'I've already got a job in Saudi - I don't understand the Henderson outrage'
I can see the usual horror has been provoked, now that some high profile figures in British football have become involved in the Saudi Pro League.
It is Jordan Henderson's supposed wages which has sparked the outrage, and as regular readers of this column will know, I’ve never quite understood why footballers' wages are such a sensitive topic, while the billions earned by financiers are never questioned.
Let's get one thing clear though. I’m not going to condemn Jordan, Steven Gerrard or anyone else who has gone to work in Saudi Arabia, or is thinking of doing so. Not because I’m taking the money too - that’s simply not true. As I’ve explained before, I have taken a job in the league below the Saudi Pro League because I am ambitious to become a manager, because I want to prove myself.
I’ve not been been given that chance in the UK. You look at my record, and I’ve done well wherever I’ve been, despite inheriting teams who were struggling before I arrived. This is my fourth head coach job now, and I back myself to succeed in this business.
I know people will laugh, but when I went to coach in Australia, I gave myself a five-year plan to manage in the Premier League. Yeah, you can mock, but in half a season I took a side languishing at the bottom to the top places. Covid absolutely ruined it of course, but it shows the desire I have to succeed. It shows the ambition and belief I have... and you don’t fulfil your ambition by sitting in front of your TV watching everyone else get jobs while you don’t.
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So I’ve gone out and backed myself. It’s obvious now no one is going to give me an opportunity at home... I’ve applied for so many positions and not got anywhere. So I’ve found a project where the team can grow and my coaching can develop.
That happens to be in Saudi Arabia, and it is an exciting project. But it’s not about money, believe me. My team Al-Qadsiah are currently in League One (second tier) and a long way from the top level. I came to offer my experience, to build a team just as we did in Australia, in India, and Thailand. Each of the clubs we worked with, improved beyond all recognition. That is what I’m taxed to do by the backers of the club, who want steady progress, not to throw money at it.
So we’ve signed Max Power from Wigan and Mbaye Daigne from Turkey, not the captain of Liverpool, or a host of internationals. It’s simply not about the cash. Though I take exception with people who are criticising Jordan Henderson or Steven Gerrard for that reason. I didn’t see anyone much calling our Cristiano Ronaldo last year for taking the cash.
Obviously I know Jordan well and I grew up with Stevie. I think Steven is like me - he wants to manage, he wants to prove himself, and after leaving Aston Villa, the right offer simply hasn’t come along. Now he has the backing of a big club, in a league that wants to grow, to become one of the better leagues in the world. It’s a great opportunity for a manager with ambition to get to the top.
We can all question why there’s that financial backing now, and yes, there has been money thrown at this big project. But has anyone questioned the Premier League for doing exactly the same thing? Not in England obviously, but I can tell you the rest of Europe has. They think the competition is unfair.
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Of course, some of the big names heading to Saudi Arabia have asked serious questions about whether the Pro League is going to surpass the Premier League. But c'mon, it will take many years, not several weeks. There is backing to grow, but it’s part of a bigger picture out here - the Asian Cup in 2027, and the World Cup is on the horizon as a possible bid in 2030. And a strong Pro League helps all that.
I don’t know the ins and outs of what happened with the league in China, but I think this is more organic, and there’s a stronger will to see the project grow and develop. And of course I’m not ignoring the debate about human rights, and the idea of sports washing. We all have our view on that, but is it ok for Qatar to host a World Cup, but Saudi Arabia not to have a Pro League?
Is it ok for Newcastle to be backed by the Saudis in England (and our own government sanctioned it) but not for them to have their own teams? People said the same thing about the LIV Tour in golf, how it was stealing the best players. But they didn’t say that the PGA Tour in America poached all the best golfers from Europe and Asia.
I don’t think though, that we’re going to get to a stage any time soon where the best players from all over the world come here, and no one wants to play in the Premier League, or La Liga. The biggest clubs there still dominate, they still bully the rest of Europe. They still take the best talent. Karim Benzema is 35, Jordan Henderson 33, N'Golo Kante is 32. Roberto Firmino is 31.
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There are some younger players coming, but it’s hardly the level which is going to have the Premier League quaking. And yes, I understand the argument about spiralling wages, but again - who said that about English football, or Italian football, or Spanish or whatever in the past?
In the end, I think a lot of it boils down to people just slagging off footballers earning big money because they are footballers. It’s almost as if people from a certain background are not entitled to use their talent to earn big money. Meanwhile, the rich get obscenely richer in our society, and no one says a word. People and companies got dubious contracts during Covid, they profiteered, and hardly anyone said a word.
Footballers are supposed to stick to football, not politics. Remember the outcry about Marcus Rashford trying ensure hungry kids were actually fed and not starved? Or Henderson supporting the NHS? They were condemned and told to stay out of politics.
Now players are going to Saudi Arabia and suddenly they’re supposed to do the politics. I’m not defending anything or anyone, but this is a matter of personal choice. And as I’ve made clear, my personal choice is not about money, it’s about trying to get off my backside and prove myself as a coach.
Dele has shown courage
Dele Alli bravely revealed all to Gary Neville (TheOverlap/Youtube)On the subject of footballers are always wrong, I’d like to say something about Dele Alli. I know Dele through my friend Karl Robinson who coached him at MK Dons. He’s a bright person and a massive football talent, and the criticism he has taken over the past few years has been disgusting.
Now we know some of the reasons for him supposedly wasting his talents. If he lost his way, then there were some powerful reasons, and we should be celebrating the fact that he has achieved what he has, not condemning what he hasn’t. I can only say that he has shown true courage in airing his issues from childhood and the battle he’s had, especially because he wants to help other kids in similar positions. He’s an example that it is possible to come through such a tough start in life.
He says football saved his life, but I’d say he owes nothing to football, and certainly not to those people who continue to abuse him and slate his achievements. I think credit has to be given to Everton for the support they’ve given too, and I want to wish him and them all the very best in the work they are both doing to address the issues he’s had.
One final thing. This sort of situation brings up something that has bothered me for ages. The time has come to stop every single idiot going online and abusing people. It is wrong, it is dehumanising and it should not happen. Online newspapers should close their comment sections. Social media companies have a massive duty to police comments; if they don’t they should pay a heavy financial penalty.
Why should every footballer be an open target for such abuse, why should people be able to get away with what is criminal behaviour? It is horrendous and the time has come to put a stop to it. On Dele, I think anyone who has read his words over the past couple of days who has even an ounce of humanity within themselves, will support and admire him for his courage and what he has achieved.
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