Money in football - a bad summer so far

[RMCF]

I know there has been a lot of money sloshing around the game for a while now, but for some reason this summer seems to have really got to me, and the figures getting bandied around are becoming sickening.

Reports that Madrid were willing to pay Ronaldo anywhere between £180K - £200k PER WEEK hit first.

Then we had Frank Lampard (who loves Chelsea) not happy with £120K on a 4 year deal but wanted an extra year when he will be well finished. Reports today suggest they will give him his 5 year deal at £150K PER WEEK.

And latest report today that Kaka will sign for Chelsea probably next summer for £250K PER WEEK, or £1million per month.

Its very sad, and the beginning of the end I believe.

Thoughts?

[sdb123]

Originally Posted by RMCF

Thoughts?

My thoughts...paper talk.

[Chaosx]

These players only earn so much as the clubs know it is an investment. The merchandise fans buy because of these players can far outweigh the cost to the club.

[overkill]

Originally Posted by Chaosx

These players only earn so much as the clubs know it is an investment. The merchandise fans buy because of these players can far outweigh the cost to the club.

Err', I think that misses the point so badly it's unreal.

Besides, a club can only earn so much from Merch, gates fee's, sponsorship, TV etc. If every top player starts talking that sort of money, and, once a few get away with it they all do, things are going to get very ugly.

Bearing in mind, and I'm sure RMCF noted this, that a recession is just around the corner.

Besides if I hear one more 'old lag' tell us that footballers 'deserve it' because they have 'short careers' I'm going to scream! Who does have a 'long' career these days?

That line worked (just) in the days of 'jobs for life' but it's old hat now.

[LFC_SL]

Originally Posted by overkill

Bearing in mind, and I'm sure RMCF noted this, that a recession is just around the corner.

When people no longer drive up the M6 and pay the cost in petrol to watch Manchester United (with or without Ronaldo), then we will know we are in a recession

[Chaosx]

Originally Posted by overkill

Err', I think that misses the point so badly it's unreal.

Besides, a club can only earn so much from Merch, gates fee's, sponsorship, TV etc. If every top player starts talking that sort of money, and, once a few get away with it they all do, things are going to get very ugly.

Bearing in mind, and I'm sure RMCF noted this, that a recession is just around the corner.

Besides if I hear one more 'old lag' tell us that footballers 'deserve it' because they have 'short careers' I'm going to scream! Who does have a 'long' career these days?

That line worked (just) in the days of 'jobs for life' but it's old hat now.

Why does it miss the point - surely it is exactly the point. The only reason these players get the money is because we as fans pay for it. It's simple economics really. If a player will generate more money than he is costing then he is a good investment.

[overkill]

Originally Posted by Chaosx

Why does it miss the point - surely it is exactly the point. The only reason these players get the money is because we as fans pay for it. It's simple economics really. If a player will generate more money than he is costing then he is a good investment.

@LFC,

No, the point is that these figures are mickey mouse money. No player, 'investment' or otherwise, is worth more than some sponsors pay for an entire football club, per season. At the moment, as many clubs outside the big four mind, are finding, keeping up with the 'joneses' is a game they cannot play for much longer. It's no surprise, in a World where lower down the league, but increasingly reaching higher, players wages are sending clubs to the wall, that clubs are desperate to find 'sugar daddies'.

For precisely that reason - players, without massive extra investment, aren't worth what any club is paying for them, and they won't get it back.

Not to mention the fact that £100,000 a week is a sick joke for some modestly skilled bloke to knock a football about, never mind £150-200,000.

[DJT75]

Is Kaka or Ronaldo worth £8-10million a year? Probably yes.
Is Seth Johnson worth £2million a year? No.

We're talking two different things here - sportsman famous the world over & top of their profession, & very average overpaid sportsman.

I have no problem paying the very top players in Europe a top wage - how much do the top Ice Hockey, Basketball, Baseball, US Football players get paid? Much more on average I would've thought.

It's the fault of clubs paying over the odds to very average individuals that's wrong. I don't think you can cap wages, but you can certainly bring in a tiered system where you have to earn your rewards.


The Lampard situation is laughable though - he's 30, he's definitely not going to improve or even maintain any sort of form for 5 whole years from now so why anyone would offer him that contract is ridiculous. Pay for what you're getting - max 3 year contract with spiralling (downwards) wages.

[overkill]

Originally Posted by DJT75

Is Kaka or Ronaldo worth £8-10million a year? Probably yes.
Is Seth Johnson worth £2million a year? No.

