Football agents - are footballers incapable of running their own lives?

[ED209]

After seeing some agent bloke on the north east news thought i would have a browse of his companies site, its http://www.neweraglobalsports.com/  To be honest I appreciate why a player might need someone to look after contracts/image rights/tax matters etc but some of the services they offer to clients astounding.

 

Things such as suppling jewellery, arranging lease cars, supplying taylor made suits. This begs the question is the average player capapble of running their own life? paying bills and generally doing what every other full time worker in Britain does?

 

Or is it just a case that agents offer these services to get as much cash as possible from lazy/gullible players?

[HawK]

If you have the money to pay someone to do the day-to-day things for you then why not

[Guest Antec]

Having worked with a team of professional sportsmen the answer for many of them is defintely yes and for some, age makes no difference, they get dafter as they get older

[BlueStar]

Having worked with a team of professional sportsmen the answer for many of them is defintely no and for some, age makes no difference, they get dafter as they get older

 

I imagine most of us learned how to do these things because we had to.  If at 16 I'd been told I could play football for the rest of my life and never had to do things like fix my own computer or paint a fence then I imagine I'd be as clueless about everything as I was at 16 now.  They're basically stuck in perpetual childhood like some charva Michael Jackson.

[Guest bimpy474]

I remember watching a TV show ages ago about Man Utd players, i think it was Paul Scholes who bought a coffee table, an antique one, worth thousands, he apparently phoned the clubs handyman, the club provided one for things like plumping/electrics etc that go wrong at the players homes, and ask him to trim an inch of each leg of his table as it was to high to put his feet up.

 

No idea if its true but i wouldn't be surprised, thick as mince and twice as stupid.

[Disco]

After seeing some agent bloke on the north east news thought i would have a browse of his companies site, its http://www.neweraglobalsports.com/  To be honest I appreciate why a player might need someone to look after contracts/image rights/tax matters etc but some of the services they offer to clients astounding.

 

Things such as suppling jewellery, arranging lease cars, supplying taylor made suits. This begs the question is the average player capapble of running their own life? paying bills and generally doing what every other full time worker in Britain does?

 

Or is it just a case that agents offer these services to get as much cash as possible from lazy/gullible players?

 

Bit of both I suspect. Saying that, if you're a decent player doing menial tasks which involved interacting with the public probably get tiresome as I'd imagine you'd kop a fair bit of hassle if you popped down to the Metro Centre or whatever.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Sir Alex Ferguson believes to get the best out of a footballer they must be totally focused on football and have a settled family life. He and Man Utd help keep their players focused by providing them with everything they need. If the washer breaks down, the player rings a number and the club deals with it. If they need to hire a babysitter, they ring a number and the club deals with it. True story.

[Guest bimpy474]

Sir Alex Ferguson believes to get the best out of a footballer they must be totally focused on football and have a settled family life. He and Man Utd help keep their players focused by providing them with everything they need. If the washer breaks down, the player rings a number and the club deals with it. If they need to hire a babysitter, they ring a number and the club deals with it. True story.

 

That must be the thing i watched, they are pampered beyond belief.

[henke]

In days gone by when a footballer needed to supplement his income by opening supermarkets etc, they i can see why they'd need an agent. But today i dont see why they'd need one, unless they were lazy, stupid or both.

 

If i played for a premiership club i'd know roughly where i fit in, in terms of players who were on a similar level to me. And football won't be any different to any other workplace, everybody knows ehat everybody else is earning. So why the hell would i pay somebody 15% (is it?) to go an ask for me?

[SEMTEX]

That agent may get you 20% more in wages in the first place though.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

In days gone by when a footballer needed to supplement his income by opening supermarkets etc, they i can see why they'd need an agent. But today i dont see why they'd need one, unless they were lazy, stupid or both.

 

If i played for a premiership club i'd know roughly where i fit in, in terms of players who were on a similar level to me. And football won't be any different to any other workplace, everybody knows ehat everybody else is earning. So why the hell would i pay somebody 15% (is it?) to go an ask for me?

