Who's Paying The Wages?

Footballers have always been know for their off-the-field antics – George Best and Rodney Marsh were renowned playboys, Tony Adams, Paul Gasciogne and Paul McGrath have had documented problems, and we've even had a few issues of our own down the years.

Thing is, in this modern age of football where top players earn the GDP of Afghanistan in a week, can we carry on accepting it?

Yesterday I was told that members of a Premiership team (which I won't name for fear of my ass being sued off) were out in a bar the night before a match. Now, they could have been sitting down for a relaxing meal. They may have only been letting isotonic sports drinks down their overpaid gobs. But is this really what the fans are expecting from their players these days?

As the gulf between them and the average man in the street widens further, the level of respect the players have for their fans should increase comparatively. Supporters up and down the country struggle, scrimp and save to pay inflated ticket prices that line the pockets of those on the field. Surely the players should be putting in their all to earn this pay rise?

I'm one of the few lucky enough to say that my club has actually made football more affordable over the last 5 years, but I know this is far from the norm. I sit in the North Stand (cheapest part of the ground), and have enjoyed stable season ticket prices for this period. I've no kids either, so this massively increases my opportunity to support the team on the road.

Yet, I know there are stalwarts out there across the land that are used to paying far less comparatively in the past, even considering the effect of inflation. Today they can pay some enormous sums to watch their team. I wonder what their feelings are on value for money for watching what is still the same game, the same club, the same concept of 22 guys in shirts kicking around a bag of air for 90 minutes.

Has the standard improved in line with the cost? That's debatable, and also difficult to prove. The influx of money into the game has brought many foreign stars into the top-flight, but has also arguably been at the cost of development of home-grown talent as local academies close. The lower-league clubs who have been forced to raise prices to stay alive have long been the proving ground for young talent, but the fallout from TV deals over the years is leading many teams to the brink of extinction.

So, in the face of all this, the players need to make some serious consideration about their conduct. Sure, they found themselves in a position where wage inflation has spiralled out of control, rather than necessarily seeking it. It's not their fault that clubs are so desperate to sign players they'll put an average player on 40k a week. But they can at least act in a fashion that befits their artificially inflated status. Youngsters across the country see them as role models, and grown men shout their names in awe from the stands – this should be a two-way thing, right?

To be out in a bar the night before a match is disgraceful in my opinion, regardless of whether players are drinking alcohol or not. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be sacrificing an afternoon off work, £15 on a ticket, and around £35 on petrol to travel to West Brom for the FA Cup. If I were to bump into any of the team in a pub tonight, I'd be on the phone to Richard Murray straight a-bloody-way.

Footballers – please remember the efforts we put in to come and watch you play, and pay your wages. We sacrifice finances, relationships, and precious time to come and support you.

All we ask is for you to recognise this effort, and give it your all. After all, aren't the most satisfying things in life the ones you've worked the hardest for?