Winston Reid (Unattached FC)

I agree to some extent but this is a football forum so was making a point in context.

they're providing an entertainment that people are willing to pay them that much to see. Same with any musician or movie star. If you don't think its deserved then go spend or donate your money elsewhere. 

If grounds are full, then people are willing to pay that much to be entertained by the product. 

Who's buying though? Are they ending up in the hands of true football fans or are they ending up in the hands of people wanting some more status symbols? or being used by big business as perks etc.

I do.

then good for you. Status symbol? What? I'd say those fans paying $ to see games would be football fans, it'd be a bit of a waste of money if they weren't. 

Also, the big difference between a professional sportsman and say, a doctor or a banker - is that the pro sportsman likely only has 10-15 (max) 'good' years in him; it's only the very rare / lucky player that can last beyond that at the top tier. One injury or bad season and theyre done.

Sure, people can go and spend their money anywhere/anyhow they like. It's just a shame that fans, especially football fans, you are valued to some degree within your group/culture on how strongly you support your team and that means buying supporter gear and tickets to home and away games etc. - and clubs/corporations know this and can exploit you accordingly. Fans demand is very inelastic. 

Man Utd's match day revenue was 109.1 million pounds and merchandising was 38.6 million pounds year ending June 2013.  That's ~2.3 million people's cost of AIDS treatment for a year.

And even though people can go and spend what they like, I still think it is fair to have an opinion on the matter. And yes I'm a hypocrite, I spend money on frivolous entertainment that could be better spent elsewhere, I spend too much time engaging in sport when it could be spent better elsewhere - it's just easier to point out the extreme excesses of professional sport/most things really. 

The average weekly pay of a Man City first team player is more than the highest yearly basic salary for NHS consultants.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/apr/15/manchester-city-best-paid-team-in-global-salary-survey-compare

http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/doctors/pay-for-doctors/

Shoulder: "Hi Chip"

Chip: "How's it going Shoulder?"

Shoulder: "Good compared to you. You look like crap"

Chip: "Yeah I've been on the ACFC shoulder a long time"

Someone keep this going. 

but then footballers bring joy to millions. A brain surgeon operates on a lot fewer than that

$150,000 p/week! Sheesh! Mick & Keef don't get outta bed for less than 5 mill up front.

Yeah, we top soul surgeons man.

money only matters to the poor, pity the poor are unable to make it

The opiate of the masses.

David James, ex-England keeper, whose "earnings in wages alone topped 20 mill pounds" sterling, is now facing bankruptcy and selling off his assets in an online auction.

"They shoulda paid me more" (unattrib.)

"My hearts bleeds" etc.etc.  (ditto)

see latest on www.ukyahoo.com

Having said all that above it still pisses me off to hear someone like Yaya Toure complaining that Man City didn't buy him a Bugatti for his birthday

So , is he injured or isn't he? Listed as playing 90 mins for West Ham last night.

"42:19 Foul by Winston Reid (West Ham United)."

This. Is he doing a Tommy?

I beleive it called 'doing a Nelsen'

Tripped over his wallet.

Sounds like Big Sam has said he has back spasm's (and is angry we called him up) yet he seems okay to play him for 90 minutes? Typical.

Blah blah blah, must play every friendlie, blah blah

he was down for a while last week with his leg. that is where the injury came from, and he agrevated it last night

Why would they play him for 90 mins when he has an existing injury? Because they figure that the international break will give him time to rest?

Pretty annoying for Hudson, i'd say.

hmmmm..another international window missed.

You would think he has weighed up being a big fish in a small pond vs a small fish in a big pond (so to speak)

I've enjoyed cheering for West Ham and Southampton this season, but each year one team shoots higher than expectations. A couple of years ago, Swansea. Before them Newcastle and West Brom. 

Still from an AW perspective wouldn't you rather he was at West Ham and getting a lot of game time? Plus they did come and visit us recently.

An all white choosing between Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham - we have entered a parallel dimension. No point getting all judas on him, this is a moment to savour

If you were headhunted for a bigger, better job that pays more in any other profession, would you not go? Of course you would.

Loyalty means nothing. A change in manager at West Ham and Reid could be out the door; anything can happen

Loyalty only works if it goes both ways. If a better player than Reid came along you can bet that Westham would drop him.

LIkewise loyalty to the country that developed all his skills, gave him experience of captaining a team in European competition and playing in European competition at youth level counts for nothing too....