Back of the Net!

This summer’s transfer activity in the English Premier League has seen three key transfers that never were dominate proceedings.

In each case the player concerned announced that he wanted to join the target club.  In each case the target club failed to meet the contracted club’s valuation.

In each case the scenario was played out with vulgar disregard for dignity in the pages of the national press.

What happened to the days of gentlemanly conduct?  Bobby Moore would never have behaved like this.

Gareth Barry, Dimitar Berbetov and Cristiano Ronaldo can all found be guilty of this lack of regard for convention and decency. Football might be a money spinner but there is no reason to play out contract disputes and transfer issues of this nature in the public eye.

This all stems down to the player’s agents of course.  With little real understanding of football, they’re in the wrong place both mentally and morally to be of any benefit to the game.  Theirs is a life of cellphone deals and quick chats with sports columnists, taking 20% for their trouble.

An £18m transfer of Gareth Barry to Liverpool would have netted his agent £3.6 million for two months work.

Whether or not Barry, Berbatov or Ronaldo would have even fit in at Liverpool, Manchester United or Real Madrid is a question to be discussed another time, as is Sir Alex Ferguson’s remarkable change in position depending on whether it was the Spurs striker or his own twinkle-toed boy wonder who was the subject of transfer speculation.

The fact remains, the only man to come out of this whole affair was Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill.

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