Jordan Henderson Moves to Al Ettifaq

[Spike]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

For reference, when talking about setting up children for life the first thing that comes to mind is schooling/university fees, considering they're the years that parents would pay for their children before they can start earning for themselves.

The most expensive school in UK costs approximately £50,000/year. So for school years, let's say 5-18y/o. 13 years at £50,000 is £650,000. 

Even if you have 2 kids, that's £1.2m to cover both kids for those 13 years in total.

Tuition fees for universities are £9,250/year. Let's say the kid does a 5-year medical course, cost is £46,250. Add in living costs - let's say £3500/m (high end in central London for example) for 5 years. That's £210,000. 

So we're talking £650,000 + £46,250 + £210,000 = That's £906,250 from aged 5 through to 23 (school + 5 years at uni + living costs) in total, not per year. Let's round that up to £1m to be generous.

Now, with Henderson's wage at Liverpool apparently being £5m/year since 2018, he's already earned £25m.

 

Even if he put away £5m across his current contract (not even taking into account previous wages/contract), and not even touch it or even stick it in various accounts to gain interest on it etc, he has £20m spare to 'set up his kids, grandkids. Even if you doubled the cost if he has 2 kids, that's £2m costs to cover and he's still got £20+m to play with. 

Obviously there's his own personal costs to factor in - mortgage, bills, luxuries, cars. Stick £10m to the side, if you must. If you're telling me he can't set up future generations on £10m/year that's remaining then there's something badly wrong or he needs a new financial advisor. 

 

Tell ‘em Stanley!

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Cicero said:

I am interested in this debate and since this is literally the 3rd or 4th time this discussion has been brought up about player X already earns enough money amidst a Saudi move, I am simply questioning why a fuck continues to be given?

Why wouldn't a fuck be given? It's not every day you see someone's public opinion shifted in an instant because they've decided to backtrack on very public statements they've made because they've been presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to make an extraordinary amount of money?

I think it's fair to question a guy for saying that Qatar's human rights record is "shocking, disappointing and horrendous" then a short while later agreeing to take money from PIF (who is financing these big money salaries)... which is the public fund of a country that's got a worse human rights record when he's already making money than most people will have in their bank accounts at one point in time in a month, while making good money for the vast majority of his career.

People (but not me) say footballers are role models. Maybe that's the case, but are they good role models? Probably not.

[Rick]

2 hours ago, Devil said:

Are you honestly going to believe anybody is going to turn away 36 million a year because a few people may be upset about a PR run statement he made years ago.

He can do anything he wants, but don’t expect me to have any respect for him if he does go there. You can say “PR run” when it comes to his statements all you want, but you have no proof that is true. Henderson has went to bat on lgbtq rights on numerous occasions, this move contradicts everything he has said. I don’t have to respect that because it’s a lot of money he’s going to be getting. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Just now, Rick said:

He can do anything he wants, but don’t expect me to have any respect for him if he does go there. You can say “PR run” when it comes to his statements all you want, but you have no proof that is true. Henderson has went to bat on lgbtq rights on numerous occasions, this move contradicts everything he has said. I don’t have to respect that because it’s a lot of money he’s going to be getting. 

I think Henderson's proved it true at this point tbf. He said it because it was the best thing to do for his image, not because he actually meant it. It was all just PR, I think that's why many people have lost respect for him.

[Stan]

11 minutes ago, Rick said:

He can do anything he wants, but don’t expect me to have any respect for him if he does go there. You can say “PR run” when it comes to his statements all you want, but you have no proof that is true. Henderson has went to bat on lgbtq rights on numerous occasions, this move contradicts everything he has said. I don’t have to respect that because it’s a lot of money he’s going to be getting. 

 

9 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think Henderson's proved it true at this point tbf. He said it because it was the best thing to do for his image, not because he actually meant it. It was all just PR, I think that's why many people have lost respect for him.

Did anyone say it was just for PR at the time? 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Just now, Stan said:

 

Did anyone say it was just for PR at the time? 

I don't think so, but I think that's because people wanted to believe a senior England player had some semblance of representing an ethical stance popular in his country. I think now the illusion's been shattered though.

Oh well, thanks for the memories & enjoy the retirement league and the money. But hopefully we don't ever hear him speak about any social issues ever again. Although I'm sure at some point he'll speak out to defend himself, although I think it'll be a bit after the move to where this has generally blown over.

[Reluctant Striker]

I have not followed Henderson's off field activities & statements to know the full story. But, any LGBT campaigns or support he has given, were they in a way also for the money? In the currency of reputation?

