Wayne Rooney - 300K P/W

[Hibercelona]

Just seen this on the news. A 5 and a half year deal with Manure.

What are peoples thoughts on this?

I personally think it's insane for any football player to get anywhere near that sum of cash per week.

But I just think that Wayne Rooney is grossly overrated anyway and still living off a couple of good seasons from several years ago.

[Weststandwanab]

I would agree and add that I doubt he will be there for more than a year and a half he will not be fit enough by then.

[AllyF]

I think it's horrendous and will massively increase wage inflation in football.

If Rooney is worth £300,000 per week, just imagine what the likes of Bale, Ronaldo and Messi will be on in a few years' time.

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

Ridiculous amount of money. He is overrated and not as good as he was a couple of years ago. Doesn't deserve that amount of money!

[3pm]

Very good player. Not made the jump to 'world class' as expected all those years ago but very good regardless.

Not a Man Utd fan but do like him. Don't actually think he's fully appreciated for workrate and adaptability but everyone to their own!

[Jones28]

Crazy money. It's different level wages, this is the beginning of mega money - as if it wasn't that already. But this is a new level.

[Hibercelona]

Very good player. Not made the jump to 'world class' as expected all those years ago but very good regardless.

Not a Man Utd fan but do like him. Don't actually think he's fully appreciated for workrate and adaptability but everyone to their own!

If I was offered 300K a week from a company, i'd be working myself to the brink of death.

Working really hard, doesn't make you worth 300K a week.

[lapsedhibee]

Rooney covers a lot of ground every match, and quite often has to play twice a week. That can be as much as 3 hours hard work in a week, so £300,000 is working out at only £100k an hour. Think how much more wrong the situation would be if his mum had to go out to work!

[3pm]

If I was offered 300K a week from a company, i'd be working myself to the brink of death.

Working really hard, doesn't make you worth 300K a week.

I never said he was worth it.

[#FromTheCapital]

No football player on the planet deserves to be paid 300k a week, let alone Wayne Rooney. Ridiculous

[Bobby's Cinema]

:no way:

[MWHIBBIES]

United letting it get this far means they have no choice but to give him big big wages, their mistake seems to have been Rooney's gain

[fordie2]

£15.6m per year, is it any different to a movie star earning £15m for making a new blockbuster.:confused:

[Thecat23]

Chelsea wanted him and the package was £270k per week. Money talks though and that's why he's signed with Man U again.

[Hibercelona]

£15.6m per year, is it any different to a movie star earning £15m for making a new blockbuster.:confused:

Point me in the direction of the person who said it was any different.

[Hibercelona]

Chelsea wanted him and the package was £270k per week. Money talks though and that's why he's signed with Man U again.

Choosing between 300k and 270k is a no brainer I suppose. I'm sure that additional 30k a week will transform his quality of life for the better. :greengrin

[fordie2]

Point me in the direction of the person who said it was any different.

Nobody did, however there is never any moral outrage concerning salaries except when it comes to footballers

[emerald green]

So he's on the minimum wage then. Seriously though, this sort of crazy money can't go on for ever. Something has to give, somewhere down the line. Probably when the TV companies pull the plug on football, or want to "re-negotiate" TV deals. Downwards.

[OsloHibs]

He makes more in 1 week that I will earn in my lifetime. And I'm on Norway wages!!!... It is absolutely disgusting what they all earn.

[johnbc70]

Man U are perceived to be on the decline at the moment since Moyes took over - if Rooney left or never signed a new deal it would have sent a message to the fans we cannot keep hold of our best players and that yes they are on the decline. I think the signing was a bit of keeping hold of one of their top players but also a message to the fans that we are still competing at the top level.

[speedy_gonzales]

He makes more in 1 week that I will earn in my lifetime. And I'm on Norway wages!!!... It is absolutely disgusting what they all earn.

Are you a fruit fly?
Average person works for 40 years, so unless you earn less than £7.5k per annum or have a life expectancy of 2 days I doubt your statement is correct,,,,I share your disgust though :greengrin

[hibeemikey21]

He makes more in 1 week that I will earn in my lifetime. And I'm on Norway wages!!!... It is absolutely disgusting what they all earn.

You must be planning very early retirement!

[jonty]

Money has ruined football.

[Stringer]

More than Messi is getting. I guess Messi doesn't pay tax though:wink:

[hibeemikey21]

I think it's all relative. Even whilst adhering to FFP rules, players like messi etc can justifiably be on circa £300k per week by virtue of the money they bring in through TV revenue, shirt sales etc.

If you look at it that way, these top guys do "earn" it, despite what others may think.

[BroxburnHibee]

I think it's disgusting

[Big Frank]

I think it is Capitalism.

[wookie70]

Nobody did, however there is never any moral outrage concerning salaries except when it comes to footballers I am morally outraged at anyone who earns that much money regardless of their occupation or however else they get the money.

