[Archived] Would you be a club player or career players?

[chris]

Just out of interest, if you were a PL player would you stay at Blackburn if you were good enough to play for a top 6 side? even if your dream was to walk out at Ewood in a blue and white shirt.

I'd be first to point out I would be looking to get out of Blackburn ASAP, I wouldn't want to stay a second longer, I might go as far as Samba based on the circumstances, he has been clever and made it personal between the owners.

Really a decent players needs to be spending their career from 24 to 31 a the highest level possible. I'd probably come back for the last few years.

A few players that left went on to decent success Le Saux, Berg, Sutton, Duff, if they would have stayed what could they have looked back on post 2001?

At 27 years old, I would be so desperate to move it would be untrue, if I knew I could do better and had been lied and cheated to.

[Maps]

I would be a club player for example van persie plays for arsenal except for his talent he should be playing for barca same with gerrard

[DanielMB]

Its impossible to say. There are SOOOOO many factors involved

[Hasta]

I would be a club player for example van persie plays for arsenal except for his talent he should be playing for barca same with gerrard

That's an unfair example as Van Persie is in with a chance of winning the Premier League and the Champions League every season he has been there. Had he been at Aston Villa for so long he would have been off.

If Arsenal fail to qualify for the CL this year watch what happens with him.

[mark1875]

I would play for Blackburn Rovers football club and as long as i was good enough to be a part of it i would not even look elsewhere.

[LeChuck]

Anyone who doesn't say career is lying.

[Robbo]

Anyone who doesn't say career is lying.

Wrong!! Normally mate you talk some sense.

Clearly it depends in who you are playing for. Neville at Manure, Terry at Chelsea etc.... Me, i'd have played for Rovers and Dunfermline and no one else :-)

[Hughesy]

If as a lad I got picked up by Rovers, then I can gaurantee you that I would be a club player.....it would be my mission to get the club I supported as high as possible.

However if I was picked up by another club, then I would be a Career player, however IF Blackburn showed an interest then id join them, no matter what the other offers.

[Amo]

People are forgetting that players are fans, too. The vast majority of them all had boyhood clubs they supported (and played for), yet the best of them still find themselves wanting to join the big time, which is why I take posts like Hughesy's with a large grain of salt.

[Brfcrule1]

To be perfectly honest if I was at the club and could see the walls falling down before my eyes yes I would probably be wanting to move on. However for one I would never go to such lengths to get a move because the way he has gone about it at a terrible time for the club will only anger fans and make a bad situation even more explosive. It will also put him in a very bad light with the fans. I do think his behaviour will probably make it very difficult to get a move in the future as many spurs fans can't believe his behaviour to engineer a move and are questioning whether he would do the same when he becomes unhappy there. Also If I were him and found there is not much chance of me leaving I would get my head down work hard to prove to the clubs bidding for me I was worth pursuing. Also with QPR getting Onuaha there is no chance Samba will go there confirmed yesterday and with Spurs I would be very critical about getting associated with a manager who looks likely to be exposed for tax fraud I would be very sceptical. The only one that is likely to come in now is PSG and if they offer 15M+ then he will go but until that time until an acceptable offer comes in he needs to accept this and train hard and then if something comes in the summer then move all this talk of wanting a divorce is just barmy

[Steve Moss]

If as a lad I got picked up by Rovers, then I can gaurantee you that I would be a club player.....it would be my mission to get the club I supported as high as possible.

However if I was picked up by another club, then I would be a Career player, however IF Blackburn showed an interest then id join them, no matter what the other offers.

I agree with this.

[Reider84]

I'd only play for Rovers and I'd do it for free, very very easy to say that though when I'll never have the opportunity to because I wasn't close to being good enough.

It's just one of those questions that you can't really answer honestly unless the situation is put in front of you.

It's easy to say I'd only want to play for Rovers but ether way it's pretty irrelevant

Don't blame samba for wanting out but he's going about it like an absolute tool

[Amo]

I'd only play for Rovers and I'd do it for free, very very easy to say that though when I'll never have the opportunity to because I wasn't close to being good enough.

It's just one of those questions that you can't really answer honestly unless the situation is put in front of you.

Exactly, and why super-fan replies like the above are completely worthless.

[chris]

Well I have never been pl standard but I played pretty high youth level for a championship and league 1 side up to 16 years old. I had a lot of injuries and had to cut down playing.

Few years ago I was poached by the team top of the league and I left a team full of my friends at the want to be in the best team in a better divsion, no regrets even though the old manager wouldn't speak to me for 2 years after.

Now thats just me on a competitive level I'm use to, can imagine that on a professional level x 1,000,000.

That's why I take a lot of fans opinion on Samba with a pitch of salt and so should he, I know for sure I'd be unhappy, but seems few people can relate. Maybe Samba is selfish, maybe fans are selfish, or just humans are.

best example has to be Rooney leaving Everton, Rooney left at 18 ish and Everton fans hate him, but even if he had stayed 2 more years or 4 years, Everton fans would still end up hating him and he would have achieved nothing staying at Everton.

Their is no feeling better then playing in an excellent team and winning, Samba wants to be a winner, Venkys have turned Blackburn into big time losers.

[LeChuck]

Wrong!! Normally mate you talk some sense.

Clearly it depends in who you are playing for. Neville at Manure, Terry at Chelsea etc.... Me, i'd have played for Rovers and Dunfermline and no one else :-)

I shouldn't have said "lying", bad choice of word. I don't doubt the intentions are good.

However, the weight of evidence suggests that, once players get into football as a career, the lure of trophies and/or money overrides any allegiance and loyalty they had as a youngster. I can't think of any examples in the modern (post 2000) era that support an alternative theory.

Rooney was a die-hard Evertonian in his youth. I bet if he didn't make it as a pro footballer and instead stayed in a life surrounded by other die-hard fans, standing on the terraces every week, and discussing Everton endlessly with his mates, he would have said "definitely club" if he was asked this question too.

I bet if you asked this question on forums for other teams, you'd get a lot of "club" answers. Is it genuinely believable that all the loyal club people just happened to be the ones without any talent, and the ones in it for personal success happened to have the talent?

Of course not. The vast majority of players were once like us with the same blind allegiance and loyalty, but being a pro footballer the highest level obviously changes your perspective on things. I'm not sure how it can be argued any other way.

[bannedwidth]

I shouldn't have said "lying", bad choice of word. I don't doubt the intentions are good.

However, the weight of evidence suggests that, once players get into football as a career, the lure of trophies and/or money overrides any allegiance and loyalty they had as a youngster. I can't think of any examples in the modern (post 2000) era that support an alternative theory.

Rooney was a die-hard Evertonian in his youth. I bet if he didn't make it as a pro footballer and instead stayed in a life surrounded by other die-hard fans, standing on the terraces every week, and discussing Everton endlessly with his mates, he would have said "definitely club" if he was asked this question too.

I bet if you asked this question on forums for other teams, you'd get a lot of "club" answers. Is it genuinely believable that all the loyal club people just happened to be the ones without any talent, and the ones in it for personal success happened to have the talent?

Of course not. The vast majority of players were once like us with the same blind allegiance and loyalty, but being a pro footballer the highest level obviously changes your perspective on things. I'm not sure how it can be argued any other way.

Thread killer! Spot. On.

[Andy]

Career, 100%.

I would love to play for Rovers and like the idea of coming back to spend your final few years with Rovers, but in my peak years if there was a choice between being a first teamer for Rovers or Man U/City then Rovers would never win, in all honesty.

[mark1875]

Well like as been pointed out, its difficult to answer without being in the position but i honestly 100% believe my answer would be club, i have always answered this question with the same answer.

Pulling on the blue and white halves week in week out, sweating blood for the team i love - that's my dream. I didn't dream of being a professional footballer - i dreamt of being a Rovers player.

Club appearances records, respect from the Blackburn end, promotion/premier league survival,LDV vans trophys, would all be worth more to me, if achieved in Blue n White halves, than any champions league or premier league winners medal.

Money wouldn't be a factor because i would have enough, I dream to wear the blue and white shirt for Blackburn Rovers, if i achieved that dream, i would never allow it to end.

[Veevs]

Club would come first on the condition that I would be able to live and enjoy it.. in my own career I have left jobs and turned down jobs which has cost me a fortune in career terms because although they offered more in terms of career they failed to meet the needs of myself personally in terms of what I want in life.

Taking this into perspective though this would mean that at the moment given the owners and the manager I would not be able to shut my trap and would more than likely of left by now.

I guess at the end of the day though it is unfair of us to judge players or even people in general without truely knowing them and what makes them tick.

How can so many of us blame Samba currently for wanting to leave.. to me it seems obvious (and to a degree well recorded) that he was given assurances that turned to dust, he isnt a life long Blackburn fan, is in the prime of his career, only has 5-6 years left and frankly I can't disagree with anything that he has said. He could have not signed a new contract and let his current one run down to leave for free like many of the more money grabbing players, but he was given assurances, signed and then like the rest of us got poo'd on from a great height.

[ABBEY]

i wouldnt be any ...im ######

[joey_big_nose]

Dunn's a person who has put playing for Rovers above earning a bit more money elsewhere. A big section of the support dislike him because they feel, as a fan, he should consistently try harder and play better than the other players. The amount of stick he gets compared to, say, Nonzi (a far more lazy player) is down to some extra element about him being a local guy. There is some jealousy mixed in with it somewhere.

You can't really win as a supporter turned footballer unless you are prodigiously gifted like Gerrard. And you need to be lucky enough to support a team that can get close to facilitating your ambtions.

