AGENTS!

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

The biggest curse in modern football, in my opinion. Forget moaning at inept referees, because these parasites are destroying the game from within. They create restlessness among players, that wouldn't be there other wise. They disrupt players concentration, both on and off the pitch, which can effect other players too.

 

"Jimmy, lad, I can get you a great deal at such and such a club. You can make much more money, son".

What they mean is that they can earn themselves a fortune, which is all they are concerned with. They do not have the well being of the players at heart. Do they care about the players at all.? I don't think so. They are motivated by greed, and only greed. Yes, there are greedy players out there, but how much of it is instilled by their agents, fuelling it even more?

 

Agents, in my opinion, are a cancer within the game, and that wont change, sadly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fox92]

Yes they are. Horrific. And it's usually these that want to get the best for their players just so they can get more money.

 

I love stories about when the likes of Clough and Shankly would just go round the players house like "sign or don't sign"

[Webbo]

I was thinking. If Vardy's agent get's 15% of his 120k Arsenal wages that's £18k a week just few a few hours negotiating.

[johnny the fox]

suppose no fooker on here would have one if they were a top player.. no doubt vardy is paying him to do nowt..

[MPH]

suppose no fooker on here would have one if they were a top player.. no doubt vardy is paying him to do nowt..

 

 

But we are not, are we?

 

 

 

Just seeing our hard earned ticket/ merchandise money go to these greedy arsholes who then 3 months after signing a new contract that got them a hefty bonus tart their man around to other clubs... looking for another bonus...

 

 

 

 

No chance of the extra tv money being handed on to the fans in way of reduced ticket prices when leeches like this are around.

[Rob1742]

To a degree I agree. However the players do need some genuine advice and help when looking to move positions.

These are often huge moves worth millions of pounds and often the players are not far off being kids.

In addition, there is literally millions pouring into the premier league clubs, and it's only right the players try and fight for their share of the booty.

A great deal of agents are trash, I know a very recent situation where a premier league player asked his agent to sort a car out for him, and the agent made the dealer invoice him £10k extra and asked for it as a payment for himself.

So they are trash and there is definitely a need for a better option, but the better option needs to be better agents.

Not being funny though, wherever money is, there will be unethical people. Financial advisors are great at leaching off the wealthy and lining their own pockets.

And in both industries, legislation comes in, but the leaches still find a way to get around it.

[Sharpe's Foxes]

I was thinking. If Vardy's agent get's 15% of his 120k Arsenal wages that's £18k a week just few a few hours negotiating.

I wonder if the agent gets a cut of the movie proceeds or endorsements. Because if he doesn't then he could care less about the damage done to his endorsement rating and underdog movie success by a move to Arsenal.

[Len Finsbury]

Don't blame the players, blame the game!

[peach0000]

Agents have an important job within the game. Players need representation to stop them being screwed over by the clubs, its unfair to expect a teenager to go into a room with experienced negotiators who will rip them to shreds. Agents are needed to get players a fair deal. What I do disagree with however is agents causing trouble and kicking up a fuss in order to get there players a better contract, theres ways to go about getting a better deal which is nicer for all involved. There are many good agents who serve a crucial role, unfortunately its often only the troublemaker agents we hear about.

[johnny the fox]

Agents are the symptom of how the clubs treated players years ago... the people the fans had gone to see were given the crumbs while the many directors took the lions share...the old tight fookin owners are the real culprits...

[TheLittleBigMan]

The industry functioned perfectly ok before they turned up. There's got to be other ways to protect players without the need for these lot. They have done NOTHING for the game.

[Rob1742]

The industry functioned perfectly ok before they turned up. There's got to be other ways to protect players without the need for these lot. They have done NOTHING for the game.

There wasn't as much money in the game at that point. It's like buying a shed or a house. You will quite happily just buy a shed. But if you buy a house you get solicitors and have surveys done.

Football of old was completely different financially

The industry functioned perfectly ok before they turned up. There's got to be other ways to protect players without the need for these lot. They have done NOTHING for the game.

