EPL will eat itself

[MonTheHoops]

Viduka on an alleged 97k a week contract.

Lucas Neill on 60k.

Joey Barton going to be offered a rumoured 60k.

That kind of spending, on players just above average quality, cannot last.

How long before your average Joe gets tired of watching Viduka haul his arse about not caring? Or before some Hammer gets tired of watching the captain being sent to the stands? Or before Barton lands himself in more trouble.

[EL TORO]

I've been saying for ages that the league needs to go on its arse before things will regulate themselves again. Its a sad state of affairs now. Barton was pretty much offered an open door at Goodison and if the stories are to be believed the boyhood Evertonian turned them down because they wouldnt pay him 60,000 a week. What a twat. The league is full of mercs now , the likes of Anelka who will whore himself to the highest bidder, Viduka who now looks like a botox op gone wrong and the rest of their ilk will ultimately drain what enjoyment is left in the EPL. Its viewed as a cash cow to foreign players, who profess to be boyhood fans of teams they only heard of once the cash came rolling in. There are so many ways to solve the ills of the game, but they will never made, at least until it all goes wrong and the sponsors and mercs pull out.

[ho chi feen]

This is football, people. Deal with it.

[KolaKubes]

Viduka on an alleged 97k a week contract.

Lucas Neill on 60k.

Joey Barton going to be offered a rumoured 60k.

That kind of spending, on players just above average quality, cannot last.

How long before your average Joe gets tired of watching Viduka haul his arse about not caring? Or before some Hammer gets tired of watching the captain being sent to the stands? Or before Barton lands himself in more trouble.

You're right in principle but in the spirit of the property boom, [fingers in ears] nah nah nah nah nah [I'm not listening]. ;)

[RonnyB]

I dont think there are too many players playing for their club now out of just sheer affection for it. I could say Scholes at United whose wage I've heard is less than £50k a week (ok not small money but when you see what his team mates are earning).

Anyone else know of similar examples?

[markinmanc]

This is football, people. Deal with it.

It'll be interesting to see how many people will. Sunderland getting promoted will boost average attendences, but with people needing to access two/three different media groups to watch games on TV, who will go watch them in the flesh.


Bob Murray (ex Sunderland owner) predicted a few years ago that TV money will have such an effect on the game that fans will end up getting in to games cheap/free so as to provide atmosphere.

Could it end up like Italy? A few million watching Juve on telly, a few thousand in the ground.

[liam2me]

I dont think there are too many players playing for their club now out of just sheer affection for it. I could say Scholes at United whose wage I've heard is less than £50k a week (ok not small money but when you see what his team mates are earning).

Anyone else know of similar examples?
mark noble and bobby zamora at west ham, both west ham fans through and through, both have been linked away, both still there

[Forsberg]

mark noble and bobby zamora at west ham, both west ham fans through and through, both have been linked away, both still there

I think he was talking about players who could do better than they are doing now.

[liam2me]

I think he was talking about players who could do better than they are doing now.
zamora maybe, but mark noble is a class prospect

[markinmanc]

Apparently Steven gerrard will be on £120,000 a week basic.

[EL TORO]

I think he was talking about players who could do better than they are doing now.

Been racking my brain here, its a tough ask. If there are any you can bet they'll be from the lower ranked epl teams.

[liam2me]

Apparently Steven gerrard will be on £120,000 a week basic.
ahhh but sure he adores his club :rolleyes:

[Forsberg]

zamora maybe, but mark noble is a class prospect

Ya but he's still a young fella . He hasn't had enough time to show loyalty really , has he?

[liam2me]

Ya but he's still a young fella . He hasn't had enough time to show loyalty really , has he?
he was farmed out by pardew every season and even though he was the star player at the clubs he went to he always said he wanted to fight for a place at west ham instead of seeking first team football elsewhere.

i personally can't believe its taken him this long to get into the team, his class was evident when we were in the championship when he got more first team games

[Sound]

ahhh but sure he adores his club :rolleyes:

You're right.

He should have signed until he was 35.

It's OK though because we'll just get gangsters to send him death-threats if he doesn't.

[RonnyB]

mark noble and bobby zamora at west ham, both west ham fans through and through, both have been linked away, both still there

Come back to me when Noble has won 7 Premiership medals, over 60 caps for his country and has been regarded by his fellow professionals as being one of the best players in the league for 10 years.

Also Noble has never been subject to bids of over £30m which would have led to a very nice pay packet each week.

[markinmanc]

How much will Anelka get as a signing on bonus at Man U? Squillions?

[liam2me]

Come back to me when Noble has won 7 Premiership medals, over 60 caps for his country and has been regarded by his fellow professionals as being one of the best players in the league for 10 years.

Also Noble has never been subject to bids of over £30m which would have led to a very nice pay packet each week.
give him a couple of years :D

[RonnyB]

give him a couple of years :D

He wont be getting too many games if West Ham sign both Parker & Barton.

[liam2me]

He wont be getting too many games if West Ham sign both Parker & Barton.
not at all, i mean how many clubs only have 2 central midfielders for the season? most have 5. noble will be heavily involved, i have no doubts at all

[AmadeusDC]

The Newcastle salaries are disproprtionate because they aren't paying transfer fees. I have no problem with Allardyce doing what worked well for him at Bolton. He was able to attract some quality players to the Reebok stadium with probably a 1/3 or a 1/4 of the budget so I'd like to wait and see what he could yet bring to Newcastle. Would you rather pay 17 million plus probably 3 million a year in wages for someone like Wright Phillips or pay a quality Bosman signing 5 or 6 million a year? Now I'm not saying Barton and Viduka are world class or anything but he has to start somewhere and if he can get Bolton up around the top 4 or 5 they will become a very attractive option to a lot of guys available for free. -AmadeusDC-

[lionelhutz]

Viduka on an alleged 97k a week contract.

Lucas Neill on 60k.

Joey Barton going to be offered a rumoured 60k.

That kind of spending, on players just above average quality, cannot last.

How long before your average Joe gets tired of watching Viduka haul his arse about not caring? Or before some Hammer gets tired of watching the captain being sent to the stands? Or before Barton lands himself in more trouble.

the NOTW headlined titus bramble as getting €60k per week. heh heh heh.

[st finnbar]

set to go over 1 billion next year, madness, here is the top five

Chelsea - £114m
Manchester Utd - £85m
Arsenal - £83m
Liverpool - £69m
Newcastle Utd - £52m

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6705251.stm