Who has turned down career moves to better placed clubs becauswe of their sympathies? Bull at Wolves is the standout answer. When was that? 20 years ago....? That's all I can think of in terms of players who could have definitely played for drastically better clubs but chose not too... Oh Le Tissier as well.. Most others loyalists are like Dunn - probably could make a small move up the table but not really good enough to hit the big time so stay where they are as it's comfortable and it's their club...

[texasrover]

When I sleep at night, probably 3 times a week I end up playing for Blackburn Rovers in my dreams. Some nights I play alongside my dad which is funny, and sometimes i'm taking the kickoff standing next to Shearer. I have a Rovers sticker on my truck and proudly wear my rovers shirt to work if they won that weekend. I feel that this passion stems from my lack of skill at actual football, and can explain some of the difference between fans and players. Professional players, I think have a burning passion for Football, whether that's because of a love for the game, competition, glamour, lifestyle or money. This diminishes their passion for something like a club and it's traditions. We fans have to exude our passion on the club because we're not good enough at the game and can only fantasize about playing.

All that being said, I'm a passionate guy so would have plenty of room in my heart for both football and Rovers!!! haha

[glen9mullan]

Difficult question, I played semi pro until I was 20, and have played amateur ever since, but I have always been motivated by playing and love the underdog.

Last season I left the team at the top of the table as I was not enjoying the rotation policy, and joined a team who were Rock bottom and 2 divisions lower. When I broke my ankle earlier this season in a cup game the referee wanted to abandon the match whilst an ambulance was called. I refused the Ambulance as we was winning the match against top of the table and cheered the boys onto a win,

I returned just before Christmas with my Sunday team was now top of the table and I scored within 2 minutes of coming off the bench, however I felt the dynamics of the team had changed as had the politics in the time I was injured and have not played since.

So although I'm lucky enough to have won a few cups and leagues, whilst also being the player of the year and top scorer in the league, I have never been motivated by the best teams. The people and friends I have made at football is far more important to me.

So I guess I dont fall under either catergory as I just prefer to be playing, and as long as im playing I'm always happy

[Puffsan]

in principle i would have been a club player. but as DanielMB says it many factors involved. All my childhood i dreamed of playing for rovers. I have never cared any interest in CL as a supporter and i doubt i would have cared for it as a player.

as im norwegian i would probably gone through a norwegian club. If one of the 4-5 big clubs plus rovers had offered me a contract i would have signed for rovers, NO DOUBT.

lets say only a club like sunderland or fulham offered me a contract. I would of course have signed for them, and it would probably have been very hard for me to sign for rovers at a later stage in a career, because i often get very attached to my sorroundings.

as a person i am very loyal. If i were a rovers player and really liked Big sam just to give an example, i would strongly consider to move to another club only because of the bad treatment he received.

i wouldn't leave rovers if i played under steve kean. I reckon i would probably have liked kean as a person and as a coach (this may be shocking to some of you readers), and i would never leave rovers in the situation the club are in now.

i would probably leave if we got relegated.

i could have leave if i was offered an insane amount of money (three times as much in salary) but i would have ensured rovers got a fair amount for me.

if rovers had wanted to sell me but i would receive no higher salary in the new club i would consider it if i had thought it would be the best for rovers (for example sell me for 15 mill and rovers could strenghten the team in more positions).

if i were to play for another pl club i would have wanted to play for liverpool because nearly all my friends are liverpool fans. i would never sign for man united (exeption; if i could ensure rovers a insane amount for me and a insane salary for me i would have signed for them, and then leave to rovers for free when the contract ends (my evil man united plan ))

To summarize i would have been loyal, but loyalty is hard. You can be loyal to the club, loyal to the manager, loyal to the fans etc.

i would have been a club player, but that is because i grew up with rovers success, rovers stars and i always wanted to play for rovers. rovers have been a part of me all my childhood so its a easy choice for me.

Henning berg i think always was a united fan, so i understand him leaving.

Greame le saux started his career in chelsea, maybe he felt he had something to prove there.

le saux and batty signed for dalglish. maybe they didnt like harford as manager.

Sutton left after relegation. and he were a blackburn player for many years before leaving.

Duff although he went through rovers academy ranks he's irish and he were probably never a rovers fan.

I understand that samba wants to leave. hughes signed him for rovers and they regard eachother highly. I accept that he hands in a transfer request, its a fair choice. but i dont accept that he fakes illness, and he cries out in the media when he is captain, signed a 5 year deal last year and earns 60 k a week. That is not acceptable. The only person he should cry to is his former agent who advised him to sign a new 5 year contract.

The only player i don't understand is Phil Jones. ok the lad obviously has ambitions, but you don't demand a release clause, sign united shirts before the deal is complete, and later say you are a rovers fan, born and raised. Phil jones get 0 respect from me.

[Batman.]

Hilarious how some have taken a very simple question and used it as an excuse to reel off their Sunday League Roll of Honour.