Parallel Universe
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Leon Knight is not a name you would associate with big time football. In fact, he’s not even a name synonymous with the lower league game cross-channel.
However, when Knight posts a bag of money up on Twitter, simply to respond to “haters,” there must be questions asked about how delusional some footballers in the 21st century have become. This is not a senior international footballer or even a Premier League player. This is a former promising youngster who let it all go to his head and failed miserably, ending up on a slippery slide from Chelsea to Coleraine via a dozen other clubs.
It’s a simple problem: players brought into the systems of big clubs at an obscenely young age (Knight was at Stamford Bridge when he was 16) are far more culpable to losing touch with the real world, and most importantly those who pay their wages. They’re living in a parallel universe.
Take Irish international games as a prime example. At full-time, the media huddle around waiting for the players to emerge in the hope of grabbing a quote from the ‘superstars.’ Invariably, it is the former LoI players like Kevin Doyle and Keith Fahey that stop off to give their thoughts for five minutes. In contrast, some of the players that have been at big name clubs cross-channel since a young age make sure they’re on their mobile phones, strolling past the unworthy journalists without batting an eyelid, apparently too busy to spare a precious moment.
Knight proves that the infection has spread from the big earning millionaires to the lower echelons. But are there such figures in the League of Ireland? For decades players have presented themselves, even during the ‘Big-time Charlie’ era in the last decade (with top players earning over €3000 in some instances), as being down to earth and in touch with the supporters.
While we might talk about the characters in the league, there have been very few ignoramuses of note. The irony of Knight’s silly comment is that he is responding to the people that pay his wages – without them he wouldn’t have that bag of money.
Thankfully, the working class hero persona is still alive and well in the LoI and that is something we must cherish. Things like meeting players in the local bar after a game and being seen as equals cannot be underestimated. It is one of those charms that the league still has, and one we must appreciate.
Of course, the fact that many players are also local helps and that sense of identity is one that players like Knight will never have. While I might be biased, I’d rather have that identity and sense of community than a bag of cash and dogs abuse.
However, when Knight posts a bag of money up on Twitter, simply to respond to “haters,” there must be questions asked about how delusional some footballers in the 21st century have become. This is not a senior international footballer or even a Premier League player. This is a former promising youngster who let it all go to his head and failed miserably, ending up on a slippery slide from Chelsea to Coleraine via a dozen other clubs.
It’s a simple problem: players brought into the systems of big clubs at an obscenely young age (Knight was at Stamford Bridge when he was 16) are far more culpable to losing touch with the real world, and most importantly those who pay their wages. They’re living in a parallel universe.
Take Irish international games as a prime example. At full-time, the media huddle around waiting for the players to emerge in the hope of grabbing a quote from the ‘superstars.’ Invariably, it is the former LoI players like Kevin Doyle and Keith Fahey that stop off to give their thoughts for five minutes. In contrast, some of the players that have been at big name clubs cross-channel since a young age make sure they’re on their mobile phones, strolling past the unworthy journalists without batting an eyelid, apparently too busy to spare a precious moment.
Knight proves that the infection has spread from the big earning millionaires to the lower echelons. But are there such figures in the League of Ireland? For decades players have presented themselves, even during the ‘Big-time Charlie’ era in the last decade (with top players earning over €3000 in some instances), as being down to earth and in touch with the supporters.
While we might talk about the characters in the league, there have been very few ignoramuses of note. The irony of Knight’s silly comment is that he is responding to the people that pay his wages – without them he wouldn’t have that bag of money.
Thankfully, the working class hero persona is still alive and well in the LoI and that is something we must cherish. Things like meeting players in the local bar after a game and being seen as equals cannot be underestimated. It is one of those charms that the league still has, and one we must appreciate.
Of course, the fact that many players are also local helps and that sense of identity is one that players like Knight will never have. While I might be biased, I’d rather have that identity and sense of community than a bag of cash and dogs abuse.
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile