Can the REAL footballer’s please stand up...?

2012 was a year in which sport really came to the fore due to, in no small part, the success of the London Olympics. Since then, there has been a lot of talk regarding the “legacy” of the London Olympics. Another major discussion point was the attitudes of the athletes who took part in the London Olympics and the plight of the modern day athlete. We all know the dedication and the sacrifices that athletes make in order to pursue their dream...working a full time job and then still finding time to train. The dedication and determination shown deserves all the plaudits and recognition it has been given. But as always in this country, comparisons were instantly drawn with the modern day footballer...suffice to say that such comparisons did not reflect well on the footballer.

It is important to reiterate that we do suffer from a degree of sensationalism in this country. In my opinion this is a result of a mixture of factors such as negative media coverage, human nature and our nation’s culture. Now I am sure that many a written word...not to mention column inches has been dedicated to this very topic, so I do not wish to rehash old ground. However, recent events have led me to revive a well flogged horse for one more lap around the track.

I am not sure if you are familiar with Sky Sport’s “My Special Day” programme, but it was through watching this show that you see another side to these footballers which is not often reported or discussed. Yes we hear about the contracts, the astronomical salaries, and incidents involving fireworks, the clubbing and the scandals. Sometimes it is difficult not to form an “opinion”.  However, when you see these stars taking the time to speak to a young fan that is spending the day with them, making them feel part of their day, training with them...it becomes evident that although these stars are extremely privileged individuals, they are prepared to give back at any opportunity. Now I can hear the cynical souls among you thinking “...well of course they are going to be warm and welcoming...they are on camera...” To be honest I would be lying if I said that this thought did not cross my mind for a fleeting moment, but that moment of doubt was disregarded as quickly as it reared its ugly head. Whatever, we think of them, these guys are fathers, uncles, brothers, sons... they were not born into football, they live the same lives as the average Joe Bloggs, and they just do so with a degree of affluence.

As I continued to mentally prepare myself to take my place in the London “rat race” that morning, I did feel a pang of guilt for that fleeting moment of doubt. However, if the truth be told, many of us have a tarnished view of the modern day footballer, due in no small part, to the negativity that often engulfs football today. But even through the mire, we find a shining ray of hope and that hope comes in the form of the actions of Angel Rangel of Swansea City FC over the festive period. With the social media network which is now engrained in modern society, it is almost unfathomable to think that there is anyone who has not heard about this story, so I will not go into too much detail. Here is a privileged individual who was bestowed yet another privilege of free food...one which many of us would take for granted. However, in this instance he and his wife went out of their way to bestow said privilege upon those less fortunate than most of us who are reading this blog. In the immortal words of Andy Gray, “...take a bow son...”

Now a lot has been made of this to date, Jim White of the Telegraph quoted a Twitter user as stating that Angel’s actions were “...in danger of giving footballers a good name...” Truth be told, there are many footballers who, either through random acts of kindness, their own charitable organisations, The Steven Gerrard Foundation or schemes such as Little Stars Awards, My Special Day and Make a Wish, do things for their fellow man. Just recently David Beckham, who recently signed for PSG offered his wages to a local children’s charity in Paris. Sadly it seems that regulations prohibit a player playing for free, but I am sure something will be worked out. My only hope is that the younger generation observe the lessons to be learnt here. Football is not simply about the car you drive, the size of the house you live, nor is it about the salary you earn each week. If this lesson can be learnt, then maybe we have a chance to get back to the days when being a footballer was simply about the love of playing the game.

I am not suggesting that all footballers should work for free or even give their wages to charity, nor am I suggesting that they are angels to be revered. But between Angel Rangel, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham, there seems to be a growing trend that footballers may not be so bad after all.

Now you don’t have to take my word for it.

I'm just saying...

Hear no Evil, CEO no Evil

As a child we entrust our parents to guide us through our formative years, making decisions on our behalf which, with the exception of some truly sad cases, our parents undertake with our best interests at heart.  Now I am no anthropologist, but it comes as no surprise to me that many of us tend to look to our CEO’s in the same way. When you think about it, there are indeed varying degrees of similarity between the two.

As the world moves forward and as social trends subsequently evolve, parents have the unenviable task of having to adapt to our new social, political and macroeconomic environment in order to maintain standards as good parents, it saddens me to see that this process is not replicated in the CEO’s corner office. Now I am not saying that all CEOs are bad, as the job of a parent is a difficult one, so too is that of a CEO. It is undoubtedly an extremely challenging role and is not for the shrinking violets among us.

That being said, it is hard to avoid the niggling question that has continued to repeat itself in the dark recesses of my mind since the collapse of stellar companies such as Lehman Brothers in 2008, not to mention the more recent demise of companies such as Blockbusters and HMV. These CEOs have been in the industry for years and helped shape some of the major conglomerates we would call market leaders in their respective industries, yet they have all fallen foul of the same error in judgement, namely failure to respond to or anticipate changes in the market. While this loosely applies to Lehman Brothers, due to the unique nature of the financial market and the factors which led to its meltdown, I will focus more on the retail industry.