 

Most players are shit scared to go and confront the manager or chairman or whoever about a payrise etc. and are too thick (stereotype I know) to conduct business affairs so need an agent. A player would never want to potentially piss the manager off by banging on his door with demands, where as an agent can and will. I agree with you in principle though. Mind I'm not worth millions so...

[Cajun]

Sir Alex Ferguson believes to get the best out of a footballer they must be totally focused on football and have a settled family life. He and Man Utd help keep their players focused by providing them with everything they need. If the washer breaks down, the player rings a number and the club deals with it. If they need to hire a babysitter, they ring a number and the club deals with it. True story.

 

 

Good effort Fergie

[cubaricho]

It's easy to say "why would they need them? I wouldn't!" looking in from the outside but we honestly have no clue what it's like to live with the demands of a footballer on our shoulders.  Like was stated in a few posts above, it is your profession and you should be 100% focused on that if you want to be at the top of your game consistently.  The agents fill a void there, along with the fact that players shouldn't have to discuss contract intricacies on their own behalf.  There is a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo that agents are employed to deal with.

[Keefaz]

It's not just that, it's all the extras, playing clubs against each other, negotiating contract renewals and all the dirty sub-human shit they get up to. And then, because it was all out of your hands, you can just claim, "The club didn't play ball" or whatever. You can tweet that the club's a cunt and doublethink that it's true because it's out of your hands.

[cubaricho]

And also like others have stated above.  We all live in the real world and had to learn how to negotiate that fact on a daily basis.  Footballers live in a dream world where real world solutions don't exist.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Martins paid to have his life managed.

 

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2009/11/20/court-hears-obafemi-martins-was-broke-on-75-000-a-week-61634-25211477/

 

Court hears Obafemi Martins was broke on £75,000 a week

 

Nov 20 2009 by Rob Pattinson, The Journal

 

FORMER Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins was constantly broke despite a £75,000 weekly salary, a High Court judge was told yesterday.

 

The player’s money management was so poor he was “constantly overdrawn” and relied on his agent as a Jeeves-type character to chase around after him, the court heard.

 

The star’s spending habits were such he could blow £40,000 in a weekend, the court heard.

 

The comments came at the start of a hearing yesterday, as the Nigerian’s former representative, Chris Nathaniel, seeks to sue the star for £300,000.

 

Mr Nathaniel’s company NVA Management Ltd – which handles the affairs of footballers, music and movie stars – believes it is due £284,000 plus interest after cutting deals on the player’s behalf.

 

A writ showed the firm served an invoice for the cash on the player less than a week after he returned from Lagos, Nigeria, following the shock death of his mother.

 

Mr Martins, sold to German Bundesliga Champions Wolfsburg for £9m, following Newcastle’s relegation in July, is fighting the claim.

 

Opening yesterday, counsel for NVA Management Ltd, Robert Temmink, told the court Martins, who was living in Gateshead at the time, had agreed to pay the firm for simply “managing his life”.

 

Mr Temmink said the forward was on £75,000 a week when he made his £10m signing for Newcastle, in August 2006.

 

The star would draw £40,000 cash for the weekend from his bank, then take another £25,000 on Monday morning, Mr Temmink said.

 

He added: “Despite earning these vast sums of money he was constantly overdrawn.”

 

The court heard Mr Martins signed up with Nathaniel in July 2007, arranging a £2m image rights deal for the star. He had not been paid anything for the use of his name on Newcastle shirts and mugs before NVA stepped in, it was claimed.

 

The company also chased-up outstanding payments of thousands from sponsorship deals with brands including Pepsi and Nike, organised visas, passports, mortgage and property valuations, and critical illness cover for the star, the court was told.

 

Looking at the size of the fees charged, Judge Richard Seymour QC, said: “But surely these were things a secretary could do. It was a Jeeves-type of role that they performed.”

