Time for them to hang up their boots?

[Steameh]

Having grown up with players like Terry, Lampard, Ferdinand, Carragher and watching them rise, I can't help but feel for a few of them, they are now starting to fall.

So which players do you think its time they hung up their boots in the top flight and moved in to something else. Do you think they will do a Gary Neville and acknowledge their limitations and do the honourable thing, or do you think they will have to be pushed?

Personally I can't help but think Carraghers' time as a competitive player was up around 2 years ago, and now he seems to be a major weakness.

[garrykiller]

i dont think any of them need to do something else. maybe just take a leaf out of Scholes and Giggs book and limit their playing time.

[Nom de ploom]

not sure about hanging up their boots but I noticed Nobby solano scored for hartlepool on saturday...he must be about 58 by now...

he looked old at newcastle!!

[p4cks]

Nom de ploom said:

not sure about hanging up their boots but I noticed Nobby solano scored for hartlepool on saturday...he must be about 58 by now...

he looked old at newcastle!!

He's not got his legs anymore I'll give you that, but his final ball is absolutely delightful. Even in League One at the age of 36 he is still a class act.

[Scrambled]

Shola Ameobi _ needs to leave football and become a clown at children's parties.

[yellowbentines]

If you were in a very well paid (overpaid) career that you knew had to end whilst you were still in your thirties, would you do the honourable thing and take early retirement or hang on in there for every day and every penny you could?

[Melvin Udall]

Why is it overpaid if you are on your last legs in your thirties?

[yellowbentines]

Melvin Udall said:

Why is it overpaid if you are on your last legs in your thirties?

Let's assume a 10 year playing career at the top level, and a premiership salary of £21000 per week which I believe is average (I'm sure Carragher will be on more) - he's potentially earned around £11 million pounds not counting endorsements and sponsorships, club cars etc. If you earned that in a 'normal' career over say 40 years it equates to £275,000 per annum, for a job where you kick a ball around competitively for a couple of hours a week, get a couple of days off each week, get time off in summer, train for 4 mornings each week etc - not a bad life eh?

That's why I think they're overpaid.

[Dracoro]

Presumably the same goes for actors, musicians, F1 drivers, various other sportsmen and so on...

[Tuvra]

They will all have to be pushed I think.

Clubs fault for giving old players long contracts.

[mantis84]

yellowbentines said:

Let's assume a 10 year playing career at the top level, and a premiership salary of £21000 per week which I believe is average (I'm sure Carragher will be on more) - he's potentially earned around £11 million pounds not counting endorsements and sponsorships, club cars etc. If you earned that in a 'normal' career over say 40 years it equates to £275,000 per annum, for a job where you kick a ball around competitively for a couple of hours a week, get a couple of days off each week, get time off in summer, train for 4 mornings each week etc - not a bad life eh?

That's why I think they're overpaid.

But when there are billions being paid to the big clubs by broadcasters and sponsors for a product (i.e. top-level football), the people creating the product (i.e. the players) will want a fair cut of that money. By comparison to many other professions, their job is pretty easy, but you can't just judge how much someone should be paid by reference to how hard their job is, but also by how much revenue they create for their employer and the availability of someone to replace them with the same level of skill and talent.

That's why I don't think most of them are overpaid. There are plenty who are though! Glen Johnson on £90k per week springs to mind...

[alpinemauve]

I think Carragher will get a job on Radio 5 live