There wasn't as much money in the game at that point. It's like buying a shed or a house. You will quite happily just buy a shed. But if you buy a house you get solicitors and have surveys done.

Football of old was completely different financially

[MC Prussian]

I also agree to a certain extent... however, I do also believe it's a market where a handful of bad apples spoil it for the rest. They are the ones making headlines (for all the wrong reasons) - or when's the last time you've heard of a football agent in the context of a "positive" transfer or story?

Most of the time, they remain unnamed or at least don't feel the need to speak out publicly, prefer working out of the limelight (again, the exceptions prove the rule).

 

As Rob has already pointed out, agents are a good idea - but only when they are "professional" (there's no school to become a football agent bar life) and sincere. Leaving football business in the hands of the immediate or distant family more often than not ends in disaster (money is not handled correctly, father is using his son to fulfill his own dreams, an extended family means money is wasted more easily and quickly, false "best" friends, etc.). And most footballers simply aren't clever or interested enough to deal with the money themselves. So you do need guidance.

 

When it comes to the "greed" part or football agents depicted as leeches, always keep in mind that you need at least two parties to seal a contract, so whatever amount of money is agreed upon is agreed upon by both the buyer (the club) and the seller (the player and his agent). With the millions flowing in the PL especially, and ignoring FFP for an instant, there's little concern from a club's point of view to pay over the odds - in particular when the players appears to be sought-after.

[johnny the fox]

The industry functioned perfectly ok before they turned up. There's got to be other ways to protect players without the need for these lot. They have done NOTHING for the game.

functioned alright for who? certainly not the players..

[MPH]

There is definitely a need for representation to ensure fairness and legality for all, but the current set up is not helping. Maybe they need to be regulated as to how much of a % they can take.. or something like that...

[Sir Shep]

Unions should protect workers from poor employer practices, I don't have an agent. Also isn't it the clubs who often pay the agent fees, man alive I'm surprised players pay taxes!

[Raj]

Leeches

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

There is definitely a need for representation to ensure fairness and legality for all, but the current set up is not helping. Maybe they need to be regulated as to how much of a % they can take.. or something like that...

I agree that legislation should be enforced, to curtail the vast amount of money they can  cream off.

 

There is so much in the offing, that I strongly suspect, a majority are only concerned with their own welfare, and not those of the players they represent.

 

Is this happening now, here at Leicester? I firmly believe it is.

[FireFox]

Agents are just a way to shift the blame so we don't hate the greedy players.

[Tuna]

Agents/Bugs, no difference in my book.

 

[volpeazzurro]

Agents, love them but mostly hate them, are a necessity in the game, as a player however it's making sure that you get a decent one to represent you. However, unless somebody knows different, with one stroke of a pen, football's governing body could rid one part of the parasitic agent problem by making the payment of the agent purely down to the player himself as opposed to millions having to be forked out by clubs. The current practice encourages corruption and false advice. If a player was responsible for his own bill he wouldn't perhaps be so ready to chance his arm speculatively with a club and hold them and their coffers to ransome (which may or may not be the case with Vardy). In real life if we need to instruct a representative in the form of a solicitor then we foot the bill, it makes us think twice. If fifa or whoever changed the rules tomorrow agents, as far as I can see could do bugger all about it. One wonders however with the current state of our governing bodies whether they themselves have a rake off. Just a thought.

[mozartfox]

They are the same as Divorce Lawyers. Main objective is stirring up trouble to earn a large fee. Personal gain above doing the decent thing in most cases. Where was this agent when JV was scraping a living with Fleetwood?

[sylofox]

Starting to wonder if we have 009 agent Vardy.

Has he told us he is staying but going to string arsenil on to fvck up there summer spending?

[erlee]

AND u have to wonder HOW agents (aka agency management groups/companies) got to be so powerful

-- that's another whole new story/thread.

 

not only on football BUT music industry & entertainment.   Football is entertainment -right?

 

A huge big MEGA industry -football,  

[foxy boxing]

Other clubs should not be allowed to speak to a players agent without the permission of the club,it's not right other clubs having meetings trying to tap up players