Salary caps, Best’s half-time bets and the header that was as good for me as a trophy!
THERE was another terrific response last week from readers across the country. I’m still reading every one and you are coming up with some great questions.
Q
Premier League players are being asked to reduce their incomes during Covid-19 but I don’t see the same rules for industrialists. The money footballers earn is for the rest of their lives. W Hill
A
Players have responsibility because football clubs are important for their communities. They are helping out, we’ve seen that with the Players’ Together fund. It’s nice to see wealthier people in any industry help those that need it. The problem arises when they are being dictated to.
Q
Is there a case for capping the players’ salaries at £100,000 a week? It’s food for thought in these current times. I know people say football is a short career but so are many other jobs, like soldiers. Steve Wynn
A
A lot of these kind of discussions are taking place given the new set of circumstances we all find ourselves in. I’m not sure how it’s practical or fair.
You aren’t going to stop television companies outbidding each other for live rights. So if clubs receive the revenues, the money has to go somewhere. At the moment, a lot of it goes to the players but, if they were capped, it would still go to someone else and we would be punishing the people who make the entertainment.
We also live in a global marketplace. If a top player could earn £ 200,000 a week at big European clubs but only £100,000 a week in England, would he not leave and therefore diminish our Premier League?
Q
As a Fulham supporter for 65 years with memories of Johnny Haynes and Alan Mullery, I thought you were also a very good leader for us and wondered if you’d ever thought of going into coaching or management? Mike Busby, Birchington
A
It was a possibility after retirement, particularly at Fulham, but professional careers are often about timing and opportunity. Television and media work came in, coaching didn’t quite happen and I’ve really enjoyed my new life.
Q
I enjoyed your BestMessi comparison last week. George had everything, a great athlete as well as talented. I managed a bookies in Manchester, he once rang on a Saturday afternoon to put on a tenner: ‘ It’s half- time so I’ve just nipped out. I told the boss I was going to the loo!’ I asked the score and he replied ‘we’re winning 2-0, I’ve managed to pop one in!’ Can’t imagine that now. Geoff Booth, Man Utd fan from Stockport
A
It went on a bit longer than you think, Geoff. We had players at Crewe and Liverpool who would check on the racing results or place a cheeky bet. I’ll leave you to guess which ones! QWhat was your fondest memor y of pl ayi ng at White Hart Lane? Do you think Jose Mourinho is the man to take the club forward? Mick Clay, Spurs fan, COYS
A
I regret my time at Spurs wasn’t better. It was a great club, but my dad was ill at the time and it didn’t happen the way I would have liked. My highlight has to be scoring against Portsmouth at White Hart Lane, though I remember David James making a brilliant save to stop me getting a second. Jose (left) has won trophies at every club he has managed, so I think he will lift silverware for Tottenham. I hope so for their sake. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised. QI’ve always wondered why teams park the bus away from home. Why not come out attacking regardless of where the game is played? Adrian Lewis, Wolves fan, Barnet
A
In unfamiliar surroundings, part of you goes into protective mode and you fight to keep what you have. At home, you park the car in its normal spot, chat to your favourite steward, everything feels comfortable and that helps positivity. It has a practical advantage on the pitch as well.
I could hit a long diagonal pass instinctively instead of having to gauge distance.
The differences between home and away are growing less. Most away stadiums are more comfortable and crowd noise less intimidating. You couldn’t take a corner at Highbury without fans being able to grab you. The best teams can win wherever but home advantage is a factor for most.
Q
Following l ast week’s discussion about how far players run during matches, if a professional footballer took 90 minutes t o complete a 10km race, they’d finish last! Mick Grayson, Cambs, Arsenal fan
A
I’ve spoken to people in the game and been assured the GPS st ati st i cs are accurate. Players can cover 12km [7.5miles] HEADS WE WIN: Murphy in 2008 or 13km ( more than the length of the pitch every 60 seconds) because of the regular movement— walking, jogging, sprinting — rather than longdistance running. Another reader pointed out that, if you walked for 90 minutes, you’d reach 7.5km. But the figures that count in my book are goals, assists and tackles!
Q
I once saw a discussion on Saint and Greavsie whether def endi ng t eams would be better without a wall at a free-kick. I was an amateur keeper and would have backed myself from 25 yards with a clear line of vision. Rob Rotherham
A
With due respect, the ability of top players to strike a ball means you wouldn’t bet against them scoring from 25 yards, even though a lot of goalies would agree with you! Walls help the keeper keep the ball out. And if we didn’t stand in a line, there’s no reason the attacking team couldn’t do it themselves to block the view.
Another reader asked me about keeping defenders on the post at free-kicks. It could be useful in a one-off against a dangerous taker but if a team did it regularly, it means the attacking side could flood the six-yard box as there would be no offside. Q
Your ‘ rare header’ f or Fulham against Por t smouth kept us up in 2008. Do you remember it? David Morgan, Staines, Fulham supporter
A
It was as satisfying as winning trophies because of how much it meant to everyone. People might have lost their jobs if we’d been relegated. It had been a traumatic week for me because my baby daughter had been rushed to hospital. She had begun to improve in time for me to play.
With 14 minutes left, we needed a goal, so I got into the box and Jimmy Bullard’s cross was so good, I just let it hit me and go in. I only scored about six headers in my whole career!
Q
I’m concerned about the diving, feigning injury, ti me- wasting and abuse of match officials in football. Brian Clough wouldn’t have stood for it among his own players at Nottingham Forest. Are sin bins the answer? Bill Stratford, Nottingham Forest fan, Sandbach A
It is interesting to hear what you say about Cloughie. I was also brought up to respect the rules as a young player and I do wish more managers would take the lead on this with their own players. I’m not a fan of the sin-bin idea. It’s another complication. But I think stronger retrospective action should be t aken against people who cheat. There was a video review panel at one time to sort out diving (I was involved in it) but that seems to have fallen off the radar. To clean up the game properly, don’t just look at players who dive to win penalties, get the ones who do it in the centre circle as well.
Q
I’ve been a Liverpool fan since 1965. I have a terrible feeling this season will be voided and we won’t get t he pleasure of being champions again. What do you think should happen? John Bower
A
The season should be finished, not just for Liverpool’s sake but so every issue can be resolved on the pitch. Even if we can’t resume playing until August, it can still be done with the right cuts to the 2020-21 season, which I think Liverpool will also win.