https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ng-qpr?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard
Yet another reminder of the human side of football.
I remember when he first broke into the team at Spurs he looked like he had everything to be an England international for years to come. Then a strange move to Cardiff and downward spiral.
I don't want to turn this into another Bravo thread, but when you hear ironic cheering in the stadium when he catches the ball, the constant digs in the media from ex-pros/pundits, and the general level of abuse and basically bullying that he's been through in the last season, makes me wonder how i'd cope in that situation and it's definitely not as well as he has. There's such a difference in his demeanour and performances when he's playing for Chile and when he was at Barcelona, it clearly has affected him.
There's the usual argument about being highly paid to deal with the pressure etc etc, it has some validity however time and time again we see footballers spiral into destructive patterns of behaviour, the constant pressure and scrutiny must be very difficult for some people to deal with, and as in the article above, the money can make it worse.
It won't happen because the game is such an outlet for the emotion of fans, but i'd like to see players in general treated a bit more like you'd treat anyone else, just with a little bit of respect, no matter how poorly they're performing on the pitch. The fan can go home and feel better having vented some pent up frustration, but the footballer can go home carrying all the baggage and weight of the expectation and abuse.
Anyway, hopefully Caulker has got control of his problems for good, and can perhaps fulfil some of the potential that he clearly did have.
Yet another reminder of the human side of football.
I remember when he first broke into the team at Spurs he looked like he had everything to be an England international for years to come. Then a strange move to Cardiff and downward spiral.
I don't want to turn this into another Bravo thread, but when you hear ironic cheering in the stadium when he catches the ball, the constant digs in the media from ex-pros/pundits, and the general level of abuse and basically bullying that he's been through in the last season, makes me wonder how i'd cope in that situation and it's definitely not as well as he has. There's such a difference in his demeanour and performances when he's playing for Chile and when he was at Barcelona, it clearly has affected him.
There's the usual argument about being highly paid to deal with the pressure etc etc, it has some validity however time and time again we see footballers spiral into destructive patterns of behaviour, the constant pressure and scrutiny must be very difficult for some people to deal with, and as in the article above, the money can make it worse.
It won't happen because the game is such an outlet for the emotion of fans, but i'd like to see players in general treated a bit more like you'd treat anyone else, just with a little bit of respect, no matter how poorly they're performing on the pitch. The fan can go home and feel better having vented some pent up frustration, but the footballer can go home carrying all the baggage and weight of the expectation and abuse.
Anyway, hopefully Caulker has got control of his problems for good, and can perhaps fulfil some of the potential that he clearly did have.