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Is Pompey Chief Right?

By: Graham Howes
Date: 01/03/2002

MILAN MANDARIC has decided to withhold players and staff wages due to the Hampshire side's recent poor performances. Mandaric, left, explained: "These players expect to go through the motions and not give anything like 100% and then to receive a huge wage packet. This will make them think, I hope".

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"Our supporters, who earn a tiny amount compared with them, travel all over the country to watch their team and see them lose game after game because they are not putting their backs into it.

"That is all I ask. Some days we are going to be beaten by better teams, I accept that, but why should I just keep on bankrolling non-triers?"

Many Town fans would sympathize where Mandaric is coming from. There have been past comments about how much effort players commit to a game from some of the Mariners' faithful.

However the PFA chief Gordon Taylor says that no player intentionally goes out in a game to lose. The PFA chief went on to say "This is a serious issue. These people have mortgages, full-time commitments and families and they want the money they are contracted to have. If not, there will be problems.

"It's quite naive really; it's going back to the Dark Ages. If they lose then they're not working hard enough and they don't get any money but if the win then that's fine3. If football was as easy as that it would be a simple game. I have never known a player yet who wanted to play badly and lose."

Equally I agree with Taylor's view players do not intentionally throw a game and players have commitments such as mortgages etc. However I do believe players do go out and go through the motions of a game and in doing so risk losing the game. How many times you see sides play within themselves suddenly go behind then wake up and the rest of the game destroy the opposition. Considering what is now going on or off the pitch with sections of so called professional players. It is about time the games PFA, FA and players grow up and realise the privileges the game gives to its members. After all it was not long ago players up and down the country used to step out onto their respective clubs hallowed turf in pride of wearing there club colours.

I fear that the game is getting the wrong type of professional player which is fed by greed and not passion for the game. Thus up and coming players are becoming professional footballers not because they enjoy playing the game.


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