Thinking about talented players we've had and other professionals it's seems to be a growing problem.Alcohol and clubbing obviously have an impact.Much has been said about players falling out of love with being a professional footballer. Others blame lack of mentoring and too much salary too young .What do others think?.Brandon Williams was a highly rated youngster .Delle Alli nailed on pick for England.

Is it a growing problem? I imagine it’s less of a problem than ever with the support that young footballers get from clubs from academy level upwards.

Far too many different reasons to list but getting married and then failing to keep the zip on their trousers up has to be near the top. Unhappy home life leads to unhappy work life.

Signing for Man United

Norman Hunter.

No matter what job or career path you take, you can't do your best unless you are happy.
Happiness is all down to appreciating what you've got. Far too many people, and footballers just don't appreciate what they've got.

Colburn_Claret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 9:08 am

No matter what job or career path you take, you can't do your best unless you are happy.

That sums it up perfectly for me. I experienced both ends of the spectrum working for different companies.

Colburn_Claret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 9:08 am

No matter what job or career path you take, you can't do your best unless you are happy.
Happiness is all down to appreciating what you've got. Far too many people, and footballers just don't appreciate what they've got.

Indeed! It’s a human condition whereby we can’t help but wonder is the grass greener so to speak. Living for now instead of focusing too much on what’s been and what might be to come is sound advice.

As for pro footballers, they are just kids really earning astronomical sums of money and fame so it’s no surprise when they get into bother from time to time. God only knows what I would have done at the age of 21 earning £100k per week!!

Interestingly, top clubs are now employing ‘player welfare officers’ who I can only assume are there to prevent them falling in to a Benjamin Mendy type of scenario for example.

Ampth7 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 9:20 am

God only knows what I would have done at the age of 21 earning £100k per week!!

God knows (I can't totally recall as I was often too p*****d to know) what I did at 21, and I earned a very small fraction of a percent of £100k per week!

What goes on between the ears. I imagine most on here who have played competitive football at a lower level have experienced those baffling changes in confidence where you go from feeling like you are a good player and everything's coming off to having to overthink every touch just to try and do the basics.

I can't imagine how difficult the losses of confidence can be when you've got 30000 people watching you live and loads more on tv ready to batter you on social media after the game.

Few things. Mental pressure, bad habits, coaches that don’t take to a player at a young age.

Booze, gambling, drugs, women and squandering the rest of their high salaries

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 8:28 am

Norman Hunter.

Logged in just to "like" this.

I do recall the old George Best story of when he was approached by a bell boy while wearing Miss World on one arm and a bottle of Moet on the other and was asked 'where did it all go wrong Mr Best?.

I guess what wrecks footballers careers is a myriad of reasons somewhat similar to the way we can all look back and say if only....!

Let's be honest it's all relative. If Delli Alli has half a brain he's made enough to be secure himself for life from his ruined career.

Injuries.

Being put on a pedestal & only given positive feedback on their career & lives gives them an attitude & gilded cage syndrome! More clubs & agents need to be honest, tougher & keep them in the real world!

Fan hero worship & pandering comments don't do any favours. All the ******** hung out to dry or never treat right when effectively it leads to a mollycoddled behavior dummified.

women

I don’t have the answer but coming from good grounded parenting must help them. Far too many distractions but if the player is totally dedicated to becoming and staying a top footballer then you hope they’ll have a chance of keeping themselves on the straight and narrow.

To much money and time on their hands to waste it on things..

My football career was wrecked (at the age of 28) by a combination of Chondromalacia Patellae (arthritis underneath the kneecap) and short sightedness

Money for me just way too much of it .
If you have your agent as your dad ( I know are dicks as well ) who looked after you told you the pit falls but put the money away for you . All I can think of is Damien Duff whi mum looked after all his money for him and he went out and did his job which was playing football .

mine was wrecked by lack of the required level of ability

Too much too young

Cirrus_Minor wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 10:38 am

Booze, gambling, drugs, women and squandering the rest of their high salaries

Sounds great to me, where do I sign up?

Ampth7 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 4:30 pm

Sounds great to me, where do I sign up?

Old Trafford.

Social media

Tricky Trevor wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 8:11 am

Far too many different reasons to list but getting married and then failing to keep the zip on their trousers up has to be near the top. Unhappy home life leads to unhappy work life.

Terry and Giggs would suggest otherwise

It would be interesting to know whether clubs still encourage players to get married young and have kids in the hope they settle down. I’m sure it was encouraged in the past. Maybe not so much now as it can create more problems than it solves.