[California-Hibs]

It's one of the main reasons I dislike the English Premiership.

[500miles]

Supply and Demand. If you don't like it, stop watching EPL and Champs league and cancel the sports channels.

[Onion]

Just seen this on the news. A 5 and a half year deal with Manure.

What are peoples thoughts on this?

I personally think it's insane for any football player to get anywhere near that sum of cash per week.

But I just think that Wayne Rooney is grossly overrated anyway and still living off a couple of good seasons from several years ago.

Beyond crazy. Sure it will be put to good use on future hair transplants and handbags :rolleyes:

[Beefster]

I don't understand why people think it is 'disgusting' or why the moral outrage. His (and everyone else's) wage is based on his worth to his employers. There are very few people on the planet that can do Rooney's job as well as he can and, with the sponsorship, TV, season ticket and prize money that he helps attract, Man Utd obviously think he is worth it.

Someone said something similar earlier, there is never outrage about Robert Downey Jr. earning £850k a week or Madonna earning £1.45m a week. High earnings is one of the consequences of having a rare[r] talent.

[wookie70]

If you look at it that way, these top guys do "earn" it, despite what others may think.

They may be worth it to their clubs in terms of revenue but that is not the same as earning the money. The world needs recalibrated and it is ridiculous a footballer or movie star etc "earns" so much more than a normal worker. Where do you think the money these guys receive comes from. You may say it is extra money through the gate, through advertising (who are those adverts aimed at) or even merchandise. The simple fact is that it comes from normal working people. I would far rather footballers etc are paid a good wage appropriate to their skill level. I would imagine there are more 200K per year footballers than surgeons and that is just crazy to me. If footballers earned more realistic wages the fans may come back as it would be cheaper and far more competitive with the likelihood of local players staying for longer at clubs.

Football like much of the world has been ruined by greed and money. The masses pay while the few prosper.

[Beefster]

They may be worth it to their clubs in terms of revenue but that is not the same as earning the money. The world needs recalibrated and it is ridiculous a footballer or movie star etc "earns" so much more than a normal worker. Where do you think the money these guys receive comes from. You may say it is extra money through the gate, through advertising (who are those adverts aimed at) or even merchandise. The simple fact is that it comes from normal working people. I would far rather footballers etc are paid a good wage appropriate to their skill level. I would imagine there are more 200K per year footballers than surgeons and that is just crazy to me. If footballers earned more realistic wages the fans may come back as it would be cheaper and far more competitive with the likelihood of local players staying for longer at clubs.

Football like much of the world has been ruined by greed and money. The masses pay while the few prosper.

It's irrelevant where Rooney's wages come from. Rooney pulls in tens of millions of pounds for his employers. A plumber or programmer earn much much less because they contribute towards much less income for their employer. Aside from that, far more people are capable of being a plumber or a programmer than being a top footballer.

[Bronson]

No one is worth that kind of money, but he is a top player. Definitely world class in my eyes.

[Peevemor]

Money has ruined football.

Totally. How can the average fan 'connect' with a player that earns hundreds (in some cases thousands) of times more than him, especially when he has to work out whether he has enough free cash to take his kids to the match.

The whole thing makes me sick.

[Ross4356]

He is not the best football player in the world so should not be paid that amount

[MWHIBBIES]

I don't see how he doesn't deserve it, he is worth what someone is willing to pay him and he no doubt makes it back with shirt sales and performances anyway, all the top players do.

[nickwhibs]

They may be worth it to their clubs in terms of revenue but that is not the same as earning the money. The world needs recalibrated and it is ridiculous a footballer or movie star etc "earns" so much more than a normal worker. Where do you think the money these guys receive comes from. You may say it is extra money through the gate, through advertising (who are those adverts aimed at) or even merchandise. The simple fact is that it comes from normal working people. I would far rather footballers etc are paid a good wage appropriate to their skill level. I would imagine there are more 200K per year footballers than surgeons and that is just crazy to me. If footballers earned more realistic wages the fans may come back as it would be cheaper and far more competitive with the likelihood of local players staying for longer at clubs.

Football like much of the world has been ruined by greed and money. The masses pay while the few prosper.

Couldn't agree more.

[stoneyburn hibs]

Overrated or not I can only say well played to him for getting a 300k weekly wage packet.

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

Ridiculous amount of money. He is overrated and not as good as he was a couple of years ago. Doesn't deserve that amount of money!

This....

And I'm a Utd fan! :rolleyes:

[Hibernia&Alba]

Call me a niave socialist, but what the hell is going on in the world? There's only so much money in any society/economy at any given point, so it's how that wealth is shared that indicates where we are as a country, IMO. There are public spending cuts all over the place, with some in social housing being threatened with eviction due to the bedroom tax, yet elite footballers are being paid as if it's a land of milk and honey. It's deeply worrying. The gap between rch and poor is growing year upon year, and you can't have equality of opportunity in a society of extreme inequality.

