Not Just the Mighty That Have Fallen
The whole world of football is under threat, not just in Scotland

I’M NOT A BETTING MAN AND NEVER HAVE BEEN but I’d wager a fair amount of money on the fact that more people than not would have been surprised to read that Barcelona and Holland superstar Patrick Kluivert is available to any would be purchaser for the paltry sum of just £1.2m.  How can that possibly be you might ask?  Kluivert is a world class act and yet he is available for a very modest sum.  The answer could be quite complicated and embrace such aspects as finance, salaries, supply and demand, sponsor endorsements, reduction in TV monies etc but to my way of thinking it all boils down to one simple starting point, namely Jean-Marc Bosman.

When Bosman challenged the establishment and took the power away from the Clubs and invested it in the players and their agents, he changed the face of football in a way that no other single individual ever has before or ever will again.  For a while the players/agents made the very most of it and some, including Kluivert, used that new found power to dictate terms which made, for those at the top of the game, a killing in terms of mega salaries.  For the vast majority of players it provided a short lived opportunity to dictate terms otherwise not available.

At Easter Road we saw the likes of Sauzee and Latapy arrive and command appropriate salaries as befitting their status in the game.  We also saw players like John O’Neil move to Hibs and not only manage to negotiate a pretty decent hike in his basic salary but, it seems, a clause in his contract which meant he received a substantial sum in appearance money.  The recent developments surrounding O’Neil are an indication that the Bosman bubble has well and truly burst as far as the vast majority of football players are concerned.

John O'Neil is cuddled into submission (sns)

In the worst case scenarios, many lower league players will either disappear out of the game or, at best for them, manage to sign for a Junior Club willing to pay them a few pounds a week which will supplement the wages those players must now hope to pick up from jobs outside the game.  For others, like former Hearts, Aberdeen and Dundee United striker Jim Hamilton and ex Kilmarnock and Dundee United defender Jim Lauchlan there is only the hope that a Manager somewhere will feel that the style of play they offer will fit the way his team plays because the re is now such a glut of footballers available it is down to those Managers and their Clubs to call the shots.

There are some pretty good available players out there just now and the days of fans saying “we could never afford his wages” are surely numbered as far as attracting players without Clubs is concerned.  Recently Hibs were linked with Stephen Glass the former Aberdeen, Newcastle and Watford player.  Glass is a fine player and would, in my opinion, increase the quality of Hibs’ first team if he were signed.  He has been in talks from all accounts but for whatever reason did not sign.  Perhaps he feels he can get a better deal than Hibs were offering but so far nobody seems to be rushing to sign him and so all hope of him turning out for Hibs cannot yet be lost.  The point here is that Glass is in no position to dictate terms and can only really sign for the team willing to offer the best deal because it is the Clubs who are now in the driving seat.

As Hibs players return from their close season break to begin the gruelling task of pre season training there will be a good few faces missing from last season.  In days gone by, those departed faces would have been replaced by new ones but as far as Hibs are concerned the only “new” face will be that of Steven Dobbie, signed late last season from Rangers and no doubt already known to all of his team mates.  Why is this you may ask?  The less generous amongst you might suggest it is because Bobby Williamson has been away on a family holiday for the past three weeks and so could not be around to pursue players.  Somewhere nearer the truth, I would guess, is the fact that prior to going anywhere Bobby will have been making enquiries and having a chat or two with players he would like to see wearing the green and white this coming season.  They would not be signed earlier than they needed to be because the Club would have had to pay them a wage, before they had even started training with Hibs!  In these cash strapped days, every penny would seem to count and so it has to be hoped that the players in question are still around and available!

We have all heard the names such as Colin Murdock but I’d say that with Bobby back at his desk this week and the players slogging it out at training that things will start to happen soon and that a few photo calls will be in the offing.  One player, who will not be signing, however, is Patrick Kluivert.  Bosman may have caused him to “fall” but he’s not fallen that far!