Oh Captain, my Captain.
Gimme yer fooking money.
Gimme yer fooking money.
Mirror report - Harry Maguire asks United players to donate 30% of wages
- Thread starter Based Adnan
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I along with numerous members of the British public am about to begin a period of furlough [thankfully getting the 20% made up] should I feel ‘guilty’ being paid my wage because I’m unable to work due to an ‘act of god’?
Genuinely don’t get why they ‘should’ feel more obligation simply because they’ve worked there way into a fortunate position. They signed a contract for a set amount and will generally live to their means - a 30% wage cut on any figure is a huge ask; if a player refused they’d have every right to.
The ‘charitable‘ work they do for club and personal brands in general outstrips most of the general public - it shouldn’t be the responsibility of playing staff to make sure the club do the right thing & pay ALL staff.
It’s a great gesture but no one should be obligated.
I don’t get how so many fans can resent players for the wage they make yet feed the machine that pays them.
The simple answer to that is that footballers are easy targets because a lot of people already look down on them in the first place.
They're public, "celebrity" figures in the way others aren't, the way they earn their money is seen as being frivolous (when it suits people to see it as frivolous, at least) and, crucially in a country with such glaring class divides, they're largely working class kids. All of which makes them undeserving of their wealth in a lot of people's eyes.
Whereas low-profile, privately educated people from the "right" background are much harder to give a kicking to, even if they actually earn and spend their money in a less ethical way than professional athletes. Because a lot of the people who think footballers don't deserve their wealth (or are happy to promote that sense through their positions in politics or the media) will somehow feel it's perfectly fine for these people to earn what they earn. Or have inherited, as the case may be.
Also, one of those two groups of people are more likely to curry influence with politicians than the other.
Those aren't morally good reasons to focus on footballers but they are the realistic ones.
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I think a good captain would not apply any sort of public pressure. People are desperate for a good captain, just because his head is big doesn't mean he's actually a good one
Do you really think he came out with this to the press without the agreement of all the players?
I’m in the same position as you, and yeah I feel a bit guilty. I earn nowhere near what a footballer does, but if I did earn that much then yeah I would feel obliged to do something more to help. I’m not saying it should be mandatory, but if I was lucky enough to be born with well co-ordinated feet and rewarded handsomely for it, I’d probably try and help those less fortunate. Morally, it’s the right thing to do.
Read the reports. The players already agreed.
Same mate I earn nowhere near what a footballer does but I do feel as has been covered in other posts on here that footballers are targeted for solutions they shouldn’t be.
They likely have obligations financially to family members/friends [both close &/or extended] that we don’t see as well as paying a rather hefty amount of tax [the likes of Ballack excluded].
The 30% is a good gesture & they by far make up the majority of the wage bill but they work for the same owners as the people at risk of going unpaid.
These times are unprecedented but the most harrowing part for me is that our players seem to be operating aside the club.
Manchester United should be making a statement regarding the safety of employment for our staff as a whole - if players taking a cut is part of that then fine but if you work for the club in a senior position I highly doubt anyone does so on the lower end of a pay scale.
This isn’t an issue for players alone and them being scapegoated for things such as an underfunded NHS is misleading.
Nothing on BBC about Harry but a story on how Henderson is "leadin the way" with other captains
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52151485
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52151485
Considering how much our squad are overpaid I'd hope it would be at least 50%
Sky TV have got a nerve reporting these stories - they need to issue some refunds because a summer fixture list is no good to me
Why not?
Got better things to do
I'd suggest a more compelling story when you actually speak to Sky!
Souness said Pogba should give up 60% of his salary
Aww, did he say yes?
Commendable, really good to see, very well done gents.
Imagine Manchester United fans, or any football fans, trying to put negative spin on this.
Yep, this is definitely beating everyone to the punch and setting the precedent of which all clubs must follow.
Manchester United have around £173 million in sponsor payouts per fiscal year the previous 2 years. It's this money that is being used as the safetynet, and reason why staff at Manchester United football club won't be laid off or asked to take paycuts. No sponsors have currently pulled out, and looking at the list of partners, no one are going to for the duration of this standstill.
This also sends a very strong message to potential investors AND fans regarding the clubs financial state.
I hope we get a followup story down the line re: what the players money might have gone to, and what charities. Im sure the players have charities that they prefer to support, which is how it should be.
That's a bit harsh.
In a time like this I think it's fair for them to want to do more than their usual charity work, and I believe most of them will be in a position to do so. Nothing wrong with a bit of social pressure/prodding here. Make all the others want to do it or at least not want to look bad.
Alexis should definitely participate in this.
Really have to be one life's negative drones to do so.
A part of me thinks that this is a move by United to force the other clubs to keep paying high wages despite the revenue conditions not being as "rosy" as United, to eliminate them from the transfer market for the next window.
Machiavellian!
Really does rankle thinking about him earning that absurd wage, currently in full, while doing even less nothing than he has generally managed since joining us.
This is Ed's fault imo. Can't see this sort of thing getting approved without his final endorsement.
Very good post, sums it up nicely.
But worth noting again that this doesn't excuse footballers from the moral duty to try and do the right thing from the position they find themselves in. Just shines a light on the many, many other classes of people who also have a moral duty and never get taken to task about it.
Yeah, this is true. There are much richer entities than just the footballers who should be accountable right now. Everyone has a part to play but the billionaires who've actually profited from this situation should be under way more scrutiny.
Would highly recommend reading this interview with an anonymous Premier League footballer about this subject...
https://www.football365.com/news/feature-premier-league-player-wage-cut-matt-hancock
It’s a brilliant read. He thinks clubs should pay non-playing staff in full, whilst the Premier League should make all players and directors give up their entire salary for 3 months to donate it to the NHS etc.
Don’t know who he is given that he wishes to remain anonymous, but he sounds like a top man.
https://www.football365.com/news/feature-premier-league-player-wage-cut-matt-hancock
It’s a brilliant read. He thinks clubs should pay non-playing staff in full, whilst the Premier League should make all players and directors give up their entire salary for 3 months to donate it to the NHS etc.
Don’t know who he is given that he wishes to remain anonymous, but he sounds like a top man.
Thanks for linking that, great read. Bright bloke too - he may not know the terminology for the economic ideas he's discussing or whatever, but he nails it right down the essential issues straight away.
Also a lovely argument to use against the bizarre idea I find on here all the time that no-one would ever say no to more money and that everyone definitely wants to earn a footballer's wages. People will simply call you a liar on the caf if you dispute that. Well, here's an actual PL footballer who just gives it all away.
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Should donate the whole lot of it.
I'll go out on a limb and say he doesn't play for Spurs.
Great stuff. Footballers are rich, 30% is nothing
It is a shame to see. Didn't even make it one page without the negativity.
Well done son, it's about time, something was said , I do think most players in prem will do some kind of offer. People are going to struggle in these times, and hopefully most will come out of it for the better, in attitudes towards life in general, I certainly will. Well done son.
One of the biggest nobs C . Bellamey has and I think still does a load of charity work, if he can do it everyone can.