Joe Hart's Ten Years

[Corky]

Where did he say millionaire footballers are charities? I think you know what he was trying to say... testimonials usually raise money for charity organisations of the players choice, they don't line players pockets. It's mad how even when it's for a good cause and a send off for a city legend people find a way to put negative spin on it.

It would depend on finding a time to do it that suits everyone(the team and Joe himself) but it would be a good gesture and show we aren't all ungrateful little cretins sniping at former players all the time, not you personally it gets a bit much on here the way some go on.

Testimonials are charitable events for the players, that is their legal status hence if a million pounds is raised for the player they also get £250k tax rebate off HMRC like the gift aid thing on just giving. I don't know one city have been involved in where the money has gone to charity (bar Reading v City which wasn't a testimonial).

Did the Ryan Kidd, Gannon or Irwin ones we played in go to charity? If they did it wasn't publicised. For Kidd a lower league injured player who was forced to retire fair enough, but not for a tax free bonus for the rich whatever they plan to do with it. Not everyone is Niall Quinn.

 

[Metalartin]

Testimonials are charitable events for the players, that is their legal status hence if a million pounds is raised for the player they also get £250k tax rebate off HMRC like the gift aid thing on just giving. I don't know one city have been involved in where the money has gone to charity (bar Reading v City which wasn't a testimonial).

Did the Ryan Kidd, Gannon or Irwin ones we played in go to charity? If they did it wasn't publicised. For Kidd a lower league injured player who was forced to retire fair enough, but not for a tax free bonus for the rich whatever they plan to do with it. Not everyone is Niall Quinn.

Just when was the last City testimonial though? We are not living in the past, they used to be(when players were a lot closer to working class) but almost all testimonials these days are not to raise money for the players pockets, Quinn's(Sunderland) was in 2002 and was one of the first for charity. I'd imagine these days it's not often a player stays 10 years but when they do unless it's a lower league club player it's kind of expected to be towards charity... do you really think Hart wouldn't want it to go to charity? I don't buy that for a second he'd be too embarrassed to pocket it for himself, times have changed and he doesn't need it.

This is a good summary of how things have changed and why fans still feel there is a place for them and like it or not it is a great way to raise a lot of money for charity.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36884991

The aim of the testimonial, traditionally held after a player had spent 10 years at a club and was therefore likely to be coming to the end of their career, was to raise some money for them for life after retirement from the pitch.

"Now it's more important to the fans than to the players as it is a chance to show our appreciation for what a player has done for us and the club.

"The relationship between fans and players has changed, they are no longer the working class heroes who you would see in the pub after a game, now they are multi-millionaires and disconnected from the fans' lives so this is a chance for us to be bit more personal with them."

 

[Corky]

To be honest I don't think Hart would want one at all as Harts last game was a good send off for him. When players agents get involved and a testimonial got cancelled as they were not earning enough that killed every notion of it for me.

 

[Metalartin]

To be honest I don't think Hart would want one at all as Harts last game was a good send off for him. When players agents get involved and a testimonial got cancelled as they were not earning enough that killed every notion of it for me.

Yeah that's fair enough he did say it felt like a good send off, so maybe fans can be happy with that.