Luis Suárez

[Neil Young]

Nah, I don't think that's right.

The Premier League learned from American sports and their star system of marketing (which now I think of it might have been taken from the old system in Hollywood). The NBA, which I've always thought pioneered it but I could be wrong about that, did it with Michael Jordan and many others since.

The governing bodies, clubs, media and major brands (especially sporting brands, like Nike) are responsible. The fans have merely responded to it.

[Shaggy]

John Barnes was saying how fans have created the 'super player', in the way that they idolise one player so much more than any other, and that these players then tend to have a massivley over inflated opinion of themselves as a result.

Saying that though, it's probably a load of bollocks, as he said it on Talk Sport.

I love Barnes but that's BS. Suarez created the super player, with his super play, amazing goals etc. Suarez is easily our best player, by a mile. As a result people love him. It's that simple.

[Bender]

Bit like Twitter.

[dom9]

John Barnes was saying how fans have created the 'super player', in the way that they idolise one player so much more than any other, and that these players then tend to have a massivley over inflated opinion of themselves as a result.

Saying that though, it's probably a load of bollocks, as he said it on Talk Sport.

Haha - it is a load of bollocks, but not because it's on Talk Sport.

Barnes usually has his head screwed on, more than most ex pros anyway, but in this instance I think he's wide of the mark. He was the most idolised player of his era, for example. He was idolised by millions, and even non-LFC supporters respected him. But I don't ever recall him acting like a primadona, or anything other than a model professional.

Maybe he did have a massively over inflated opinion of himself in his private life, but that did not result in him from publicly acting like a massive, petulant tool.

[Vermilion]

I love Barnes but that's BS. Suarez created the super player, with his super play, amazing goals etc. Suarez is easily our best player, by a mile. As a result people love him. It's that simple.

True, i don't think he meant it could happen with a player that was **** though, he's just saying that as a result of this play these players become almost more important than the team to fans, they are idolised, and as a result get a bit up their own arse.

It's fine so long as they see themselves at the pinnacle of football, but when they don't, **** happens.

[PTP]

i can see where barnes is coming from

but it's the corporate side that is as much to blame - as neil young points out, it's the marketing, the sponsorship and the media hype which has created the 'superstar'

the fans respond to this by 'loving' the superstar, which fuels their ego's further.

then worst of all...it's the Agents...who feed of these and push and push their clients into super stardom so they can sit in the background and reap the rewards.

[Vermilion]

Haha - it is a load of bollocks, but not because it's on Talk Sport.

Barnes usually has his head screwed on, more than most ex pros anyway, but in this instance I think he's wide of the mark. He was the most idolised player of his era, for example. He was idolised by millions, and even non-LFC supporters respected him. But I don't ever recall him acting like a primadona, or anything other than a model professional.

Maybe he did have a massively over inflated opinion of himself in his private life, but that did not result in him from publicly acting like a massive, petulant tool.

He did say it's more prevelant in the modern day footballer, because even though he himslef was idolised, nowadays he feels it gets into players heads more, because it never stops.

[dom9]

i can see where barnes is coming from

but it's the corporate side that is as much to blame - as neil young points out, it's the marketing, the sponsorship and the media hype which has created the 'superstar'

the fans respond to this by 'loving' the superstar, which fuels their ego's further.

then worst of all...it's the Agents...who feed of these and push and push their clients into super stardom so they can sit in the background and reap the rewards.

I don't think it's much different to when we were kids though. We've idolised footballers since forever. Robbie Fowler was and still is referred to as God. We used to read all the papers, the teletext, buy Shoot and Match magazines, collect football stickers, put posters on our walls, buy Puma King football boots because King Kenny wore them.

It's not much different at all.

[danperkins]

True, i don't think he meant it could happen with a player that was **** though, he's just saying that as a result of this play these players become almost more important than the team to fans, they are idolised, and as a result get a bit up their own arse.

