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Game turns back on Brad pack
By Michael Hart, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 24.07.03
Bradley Allen with wife Hayley and daughter Phoebe: "For many players it's becoming difficult to survive"
Bradley Allen is one of around 750 members of the Professional Footballers' Association wondering this summer whether their chosen profession is going to provide a living in the coming season.
The fact that about a sixth of the PFA membership shares the same concerns as Allen, 31, tells you all you need to know about the great divide in modern football.
As the minority at the David Beckham end of the scale get richer, a growing number at the tradesmen's end are facing serious hardship because of the re- structuring of football's finances following the collapse of ITV Digital.
Allen's case is typical. You may remember his 11 years with Queens Park Rangers and Charlton. As Les Ferdinand's striker partner in the 1992-93 season, he scored 11 goals in the Rangers side that finished fifth in the Premiership.
Son of Les Allen, younger brother of Clive, cousin of Paul and Martin, Bradley comes from a family steeped in football and knows better than most the rewards - and pitfalls - of the professional game. But nothing prepared him for the dramatic downturn that he and so many of his fellow professionals now face.
"I never earned the sort of money the guys in the top flight earn now but I thought as I got into my thirties, as long as I was still fit and enthusiastic, I'd be able to move down through the divisions," he said. "It's been the norm for decades.
"But it isn't the case any more. It's certainly the case now that most club chairmen prefer young players in their squads, who might command a bit more money, to those over 30. They see no return on players over 30.
"But I never envisaged the game would change as it has done. It's been the best job in the world for 15 years. I wouldn't swap that. But maybe players were spoiled and the game needed a reality check.
"I don't begrudge the big names their salaries. They have to live with pressure and scrutiny, and they have to perform at the highest level week after week. The quality of the back-up is so high at the big clubs that if they don't play well they're out."
Allen had a similarly worrying summer last year. Having been released by Grimsby, he was finally taken on by Barry Fry at Peterborough two weeks into the 2002-03 season. "We got to November and Barry said they couldn't keep me any longer," he recalled.
He was then offered a contract at Bristol Rovers and signed on the understanding that he would be given a deal for the season if he played 12 first-team games.
"I got to 10 and they told me they weren't going to play me any more," he said. "They were under no obligation to offer me a new deal. I was furious. I'd just moved my family down from Lincoln and thought by re-locating I'd demonstrated my commitment."
Allen, who recently returned to Essex with wife Hayley and their four-year-old daughter Phoebe, has just completed a UEFA coaching course with players like Eddie Newton and Justin Edinburgh.
"There were a lot of notable players on that course who were out of contract and looking for clubs," he said. "I'm at the crossroads in my career. I'm not bitter but very disappointed about what's happening in the game.
"I understand that a lot of clubs are struggling financially but for many players it's becoming very difficult now to survive. You begin to think there has to be a point when you have to make decisions. I never expected to consider quitting the professional game at 31. But because of the financial climate, clubs are no longer prepared to give an opportunity to players like me.
"I'm sure I can still do a good job for two or three years. I want to stay in the Football League but I've had offers from semi-pro and Conference clubs and I can't afford to dismiss them. Like everyone else, I've got bills to pay."
The former England Under-21 international is 11 years younger than brother Clive, whose career embraced Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham and Manchester City. He finally finished playing at the age of 34, at Carlisle.
The brothers remain close and Bradley often seeks Clive's advice. "Maybe I didn't live up to his career and score the goals he did," he said. "But I've always looked up to him and he's always been on the end of the phone when I needed someone to talk to."
