Is there a more soul destroying job in football than being 3rd choice keeper at a Club especially when age is not on your side? I noticed that Andy Marshall had been released by Villa at the age of 38 and out of interest looked up his playing record. After leaving us and following umpteen loan and permanent moves he only managed to accumulate less than 200 appearances before joining Villa as 3rd choice keeper. In 4 years he has not made one first team appearance and last year he only appeared on the bench twice. Some people will point out that he has been paid - although probably not very much - but it must be soul destroying to turn up to training every day for 4 years, hype yourself up every matchday but have the knowledge that your chances of a game are negligible. And what now? A last couple of years on reduced wages as 2nd or 3rd choice at somewhere like Rochdale? He must look back and think ' whatever was I thinking about? '
I don't know, I think it depends how you look at it. If you've hit 34 and aren't a first choice keeper, your chances of getting the spot without dropping down a couple of leagues are negligible. Say he's on £750 a week, he's still on £39k a year, which as a salary is twice the national average, and you're still involved in football much longer than you would have been if you were an outfield player. You're chances of first team football aren't great, but you're still training with some of the best in the country. He's been a middle of the road footballer, so highly paid media jobs aren't really likely for him, his options are coaching or a new field. At 34 then, he's got enough money to live a comfortable life, time to see his kids (if he has any), and with the empty schedule he probably has, plenty of time to qualify for his next career, whether that's coaching badges, or he could even do an Open University degree in that time.
Please,please don't feel sorry for ex pro footballers who are out of a job. There are Millions out in the real world,who have to survive (if they are lucky enough to have a job) on far far less a year than most of these earned in week/month. Get off your arse and re-train like most of us had to do.
I really can't feel sorry for modern day ex-footballers who reaped some of the rewards of the crazy wages. sorry.
My point was not feeling sorry for well paid ex-pro's or the fact that they have to change careers - all sportsmen have to do that at some time - but I was referring to the soul destroying nature of being a 3rd choice keeper at a football club. All Clubs have to have one due to the fixed nature of the 25 man squad. Just imagine a job where at 34 years of age you trained and practised your trade every day of the week and turned up every Saturday to be told by your employer ' nothing for you to do this week - see you for more training on Monday ' After 4 years of this happening, despite hoping for a big break, you are told that you are no longer wanted and should therefore go off to see if you can get the same routine at a smaller Company. I would find it so soul destroying but obviously I am a minority as the concensus seems to be ' who cares as long as you are being paid for it '
I don't see what the problem is! There are plenty of pubs to go and run or in Chopra's case bookmakers!
1950, your concern is based on a presumption that footballers have souls. Recent research on the species conducted jointly by all the sports degree departments of English universities revealed no sign of a soul, just a series of bank sort codes and account numbers.