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

This....

And I'm a Utd fan! :rolleyes:

If this happened between say, 2005-2010 then I would maybe see the reason, but now? Nahhhh.

[R'Albin]

It's irrelevant where Rooney's wages come from. Rooney pulls in tens of millions of pounds for his employers. A plumber or programmer earn much much less because they contribute towards much less income for their employer. Aside from that, far more people are capable of being a plumber or a programmer than being a top footballer.

:top marks

[monktonharp]

Very good player. Not made the jump to 'world class' as expected all those years ago but very good regardless.

Not a Man Utd fan but do like him. Don't actually think he's fully appreciated for workrate and adaptability but everyone to their own!there's not a man on this earth, that is "worth" that amount of wages per week. It is simply disgusting. people in this country struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet, some can hardly buy enough scran for the bairns, give them dinner money for school, buy clothes etc. this fat sleazy alleged fitba' player gets 300k a week! the world has gone mad, and any on here that condone it, are more than mad, they have no comprehension of what goes on in their back gairden, never mind the world!

[Eyrie]

It's made me wish that I'd stuck in at football when I was younger.

Oh, and also that I wasn't so ***** at it.

[monktonharp]

It's irrelevant where Rooney's wages come from. Rooney pulls in tens of millions of pounds for his employers. A plumber or programmer earn much much less because they contribute towards much less income for their employer. Aside from that, far more people are capable of being a plumber or a programmer than being a top footballer.that is totally irrelevant crap! no one can justify it to the ordinary man, and after all, a man's a man fur aw' that. a top football player, yeah, that's almost on a par with a top brain surgeon, difference being some top fitba' players were born wi' nae brain.

[Sir David Gray]

It's absolutely disgusting.

Over £15 million a year to play football! Then there's all his image rights and sponsorship as well. He must be making around £25 million every year in total!

Unbelievable.

[Hibernia&Alba]

there's not a man on this earth, that is "worth" that amount of wages per week. It is simply disgusting. people in this country struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet, some can hardly buy enough scran for the bairns, give them dinner money for school, buy clothes etc. this fat sleazy alleged fitba' player gets 300k a week! the world has gone mad, and any on here that condone it, are more than mad, they have no comprehension of what goes on in their back gairden, never mind the world!

I agree with you one hundred per cent, MH. Either the world is mad or I am, but if I'm the problem, they haven't locked me up yet.

[monktonharp]

Call me a niave socialist, but what the hell is going on in the world? There's only so much money in any society/economy at any given point, so it's how that wealth is shared that indicates where we are as a country, IMO. There are public spending cuts all over the place, with some in social housing being threatened with eviction due to the bedroom tax, yet elite footballers are being paid as if it's a land of milk and honey. It's deeply worrying. The gap between rch and poor is growing year upon year, and you can't have equality of opportunity in a society of extreme inequality.:agree: best post on this sorry subject I've read. only imho of course:rolleyes:

[monktonharp]

I agree with you one hundred per cent, MH. Either the world is mad or I am, but if I'm the problem, they haven't locked me up yet. posted my reply to your previous, just before your latest arrived. thank Christ , I was getting worried that I'd stepped into some sort of Bizzaro world.

[monktonharp]

Overrated or not I can only say well played to him for getting a 300k weekly wage packet.overated or not, I'd rather see him trying to live in a corporation housing scheme for a few weeks. would give him an insight of the world, as it really is

[Hibernia&Alba]

overated or not, I'd rather see him trying to live in a corporation housing scheme for a few weeks. would give him an insight of the world, as it really is

He grew up on one in Liverpool. That kid must seem a stranger to him now. I don't know how he spends his money, but I'd like to think he puts something back into communities such as that in which he was raised.

[.Sean.]

I like to think of myself as relatively well paid, then from reading that I realise it will take me around 10 years to earn what he makes in a week and it puts it into perspective. Dunno wether to laugh or cry.

Fair play to anyone that has the ability (I use that term loosely as nobody is worth that) to earn such a sum, but it's sickening all the same. Personally I'm jealous as **** at the money he makes because I don't think us in the electrical trade will ever get close to it!

[Hibernia&Alba]

I like to think of myself as relatively well paid, then from reading that I realise it will take me around 10 years to earn what he makes in a week and it puts it into perspective. Dunno wether to laugh or cry.

Fair play to anyone that has the ability (I use that term loosely as nobody is worth that) to earn such a sum, but it's sickening all the same. Personally I'm jealous as **** at the money he makes because I don't think us in the electrical trade will ever get close to it!

Which would equate to his earning in four or five weeks that which you spend your entire working life for. What does that say about the type of society we live in?

[DH1875]

Much is Juan Mata on?

[Sir David Gray]

Much is Juan Mata on?

About £150,000 a week.

