The Football.....

[Roadhump]

Talking of sentiment and Wayne Rooney, the below photo first appeared in the Liverpool Echo on 4th November 2002, the day after Everton went to Elland Road and beat Leeds 1-0 in a Premier League game. It was the first time Everton had won in the league at Leeds for 51 years, and Rooney scored a great goal to seal the points.

Me and my then 13 year old son went to that game and were behind the goal where Rooney scored. The following day I bought the paper to read the match report, and saw the picture of Rooney celebrating his goal. Me and my son are in the picture and for a while a copy was framed and hung on the wall in the local pub. I am about 4 rows from the front and about 4 people in from the left of the photo, with both my arms in the air and the light reflecting off my specs, my son is to my right with pat of his face obscured by someone's arm. At the end of the game, Joseph Yobo threw his shirt into the crowd and the bloke next to us fought off about 20 other fans to claim it. One of those great moments only football fans can understand, and a great dad and lad moment for me and my son.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I don't know how these players adapt to China.

Following a 4 week holiday there a few years back I would never visit again. It was interesting for sure but it was by far the most alien place culturally that I have ever visited. The thought of living there is horrific.

Maybe they just go there and live in their own protected bubble - not much of a life though.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Isn't that how they live here?

Yes, just like here they'll have a "fixer" (i.e. servant) who does all those baffling things like paying bills, buying services, getting food in that's recognisable, arranging your tax affairs, diary etc. It leaves the footballer all day for his two hours football training, 6 hours of Playstation, and a couple of hours on Twitter / Bet365 etc. You could indeed be anywhere.

 

[Biff600]

I don't know how these players adapt to China.

Following a 4 week holiday there a few years back I would never visit again. It was interesting for sure but it was by far the most alien place culturally that I have ever visited. The thought of living there is horrific.

Maybe they just go there and live in their own protected bubble - not much of a life though.

I have a rolling contract in Shanghai every year, and although it's only for a couple of weeks of the year, I actually quite like the place.

The weather is generally better than the UK, the cost of living is cheaper than the UK and the language is easy enough to learn and speak.

Obviously for someone living out there for a period of time, there will be bigger differences than they are used to in the UK

Ducks necks or ducks tongues anyone ?????

 

[martint235]

I have a rolling contract in Shanghai every year, and although it's only for a couple of weeks of the year, I actually quite like the place.

The weather is generally better than the UK, the cost of living is cheaper than the UK and the language is easy enough to learn and speak.

Obviously for someone living out there for a period of time, there will be bigger differences than they are used to in the UK

Ducks necks or ducks tongues anyone ?????

View attachment 339236

Would it be wrong to say I'll try both??

 

[Biff600]

Would it be wrong to say I'll try both??

They also have chickens and ducks feet !! I photographed them at Pudong Airport where they sold them as a in-flight snack-a-roo !!!

 

[Smokin Joe]

Greed. Those that have a lot of money usually want a whole lot more.

Ambition.

Why shouldn't the bloke get as much out of the game as clubs are willing to pay him, he isn't holding a gun to anyone's head. It's Chinese money and when he returns to the UK he'll bring it back into our economy. Let's face it, in worldwide terms all of us here are stinking rich anyway.

 

[martint235]

They also have chickens and ducks feet !! I photographed them at Pudong Airport where they sold them as a in-flight snack-a-roo !!!

View attachment 339248

Nom nom nom.

Unfortunately, China is on my list of places, along with New Zealand and Australia, that I'd really like to go to but I just can't be arsed to spend that long on a plane to get there.

 

[ianrauk]

Ambition.

Why shouldn't the bloke get as much out of the game as clubs are willing to pay him, he isn't holding a gun to anyone's head. It's Chinese money and when he returns to the UK he'll bring it back into our economy. Let's face it, in worldwide terms all of us here are stinking rich anyway.

Ambition is not going to China to play football. It's 100% about the money.

 

[martint235]

Ambition is not going to China to play football. It's 100% about the money.

Would you not go and live in China for £52m a year? I would. I'd fly back every weekend for that sort of money.

 

[ianrauk]

Would you not go and live in China for £52m a year? I would. I'd fly back every weekend for that sort of money.

Of course you would. You go for the money, you don't go to better yourself and test yourself against the best in world football in China would you?

 

[SpokeyDokey]

They also have chickens and ducks feet !! I photographed them at Pudong Airport where they sold them as a in-flight snack-a-roo !!!

View attachment 339248

Basically: they'll eat anything with a hint of calorie in.

Some of the crap we saw for sale in the markets we wouldn't give to a dog - and they aren't overly fussy eaters.

 

[martint235]

Of course you would. You go for the money, you don't go to better yourself and test yourself against the best in world football in China would you?

I'll go along with that but he's 31, he's as good (or has been as good) as he's going to get. Now is the time that if someone offers you £52m a year, you stop chewing when you get to the elbow.

 

[martint235]

Wouldn't that be when they might want him there to turn up for work?

Picky, picky, picky!!! And I don't even know when the Chinese watch football, it might be a weird time of the day. The Kiwis play Super Rugby at 6:30 on a Saturday morning. Most inconvenient.

 

[ianrauk]

I'll go along with that but he's 31, he's as good (or has been as good) as he's going to get. Now is the time that if someone offers you £52m a year, you stop chewing when you get to the elbow.

You know I know that. The point is, footballers go to China for the money not footballing reasons