 

Mr Temmink protested “managing his life” was just part of what they did. He said Mr Martins had come to them and agreed a fee of around £300,000 plus 20% of any sponsorship monies they managed to get in.

 

Mr Temmink said: “He asked for these services to be carried out... Day to day life with superstars is demanding and superstars are demanding.”

 

The court was told Mr Martins had paid out £67,502.52 in January last year and another £25,031.25 in April last year. But the question for the court, Mr Temmink said, was whether there was “a binding obligation” for him to pay the outstanding bill.

 

A year after signing with NVA, Mr Martins was left devastated when his mother Alhaja, 62, died suddenly after collapsing in a car in Lagos.

 

After the distraught player flew straight home to be with his family Mr Nathaniel told The Journal: “His mother was a guiding light to him and had a strong influence on his life.

 

“At this difficult time it is important they are allowed to mourn their loss in private.”

 

A writ from the firm was served on the footballer the following week.

 

The case is expected to continue for a further two days.

[Keefaz]

"I asked for pink unicorns! That one is fucking cerise. Get rid of it. GET RID OF IT! What? I don't fucking care. Shoot it. Shoot the fucking thing. Just disappear the twat."

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Most players don't even sit in on tarnsfer deals or wage discussions, leaving it all in the hands of their agents while they play Fifa on the PS3. Players and indeed celebs live in a bubble and while looking in on the outside us mere mortals would love to live their lives, in reality many a player/celeb live extremely boring lives and often have problems with happyness. I would love to play in front of 53000 at SJP and earn millions but I'd hate not being able to walk down Northumberland Street without being mobbed, going out with a bird whose only with me for my money/fame and having no real friends. Upsides and downsides.

[SEMTEX]

Who cares if the bird just wants your money, she's guaranteed to be bangin'

[Keefaz]

Who cares if the bird just wants your money, she's guaranteed to be bangin' all your friends

[ikri]

Wish I could find the article but it's from so many years ago it probably pre-dates the internet. 

 

Back when Sky first threw bags of cash at football clubs and Premier League clubs started buying overseas players in greater numbers there were a few who failed to settle, especially those coming from Italy, because they were so used to having every aspect of their lives managed by others.  Premier League managers were getting phone calls from their new signings asking how to do the most basic things, even boiling water was apparently beyond some players.

 

I doubt much has changed except most Premier League clubs probably now have the type of set ups that Italian teams used to have to take care of every aspect of their player's lives even from the academy years.  A lot of players probably never bother to learn how to do the most basic things like boil a kettle because they've never needed to do it for themselves.

[henke]

That agent may get you 20% more in wages in the first place though.

 

Like i said, i'd know roughly where i fitted in and what my value was. You're always going to ask for more than your're worth anyway, again that goes for any line of work. As a player you'll know how much the club rate you, and crucially how much they need you, so why pay somebody to negotiate for you?

 

If the agent is capable of getting an extra 20% it's because the club, for whatever reason, are willing to pay it. So yeah, i'd just aim high and haggle.

 

But like somebody else has said, most footballer are fucking retards.

 

 

[AliGupter]

I'd pay somebody to sort me out with new bed sheets and underwear every day, without question.

[Guest Shaun]

I'd pay somebody to sort me out with new bed sheets and underwear every day, without question.

me too. and wash up, do laundry, hoover...ect.

[Sifu]

That agent may get you 20% more in wages in the first place though.

 

Like i said, i'd know roughly where i fitted in and what my value was. You're always going to ask for more than your're worth anyway, again that goes for any line of work. As a player you'll know how much the club rate you, and crucially how much they need you, so why pay somebody to negotiate for you?

 

If the agent is capable of getting an extra 20% it's because the club, for whatever reason, are willing to pay it. So yeah, i'd just aim high and haggle.

 

But like somebody else has said, most footballer are f***ing retards.

 

 

 

Quoted for the truth.