[Hibernia&Alba]

About £150,000 a week.

Poor guy must be dreading his winter gas bill coming in.


Anyone have an idea as to what the top earner at Hibs will be on?

[Sir David Gray]

Poor guy must be dreading his winter gas bill coming in.


Anyone have an idea as to what the top earner at Hibs will be on?

I would guess at about £2,500-£3,000 a week.

Maybe not Wayne Rooney standards but wouldn't sniff at £130,000+ a year!

[theonlywayisup]

:rolleyes:

He earns as much in a week as I earn in a year.

:grr:










:fibber:

[theonlywayisup]

Seriously though, is this more a statement for the stock market. Is it showing that, arguably, one of the top five worldwide football products means business. With the likelihood of no Champions League football next season they had to do something.

[Cropley10]

Man Utd want to pay him£94,000,000 over that period. He's past it too.

[Cameron1875]

Stupid decision from United. I think Rooney will end up being another Robbie Fowler, burnt out at 29/30 due to playing a ridiculous amount of games since he was a kid.

[DH1875]

About £150,000 a week.


So half what Rooney is getting? Ducking joke, he should sack his agent in the morning.

[Beefster]

that is totally irrelevant crap! no one can justify it to the ordinary man, and after all, a man's a man fur aw' that. a top football player, yeah, that's almost on a par with a top brain surgeon, difference being some top fitba' players were born wi' nae brain.

No-one has to justify to the 'ordinary man'. Man Utd have turnover of around £350m a year. As an organisation, they've chosen to give around £15m of that to one of their most important and high-profile employees. An employee who presumably brings in far more than that and who, if he left, would weaken the organisation beside costing far in excess of £15m p.a. to adequately replace.

[Steve-O]

£15.6m per year, is it any different to a movie star earning £15m for making a new blockbuster.:confused:

You could argue that the stars in that bracket can make the movie company massive profits in return. Not guaranteed in football, especially with Rooney this year.

[NOLA]

not the players fault the club is prepared to offer stupid money. noone is worth that amount though, crazy money.

[Iggy Pope]

Rooney covers a lot of ground every match, and quite often has to play twice a week. That can be as much as 3 hours hard work in a week, so £300,000 is working out at only £100k an hour. Think how much more wrong the situation would be if his mum had to go out to work!

On the plus side, with all this money he has to throw about, other folks mums might not need to work again.

[davidw]

This is why I hate English football.

[monktonharp]

No-one has to justify to the 'ordinary man'. Man Utd have turnover of around £350m a year. As an organisation, they've chosen to give around £15m of that to one of their most important and high-profile employees. An employee who presumably brings in far more than that and who, if he left, would weaken the organisation beside costing far in excess of £15m p.a. to adequately replace. aye right. on this serious note, Ihereby wish that it all goes seriously tits up for Manchester United football club and anyone connected with them. I have a slight thought about their fans, although they have rode the rollercoaster for years and had some memorable days. I wonder how many of the real fans feel about this. the hangers on and glory hunters, well I wish you all the very worst.

[Hibernia&Alba]

aye right. on this serious note, Ihereby wish that it all goes seriously tits up for Manchester United football club and anyone connected with them. I have a slight thought about their fans, although they have rode the rollercoaster for years and had some memorable days. I wonder how many of the real fans feel about this. the hangers on and glory hunters, well I wish you all the very worst.

As a United fan, and though I despair at this crazy contract for Rooney, the problem isn't exclusive to United, MH. A number of players at Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool earn over £200,000 per week. Ozil is on something like that at Arsenal, too. Barcelona and Real Madrid also pay similar, and their players pay hardly any tax in Spain. The biggest and richest are leaving the rest ever further behind. As in football so in life: the values in society have gone haywire, and like man social problems, it can be traced back to Thatcher! Money is everything.

[Peevemor]

As a United fan, and though I despair at this crazy contract for Rooney, the problem isn't exclusive to United, MH. A number of players at Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool earn over £200,000 per week. Ozil is on something like that at Arsenal, too. Barcelona and Real Madrid also pay similar, and their players pay hardly any tax in Spain. The biggest and richest are leaving the rest ever further behind. As in football so in life: the values in society have gone haywire, and like man social problems, it can be traced back to Thatcher! Money is everything.

I'm in no way defending the iron lady, but I would suggest that TV by subsciption has more to do with it than Magpuss.

[Hibercelona]

Keep in mind that a football players wages, doesn't always just come from his club.

If you're a high profile player, you have multiple sources of income. They'll be advertisers and other companies that will pay players directly, so that they can take advantage of their name.

Wayne Rooney could be making closer to 400-500K a week for all we know.

[Hibernia&Alba]

I'm in no way defending the iron lady, but I would suggest that TV by subsciption has more to do with it than Magpuss.

