Birmingham Mail Column -part 2
Are you as fed up with the antics of overpaid football prima donnas as I am? Being under contract is of no consequence for the top Premier League players because they can and do force a move to another club if they or their agent wants to irrespective of how long they have remaining on their contract or how much the fans love them.
We have just heard Paul Pogba say he is not happy at Manchester United and added rather divisively that “if he were to speak out he would be fined!” Do me a favour Paul with the money you earn you have the wherewithal to tell the truth and take the fine on the chin?
If you genuinely believe you have been badly treated in anyway then have the guts to speak out and I am sure your union the Professional Players Association would back you to the hilt.
However methinks it’s just him not having everything his own way and he probably realises how stupid and childish he would look if he did speak out. By the way I wonder if he is still sore about missing out on that proposed move to Barcelona.
Then we had the farcical situation of Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois playing up to get a move to Real Madrid. He went AWOL, not turning up for training etc. forcing Chelsea to sell him to Real Madrid for 38 million pounds. He claimed it was because he was missing his kids who lived in Madrid. I respect any man who wants to spend more time with his children and I wonder what he had done if they had lived in a town without a massive club paying huge wages? Would he have acted the same way? But it’s the way he has handled it that makes me angry. He has a right to ask for a move but if the club he signed a contract with say no then that should be the end of the matter.
The other side of that particular coin is Jack Grealish-It’s no secret that the Villa midfielder was a little disappointed that his big money move to Spurs did not happen before the transfer window closed. However he put that disappointment aside and got on with the job of playing to the best of his ability just days later against Wigan where he was the best player on the pitch.
Fans adore these footballers and expect them to be loyal to their club. Apart from a few exceptions the only loyalty at any club is on the terraces.
The ones mentioned are not the first and won’t be the last, Dwight Yorke, Robbie Savage spring to mind while West Brom have had a few since relegation last May who have been manoeuvring to get a move despite being under contract.
I have long believed that most players do not really care what the fans think. Playing football is just their job and will do whatever is needed to get the move they want especially in the Premier League.
Players have the power in the game and as we know “absolute power corrupts absolutely”.