If not, then perhaps there is a more pressing need in Saudi Arabia than where he has been? The other side here is that the Saudi's know what they are culturally taking in. With WWE, they have had 2 big PPV events for a few years now. And WWE have made big storylines around 1st women's matches in Saudi Arabia, and so on. Youngsters of Saudi Arabia will be seeing & absorbing a form of entertainment where the females often have significant presence. The footballers on the way there have every chance to be making certain comments to sway any views, if they want to. Nations all over have political opposition which refers to how the other side are doing things better.

[Dr. Gonzo]

4 minutes ago, Reluctant Striker said:

I have not followed Henderson's off field activities & statements to know the full story. But, any LGBT campaigns or support he has given, were they in a way also for the money? In the currency of reputation?

If not, then perhaps there is a more pressing need in Saudi Arabia than where he has been? The other side here is that the Saudi's know what they are culturally taking in. With WWE, they have had 2 big PPV events for a few years now. And WWE have made big storylines around 1st women's matches in Saudi Arabia, and so on. Youngsters of Saudi Arabia will be seeing & absorbing a form of entertainment where the females often have significant presence. The footballers on the way there have every chance to be making certain comments to sway any views, if they want to. Nations all over have political opposition which refers to how the other side are doing things better.

I don't think it'd be legal for him to publicly speak out about LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia though.

Anyways, that's why there's a bigger fuss made over Henderson than Fabinho, Firmino, or many of the other people going. He made the choice to take a principled stand, then he made the choice to reject principles in favour of money. Calling out hypocrisy isn't that unusual.

[Cicero]

43 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Why wouldn't a fuck be given? It's not every day you see someone's public opinion shifted in an instant because they've decided to backtrack on very public statements they've made because they've been presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to make an extraordinary amount of money?

I think it's fair to question a guy for saying that Qatar's human rights record is "shocking, disappointing and horrendous" then a short while later agreeing to take money from PIF (who is financing these big money salaries)... which is the public fund of a country that's got a worse human rights record when he's already making money than most people will have in their bank accounts at one point in time in a month, while making good money for the vast majority of his career.

People (but not me) say footballers are role models. Maybe that's the case, but are they good role models? Probably not.

He's a hypocrite. Reality is footballers are no different than any other bloke you'll meet across the street aside the fact they are good with a football. Some of which are fucking awful people. No one should hold them to some morality pedestal. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 minute ago, Cicero said:

He's a hypocrite. Reality is footballers are no different than any other bloke you'll meet across the street aside the fact they are good with a football. Some of which are fucking awful people. No one should hold them to some morality pedestal. 

Yeah he's a hypocrite, and that's why people care more about this transfer than the other players going off to play in this retirement league - other than Neves, but I think that's because more people are surprised a player that far on that side of 30 decided to play there.

[Reluctant Striker]

22 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I don't think it'd be legal for him to publicly speak out about LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia though.

Anyways, that's why there's a bigger fuss made over Henderson than Fabinho, Firmino, or many of the other people going. He made the choice to take a principled stand, then he made the choice to reject principles in favour of money. Calling out hypocrisy isn't that unusual.

When opposition is not encouraged or allowed it is certainly more difficult to have views.

It was quite shocking that 1 senior Saudi person during the World Cup, laughing off the topic of gay people as them having a mental illness.

But, maybe in a different socio-political environment, the UK, Margaret Thatcher was talking in a remarkably similar way on televised political rallies, in the 1980's. Not one UK politician would do so now.

[Stan]

3 hours ago, Spike said:

Tell ‘em Stanley!

Seems like no one wants to talk any more

 

[Spike]

2 hours ago, Cicero said:

He's a hypocrite. Reality is footballers are no different than any other bloke you'll meet across the street aside the fact they are good with a football. Some of which are fucking awful people. No one should hold them to some morality pedestal. 

 

Except Henderson has put himself on that pedestal. He deserves all the criticism given.

[Spike]

20 minutes ago, Stan said:

Seems like no one wants to talk any more

 

Also no one takes into consideration send one kid to Eton and your family is set for eternity. 

[Honey Honey]

The rate at which the Saudi's are pushing boundaries and comfortably getting away with it is quite something. They've called our bluff and they keep finding new ways to do it. 

 

[6666]

45 minutes ago, Honey Honey said:

The rate at which the Saudi's are pushing boundaries and comfortably getting away with it is quite something. They've called our bluff and they keep finding new ways to do it. 

I mean, they're not really doing anything wrong by buying players a paying them high wages. Not sure there's anything for them to "get away with" as far as that's concerned. State owned clubs are a bigger issue than them trying to improve their league.