Aye, true, I mean the wider context. The massive wealth gap and its acceptance as natural, rampant individualism and the greed culture. The changes in football merely reflect the changes in society.

Remember trickle down theory that Thatcher and Reagan talked about? The wealth will reach the bottom. The same was said about TV subscription and other funding changes in football. All nonsense of course.

[BarneyK]

Aye, true, I mean the wider context. The massive wealth gap and its acceptance as natural, rampant individualism and the greed culture. The changes in football merely reflect the changes in society.

:agree: It's more to do with our capitalist existence and where it's taking us, football is just a small part of that. Most of the players in the SPFL are on too much money actually. It's understandably examples like Rooney, et al, that rankle the most though when you think of all the poverty in the world.

[lucky]

His salary is over inflated but if the players were not getting it would be going into the shareholders pockets. If clubs collectively agreed to slash ticket prices and replica strips for fans then there would be a rebalance in this. But if you look at the money EPL player gets now it should set them up for life rather than them having to take on '' normal'' jobs when they retire from the game.

Can't believe the digs at Rooney and Manchester United on this thread when both Man City and Chelsea are both funded by another countries natural resources with little regard to their citizens. At least United make the money they spend

[Beefster]

aye right. on this serious note, Ihereby wish that it all goes seriously tits up for Manchester United football club and anyone connected with them. I have a slight thought about their fans, although they have rode the rollercoaster for years and had some memorable days. I wonder how many of the real fans feel about this. the hangers on and glory hunters, well I wish you all the very worst.

Good for you. Personally, I think life's too short to be worrying about what everyone else is doing/earning and wishing ill on them as a result.

[Hibercelona]

But if you look at the money EPL player gets now it should set them up for life rather than them having to take on '' normal'' jobs when they retire from the game.

Should?

About 2-3 weeks of Rooneys wages would set a person up for life.

[Scouse Hibee]

Stupid decision from United. I think Rooney will end up being another Robbie Fowler, burnt out at 29/30 due to playing a ridiculous amount of games since he was a kid.


Nonsense statement.

[Scouse Hibee]

aye right. on this serious note, Ihereby wish that it all goes seriously tits up for Manchester United football club and anyone connected with them. I have a slight thought about their fans, although they have rode the rollercoaster for years and had some memorable days. I wonder how many of the real fans feel about this. the hangers on and glory hunters, well I wish you all the very worst.

I never get why people go on about hangers on and glory hunters as if it's unique to some clubs. It's not and you only have to look at the last two scottish cup finals to prove how many we have.

[easty]

About 2-3 weeks of Rooneys wages would set a person up for life.

Nah.

[Hibercelona]

Nah.

Between 600 to 900K.

Thats what us regular folk will go through in a life time.

[easty]

Between 600 to 900K.

Thats what us regular folk will go through in a life time.

He'll pay a lot more tax than us regular folk too. Half those numbers and you're closer to what he'll earn.

[BarneyK]

Nah.

Just worked out it'll take me 16 years to earn the same as Rooney will earn next week (excluding private sponsorship deals - him, not me). And I work longer hours :greengrin

[Hibercelona]

He'll pay a lot more tax than us regular folk too. Half those numbers and you're closer to what he'll earn.

As I pointed out in a pervious comment. That 300K a week (taxed) is what he earns from the club alone. He will have other sources of income as well.

[BarneyK]

As I pointed out in a pervious comment. That 300K a week (taxed) is what he earns from the club alone. He will have other sources of income as well.

Hey keep it clean, less of the pervious comments :wink:

[Hibercelona]

Hey keep it clean, less of the pervious comments :wink:

I'm away to put the kettle on. :coffee:

[BarneyK]

I'm away to put the kettle on. :coffee:

milk and two ta

[Keith_M]

Wow, Rooney makes nearly as much as me. That's a disgrace!

:grr:







EDIT: Sorry, I thought it said he had a rise to £300 per week.

:embarrass
.

[weonlywon6-2]

best of all,i dont rate him that highly and goodness knows why they are paying him that amount of money.
no wonder the game is a shambles
back page of newspaper,Rooney gets 300,000 a week,front page RBS pay of 30,000 folk,very poor

[merritthibees]

What a disgrace!... The best doctors in the world that work crazy hours and shifts don't even make his weekly wage in a year! Football is getting a little out of hand with the whole money spending situation!

[leggeto]

He could get the services of a few old hookers for that wage ;-)

[easty]

back page of newspaper,Rooney gets 300,000 a week,front page RBS pay of 30,000 folk,very poor

But not connected. You might as well have said Rooney gets 300,000 a week, Bowie urges Scots to vote no.

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

Gie it tae hertz




:wink:

[easty]

What a disgrace!... The best doctors in the world that work crazy hours and shifts don't even make his weekly wage in a year! Football is getting a little out of hand with the whole money spending situation!

It's not getting out of hand, its been this way as long as I can remember.

