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da dobrowin： When Jamie Redknapp was a 16-year-old learning his trade at Bournemouth he used to have to scrub and clean former AC Milan and England international Luther Blissett’s boots until his arms ached.
The practice of young apprentices being given mundane tasks such as cleaning boots or mopping the toilets was commonplace in almost every club across the country up until the introduction of the Premier League. They may have been simple tasks but this system defined the pecking order in the dressing room and separated young upstarts who had yet to achieve a thing from the older pros that had managed to forge a career in football. It taught young players the values of hard-work, discipline and respect and Redknapp Junior was a massive fan.
Like his son, Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp shares a similar view and this week disclosed his concerns over the lifestyles of pampered young footballers. Players live in a fantasy bubble of mega-wages and flashy lifestyles, where perceived success and a good income can come quickly to extremely young players. The former Portsmouth manager believes such excess is ruining the desire of young players to better themselves and improve as a footballer.
”I’m concerned about the younger kids because I think we are ruining them,” he says. “These days, clubs are giving four-year contracts to 15-year-olds.”
“By the time they are 17 or 18 they are on six grand a week. Plus bonuses and all that rubbish. It’s crazy, and I think a lot of the lads lose that hunger. They get a professional contract and they think they’ve already made it.”
Redknapp’s comments come after former Republic of Ireland international Stephen Ireland slammed Manchester City’s ‘money-obsessed’ youngsters for showing a lack of respect and walking around training with a nonchalance ‘as though they had played 200 games for the club’. Although, it seems these observations were only specific to City as Ireland thought the Villa youngsters were nice enough lads!
It’s certainly easy to see whose example these young impressionable men follow. A host of Premier League footballers have been doing exactly the same thing for years. Breaking contracts in search of the next big deal, showing a lack of respect to opponents and referees on the pitch and sharing their fair share of sordid headlines along the way too. It all boils down to the overindulgence, gluttony and greed of the Premier League.
I would be harsh to tar all footballers with the same brush but the unstable Premier League environment does not help matters. Of course youngsters have to make sacrifices and natural talent alone may not be enough to make it to the top. But it’s time players started to learn the traditional values and morals of the game first and foremost before they are handed over a mega-money contract which sees them earning thousands before they hit 18.
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