How can footy supporters be taken in by this 'playing for the family's best interests' and 'lives placed on uncertain grounds' stuff? Dear me. These people aren't the footballers of old who got a few quid stuffed in their boots after the game, and maybe got a pub landlord deal thrown in for the end of their careers. They're multi-millionaires, and Naismith has already pocketted the kind of wealth well in excess of what he and his family could reasonably spend for ten lifetimes. It's incredible how hoodwinked - or, worse still, forelock tugging - some supporters are about these pamapered fcukers. They wouldn't give a toss if you were laid off work mate.
The only way it isn't analogous is that that lot up there cut and run for no fee and Barmby's exit coughed up £6M for us. And Rangers players weren't 'being betrayed' by the owners. Many of the players were hand in glove with the EBT. And what of the sense of betrayal felt by fans toward runaway players? Or is that sense of betrayal not as keenly felt?
If ifs and ands were pots and pans all that. You cant seriously argue a point from a position where nothing has happened yet. The point is, they didn't stick around to find out how it'll all work out. Anyway, he's here now and that's that. But it doesn't mean tortuous arguments that try and present Naismith and his friends jumping ship in a positive light are correct.
I am not trying to present them in a good light, my argument is more nuanced than that. I am merely arguing that you cannot judge them in a bad light yourself when you do not know all of the factors that have gone into a difficult decision. Please enlighten me if you posses a detailed file containing the facts of the Rangers situation including the extensive reasons the players have given for not transferring their contracts.
I understand that some fans will feel betrayed (many don't feel betrayed now that they have let their initial feelings cool off - many aim their hatred towards the former owners for creating the situation), players are well paid and that he wouldn't care if I was laid off work. I don't care if he is laid off work. I am simply asking you not to judge a player as a rat when there is not enough evidence to show the motivation.
Fans/consumers are always going to be the ones to lose out in a situation like this. However, football is just a game and doesn't have a huge impact on the things that are important in their life and they will be able to cope. It has happened before to other clubs and it will happen again. They do not have to work in such conditions and so cannot force the hand of a player though.
Barmby is not analogous. He was simply out for the money and forced the move. You cannot claim the same for all of the players who have left Rangers. For some it may be about the money, but for others it may not. Please do not generalise the situation and clump them all together when nobody has access to all the facts.
Moreover, most decisions are made on the balance of probabilities which are the ifs and ands as you like to call them. There were time frames in which they had to make their decision which did not allow for them to wait for the situation to pan out and so they had to make a decision based on what they could discern from what was presented.
Players are not saints, I will never argue this. I am just asking you not to judge Naismith when you are not privy to the facts.