The best doctors in the world don't have tens of thousands of people interested in paying good money to go watch them do their thing each week. Is it fair? Maybe not. Is it fair the guy who lives downstairs from me stinks, looks like worzel gummage and plays crap music at 10 on a Saturday morning? Maybe not. But life's not fair. Don't see why folk (not a dig at merritthibees) feel the need to get so worked up about things like this (Rooney not my neighbour..) though.

[BarneyK]

But not connected. You might as well have said Rooney gets 300,000 a week, Bowie urges Scots to vote no.

Very much connected in terms of where we are as a society.

[Gus]

More worrying is Glen Johnson is on £110,000 a week

[easty]

Very much connected in terms of where we are as a society.

Naw it isnae.

[Gus]

Was Eto not on £316,000 a week at Anzhi?

I bet Messi, Ronaldo will be on similar and but we wouldnt get a 4 page thread

[Eyrie]

Another way to look at Rooney's contract is to consider how much Man Utd would have to spend on a transfer fee and wages for a replacement. At least with Rooney they know what they are getting and how well he fits their systems. Look at Veron for an example of how even the best managers can get it wrong when buying a player.

As regards player wages, most of the current Hibs squad will be on more than most of us make in a year (£1k per week = £52k per annum) and look how many complaints there are on here about the standard of player that we have. However I've yet to see a practical proposition on how player wages can be reduced to more reasonable levels (assuming "reasonable" can be agreed) when there is a global marketplace for footballers.

[nonshinyfinish]

It's nothing to do with football per se, and everything to do with market forces.

[Insert sport here] is massively popular, therefore lots of people want to watch it, therefore it's hugely profitable to sell TV subscriptions (and to a much lesser extent, tickets), therefore TV companies pay huge amounts for the rights to the competitions with the best players, therefore the prize money (not even for winning, just for competing) in those competitions is huge, therefore it's financially prudent for clubs to spend large chunks of money on players (particularly wages, which are more important than transfer fees) to make sure that they stay in those competitions.

It doesn't matter what the sport is, it would go the same way. In this case, it happens to be football.

That's capitalism, folks.

[Keith_M]

Naw it isnae.


Aye it is.





This could go on all day :wink:

[nonshinyfinish]

More worrying is Glen Johnson is on £110,000 a week

He desperately needs the money though: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/jan/19/newsstory.sport3

[easty]

This could go on all day :wink:


Naw it couldnae



(cos I've got to go walk the dog soon :greengrin)

[Beefster]

Very much connected in terms of where we are as a society.

No, it isn't. It's a reflection of the fact that Rooney makes a ****load of cash for his employers, it's a rare talent and that Man Utd are desperate to retain that income source.

There's an argument about the value of nurses, firemen, policemen, plumbers etc to society but the fact is that plenty of folk, with training, have the ability to do these jobs so there is not the same desperation for their individual services. Most professions have more people capable of doing the job than can actually make a living doing it.

Aside from the income he generates, becoming a footballer of close to Rooney's calibre takes a lifetime of training and even then, despite millions upon millions trying to achieve it, very few actually manage it.

[Hibernia&Alba]

No, it isn't. It's a reflection of the fact that Rooney makes a ****load of cash for his employers, it's a rare talent and that Man Utd are desperate to retain that income source.

There's an argument about the value of nurses, firemen, policemen, plumbers etc to society but the fact is that plenty of folk, with training, have the ability to do these jobs so there is not the same desperation for their individual services. Most professions have more people capable of doing the job than can actually make a living doing it.

Aside from the income he generates, becoming a footballer of close to Rooney's calibre takes a lifetime of training and even then, despite millions upon millions trying to achieve it, very few actually manage it.

But who decides what each is 'worth'? Is it this panacea called the 'free market'. First of all, there's no such thing as a free market. All markets are rigged to some degree. Secondly, even if markets did work perfectly, then a system which says that Wayne Rooney is 'worth' in a week what a hospital consultant is 'worth' in three years isn't a system that works. There are clearly huge flaws inherent to this system, IMO

An NHS consultant, from example, requires 15-20 years training and study from beginning medical school, and is currently paid £101,000 per annum. If Rooney is 'worth' £15 million per annum, then we need to question the type of system which enables this to happen, how it comes to these crazy decisions, and whether we can find a better way of allocating the national wealth.

[Bishop Hibee]

We'll look back at this in a few years time and think it's chicken feed. Football pay is going the way of US sports.

As previous posters have said, it's the gap between the pay of the fans and that of these overpaid players that sticks in the craw.

None of the TV deal money for English clubs has gone to reduce ST prices. Funny that.

[lapsedhibee]

On the plus side, with all this money he has to throw about, other folks mums might not need to work again.

