Have you got a view on the topic or are you just joining Chazz in your normal pastime of online abuse?
Why is it wrong to question why he took no personal responsibility - not even speaking to his PFA Executive, who he had official access to, about what support was available to him, never mind those he agreed to represent? Of course, it's far easier to winge at a dinner when the recipient can't respond.
I'm surprised they didn't let him stay on too. Good luck to Steve now and in the future, a thoroughly decent chap
This, imo, is the best post of the year. Having gone through what you did in 2012 (sic) and then the next year, suggests strongly that your wise words are based on actual experience. My family experienced something similar at about the same time, and our daughter is still receiving therapy -- to little avail, I may add.
Id posted my view on it earlier. You don't post views, you post long winded odious lectures, with self justification for your tedious ramblings. I'm genuinely sorry for your daughter, it was obviously very horrific. Using her as an example of not going whinging to the press about what was undoubtedly a difficult time for her speaks more about you than anything else. As always, you completely miss the point, then lecture and attempt petty put downs with the rest of us. I've no idea what the **** I'm doing even trying to discuss anything, especially this, with you.
The only reason I offered my experience with Depression was to give some level of having had to deal with it, it was the comments made against me that made that very pertinent. Unfortunately this is a board where certain posters require you to attend games and experience something for them to stop ridiculing your opinion and, even allow you to have one. I was certain key not courting your sympathy, in no way whatsoever, your view on that is a very sad glimpse into the way you think. That was a very long article which contained points both good and bad. I responded to it (isn't that the purpose of this forum?) and tried to be very clear why I thought it was misguided - I believe the detail was necessary to be fair to Harper. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, I don't expect everyone to read it - why do you, when you are so constantly critical? But maybe you should look at the frequency, length and nature of your own posts before you go any further with this petty crusade against me. You disagree with me, fine, I can easily live with that, you want to abuse me, again, fine, I can live with that, too. But by making abusive posts that you know will be responded to, you are probably boring everyone else. But that's what you do with your spare time, isn't it Happy Tiger, after all, we see it day after day, after day, after ...
Everyone is entitled to their views. And mine is that equating depression with "self pity" is a ****ty trick.
Do you think that is a fair take on what I said? You'll keep some happy as you only used a few words, but, in my opinion, you have completely misread what I wrote and the point I was making. How about I equated his blaming of the PFA, for his lack of future planning, as an act of self pity (for where he now finds himself), as I certainly didn't equate depression as or with self pity, far from it. Do you think, having read the detail of the article, that he is being fair towards the PFA? This is all I said about his illness and to my experience and understanding depression is an illness that effects the way you view things. Do you disagree? I hope he continues to seek that help, as, even though he says it is not now serious, it can and will return. I don't do'****ty tricks', I talk honestly and openly on subjects that are brought up and have interest. I also read things thoroughly.
A bit of balance: PFA: Harper criticism harsh The Professional Footballers' Association has defended itself after Sunderland goalkeeper Steve Harper accused the union of failing players at the end of their career. After 20 years at Newcastle, the 40-year-old last month controversially agreed a short-term deal with bitter rivals Sunderland - a move borne out of a desire to get back into a better mental state after being left without a club. Harper has revealed he could feel depression creeping in again as the playing offers dried up, leaving him "slipping back into that dark hole" after leaving Hull in the summer. The move to Sunderland helped to lift his spirits and the goalkeeper believes the PFA could have done more to help him. Harper told the Daily Telegraph: "Retirement is like a very long monsoon season and you need to build an ark to get through it. More needs to be done to support players in that transition. "I was at a dinner recently and the PFA had a table there. As a former PFA representative, I tore into them. I said: 'You do a lot of fantastic work for players when they are playing, but too many people of my age, or a year or two older, are either getting divorced, going bankrupt or struggle with depression'. "It's easy to forget it's not just a case of saving for a rainy day. It's a case of saving for the rest of your life. It's not just money, you miss the dressing room, the banter, the comradeship." Responding to Harper's comments, PFA deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes said: "The PFA exists for the benefit of its membership and I genuinely believe we provide a good service. "People may well fall through the cracks - I am not saying we are perfect and we will always strive to do more. "But I can honestly say there has never been a player that has picked up the phone to the PFA and asked for assistance who hasn't received it. "It is not us saying we disagree with what Steve's saying. What we're saying is a that it is a little bit unfair to label us that we fail players. "I could show you hundreds of case histories of players who have come to us and been delighted with the work we have done for them and grateful for the work we have done for them. But obviously for reasons of confidentiality, we don't tend to publicise that." Barnes sympathises with Harper and other players in a similar predicament, saying he was in the same boat when his playing career came to an end. "When I retired at 33, I'd never been to a doctors surgery in my life," the former West Ham winger added. "I didn't quite know how to deal with going to the doctors. "As a footballer, a doctor is brought to you if you need one. All of a sudden you go to a surgery and you sit there and wonder why you're not being brought to the top of the queue. Then you realise, actually, I was supposed to go to the desk at the front to tell them I am here. "To put it in context, I certainly take on board Steve's views but I'd like to think that for every Steve Harper story there are a lot of other players (we help). "We get lots of letter every week with stories of players that have gone in to new professions. We've had people graduate and go onto become lawyers, physiotherapists through our education departments. "We've had really great success stories where people have gone onto a new chapter of their lives, but we will never get 100 per cent of it right. But I do think we are committed to doing the best we can."