We're talking two different things here - sportsman famous the world over & top of their profession, & very average overpaid sportsman.

I have no problem paying the very top players in Europe a top wage - how much do the top Ice Hockey, Basketball, Baseball, US Football players get paid? Much more on average I would've thought.

It's the fault of clubs paying over the odds to very average individuals that's wrong. I don't think you can cap wages, but you can certainly bring in a tiered system where you have to earn your rewards.


The Lampard situation is laughable though - he's 30, he's definitely not going to improve or even maintain any sort of form for 5 whole years from now so why anyone would offer him that contract is ridiculous. Pay for what you're getting - max 3 year contract with spiralling (downwards) wages.

That is one of the biggest myths of all time m8. A recent, and excellent programme on US sport proved that and for all. Yes, with tons of advertising to the point of wondering if you are a person or a prop, and during the season US sports stars can make a lot of money. But here's the catch - they ain't contracted during the close season. As such they either live on what they earn during the season or do other work. Only the really huge stars make megabucks. Even then the same rule applies.

Which means EPL footballers earn miles more than they do over a whole fiscal year.

I cannot justify spending more on wages than a club can afford, and, with clubs ever more desperately searching for 'sugar daddies' it's clear that TV revenue, and what's coming through the gate/merch cannot cover that chunk of outgoings for much longer.

As such no matter how 'good' any player is, they cannot surely be worth seeing the club become a rich man's plaything?

Besides, I still cannot justify paying a footballer more in a week than a top surgeon will earn in a year.

It's BS, simple as.

[wiser1]

No player is worth 100k+ a week
not ronaldo, not kaka not lampard nobody

[Chaosx]

Originally Posted by wiser1

No player is worth 100k+ a week
not ronaldo, not kaka not lampard nobody

Back up that argument. I bet that the money Ronaldo earns for Man Utd far outweighs his wages.

[LFC_SL]

Morally? Yes we all agree nurses should be paid more but society seems to value footballers more. Remember at the end of the day the money comes from us: the consumer. Whether directly or indirectly through merchandising, TV subscriptions or buying products and services of sponsors

From a self-sustaining point of view, see the above paragraph for why RM are reportedly willing to pay Ronaldo per week

[overkill]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Morally? Yes we all agree nurses should be paid more but society seems to value footballers more. Remember at the end of the day the money comes from us: the consumer. Whether directly or indirectly through merchandising, TV subscriptions or buying products and services of sponsors

From a self-sustaining point of view, see the above paragraph for why RM are reportedly willing to pay Ronaldo per week

I think not. Hence why RMCF is so nervous. Real bought a barrowload of stars a few years back, and, according to the 'they'll make it all back through marketing etc' line they should therefore have been minted. They weren't, they got hugely into debt and had to start selling, racking up prices, and calling in all the shots to get out of trouble.

If that can happen to Real with their lineup, with their fanbase, with their markets around the World, it can happen to anyone.

I'm afraid we all tend to live in cloud cuckoo land (like the clubs themselves) when it comes to football. The game is waiting to fall flat on it's face, just as it did last time it spent, and spent, and spent while thinking the bubble couldn't burst and that we'd keep on digging deep to fund it.

The only problem was, it did.

Burst that is.....................

The warning signs (just as they were in the early 80's) are there to be seen, but no one cares to notice.

[dablk]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Morally? Yes we all agree nurses should be paid more but society seems to value footballers more. Remember at the end of the day the money comes from us: the consumer. Whether directly or indirectly through merchandising, TV subscriptions or buying products and services of sponsors

From a self-sustaining point of view, see the above paragraph for why RM are reportedly willing to pay Ronaldo per week

Could not agree more...are these muppets worth 150k a week.. not a chance..is a nurse/fireman/home carer...utterly...sadly none of them sell shirts/shoes/tv rights. We know that their salarys dont really come from just ticket sales...man utd (biggest stadium) probably bring in around 4 million per home match. I bet that doesnt even come close to their out gongs for the week.

La Galaxy made Beckham one of the richest sportsmen on the planet. And recent figures suggest that they sold more shirts than any other team in the world last season.

It just a shame they could not be more humble with their ludicrous earnings. I once worked out Rio Ferdinand did my yearly wage by 4pm on monday..thats one maybe two trainning sessions and a free lunch...I think i could cope.

The sad truth is "the working mans game" has nothing to do with the man in the stand anymore.

[LFC_SL]

Read this interesting American take on the English game

Conclusion: only accountants are ever happy in the world of football