Hypocrisy, Lack Of Loyalty And Spin.

[coxhoedave]

An interesting article from Mirror Football's Simon Bird.

A few questions are still puzzling me about Darren Bent's controversial £18 million transfer to Aston Villa.If Steve Bruce and Sunderland were so outraged by the prospect of Bent leaving, why not stand firm and say: "No deal."Or why not tell Bent: "You are contracted to us for two and half more seasons, and you will stay.... at least until the end of the season which is a better time for us to rethink."Why not say: "What money have Villa offered? Ok, let's talk about a new deal for you. We are an ambitious club, as ambitious as Villa, so we will match what has become your market rate."

When Manchester United encountered the same problem with Wayne Rooney, what happened? They didn't cave in and flog their key player to rivals Manchester City. They battled for a compromise that seemed impossible and kept their man, with a huge pay rise.

Sunderland chose to talk to Villa and take the money, £18million of it (and unfortunately promptly had to pay a multi-million slice of it to Bent's former club Spurs, to clear his outstanding transfer fee plus a sell-on bonus clause).

Bruce says he didn't want to keep an unhappy player. But surely with some arm twisting, and a pay rise, Bent would have seen out the season professionally, and given the club a much better chance of finishing in the top six than they have now he's gone?

And having done the deal, why moan about it? Sunderland were rewarded handsomely. They should stop posturing as the victims.

Stop accusing Villa of tapping up Bent. It happens in every transfer. An intermediary does the early ground work to ensure the deal is a goer with player and buying club, and then the official talks happen. Can Sunderland state they do it differently when buying? I doubt it.

Bent's transfer has taught us a few lessons about the state of our game.

Hypocrisy is everywhere. Cynicism among fans is growing. Loyalty is a concept only fans are entitled to talk about, and players have little appreciation of.

We've learned that clubs display outrage when a player is lost to a rival to keep fans onside, while being happy to take the cash, spend it elsewhere, and in the process upset fellow bosses by nicking their players.

We've learned that soothing words from players about how happy they are, even if true at the time, mean nothing when another giant cheque and a new challenge, is waved in their direction from another region.

That was Bent's big problem. Saying he loved the North East and was settled, making his departure all the more painful for Sunderland fans.

It surprises me that hardened fans, who have seen it all before many times, can still get angry about it all.

But then as one friend put it: the day football fans stop getting angry about it, is the day the game has gone.

This is what football is. A ruthless, dirty, backstabbing, disloyal, money-driven business with no place for sentimentality.

Players and managers will always have an eye on the next step for reasons of money or ambition, or simple restlessness and the need to feel wanted.

Darren Bent did it last week. Steve Bruce has done it repeatedly in his managerial career. That's why his moaning about being "massively let down" by Bent last week was so laughable.

Bruce is a fine manager, and an amiable bloke to deal with. He is taking Sunderland to new heights. He can do so without Bent, with a clever reshuffle of his team and a couple of new signings this month.

Success at Sunderland in the next 12 months could lead him to the England job. Or how about a return to Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson retires? Where will his loyalty be then? I wouldn't blame him for taking either, and the added riches and possibilities that go with it. Just don't bleat when players do the same.

As for Bent being motivated by money, maybe he was, but here is another lesson learned.

Last week on Twitter I asked how many readers would turn down a 30 per cent pay rise and stay loyal to their employer. I had it down as a no brainer. Anyone, from multi millionaire footballer to £15,000 a year labourer would jump ship.

But the messages flooded back, with many saying that they'd consider staying put, if they really were happy and contented in other aspects of their lives. One lad explained he'd turned down a £49,000 a year job to stay on £35,000 because he was happy.

Perhaps these people were unrepresentative. If not, perhaps we live in a less money orientated, grabby society than I'd thought. The fans that is - clearly not the footballers.

It was a pleasant revelation after a week which exposed the worst of football.

[MSingh]

I'd say it was a naive piece of writing to be honest, especially bringing the Rooney saga into it which i doubt anyone with half a brain doesn't have an inkling of why it was what it was, unlike that Writer it seems although he does finish it off with teh bottom line in it all, a huge pay rise..

& that's just it, Contracts are irrelevent, Players and their Agents hold ALL the trump Cards now, like it or not.

A contracted Darren Bent leaves Sunderland with 2 & a half Years to go, when no one in their right mind would believe they'd want him to leave & if anyone from Sunderland says they did, they'd be lying = Player power..

Dalglish says Babel is going nowhere, within 24 hours he joins Hoffenheim = Player power.

Holloway and Blackpool turn down Charlie Adam's transfer request, he'll be gone soon enough = Player power.

& on & on & on we could go..

The Game itself has problems now, big problems..

Agents & Money, a non moving Player or a Player not throwing his Toys out of their Pram to get a new Contarct at the Club they are at, is a non money making Commodity for their Agent..

& with the Game & Owners mug enough to pay Players what they do, who can honestly blame the Player for appointing an Agent to get the best deal for him & ultimately his Family, that he can ??

Of course however, in doing so, it generally means that morals & loyalty are thrown out of the window, alientaiing the Fans even more by doing so with the 2 things that they crave the most being banished..

Of course people could say " look at Gerrard though " etc for example, but make no mistake if Liverpool didn't give him that bumper in the same Summer Chelsea came sniffing, he would have been playing at the Reebok this past Monday night, in Blue..

[StevieH]

steve bruce commenting on loyalty should make it a non-story from the off.

[MSingh]

steve bruce commenting on loyalty should make it a non-story from the off.

Maybe that's what he menat in tee title of the Thread Stevie...

[StevieH]

haha. i never read thread titles mate. like reading the headlines of a newspaper piece, just washes over.

[MSingh]

Nah only joking anyway, pretty sure Dave's a Sunderland Man anyway..

However the if you take away the last 2 words it could defo apply to Bruce..