I am forever intrigued by the manner in which many members of the media discuss the wages of professional footballers. "Obscene" is the fashionable word used by these people usually in an attempt to denigrate the superior salaries paid to modern footballers. This type of behaviour is rather childish in my view because it generally reflects an inherent jealousy or at the very least, a small mindedness that is further reflective of a lack of appreciation of the life of a professional athlete.

When I played professional football some of my biggest challenges occurred away from the pitch. God knows it was hard enough to gain recognition and credit on the field of play but in many ways the more important encounters, and ironically at times the most bitter, occurred at seasons end when my contract was due to expire.

Controlled career

In those days a player's career was literally controlled by the football club he played for. If contractual discussions broke down and stalemate reigned supreme, the club could simply retain the rights to an individuals contract and it was not even compulsory for it to pay him any money whatsoever.

Hence, a married footballer with a family to provide for often found himself in an impossible position that decreed he simply had no other option but to sign a new contract on the terms dictated by the club. I became very accomplished in the art of contractual discussion. I had to. It was as much a necessity in my eyes to be as wily and nimble in the manager's office as it was in the penalty area.

And when we failed to realise an agreement in the manager's office, the discussions usually moved on to the Chairman's office. Now, in a way, this was quite daunting because Chairmen tend to take themselves very seriously and it was a bit like going to the Headmaster's office when attending school, but at the same time, it was also encouraging, as it signified that your services were valued.

Respect

I still insist that professional footballers were not really treated with enough respect and consideration in those days and yet I accept that the power in today's game has moved from clubs to players, which is simply a reversal of the imbalance in many ways. In saying that, I do not accept in any way whatsoever the right of any journalist to deprecate the salary of a highly trained and successful professional footballer.