Ryan Sparks

Player liaison? These players work 2 hours a day. Surely they have the time to learn how to get a mortgage, apply for a rewards card etc without someone holding their hands. My love for football lessens every day!

 

I’d rather the goalkeeper position was filled

 

Years ago when I moved to a different country, my employer paid for someone to help find a house, arrange language classes, to do the necessary legals like ID cards, driving licence, set up bank accounts and those who had children they helped find a school, advised on the best places to live and so on.
It’s different when you relocate in your home country, but in football they do that, coordinate appearances for sponsors, signing stuff, probably a lot of stuff HR does in a normal business like arrange a company/sponsor car and so on. If I resign to relocate to a different part of the country I have six months to sort the practicalities of every day life. If City sign an 19 year old player from say Southampton, he might be in the first team in two days, he needs someone to help him relocate so he can focus on playing football.

 

There aren't many lenders who will give professional sportsmen a mortgage and those that fo won't normally lend beyond the age of 35. They don't need a player liason, they need a mortgage broker and financial advisor.

 

If the player liaison is going it might affect potential signings so I’d say that would be a worry

 

Certainly would have big effect on loan signings

 

On the one hand there are the losses sustained during our pandemic affected playing season and following on it's heels those that will accrue out of season. Ongoing maintenance around the ground indicates some available expenditure but setting a budget that will deliver our hopes for next season could be tricky. Living within our means is not easily a catalyst for success. Hence the need to employ experience to help us move forward. Tough job..speculation being the enemy.Oh for Stephan to step in and put us all in the fuller picture.

 

Not on desperate ones and those from the equivalent of the Dog and Duck

 

It looks like part of a review of all on and off field activities as Ryan Sparks said in an earlier interview. When we see the results will be time to judge

 

So you read Lee Sharpe's book,

 

Bet he had a ghost writer to work the keyboard though.

 

Spot on. Not just for City, but most of the clubs in Lg 2. Despite EFL grants, they've all taken a massive hit on their main source of income, fans through the turnstiles. I would suspect all or most playing budgets will be cut for 21/22. There'll be a bidding war for the best lower league players that are available, and a jumble sale for the rest. I don't think agents who specialize in Lgs 1 and 2 and the National will be getting rich this coming season.

 

As contracts have increasingly become shorter in Lgs 1 and 2, this has become a real issue for players. Most are not earning a fortune and a lot sign for new clubs knowing they'll be spending endless hours on the motorways traveling to training and matches from their current homes. And why would you want to try and get a mortgage in the area of your new club, when your 1 or 2 year contract might not be renewed? It's a precarious job being a footballer in the lower leagues.

 

I'd be interested if player liaison officers are the norm in the lower leagues?

Surely not having someone specialising in getting players settled at City makes attracting players more difficult and risks them not performing at their peak because they've had the TV license goons knocking on their door [OK, that last point isn't entirely serious].

 

Gone are the days when players spent their entire time at a club in a hotel like Micky Kennedy did in the Midland !

 

Bet his hotel room was party central!

 

Wonder if this a thing anywhere but do any clubs buy houses to put players up in rent free as part of the contracts? I know we bought carbone a house.
Alternatively a preferred agreement with a local letting agency where there can be a bit of discount.

 

I've got a book somewhere that has City chapter in it. The author talked to Kennedy whilst he was living at the Norfolk Gardens hotel. The author said he was a pretty dedicated player, he smoked a pipe but he also had dossiers that he was reading about upcoming opponents.

 

Player liaison looked after tyrell Robinson well lol