:tsk tsk: :greengrin

[TRC]

Rooney while a good player is not worth anywhere near that no player is, however if we put into context players that are better than him at this moment and forget the over inflated world they live in if we take the best players in the epl say imho that yaya, saurez, ozil, van percey, navas, silva, kompany, and a few more that i cant think of just now but all these Guys are better and should be on more than the is

[BarneyK]

No, it isn't. It's a reflection of the fact that Rooney makes a ****load of cash for his employers, it's a rare talent and that Man Utd are desperate to retain that income source.

There's an argument about the value of nurses, firemen, policemen, plumbers etc to society but the fact is that plenty of folk, with training, have the ability to do these jobs so there is not the same desperation for their individual services. Most professions have more people capable of doing the job than can actually make a living doing it.

Aside from the income he generates, becoming a footballer of close to Rooney's calibre takes a lifetime of training and even then, despite millions upon millions trying to achieve it, very few actually manage it.

The argument is made when rewarding high flying bankers that they need to do so in order to keep them - folk that, as you rightly state, should maybe be ten a penny in terms of ability, so really the financial remuneration argument can be used whatever your standpoint. I don't deny for a second that Rooney does bring in value to the club, of course he does, and if his club doesn't pay him what another might, then he'd be off. No, what I object to is the business as a whole. Any business where there is such blatant financial inequality to the average man needs to be reformed. Easier said than done I know but I'm certainly not for one about to accept that these things need to be.

[heretoday]

I just can't get excited about footballers' earnings any more. On the whole football is entertainment. It's fun, thrilling (some of the time) and a Good Thing.

Rather Rooney got that sort of money than some banker, or criminal.

[Hibercelona]

I just can't get excited about footballers' earnings any more. On the whole football is entertainment. It's fun, thrilling (some of the time) and a Good Thing.

Rather Rooney got that sort of money than some banker, or criminal.

Football is a good thing. But in the grand scheme of things, it's not important.

Important things suffer, because things that are not that important are taking higher priority.

[Beefster]

But who decides what each is 'worth'? Is it this panacea called the 'free market'. First of all, there's no such thing as a free market. All markets are rigged to some degree. Secondly, even if markets did work perfectly, then a system which says that Wayne Rooney is 'worth' in a week what a hospital consultant is 'worth' in three years isn't a system that works. There are clearly huge flaws inherent to this system, IMO

An NHS consultant, from example, requires 15-20 years training and study from beginning medical school, and is currently paid £101,000 per annum. If Rooney is 'worth' £15 million per annum, then we need to question the type of system which enables this to happen, how it comes to these crazy decisions, and whether we can find a better way of allocating the national wealth.

Employers dictate worth.

I'm not arguing that Rooney is 'worth' more to society than anyone else. I'm arguing that, to his employers, he's worth what they're willing to pay. Its a private matter and there is no suggestion that he's evading tax so I don't see the issue.

If you want a different system in this country, vote for it. That's the nature of democracy.

[nonshinyfinish]

Football is a good thing. But in the grand scheme of things, it's not important.

Important things suffer, because things that are not that important are taking higher priority.

For the average club in a big league, the main source of income is TV money. It's not government spending that's been diverted away from schools and hospitals, it comes from ordinary folk subscribing to Sky Sports. If they didn't subscribe, and so that money didn't end up in footballers' pockets, where do you think it would go instead? To fund something important?

I'm not saying that this is a good thing, but there are some awfully naive posts on this thread.

[Hibercelona]

For the average club in a big league, the main source of income is TV money. It's not government spending that's been diverted away from schools and hospitals, it comes from ordinary folk subscribing to Sky Sports. If they didn't subscribe, and so that money didn't end up in footballers' pockets, where do you think it would go instead? To fund something important?

I'm not saying that this is a good thing, but there are some awfully naive posts on this thread.

I'm not pointing my finger at the Government. I'm pointing it at society in general.

We accept a system that is actually quite damaging when you look at the bigger picture.

[Beefster]

The argument is made when rewarding high flying bankers that they need to do so in order to keep them - folk that, as you rightly state, should maybe be ten a penny in terms of ability, so really the financial remuneration argument can be used whatever your standpoint. I don't deny for a second that Rooney does bring in value to the club, of course he does, and if his club doesn't pay him what another might, then he'd be off. No, what I object to is the business as a whole. Any business where there is such blatant financial inequality to the average man needs to be reformed. Easier said than done I know but I'm certainly not for one about to accept that these things need to be.

I know little about investment bankers but my understanding is that, in the main, they make huge amounts of money for their employers. Which sort of reinforces my point.

A company in the US has just been sold for $19bn to Facebook, making the founders (some of whom were struggling to find a job four years ago) billionaires overnight. How sensible the amount paid was can be rightly debated but you wouldn't grudge the founders of the company the rewards of their initiative, creativity and hard work, would you?

PS Apologies if this is moving into 'Holy Ground' territory.

[BarneyK]

I'm not pointing my finger at the Government. I'm pointing it at society in general.