Foulthrow wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 5:08 pm

It would be interesting to know whether clubs still encourage players to get married young and have kids in the hope they settle down. I’m sure it was encouraged in the past. Maybe not so much now as it can create more problems than it solves.

Probably more relevant in a time where they would actually need to parent the kids and manage home affairs themselves instead of hiring people to do it. I think any employer 'encouraging' such things now would be on shaky ground.

boatshed bill wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 11:30 am

mine was wrecked by lack of the required level of ability

Brilliant!

Hardly a “ growing problem “ there’s just endless information and scrutiny of players even “ low level” .
Injuries can be incredibly hard to deal with for young lads as can the sheer dedication required to play professionally for any stretch . Add to that the ludicrous salaries and the temptations that go with having more money than you dreamt of .
Pressure too ,as so little is kept secret . You can’t go sh@gging everything that moves at the same level or you’re being torn apart by the media . Add in parties, drugs booze , social media etc..

Playing for rovers

2 things (in the main)
1. Too much money which I believe can cause a waning in the "desire" department. To keep playing you've train hard and sacrifice quite a lot in terms of a "regular lifestyle" and as the money piles up the desire dwindles because players realise they can only spend so much.
2. Injury. Clark Carlisle says openly how his issues began with injury whilst I think at QPR.

Tricky Trevor wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 4:34 pm

Old Trafford.

Speaking of Utd, I see they have somehow managed to find the thick edge of a 1/4 of a billion to buy 3 players this summer?! I thought they were going out of business last Christmas unless they sacked all their kitchen staff and receptionists?

Not sure where Brandon Williams is here.

He was convicted of dangerous driving and no insurance, suspended for two years.

He is now at Hull, he has had a lot of problems but if things go his way he will be back in top flight football next year

Agents Greed

Aside from injuries a lot of youngsters probably fall out of love with the game because Clubs are no longer in love with Football. It's a cut throat business with no room for mistakes either skill wise or behavioural.

There is no system for young players to progress steadily through A, B and Reserve teams before reaching the first team as a mature 21+ year old. In those days they had time to develop and become a bit more worldly wise.

Consequently youngsters are now thrust into a man's world with more money than most people can dream of and exposed to things beyond their wisdom. Let's face it even £500 a week is a lot of money for someone just above school age let alone those with £10,000+ a week pay packets.

They are given so much education and know all the traps but money in your pocket is different to a classroom exercise. I will add there are exceptions of course but there are quite a few with backgrounds they don't want to escape from and prefer the flash lifestyle over a humble work hard one.

Gambling and too much unoccupied time

Fans.

Expect too much, too soon.

Take Man Utd. So many youngsters come through in the last 10 years. Have a big moment, big performance and fans expect that every single week from then on.

Coaches need badges to coach at whatever level they’re at. Make young players play a an x amount of minutes/games at a lower level than their parent club. Clubs know when someones knocking on the door of the first team a year or 2 before hand. Send them on loan.

Thanks for all the comments it's refreshing for sensible posts without posters trying (usually totally unsuccessfully) to be comedians)

Not having a good man-manager as your gaffer.

A lot of younger footballers need a steady hand on their shoulder to get through all the chaos of that time in their lives, and it often can't come from the home because the guiding hand needs to be someone with experience of being a professional footballer as they went through it themselves.

Seems to me that without a Dyche-like figure (no nonsense, "this is how it is", "don't muck about") to keep them in check, it's easier to fall off the wagon and think you're invincible.

I mean hell, Dyche even got f*cking Joey Barton to act professionally, for a limited time anyway.

steve1264b wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 8:30 pm

Not sure where Brandon Williams is here.

He was convicted of dangerous driving and no insurance, suspended for two years.

He is now at Hull, he has had a lot of problems but if things go his way he will be back in top flight football next year

Maybe because he has a known substance abuse issues, has been without a club for over a year and the aforementioned run-ins with the law

Just a guess though

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 8:28 am

Norman Hunter.

Wrecked my dad's, even though Cyril Knowles and Steve Perryman had done him previously, Hunter finished him.

Love, sex, rock n roll ??

GoldenBoots wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 08, 2025 10:01 am

Wrecked my dad's, even though Cyril Knowles and Steve Perryman had done him previously, Hunter finished him.

On the same wavelength I'd say Johnny Morrisey for mine...

Boats n Ho's