Think it was a time when some guys who could have made it at pro level stuck to their jobs and pocketed the money left in the shoe after the game, couldn't,t blame them tbh, people like George Eastham were ones who helped break the wage cap?
Hiya Rule, Funnily enough, I've just switched the computer on, and saw the pic you posted for the first time two minutes ago. What a haul that was! But it just shows how much naughtiness went on at Sunderland. Ray Daniel had got a Cup Finalist's medal with Arsenal in 1952 (for Wij, Sombrero, Robledo &co. I'll just mention that George Robledo scored the only goal, Newcastle winning 1-0). But Arsenal came back with a vengeance and won he league title in '53. And yet with a cup finalists medal one year and a championship medal the next year, when Sunderland came for him, Daniel left Arsenal. There could only have been one reason. Sunderland have always paid players what they were worth - they were first done for paying illegal wages in 1904. Funnily enough, one of Wearside's all time hate figures (and rightly) - Jimmy Hill - spoke up for us in 1957, or came as close to speaking up for us as he dare. He was a brilliant man for the PFA. No, your old man wasn't bullshitting you, mate. That loan probably saved Oldham from going to the wall. Not that we did badly out of it - Bollands was a good goalie, and came at a time when backing for Fraser was a big worry.
It's always happened, mate. Just look at Rodwell and Johnson at Man. C. I can't imagine Gyan's career advanced in footballing terms by giving up a good PL position for Al Ain either. But what can you say to them? They're young fellers looking at their entire lives, so what does a few years in football really mean compared to that? How many nice houses, nice cars, and tasty super-models does a few medals and caps buy you? Eastham's big case was more about freedom of contract, rather than wages. He wouldn't play for Newcastle, and Newcastle wouldn't sell him. In effect he was frozen out of his profession. George argued that it was like feudal peasants being tied to their lord. It went all the way to the High Court - and he won. Jimmy Hill saw to it that the PFA footed Eastham's legal bills - off the top of my head, it came to somewhere around £12,000 - £15,000.
