Post by Macmoish on Mar 12, 2011 8:45:37 GMT
If he'd joined us, he could have learned from the master
Guardian/Stuart James
Reading's Jobi McAnuff plots an FA Cup shock and an interesting future
Meet the footballer who reads books and thinks like a fan, but wants to be an agent
It takes little time in Jobi McAnuff's company to realise that the Reading winger will not be trotting out the usual cliches. Within a few minutes of sitting down, McAnuff explains why he believes it is important to introduce a salary cap to ensure fans are not priced out of following their team – an idea that may not be too popular among the Manchester City side he lines up against on Sunday – and expresses concern about the number of "overpaid players doing an average job".
It would be easy for those unfamiliar with McAnuff to dismiss his remarks as belonging to an embittered journeyman who has never quite managed to get his own big payday in the Premier League, yet nothing could be further from the truth. McAnuff is grateful for what he has got rather than resentful about what he has missed out on, and when he talks about how football needs to change it is because he cares passionately about a sport that he has recently extended his interest in.
The 29-year-old has formed Infinite Sports Management with his former Wimbledon team-mate Lionel Morgan – a prodigiously talented youngster who attracted a £750,000 bid from Tottenham before he had to retire at the age of 21 because of injury – and is going to become a football agent when he retires. It seems, on the face of it, an unlikely occupation for someone railing against the financial state of the game, but McAnuff's vision of what an agent should do extends well beyond making money.
"A lot of the agents, as good as they are at negotiating a contract or having a contact to get into Milan, they haven't played the game and they haven't got the day-to-day understanding of what it takes to become an apprentice, to get a professional contract and to be trying to get into the first team," says McAnuff, who will initially act as a "mentor" for clients. "It's impossible for those agents, we feel, to relate to a player as well as we can do. And that's something we're trying to get across to people."
McAnuff and Morgan are currently in talks with a few young professionals, although they are also keen to create opportunities for underprivileged children in north London, where they grew up. With the contacts he has built up playing for Wimbledon, West Ham, Cardiff, Crystal Palace, Watford and now Reading, McAnuff is confident he will be able to open doors for others, although he also wants players to learn how to do things for themselves.
"A lot of players don't know what kind of mortgage they have on their house, or what finance they're paying on their car because people are doing everything for them. For years and years I've seen players that can't book their own dentist appointment because they've got people pampering them. But, realistically, there will come a point when they do need to learn. We want to help them get the best mortgage possible, but we also want them to have an understanding of why they've got that product."
At the heart of McAnuff's approach is a desire to be "honest", which is not a word everyone associates with agents. "It isn't," he agrees. "I've been in a situation at Wimbledon where we went into administration and every day was a struggle – one day there was no powder to wash the kit. It was a tough time and, as a player, you are wondering what is happening. I've got an agent telling me this club and that club might be interested, but I just want a 'yes' or a 'no'. A lot of agents tell you what they think you want to hear, and I just don't understand that."
It is fair to say that a lot of McAnuff's peers would find it just as hard to understand why he is worrying about salary caps and ticket prices. For him, though, it is about remembering the values instilled during his upbringing. "Growing up in Tottenham is probably not the most affluent area. People there have to work hard for everything they've got. You go down to Tottenham now, and whether it be people on the fruit stalls or in little shops, everything they've got they've had to earn. I'd say that's a big part of the person I am today."
Whether he will get his wish on footballers' wages is for the future. "I definitely think there should be some sort of limit," says McAnuff. "It is difficult to enforce but we have to be really careful that we're not going away from the fans that are paying their money to come to a game, because it's getting ridiculous. I was speaking to a Reading fan the other day, after a game, and it's tough for them to bring their kids to a match – and that's the next generation of supporters that are going to keep the clubs going."
Those Reading fans travelling to Eastlands will be hoping McAnuff and his team-mates can repeat the performances that have led to away FA Cup wins over Everton and Liverpool in the FA Cup this season and last. McAnuff was exceptional in both games against Liverpool last year, and came close to scoring what would have been one of the greatest FA Cup goals, when he ran from inside his own half at Anfield, leaving a trail of players in his wake, only to shoot agonisingly wide. "A great run without the finish – there's no point in it," says McAnuff, smiling.
Watching McAnuff's performances against Liverpool it was impossible not to wonder why he has never appeared in the Premier League. "There is definitely frustration," he says. "As you get older and see more people that you have played with that get there, you think: 'Why not me?' But there are probably a lot of people in League Two who wonder why they're not playing in the Championship. I'm fortunate enough to be where I am. The Premier League is where I want to be, but there's only one person that's going to get me there and that's myself."
His intelligence, as well as his pace and trickery on the flank, would be a welcome addition. "I've had it a few times where people say: 'Oh, you're quite bright', as if I shouldn't be because I'm a footballer," McAnuff says, laughing. "And I've had a few clubs where players, messing about, say: 'Do you think you are clever?' Or someone will say: 'Why are you pretending to read a book?' But that's part of who I am, and I'm glad people look at me in that light."
