This is bound to either strike a cord with you or not. I remember hearing from my cousin who went to school with Michael Bridges (17/18 at the time), that he was on £3.5k a week to sit on the bench with bonuses for playing and scoring. I remember hearing that as a 16/17 year old and thinking **** me, you could give your Mam £3k a week to save and still have a fair old party & clothes fund! Even now that's hardly shabby money! Anyone remember anything similar? Or interested in the equivilent perspective from the older crowd! The money even average kids must be on now beggars belief!
I remember a rumour back in about 1970 that Dennis Tueart was on 45 quid a week. Never found out the source though. Before you young un's scoff , a working man was probably on about 15 quid a week back then.
This generations football players are on a ridiculous amount of money, This is why so many people are against modern football.
Have followed football since the 40s so can give a bit of a history lesson. Most footballers were on the same wage of 12quid a week then which was raised to 20 in the 50s. In the mid-60s there was a big fight between the players union (Jimmy Hill) and the football league to abolish maximum wage in favour of negotiated one.After months of wrangling and threatened strikes this was raised but the biggest beneficiary was Johnny Haynes (Fulham and England captain) who was reported to be the first 100quid a week footballer. His team-mates were on what they could get out of the club but not more than about 50quid a week regardless of position. There was an incident in the 60s when Denis Law (manU) asked for more money because he was the goal scorer and winning games etc. Matt Busby asked him who provided the passes and worked to help him. Law apparently said if he did not get a raise then he would look for a new club. He was on the transfer list within the day but he eventually backed down and stayed. It took off from there and wages were negotiated and kept within reason but along came Sky and Bosman and the results are on show today.
I played football with Ashley Williams. We won the birmingaham 5 a side power league. He was a very quite lad back then and playing for Hensford town. I am sure he said he was on £50 a week back then. I was told his most recent contract put him on 40k a week, but that before that he was not on very much compared to others. Top lad to be honest, I have not seen him for years out of our friends he is not the one I would have said would make it but he has grafted were others picked the pub instead. He apparently comes back every now and then and trains with some of the lads, then does a further hour himself at Wiggy park which is where the local rugby team train. I know a lot of footballers, most of them play a bit lower down or are a few years retired. They all worry about what they are going to do after football.