It's fine so long as they see themselves at the pinnacle of football, but when they don't, **** happens.

can see the point he's making and he is right

[Baracus]

He's created a Tevez situation for himself. No big clubs wants you Luis

[PTP]

[Neil Young]

I don't think it's much different to when we were kids though. We've idolised footballers since forever. Robbie Fowler was and still is referred to as God. We used to read all the papers, the teletext, buy Shoot and Match magazines, collect football stickers, put posters on our walls, buy Puma King football boots because King Kenny wore them.

It's not much different at all.

I think it's a lot worse now. Their profile is much higher, their pay is much bigger and their commercial value is much greater. And, for all those reasons, they are far more detached from the reality of most of us than they ever were, even in Barnes' day.

To use PTP's word, it's gone from star to superstar and that's not because the fans view them much differently, as you suggest.

I don't really think it's about their egos, I just think they live in a different world.

Even at the height of his fame Barnes didn't totally lose touch with reality and with where he came from, mainly because he was on £8k a week and most of even the top players were on a lot less. Of course he was still getting a small fortune compared to the rest of us but it was a different level from what it's like now, with agents, WAGS and hangers-on, commercial commitments, freebies and Ferraris. It was football, now it's showbiz. They're celebrities.

And the contemporaneous rise of celebrity culture more broadly is not coincidental.

[Sarb]

[PTP]

I think it's a lot worse now. Their profile is much higher, their pay is much bigger and their commercial value is much greater. And, for all those reasons, they are far more detached from the reality of most of us than they ever were, even in Barnes' day.

To use PTP's word, it's gone from star to superstar and that's not because the fans view them much differently, as you suggest.

I don't really think it's about their egos, I just think they live in a different world.

Even at the height of his fame Barnes didn't because he was on £8k a week - still a small fortune of course but a different level from what it's like now, with agents, WAGS and hangers-on, commercial commitments, freebies and Ferraris. It was football, now it's showbiz.

players will get and have always been worshiped by their fans (well the good players) but these guys now are almost a different breed

in fact i'd go as far to say that i bet you suarez himself doesn't know what he actually wants or have a clue what the **** is going on

nowadays it's all geared up to push a players profile as far as they can and then two years down the line engineer a move and then repeat.

look at tevez - how much dya reckon his agents have made from transfer fee's and contract negotiating - ****ing ridiculous.

something needs to be done to sort this part of the game out - and it needs to be worldwide FIFA endorsed.

Agents involved in transfers and contracts should be banned - players can still have 'agents' but they should be more like PA's or managers/advisors and deal with sponsorships etc

i don't know what would work - i don't know if it's a salary cap, or for transfer/contract negotiations have to be agreed with a 'FIFA' approved 3rd party. Some sort of legal adjudicator who uses set guidlines to ensure everything is fair, with no agent cuts etc

i don't know if those ideas would work or how, it's just some random thoughts i've just had




the big issue here though is nothing like that will ever work, because FIFA are the biggest corrupt mother****ers in the game, so when you have the leaders of the game pilfering money out of the game, it's clearly going to spread

[Bender]

LiverpoolFC News @LFCTransferNRS 3m
Luis Suarez invited Spanish newspaper Marca to his house to give an interview. What a thundercunt.

......MADRID (Reuters) - Liverpool striker Luis Suarez wants an "amicable agreement" to leave the club, honouring last year's contract clause that said he could leave if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

The Uruguay international scored 29 goals in all competitions last season, but after the Premier League side finished seventh and failed to qualify for Europe's elite club competition he has been the subject of intense transfer speculation.

Liverpool have maintained Suarez is not for sale despite a reported bid of just over 40 million pounds from Arsenal, who finished fourth to make the Champions League play-offs.

"(Last year) We had an offer from a club in the Champions League," Suarez told sports daily Marca on Thursday.

"I looked at the situation with my agent and they told me a new coach was arriving and that the club would push hard for a place in Europe.

"We agreed to renew the contract with a new clause: If we didn't qualify for the Champions League I would be able to leave if an offer for more than 40 million pounds came in.

"The option we have is from a team in the Champions League who are pushing hard for me."

Asked if he would submit an official transfer request to force his exit, Suarez replied: "My idea is to reach an amicable agreement and that they honour the clauses that we agreed a year ago.

"At the moment they aren't doing that." (Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Amlan Chakraborty)