Football contracts

[stainrodisalegend]

Just thinking about Tabs and Vine - not normally two players mentioned in the same breath nowadays. But they do show together what is wrong with footballing contracts. If a player is in demand it seems a contract is simply an inconvenience to be got round. But if a player is deemed surplus - or in Vine's case, an embarrassment to humanity - a club is obliged to honour a contract down to the last penny even if they are clearly way off the pace they were when they were bought.

I know things needed to be adjusted in favour of footballers back in the day when Jimmy Hill was campaigning for the first 100 quid a week footballer and even some of the Busby Babes were working during the week down the pit. But now it has swung so far in favour of players, certainly at top clubs: is there anything that can be done or is it just the inevitable triumph of market forces? Discuss, and I want your essays in by five plse...

[Tarbie]

In theory you could put a clause into a contract stating that a player could be required to meet a certain level of performance, just like in any contract for any job. The problem is players would be unlikely to sign it.

I think as long as there are clubs out there willing to give long contracts on big money, other clubs will have to follow suit in order to compete!

[MattyRangers]

In theory you could put a clause into a contract stating that a player could be required to meet a certain level of performance, just like in any contract for any job. The problem is players would be unlikely to sign it.

I think as long as there are clubs out there willing to give long contracts on big money, other clubs will have to follow suit in order to compete!

Very good point! In all other jobs if you sat there doing scratching your nose and picking ya head you would be fired for poor work performance and, if that were to also apply to footballm Vine (along with a few others i would think!) would have been in the dole queue a long time ago!

[rangerforevereastcote]

i agree stainrod but if we take maybe dave as an example, he was on between 2-4 k at preston with appearance/goal scored money, he s then offered a 17k 4.5 year deal , whats he going to do , think we all know what we would do. there should be clauses in terms of performance but that will never happen. i have to say though with regard to vine you kindaa understand where hes coming from his career effectivly ended cos of that american ***** , before that he was doing well for us , now cos of that he will never earn that money again or ever play to that level either, so in this situation would you say hes kinda of in the right to wait and collect his last payday as a pro becasue his career was effectively ended at ours?

[stainrodisalegend]

i agree stainrod but if we take maybe dave as an example, he was on between 2-4 k at preston with appearance/goal scored money, he s then offered a 17k 4.5 year deal , whats he going to do , think we all know what we would do. there should be clauses in terms of performance but that will never happen. i have to say though with regard to vine you kindaa understand where hes coming from his career effectivly ended cos of that american ***** , before that he was doing well for us , now cos of that he will never earn that money again or ever play to that level either, so in this situation would you say hes kinda of in the right to wait and collect his last payday as a pro becasue his career was effectively ended at ours?

Yeah, I guess from our point of view it was the worst type of injury. Bit like with a car, if its really bad its written off and you get a new one - which is what we prob should have done with Vine (and Cook). Instead we nursed them and nursed them thinking "they might just recover" and of course they never did.