Footballer's and their Families

[Squiggles]

The cliche here is that having a family helps settle a player down, provides focus, offers maturity and so forth. Is that really the case?

I don't know much about it, but would it be that wrong to suggest that players having a kids and wife will change their priorities to the detriment of their football and desire to win matches.

Is a football match going to be as important to a player when he's going home to his wife and kids every night when compared to a man who still live and breathes football?

Do we have too many family men at LFC?

 

[gkmacca]

Maybe Alex Gerrard is really a great person but she always looks to me as if she has Stevie round her little finger and has him cooking and cleaning and child-minding all day and every day whilst she flounces off to the tanning salon and goes on endless holidays. Then he buys her another present and thanks her for not divorcing him.

 

[Judge Jules]

Interesting question, and I doubt there's one answer which fits all players. My bet, though, is that it's a good thing more often than not, because I'd expect most players to perform better rather than worse after developing a more mature outlook.

 

[FoxForceFive]

I'd also question how they were filling their time & spending the obscene amounts of cash before they had kids to calm them down a bit.

Given their resources before I'd had a family I'd probably be dead by now!

 

[gkmacca]

I doubt it's different from any other profession. The 'settled down' bit matters less than how good the relationship is. Some people can compartmentalise different aspects of their life, others just mentalise them. You get some players who seem even more driven on by their kids, and others who are a bit distracted by them. But it's hard to generalise. There's an interesting book of interviews with ex-LFC players - Liverpool Heroes - where they discuss their family lives, and there's no real pattern. Phil Neal's wife absolutely hates football, hated matches, hated being left alone so much and hates reminiscing about that era when her hubbie was winning every medal going. Digger, of course, had loads of kids and relationships and shut them out when he was concentrating on footie. Kenny famously had a supportive but tough wife who let him sleep most of each day but also kept him focussed. I guess the point these days is that anything that keeps players out of pubs and clubs is good for the sports science aspect of the modern game. If they have a good home life and stay there most of the time they'll at least keep healthy. Most players are either ambitious no matter what (eg Bellers) or aimless no matter what (eg Downing).

 

[Holle]

I can imagine how Mrs Beckham was a great servant to David's career.

 

[Judge Jules]

Police are called to the Beckham mansion one night. When they get there they find Becks outside in a distressed state, wearing only his pyjama pants. "Quick, quick, they've taken everything, TVs, computers, SUVs, the lot!"

One of the coppers takes Becks aside and says quietly: "Excuse me for mentioning it, sir, but you might want to rearrange your trousers - your todger's hanging out."

"F'ck it, they've taken Posh as well!"