Let us begin with Blockbusters...how many of you can remember the local video shop... not store or retail chain..., shop?

If you are struggling to visualise what I am talking about then my point has been made. Following the arrival of Blockbuster to our shores in the early 1990’s one by one our local video shops began to close and by the early 2000’s, Blockbuster stores had spread around the country like a virus spreads within its new host, taking a strangle hold on the home entertainment market. One could make a compelling case for complacency, mismanagement or simply negligence... whatever the reason, the result remained the same. Driven by the rapid growth of the internet, by 2000, we had 2 new competitors in the market signalling the beginning of the onslaught on Blockbuster’s market share. Despite the growing threat, Blockbuster’s remained assured in their archaic model. Surprisingly, it was at this time that a single question resonated within its consumer base, “why didn’t Blockbuster’s introduce an online streaming service?” Surely this would have gone some way to securing their future? Sadly this epiphany never materialise. In fact it was Amazon who seized upon the opportunity in 2011 and acquired LOVEFILM. For many, this acquisition signalled the end of Blockbuster’s as Amazon’s significant distribution network drove LOVEFILM to the heights at which they operate today. Truth be told, the only surprise is that it took yet another 2 years for the towel to be thrown in.

Tragic though it may seem, would it come as surprise if I hypothesised that HMV succumbed to a similar foe?

Having seen off the challenge of Tower Records, Our Price, Virgin Records and Woolworths to some degree, HMV also found their comfort zone in an archaic model and basked in their past success. Despite embracing an effective online service and enjoying a healthy market share, even in light of the growing threat of Amazon, HMV failed to strategically position itself for the dawn of the “download culture” which was now sweeping through the consumer space, in particular, with the younger demographic...a trend exploited with ruthless efficiency by Apple. Once again, an onslaught on a market leader began. Whilst HMV tried to respond by allowing consumers to listen to songs prior to purchasing an album, they could not compete with the exponential rate at which iTunes online store grew.

It is interesting to see that one can draw the same conclusion from both case studies. If video really did kill the radio store, then the latest predator of the high street is the Worldwide Web and the complacent CEO.

The unfortunate victims in both circumstances are the employees. Through no fault of their own thousands of people may now find themselves out of a job without a redundancy package to ease the transition through an already saturated labour market. Now I would like to reiterate that it is not my intention to vilify the CEO, there are two sides to every story and unfortunately, I do not have the resources to ascertain both points of view. All information sourced in this blog has been procured from the various articles and business reviews which are readily available on the internet. That being said, I feel that as we hold CEOs in high regard in periods of success, so to must they be held accountable when strategies fail. I have personally experienced situations when a failed strategy is met with a mass of redundancies and the opportunity to redress the situation with minimal accountability. Sadly this is all too often the reality.  

Now I do not proclaim to have all the answers, nor do I claim to be the next Steve Jobs....

I’m just saying...

Do you know a child who has cancer?

If the answer is yes, then why not nominate them for a Cancer Research Little Star award?

Why not give children with cancer something to smile about, and perhaps let them forget about the pain they are going through.

All you need to do is nominate a child with cancer through www.cruk.org/littlestar, there is no selection process, so any child that is nominated receives the award. There’s no catch, you don’t need to raise money, and we won’t be asking you for money, so really all you are doing is making a child out there feel special.

Award details

Little Star awards recognise the courage of children diagnosed with cancer. Every child nominated for a Little Star award receives:

• A trophy
• A t-shirt
• A £50 voucher to spend in TK Maxx
• A certificate signed by celebrities (including JLS, Mo Farah and England Captain Steven Gerrard, Leona Lewis, Ashley Young, Joe Hart), and an official JLS full colour tour programme.

The siblings of the nominated child also receive a certificate. 

How it works

Parents, friends, colleagues and relatives from across the UK can put forward the name of a Little Star who is dear to them for special recognition. As mentioned above there isn’t any money involved, and parents don’t have to raise any sponsorship for Cancer Research UK.

Also there is no selection process, or even hint of a competition, it is open for all children that meet the following criteria:

1.              Under 18 years of age and live in the UK.

2.             Haven’t received a Little Star Award before.

3.             Have been diagnosed in the past 5 years.

Then they become a Little Star.  That’s all there is to it.

For more information and to nominate a child, please visit www.cruk.org/littlestar

At the same time, if your company or the organisation you work for would be interested in publicising the Little Star awards to as many employees as possible, and it would be really great if your company can be a part of it.  As mentioned above, there is no selection process, so any child that is nominated receives the award, and there is no money involved, we are not asking for money, just a way in to spread this fantastic scheme from Cancer Research UK.  Please do get in touch with us at imjustsaying8@gmail.com for further information and contact details.

I'm just saying...

#littlestarawards #cancerresearchuk #CR_UK #kidswithcancer #children

(All thoughts and opinions expressed here are based purely on our own views, we have not been paid to write about what we write, whether it be on products, services, websites and various other topics.)