1.) 25 May 2019
25 May 2019 14:30:59
What are your thought on Sane 001?

I really rate him, he’s unlucky that Sterling and Silva have been so good for City.

He’s exactly the type of exciting player we need but there’s no chance of it happening.

I think Bayern are getting a quality player for years to come if the deal goes through.

{Ed001's Note - he is very fast but his end product is lacking. He has lots of potential, but a horrible attitude and I don't see him being anything other than a player who will never reach that potential.}

2.) 25 May 2019
25 May 2019 14:47:15
Shame Ed, seem to be reading the same thing about so many players recently. Too much money in the game.

Gone are the days of working class lads grateful for getting paid for their hobby.

{Ed001's Note - they are given too much adulation and it goes to their heads.}

3.) 25 May 2019
25 May 2019 14:59:29
Martial 2.0 then.

4.) 25 May 2019
25 May 2019 15:02:16
Would you say there’s a problem with support for young players then Ed? I can understand how they’d get excited having more money than they know what to do with when they’ve barely turned 20. Is there enough support for them, is it a problem of agents filling their heads, or are some of them just too immature to listen?

{Ed001's Note - I think it is a bit of everything mate. It doesn't help that society is all about money, even the music these days is just about people flashing money about. So they see money as the aim growing up and once they have it, what is there left?}

5.) 25 May 2019
25 May 2019 19:15:30
True Ed.

Being the best and winning trophies seem to be less of a priority for today’s footballers.

Personally I wonder when enough is enough.
A salary jump from £40K and £60K is a big difference.
But £200K to £250K seems less despite it being a bigger margin.
Surely when a player earns in a week what the average person earns in ten years, there comes a point where money is not important and they can focus on improving themselves and winning trophies.

Thanks for sharing your opinion 👍🏼.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome. I do agree with what you are saying but they judge themselves on how much they earn compared to others. They see it as putting a value on who is better out of them.}

6.) 25 May 2019
25 May 2019 21:03:49
There is just too much money in the game, perhaps because of Sky. Five years ago Rooney was on £250,000 per week and came back after the Summer break a stone overweight and very unfit. Very difficult for lots of working class lads not to be affected by this and to think that money was more important than football.

7.) 26 May 2019
25 May 2019 21:39:49
How has too much money affected the performances of City and Liverpool's players? Part of the management process today is determining what motivates a player. No amount of money will resolve innate character flaws.

{Ed001's Note - but they are not being convinced to join their teams by being paid more than other teams would.}

8.) 26 May 2019
26 May 2019 07:18:44
Yes, Ed, true. I was quibbling with the generalized implication that too much money in the game was affecting the commitment of the players. All of them are affected by the same phenomenon. The average wage in the EPL is £2.5m, more than most will make in a lifetime. Even if the acquiring team is playing closer to market rate, it will in almost all circumstances be the highest bidder. The money problem, insofar as it actually exists on more than a sick social imbalance level, seems to be affecting United more than our main rivals. That has to be down to poor management, and not the money per se.

{Ed001's Note - Liverpool were not offering the highest wage to van Dijk, for instance. He could have gone to City and got a lot more. He was sold a project and if he had decided on money being more important he would be elsewhere. Whereas you contrast that with Sanchez, has a deal agreed with City but United step in and get him by offering him more money. Not by telling him he would have a role that will entice him or be part of a project. It was "we will offer you more money". So you are right, there is a problem at United as they speak about money first, second and third because you are being run by a banker not a sportsman.}

9.) 26 May 2019
26 May 2019 10:47:53
It’s a bit like who has the biggest willy. I may have more money than I will ever be able to spend bit how dare you pay another player more than me. I’m not sure where the game is heading but it doesn’t feel great. Ridiculous transfer fees, exorbitant wages, cheating, confrontation, often it doesn’t feel like a sport any more.

10.) 26 May 2019
26 May 2019 17:41:01
I agree Ed. Part of the value of the package for the player may be the project. Players want honours and to work with the best coaches. Pocchetino seems to be able to get his players to give everything for the club while Levy keeps the wages within a manageable level. Some of them could get more elsewhere. United don't have a project, and haven't had one since well before SAF left. When Ferguson and Gill left at about the same time they bequeathed to Woodward the fruits of the early Glazer era, a club milked of its cash flow and stocked with aging players, and he hadn't, nor has he acquired, the knowledge and skills to deal with it. The irony of it all is that Ed002 blames the toxic fans for our decline. How toxic do we have to get to get rid of Woodward?

{Ed001's Note - the problem is that Ed002 also has a point. Getting rid of Woodward should not be because of the fans being toxic, as that affects the club's ability to bring in players, new managers, staff in general, oh and to find someone to run it when Woodward does go. If everyone is behind it all but it is not working out, Woodward then has no excuses to hide behind and he will be replaced if success doesn't come.}