Footballers overworked

Can’t believe the footballers are complaining about playing to many games and their welfare not being the priority, amongst the complaints is our keeper with Rodri going so far as they should consider striking, okay they may work hard but are adequately rewarded financially

Can’t believe the footballers are complaining about playing to many games and their welfare not being the priority, amongst the complaints is our keeper with Rodri going so far as they should consider striking, okay they may work hard but are adequately rewarded financially

It’s a strange one Tez as I’m looking at both sides of the fence. I actually believe they’re over worked just like us fans complain when we have to play so many games in such a short space of time. I think most of the top teams playing something like 7 games in 22 todays or something close to that.

Thing is with players they get paid the same wage if it’s one game a week or 3. There’s no doubt in my mind and I’m pretty sure the majority will say they’re well/overpaid.  There’s no easy fix either, obviously tv want to get as many games as they can because they benefit more than most.

Our squads can’t really copy with the demand and as is the norm now come March/April/May we see the injuries mount up for this very reason.

Opinions will very much be divided but personally happy to be in  a max of 3 competitions myself.

Can’t believe the footballers are complaining about playing to many games and their welfare not being the priority, amongst the complaints is our keeper with Rodri going so far as they should consider striking, okay they may work hard but are adequately rewarded financially

No amount of money will change the amount of physical and mental fatigue a human being will experience.

Of course they're well paid but to keep piling games on top of games is only going to end one way for the game.

Yeah of course they get paid loads but I’d rather look at it from the football point of view. We all love football and part of that comes from watching the best players play at the top of their game on a regular basis.

If we keep adding games then that won’t happen anymore. The quality will decrease and we’ll be seeing more of the best players injured or having to be rotated onto the bench which is surely the opposite to what we want as supporters.

I always feel these American owners in general would want, games in America, or Dubai the way some of the American football play here, just to boost the old finances a little

I always feel these American owners in general would want, games in America, or Dubai the way some of the American football play here, just to boost the old finances a little

So you think only American owners want to make more money? Think that's a little naive.

As for the schedule congestion...yes they get played a lot of money, but they are also high performance athletes (well most of them, Rooney I'm looking at you) who need time to recover and look after their physical and mental fatigue. If we want our players to be at their best for the games that matter most and to not be injured, we as fans should certainly want to listen to what they have to say about playing too many games.

If players are expected to play 50-60 games per season then we need to expect them to have periods of time when they are well below 100% in performances during some parts of the season. I thought that the Euros was fairly poor due to there being lots of tired players.

We can't expect players to do 90 mins twice a week then give them abuse in the player thread when they only give a 7/10 performance.

No amount of money will change the amount of physical and mental fatigue a human being will experience.

Of course they're well paid but to keep piling games on top of games is only going to end one way for the game.

100%. They aren’t robots. It’s not just the fatigue from the games, but all the travel and different time zones.

CL already expanded, WC is doing it in 2026 and i believe CWC is doing it too. It’s crazy.

Yeah it's nuts the way it's going. Before long every club will need a squad the size of Chelsea's.

I am with the players the season is almost continuous now and the amount of travelling they do is incredible. Mentally having to perform at the very highest level for 50-60 games per is hard regardless of the money.

At a time when domestic cup competitions are being trimmed ( extra time and replays binned )...UEFA have decided in it's infinite wisdom that their gold standard club cup competition The Champions league was too small...not enough fixtures. We are told that Generation X are not equipped with the ability to concentrate for longer than 15 minutes...in short they are easily bored...well I'm more baby boomer than Generation X and having just watched or (tried to watch ) the first round of Champions league games...I was bored too.
Generally speaking all cup competitions are boring in the early rounds and fans don't tend to get overly excited until about quarter final stage.
UEFA may have shot themselves in the foot here, in an obvious and brazen grab for more TV revenue, adding more games has just diluted the content, in truth even the Liverpool game against AC Milan lacked drama. The so-called heavyweights will all still get through to the knockout rounds....but the players, and the fans might be worn out by then.

As for the BBC highlights program...It was awful, no matter how many goals were scored in meaningless games. The balance of game footage to pundit cross examination was all wrong, the program needs to cut the post match chit chat.

Yeah of course they get paid loads but I’d rather look at it from the football point of view. We all love football and part of that comes from watching the best players play at the top of their game on a regular basis.

If we keep adding games then that won’t happen anymore. The quality will decrease and we’ll be seeing more of the best players injured or having to be rotated onto the bench which is surely the opposite to what we want as supporters.

It's 2 games, that's all it is. Which will probably result in mass rotation anyway.