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, 6666 said:

I mean, they're not really doing anything wrong by buying players a paying them high wages. Not sure there's anything for them to "get away with" as far as that's concerned. State owned clubs are a bigger issue than them trying to improve their league.

Well this is a league with 4 state owned clubs and with state finances paying the big wages.

2 hours ago, Honey Honey said:

The rate at which the Saudi's are pushing boundaries and comfortably getting away with it is quite something. They've called our bluff and they keep finding new ways to do it. 

 

It's not really anything new for them, tbh. They basically always get what they want because they've got the world by the balls with their oil reserves. They've faced basically zero consequences for spreading wahhabi bullshit around the world, why would they face consequences for sportswashing? I think Jordan of Arabia is a big coup for them.

[6666]

12 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Well this is a league with 4 state owned clubs and with state finances paying the big wages.

I think you know I meant state owned clubs outside of that state. Seeing as we're talking about them influencing the world. If you didn't then I guess this clarifies it.

Although all this sports washing stuff is nonsense anyway. Which we've already talked about with Qatar. Even if it's their intention to "sports wash", it'll just put more of a spotlight on whatever they're supposedly tryna "sports wash".

[Dr. Gonzo]

5 minutes ago, 6666 said:

Even if it's their intention to "sports wash", it'll just put more of a spotlight on whatever they're supposedly tryna "sports wash".

It didn't really put a spotlight on it though. Ask most people about Qatar's world cup now and they'll mostly just talk about how it's the best world cup final they can remember, rather than how the world cup put a spotlight on their abuses.

[6666]

42 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

It didn't really put a spotlight on it though. Ask most people about Qatar's world cup now and they'll mostly just talk about how it's the best world cup final they can remember, rather than how the world cup put a spotlight on their abuses.

And that's because The World Cup isn't there anymore but when it was that's when people talked about it... that proves my point. Similar to how Saudi Arabia's human rights record is being talked about more because the focus is on them now in football.

And if even when they just remember the football at the World Cup, they're not thinking "the tournament was great and the tournament was in Qatar so that means the gays are terrible". No one looks at things that way when it comes to sporting events in western countries but this assumption that everyone's gonna think that way when it comes to non-western countries is just not realistic.

All of this also exposes that a lot of the people that complain about the wrongs of these countries also seem to move on from those countries when a different (non-western) country is under the spotlight. Righteousness tied to news cycles.

I think the US government are a bunch of cunts. Their foreign policy is the biggest poison in international politics and they have the most murderous military in the history of the world. That doesn't mean I'm gonna watch the World Cup in 2026 and think that's sports washing. Funnily enough, neither will the people that shout about sports washing the most.

[Spike]

Of course the USA having the WC is sportswashing. It’s a peacock of ‘look how great we are as hosts’, ‘look at our awesome infrastructure’, ‘look at at how bad Canada and Mexico are in comparison’

[OrangeKhrush]

13 hours ago, Spike said:

 

Except Henderson has put himself on that pedestal. He deserves all the criticism given.

most that have to preach virtue are self righteous and narcisitic and often do it for money from other agenda driven parties. 

Henderson was very good at playing for his target audience.   Now he has shown his true colours.

I'm just shocked that others are shocked

[Stan]

13 hours ago, Spike said:

Also no one takes into consideration send one kid to Eton and your family is set for eternity. 

I am surprised no one has come back to me on it. Not that I want a reaction, it just seems that the 'set up for kids/grandkids' argument is flawed and not fully thought out. 

[Honey Honey]

12 hours ago, 6666 said:

I mean, they're not really doing anything wrong by buying players a paying them high wages. Not sure there's anything for them to "get away with" as far as that's concerned. State owned clubs are a bigger issue than them trying to improve their league.

You prove my point all over.

The social jesting of boundaries toward them are incrementally being broken through. Calling the social bluffs which our entire society is built upon. Exposing our weakness and the fragility of the whole thing.

State owned clubs an issue to you but you'll carry on anyway and just post about it on the Internet. You're priced in. They knew some people wouldn't like it but that they'd do fuck all about it but post online.

They're rapidly making incremental steps. We are seeing it within Newcastle United with many things which were deemed too controversial when they took over. Now they're just doing them. The kit getting more Saudi. The team going to Saudi. This is all sketchy stuff that they're normalising through our disarray, those who don't like it versus those who don't care.

[Spike]

43 minutes ago, OrangeKhrush said:

most that have to preach virtue are self righteous and narcisitic and often do it for money from other agenda driven parties. 

Henderson was very good at playing for his target audience.   Now he has shown his true colours.

I'm just shocked that others are shocked

That is bullshit.