up.

[BrianC]

Oh and another thing, wage caps will never work as there are just too many ways round them and too much incentive to curcumvent them. Plus the prem rewards cheaters, so why bother sticking to the rules if all you'll get is a fine? Caps on the number of players within a team would be far easier to implement, anmd would result in a glut of players on the market driving down average prices.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by BrianC

I'm not convinced that the fan who actually attends matches makes that much of a financial contribution any more. Clubs seem to be more dependant on TV money and extra sponsership that TV coverage brings.

Mr Murdoch contributes much more to the club's coffers than the turnstiles so ultimately the wages are paid for by Sky subscribers.

What I find annoying is that I have to pay for Sky Sports as the Test Matches are now only available on Sky and 90% of my subscription will be diverted into the footballer's bulging bank account despite the fact that I only ever watch a couple of games a year as whilst our favourite Australian also funds cricket, his contributions probably amounts to John Terry's annual wages.

[TopMeTom]

The whole money situation is out of control, part of the reason I gave up going to football a few years ago.
Time you've paid for ticket, couple of beers, program,burger, you was looking at around a nifty for 90 minutes!!That's a whole month of sky!
Plus the players are overpaid ponc## who are out of touch with reality..
Madness....