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/12/jobi-mcanuff-reading-manchester-city?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Ffootball%2Frss+%28Football%29
Guardian/Stuart James
Reading's Jobi McAnuff plots an FA Cup shock and an interesting future
Meet the footballer who reads books and thinks like a fan, but wants to be an agent
It takes little time in Jobi McAnuff's company to realise that the Reading winger will not be trotting out the usual cliches. Within a few minutes of sitting down, McAnuff explains why he believes it is important to introduce a salary cap to ensure fans are not priced out of following their team – an idea that may not be too popular among the Manchester City side he lines up against on Sunday – and expresses concern about the number of "overpaid players doing an average job".
It would be easy for those unfamiliar with McAnuff to dismiss his remarks as belonging to an embittered journeyman who has never quite managed to get his own big payday in the Premier League, yet nothing could be further from the truth. McAnuff is grateful for what he has got rather than resentful about what he has missed out on, and when he talks about how football needs to change it is because he cares passionately about a sport that he has recently extended his interest in.
The 29-year-old has formed Infinite Sports Management with his former Wimbledon team-mate Lionel Morgan – a prodigiously talented youngster who attracted a £750,000 bid from Tottenham before he had to retire at the age of 21 because of injury – and is going to become a football agent when he retires. It seems, on the face of it, an unlikely occupation for someone railing against the financial state of the game, but McAnuff's vision of what an agent should do extends well beyond making money.
"A lot of the agents, as good as they are at negotiating a contract or having a contact to get into Milan, they haven't played the game and they haven't got the day-to-day understanding of what it takes to become an apprentice, to get a professional contract and to be trying to get into the first team," says McAnuff, who will initially act as a "mentor" for clients. "It's impossible for those agents, we feel, to relate to a player as well as we can do. And that's something we're trying to get across to people."
McAnuff and Morgan are currently in talks with a few young professionals, although they are also keen to create opportunities for underprivileged children in north London, where they grew up. With the contacts he has built up playing for Wimbledon, West Ham, Cardiff, Crystal Palace, Watford and now Reading, McAnuff is confident he will be able to open doors for others, although he also wants players to learn how to do things for themselves.
"A lot of players don't know what kind of mortgage they have on their house, or what finance they're paying on their car because people are doing everything for them. For years and years I've seen players that can't book their own dentist appointment because they've got people pampering them. But, realistically, there will come a point when they do need to learn. We want to help them get the best mortgage possible, but we also want them to have an understanding of why they've got that product."
At the heart of McAnuff's approach is a desire to be "honest", which is not a word everyone associates with agents. "It isn't," he agrees. "I've been in a situation at Wimbledon where we went into administration and every day was a struggle – one day there was no powder to wash the kit. It was a tough time and, as a player, you are wondering what is happening. I've got an agent telling me this club and that club might be interested, but I just want a 'yes' or a 'no'. A lot of agents tell you what they think you want to hear, and I just don't understand that."
It is fair to say that a lot of McAnuff's peers would find it just as hard to understand why he is worrying about salary caps and ticket prices. For him, though, it is about remembering the values instilled during his upbringing. "Growing up in Tottenham is probably not the most affluent area. People there have to work hard for everything they've got. You go down to Tottenham now, and whether it be people on the fruit stalls or in little shops, everything they've got they've had to earn. I'd say that's a big part of the person I am today."
Whether he will get his wish on footballers' wages is for the future. "I definitely think there should be some sort of limit," says McAnuff. "It is difficult to enforce but we have to be really careful that we're not going away from the fans that are paying their money to come to a game, because it's getting ridiculous. I was speaking to a Reading fan the other day, after a game, and it's tough for them to bring their kids to a match – and that's the next generation of supporters that are going to keep the clubs going."
Those Reading fans travelling to Eastlands will be hoping McAnuff and his team-mates can repeat the performances that have led to away FA Cup wins over Everton and Liverpool in the FA Cup this season and last. McAnuff was exceptional in both games against Liverpool last year, and came close to scoring what would have been one of the greatest FA Cup goals, when he ran from inside his own half at Anfield, leaving a trail of players in his wake, only to shoot agonisingly wide. "A great run without the finish – there's no point in it," says McAnuff, smiling.
Watching McAnuff's performances against Liverpool it was impossible not to wonder why he has never appeared in the Premier League. "There is definitely frustration," he says. "As you get older and see more people that you have played with that get there, you think: 'Why not me?' But there are probably a lot of people in League Two who wonder why they're not playing in the Championship. I'm fortunate enough to be where I am. The Premier League is where I want to be, but there's only one person that's going to get me there and that's myself."
His intelligence, as well as his pace and trickery on the flank, would be a welcome addition. "I've had it a few times where people say: 'Oh, you're quite bright', as if I shouldn't be because I'm a footballer," McAnuff says, laughing. "And I've had a few clubs where players, messing about, say: 'Do you think you are clever?' Or someone will say: 'Why are you pretending to read a book?' But that's part of who I am, and I'm glad people look at me in that light."
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/12/jobi-mcanuff-reading-manchester-city?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Ffootball%2Frss+%28Football%29