They're footballers, this is their job, billions of men would gladly swap for a piece of their livelihoods and lifestyles. But if they don't like it, let them retire and try doing a proper job the way everyone else has to 5-6 days a week, and see how tiring it is. Without any of the rewards or adulation or financial power.

The latest whinge from these overpaid and  overpampered footballers is not about too many games, we know it's fundamentally about having to change their habits again. This is not a heart transplant job, it's 2 extra football games a year, 1 of which is at home, so what. Get used to it or do something else. They will of course get used to it after a few games, like everyone else will.

It's 2 games, that's all it is. Which will probably result in mass rotation anyway.

They're footballers, this is their job, billions of men would gladly swap for a piece of their livelihoods and lifestyles. But if they don't like it, let them retire and try doing a proper job the way everyone else has to 5-6 days a week, and see how tiring it is. Without any of the rewards or adulation or financial power.

The latest whinge from these overpaid and  overpampered footballers is not about too many games, we know it's fundamentally about having to change their habits again. This is not a heart transplant job, it's 2 extra football games a year, 1 of which is at home, so what. Get used to it or do something else. They will of course get used to it after a few games, like everyone else will.

If the owners had their way they would have the players playing in the winter break, exhibition matches etc

It's 2 games, that's all it is. Which will probably result in mass rotation anyway.

They're footballers, this is their job, billions of men would gladly swap for a piece of their livelihoods and lifestyles. But if they don't like it, let them retire and try doing a proper job the way everyone else has to 5-6 days a week, and see how tiring it is. Without any of the rewards or adulation or financial power.

The latest whinge from these overpaid and  overpampered footballers is not about too many games, we know it's fundamentally about having to change their habits again. This is not a heart transplant job, it's 2 extra football games a year, 1 of which is at home, so what. Get used to it or do something else. They will of course get used to it after a few games, like everyone else will.

You forgot although it doesn't apply to us this time around but Fifa's new World Club Cup tournament next summer!!

You're right, it doesn't apply to us at all so there's no need for us to remember it. But if it did apply to us, it's a one off every four years, not exactly every couple of weeks during the season, like European games.

If they want to do something about too many games, scrap play offs, second legs, replays, and extra time. None of those games are necessary. And with so much injury time added on in games nowadays, extra time is a tiring and outdated concept. Just go straight to penalties and save everyone half an hour of boredom.

After crying crocodile tears at having to play football games last week, Rodri has finally got his break. A nice long break for him to recover from the standard demands asked of a full time professional footballer in this day and age. KDB has got a mini break too. In the meantime however, the rest of us have to get out and do some work.

Most ppl outside of football will see this as abhorrent, that those privileged individuals who kick a bag of air around a carpeted field get so tired so easily and are actually contemplating downing tools,
There is some logic to their argument no one can deny or argue against,

However,

Those within the game will see it differently albeit there will be many that will hold the same abhorrence, it’s all about greed at the end of the day, those of the governing bodies want more and more from those who supply the entertainment irrespective of how many matches that they may have to play in,

The high standard that has been set will only be sustained if the players have adequate rest between domestic games, European competitions & international level matches,
There are only so many top quality players to go around all the leagues of Europe that represent the quality and the highest level of football we all want to see,

But, the governing bodies want bums on seats at every opportunity they can muster, more for the corporate lot than for any club’s fans/supporters, that’s where the real problem lies,

Yes of course the players get very handsomely rewarded but that comes from those who click through the turnstiles at every match and of the billions from tv revenue streams, so the more matches there are the more money they will generate, supply and demand they will call it,

We have to remember that these privileged few are not across the board on every level of football, these are the elite level players in the top most divisions,
You won’t see an attacking midfielder from Rochdale Utd downing his tools, unless of course it’s his main occupation!!

It is a fact that those in the elite band are being asked to play too much with minimum of rest, it’s those of the elite band that provide the quality of football that’s so much in demand and you could argue this is the elite band that puts more bums on more seats that generate a huge percentage of aforementioned revenue, it’s the elite band that provides the Quality of football in demand,

No mention of the intensity that said quality requires, no mention of the amount of travel involved for most club’s elite individuals, no mention of the risks of injuries perhaps sustained because of over exertion, do any of the non football fraternities consider this , of course they don’t, their only thinking of the money players get paid to kick a bag of air around a carpeted field in their carpet slippers and when they fall over after being shot or if the fall over their egos!!

And all the while the Greedy Cnuts at FIFA & UEFA pop their champagne corks & salivate over their extravagance as fans & supporters munch on their half baked pies and Luke warm drinks on a freezing cold night in December!!

YNWA