After reading through the Sports book thread, I added some viewpoints/comments about Football & multi-sport/action comics that appeared over the years, such as:
Roy Of The Rovers, Tiger, Scorcher, Score, Champ, Victor, Battle, Eagle, Football Picture Libraries(Commando sized/styled footie comics),etc.
An interesting character/story that appeared in several footie mags & the Picture Libraries over the years, was 'Jon Stark:Football Mercenary - aka: John Stark: Football Hitman'.
He was a player(striker) that owned his own contract & played for different clubs on a match-to-match basis. His fee was £1500 per game + £500 per goal + win bonuses, also more cash, depending on the importance of the game.
Whilst he had no affiliations or ties to the clubs, he loved the game, always gave his best & even played for England(in his world).
Obviously the better he played, the more £ he got, he wasn't loyal in the way we know it, but he always tried.
It got me thinking. Some players seem to have a serious mercenary attitude with wages & contracts now. There are the bizarre contract arrangements over players like Tevez & Mascherano, club loyalty seems to drop further down the ladder & the EU has freedom of movenment rules that keep changing, & giving players even more leeway to break contracts, should the opportunity for a better offer come knocking.
Could the 'Football Mercenary'/'Freelance Footballer be something which could happen in the future?(much more money at stake of course) & would this mean players would play their absolute best, all of the time, if they were 'self-employed', so-to-speak?
If so, what do you think players could command/demand? E.g: Ronaldo - £500k per Game £250K per Goal
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but some...for whatever reasons woudl be 'freelance'
reminds me of Darren Anderton at Bournemouth over the last couple of years playing on a match-by-match play-to-pay basis...
think out-of-contract Matty Holland selling himself a game at a time to lower league clubs in need who go through injury crises....
Small played for us midweek when we had a crisis on a 'non-contract' basis, right?
(by the way - where is Matty?)
1. A player working in this kind of arrangement would likely not have a great reputation - if it was a brilliant player he could earn a steady - high - wage with a club.
2. There's more to being at a club than just playing on the Saturday. His match fitness would be low if he'd not been loaned recently. He'd not have any understanding as to how his colleagues would play.
3. The transfer window would mean - that at top league level - he'd have to be at one place while the window was shut.