Gordon Taylor Interview: Pay differences are down to ability

Football Food For Thought / Paul Moon / 06 October 2010 / 2

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PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor enjoyed a successful career as a player before turning to Union work

"With regard to the Robinho case, of course he would have been happy to stay at Manchester City if they had played him. But as a gifted player, quite naturally, he wanted to do the best he could for himself."

Ever keen to hear the views of football's big names, betting.betfair sent Paul Moon off to interview PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor to ask him what he made of the Dan Gosling affair, Robinho's exit and salary discrepancies amongst footballers.

Gordon, many people, and especially Everton fans, will have been pretty disappointed by the Dan Gosling affair where he was able to leave the club on a free and sign for Newcastle...

The Dan Gosling case was merely a matter of abiding by clearly defined rules that are laid down.

Premier League players are almost all multi-millionaires but the lower down the leagues you go the less they earn and you might actually find a few who barely make a living from the game.

The discrepancy between a Premier League player and a Division Two player is down of course to ability but we try and make sure that every player is able to capitalise on his ability with the freedom of movement that players can enjoy at the end of a contract. Albeit of course the division of monies from television and sponsorship varies a great deal between leagues...

Solidarity payments for the Championship from the Premier League makes it almost a Premier League Division Two and whilst Clubs in Division One and Two are also financially better off, the gap in income between them and the Championship makes them a lot more venerable for the future.

Robinho pretty much went on strike at Manchester City and all but refused to play for the club. Was that an example of too much player power?

With regard to the Robinho case, of course he would have been happy to stay at Manchester City if they had played him. But as a gifted player, quite naturally, he wanted to do the best he could for himself. You must remember though that it is a very short career and not just about player power. On many occasions a player is perfectly happy to stay at a club but it's made clear that he is not in the first team plans. Often pressure is put on him to move when offers received for him may not match the money he is already on.

What are your hopes and aspirations for 2010/2011?

My hopes and aspirations for 2010 / 2011 is that we can see a greater progress being made with youth development and more youngsters coming through. This is particularly important with the new criteria of a least eight in the Premier League out of 25 and ten in the Football League. I'd also like to see improvements in success rates so we don't have five out of six players who joined the game at 16 out of the game by the time they are 21. It would also be nice to see some success for our International teams who've had a tough time of it recently.

Furthermore, I hope that football can withstand the recession, keep its priorities, and continues having grounds near to full capacity as possible as without the crowds the game would not have the same attraction on television. I also hope that we don't continue to move towards the monopoly of success by fewer and fewer clubs. I'd certainly like to see clubs maintain better balance sheets to avoid the problems (for fans and players alike) of clubs going into administration.

We also got Paul to speak to PFA Director of Education Pat Lally about career opportunities for ex-footballers away from the game.

"The average span of a professional and his career is between seven and eight years so the lion share of the budget is spent on courses and grants that enable players to continue working once their football career has ended. Helping players start new careers is a fundamental part of the programme and our priority."

"Of those training in the academies 85% are out of the game before they are 21-years old. While they are there they must attend 12 hours a week of compulsory education."

For those interested they produce a magazine called 'New Goals' which outlines choices and opportunities.

The PFA can help their members in any situation. For example they have funded ex Nottingham Forest player John Burns and his band called The Establishment. They have just released a single last Monday called 'Be That Way' and they look like they are going places.

Another piece of unusual funding came in the shape of former Newcastle player Gavin Peacock. He received funds to help towards his master's divinity. He will become a pastor once he finishes studying theology in Canada.

Scot Minto of Charlton, Chelsea and Benfica fame gained a BA in Sports Writing and Broadcast Journalism with the help of funding highlighting the various ways the PFA utilise their funds. There are another 17 players going down the same route.

Pat confirmed "If you think of an occupation we have helped a player train for it, whether it be dog grooming, construction, engineering, law, medical studies and pathology. The PFA looks to safeguard its members during their career and on retirement."

When asked if they receive advice on how to handle money Pat said" During a player's career financial awareness programmes are made available to them and with help from Barclays they teach them how to invest and save the money that they have earned. They also give them help with pension advice."

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Stampo | 08 October 2010

Very insightful. The statistic with 85% of players being out of the game by the age of 21 is incredible. Surely there are a few potential gems amongst them.

Robinho wanted everything to be about him, Mancini didn't need that sort of distraction along with players like Bellamy, so he got rid of them. I don't think Robinho really wanted to play in the premiership. It's not his sort of league, it's too fast and physical. He'll be a star in Italy.

The help given to the ex footballers is surely questionable. They would have made a lot of money throughout there careers, and now there getting help? Scott minto works for sky sports, surely he's on a good enough wage to look after himself like the rest of us. That money could be used for more useful projects. Players that were injured young, fair enough, but to players that have had a career, maybe not.
Paul | 09 October 2010

We can only imagine the number of good players lost before the age of 21 and for a variety of reasons. One reason that bothers me is the lack of hunger within young people today. You mention the word ‘distraction’ in your comment and I think there are many of those in the way of a young man’s football career and if he doesn’t want to work hard or focus he will soon drop out. I remain convinced that this does not apply to the same degree with Continental and South American youth.

I agree that the mileage of the Premier League might not suit Robinho though he is a marvellous player.

Your Scott Minto point is interesting. I wonder if he has given anything back to the PFA after their assistance. I know he has paid lip service to the work they do but if he is a position to replenish the PFA coffers then perhaps that is a good idea so that somebody less fortunate might take advantage! I will ask Gordon Taylor about that and post it here once I have a reply.

Thanks for your comments, some very good points raised…