We accept a system that is actually quite damaging when you look at the bigger picture.

100% agree.

[BarneyK]

I know little about investment bankers but my understanding is that, in the main, they make huge amounts of money for their employers. Which sort of reinforces my point.

A company in the US has just been sold for $19bn to Facebook, making the founders (some of whom were struggling to find a job four years ago) billionaires overnight. How sensible the amount paid was can be rightly debated but you wouldn't grudge the founders of the company the rewards of their initiative, creativity and hard work, would you?

PS Apologies if this is moving into 'Holy Ground' territory.

Two words...Flappy Bird. That guy was swimming in cash before he pulled it, and from what I've seen of it, it's a dull, conceived in two minutes flat excuse for a game (addictive/frustrating as it may be). And our capitalist society has since convinced folks that they can shift their old Ipads on Gumtree for five grand a pop. I don't know how much time and effort went into this idea you mention but of course it's right that they earn from it, though I would certainly argue the extent of the remuneration. Of course this is the society we live in. Personally I think we need to change it. I think that's the only real point I'm making here.

[SmashinGlass]

Employers dictate worth.

I'm not arguing that Rooney is 'worth' more to society than anyone else. I'm arguing that, to his employers, he's worth what they're willing to pay. Its a private matter and there is no suggestion that he's evading tax so I don't see the issue.

If you want a different system in this country, vote for it. That's the nature of democracy.

With all due respect we don't have an opportunity to vote for a different system as one doesn't exist. The only chance we'll have to do so is on 18 September. Whether we make the right decision is anyone's guess.

I also don't agree with your assertion that we live in a democracy. Maybe 50 or so years ago, when politicians weren't (as) corrupt, we did but now, democracy is dead as a vehicle of government. What we actually live under is a kleptocracy, or in layman's terms, a system where the ruling class become richer at the commoner's expense whilst masquerading it as being in the interests of the general population. I think the evidence of politician's behaviour in recent years fully supports the kleptocracy argument and the carrot of a vote every 4-5 years is not sufficient to argue that we live under democratic rule.

[lapsedhibee]

Rooney while a good player is not worth anywhere near that no player is, however if we put into context players that are better than him at this moment and forget the over inflated world they live in if we take the best players in the epl say imho that yaya, saurez, ozil, van percey, navas, silva, kompany, and a few more that i cant think of just now but all these Guys are better and should be on more than the is
Don't think any of those you mention is a better all-round footballer than Rooney. Some of these guys are great at their (one) job, but you could put Rooney in pretty much any outfield position and he'd make a decent fist of it imo. (I don't see Ozil or Van Persie shining at right-back, for example.)

[matty_f]

No-one has to justify to the 'ordinary man'. Man Utd have turnover of around £350m a year. As an organisation, they've chosen to give around £15m of that to one of their most important and high-profile employees. An employee who presumably brings in far more than that and who, if he left, would weaken the organisation beside costing far in excess of £15m p.a. to adequately replace.


You're right. Despite the outrage at what most of us see as an obscene amount of money, I'd rather see the players that generate the income for their clubs get the reward than it going to some football club owner.

I think United would struggle to replace Rooney on a like for like basis for 15-16m quid (including wages and transfer fees) a season. Rooney is a talented man who is making a huge amount of money on the back of that talent. There are plenty people in this country richer than him who have done nothing more than he has to earn their wealth, some of them considerably less.

[ian cruise]

No-one has to justify to the 'ordinary man'. Man Utd have turnover of around £350m a year. As an organisation, they've chosen to give around £15m of that to one of their most important and high-profile employees. An employee who presumably brings in far more than that and who, if he left, would weaken the organisation beside costing far in excess of £15m p.a. to adequately replace.

Plus the drop in Man Utd stocks in the international stock exchange if Rooney had left given where they are just now would have cost the club more than £15. Is it right? Probably not, but it would have cost the club more to lose their figurehead at this time than it's cost to keep him.

[AgentDaleCooper]

Supply and Demand. If you don't like it, stop watching EPL and Champs league and cancel the sports channels.

yup - it really is that simple :rolleyes:

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

I wonder if things will get so bad people will be earning nearly 1mil a week!

[portyhibernian]

It's a case of the player becoming bigger than the club. Embarrassing for United in my opinion. He held United to ransom maybe a year ago for a bigger pay packet and now it's gone up again. Fair enough, they can afford it but he's nowhere near world class and they could find a better player for significantly less.

[Speedy]

there's not a man on this earth, that is "worth" that amount of wages per week. It is simply disgusting. people in this country struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet, some can hardly buy enough scran for the bairns, give them dinner money for school, buy clothes etc. this fat sleazy alleged fitba' player gets 300k a week! the world has gone mad, and any on here that condone it, are more than mad, they have no comprehension of what goes on in their back gairden, never mind the world!

Your last sentence is utter mince.