Premier League - Parker: Tours a necessary evil
Eurosport - Thu, 24 Jul 22:16:00 2008
With Manchester United spending the summer in South Africa and Chelsea in China, former United and England defender Paul Parker debates the value of pre-season overseas tours.
"For me, tours to far-flung places represent somewhat of a double-edged sword.
On one hand, the need to expand a club's global brand is evident, considering the sheer amount of 'untapped' support in countries like South Africa and China - and the money that can be gleaned from those places.
The very nature of modern football is such that money talks and with players being exchanged for sums which regularly exceed the £15 million mark, it is understandable that clubs look at different ways to generate finance.
Gate receipts from a 40,000 home crowd alone will no longer suffice; and there is a great deal of extra money to be made by selling shirts to new fans in places like Durban and Guangzhou.
But on the other hand, long-haul flights to far-away countries are far from ideal preparation for players ahead of a long and draining new Premier League campaign.
Such trips serve the club, and the club only.
As a player, I preferred spending pre-season touring around the West Country - as I did during my time at Fulham - rather than going all the way to South Africa or Malaysia - as I did with United.
Even going to Scandinavia on a week-long tour can be disruptive to a player's preparations for the new season.
When I was playing, the focus of a pre-season tour was firmly on building up fitness following the summer break.
But nowadays, with so many friendly matches being covered on television, wherever the game, players are increasingly judged on their performances rather than simply using the games to get their fitness levels back up.
Before television crews followed teams on their pre-season tours, you just wanted to get through the games with the minimum of fuss, whereas now players are expected to go a step further and actually impress on the pitch.
That makes for a far more difficult proposition for modern players. And as such, it would surprise me if given the choice, a player would rather travel abroad than prepare for the new season a little closer to home.
The trouble lies in finding a balance between furthering a club's standing abroad in order to be able to compete financially with their rivals and giving players the optimum conditions in which to prepare themselves for the upcoming season."
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Comment 1 - 15 of 15
A footballer talking about football is right. A former footballer talking about the pre-season training to fans that work in everyday jobs. A former player would not know what is like to double-back in a factory. To work nights in the summer, when it is too hot to sleep and the local children are out playing. To be on duty all over Xmas because you work in a hospital or a prison. To be that Police officer who has had to face angry football fans when their team has lost. Each one would love a few weeks working away from home, all expences payed at the end of the summer. Get real!!!
This decision by Kevin Keegan, presumably supported by Mike Ashley begs the question : How many ex-convicts are employed in the stores of Sports Direct ?
Mr Parker, please be fair in your comments. South Africa is gonna host 2010 Fifa WC.
We pay a lot of money for TV subscription so that we are able to watch EPL.
When the season ends, teams have chance to visit their fans on other countries value their fans by organising pre-season games. They are killing two birds with one stone. Remember sales of merchandise can really give you an idea of the amount of fan base in a particular country.
These games also helps player to adapt to a different opponents on new environment which will help increase player dynamics and manner of reading a game with an unknown opponent. Rise in fittness level will be there because the opponents will try to show how tough they are against Man UTD.
Please be wise and open up when you make a world comment.
as a south african i feel insulted by your pathetic comments. what do you mean "untapped" english preimer league has a large following in SA channels dedicated just for EPL so why should then not come to play here. as for the the strain it puts on them utter bulls#@! they enjoy the trips and adore them. You just think africa and asia are places were the Elite should not be going you think your white but your black get a grip you dump f!@#
Parker talks from his ass!!! Not intelligent at all!!!! The club fans work for 48 weeks a year and get paid £500 a week. They go to the stands to cheer their clubs as well. Footballers eran 100 times that and don't feel good travelling around the world for a few weeks? Rubish talk. Please take this guy off Yahoo. Lets have somebody whose comment we can reflect on.
Am totaly against Mr parker because all the yiaz ago UTD or other big clubs used to go in Asia,Africa bt the achivmnt in the seson is almost da same and he should also remember clubs are not going far only for training its also about the publicity the club to earn more fans all over the world which wil also lead to increase the market of club products such as kit n so on so UR TOTALLY WRONG MR PAKER....
I don't understand how YOU, Mr Parker, get paid for writing so much drivel
You opinions are quite pathetic and should be kept to yourself.
I agree with you simonhebert.....u are absolutely right
paul parker average footballer worse pundit who hires the columnists for yahoo
pro footballers are privelaged indeed, a short career maybe..but it would take the average full time worker a zillion years to earn what they do!!!...GET A GRIP!!!!!
paul parker talks rubbish
I agree completely with simonherbert, they ain nothin disadvantageous about going over sees, fans there who cannot personaly make it to europe deserve to see their teams live as well. Paul is wrong.
He isn't saying it is a hassle for the players, he is saying that as professional athletes it isn't the ideal preparation for them to be 100% fit and in peak condition for the new premier league season.
Come on Paul be serious!!!
A footballer has such a hard life!!
Sitting on an aeroplane for a few hours for the wages they earn going to a new country to promote their emplyers and improve their fitness for the coming season after holidaying for how many weeks??.
A normal person is lucky to have 21 days paid leave a year !!!
I think the clubs have a right to try and find as many opportunities to locate revenue to pay players wages in a very overated and inflated market!!!
I think your era of players and the new generation of players are spoilt, pampered and overpaid !!!
Its us little people that love our clubs and feel we have a responsibility to them that pay the wages of these players.
I say tell them to stop whining like babies and get out there in a new country and promote your team and the sport you are lucky enough to be able to play for a living.
Christ I bet there are millions of people who would do it for £12,000 per year let alone per day or week!!!!
Doctors save lives and receive alot less!!
It's about time players started to be a bit more respectful to their employers and their supporters as we do support you where else do you think the money comes from in the end (I'll remind you shall I the little person on the street why do the big companies sponsor sport to sell to us ultimately of course!!!).
Is life really such a big hassle for the wages you receive????
Even more useless than some of the TT articles
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