I would quite agree with Ginny, and i'm a bloke. How sad to see women actually seeking to be treated as "trophies" or "objects". Yet another sad indication of society going down the tubes really very quickly.

Peter Koeb (aka Old Fogy), Geneva, Switzerland

I resent them getting paid so much because it means I can't even think of paying to watch a match, not even in League 2.

CG, Liverpool, UK

Nobody likes people flashing their cash and thinking they own the world. Be they working class or middle class or even upper class. The reason why footballers get it in the neck more than other high earners is quite simple.........it sells newspapers. Too many people like to hear negative stories about these players.

And considering the circulation of the tabloids has gone through the roof this week as a result of the man utd story, says it all. Even when players earnt less money during the 1970's and 1980's they were always getting stick for their off the field behaviour. And it was the same reason, it sells newspapers. If people stopped buying the tabloids when they print stories like this, then they will stop printing them.

Its a simple case of giving the people what they want.

Victor, London,

Rob,

I would hope that men in general, or those who have had the advantage of being educated appropriately or taught the lesson of values, do not have this view of women. If they do then that surely depicts a very pessimistic view of males throughout the world.
Sure, there is enough evidence to suggest that sexism exists in certain corners of the world and throughout history, but where people are more highly educated and tolerance is promoted, that this view is less prevalent and disliked as it should be.
To say sexism and exploitation is a general attitude towards women is wrong, and if it is, it shouldn't be. It would be like saying Racism is a general attitude people have. Is that acceptable too?
I'm not a raving feminist, but I do get annoyed when I see people being exploited in anyway, men, women, children, animals - whoever. And yes, the women are very stupid to want to fill those roles I outlined, but maybe lessons in self respect and values would benefit them too!

Ginny, London, UK

Mr Barnes. I am probably the arch-typical sort of guy who might be expected to hold the views about Footballer's salaries which you write about. Ex-Service, old - and very old-fashioned. But I disagree 100% with the line you were running. I am not in the least envious of their salaries and I never but never 'attack' them; and this is because I don't have to pay for them as I have no interest whatever in football.
But when it comes to those ex-Chief Constables who take advantage of some loophole to retire early, collect a vast pension and then at once become Chief Constable of the neighbouring county, I GO WILD - BECAUSE I AM PAYING FOR IT.

Conrad Jenkin, Petersfield, Hampshire

I have a rather old-fashioned view towards footballers' wages. I do not in the least envy or begrudge the recipients their inflated salaries any more than I would any successful entrepreneur or salesman. The labourer is worthy of his hire. My resentment is based not on class, behaviour or snobbish intellectual prejudice but is entirely based on the wrongheaded principle of rewarding mediocrity and failure. This is not restricted to football. Some of England's flashier cricketers have much to answer for.

Steven Spencer, Virginia Water, Surrey

Another party defined by drunk behaviour ends in tears. This is not just the debauched realm of our top flight footballers, but is the kind of event that happens week in, week out, in this country. On the whole I would think that the premiership footballers behave better than other people in their age group. Please, please do not let a Texan have any say in how our country should be run!

john, london,

no, it's not because they are working class it's because, and i'm stunned to say this of simon barnes, idiots persist in clinging to the belief that footballe is a working class game- it's not, and a good chunk of the english side don't have working class backgrounds, beckham being one. and it's becasue diots cling to this belief that footballers, the premier league etc can rip you off so easily because they know u don't want to face the truth and will carry on paying stupid sums to watch them and wear the kits as it's the peoples game, unlike those ppsh toff rugby players as football fans are want to say. the players do all they can to keep the public at arms length and have nothing in common with the average fan, working class indeed.

Justin Stone, leicester,

I'm afraid all this criticism is generated by envy and whipped-up by our atrocious trouble-making media. After all, the players do not write their pay-cheques, the clubs do that, so blame them for the high amounts they are willing to offer. And why do the media always report the players wages in pounds/week rather than pounds/year, which is the method applied to most every other walk of life? I would guess because it sounds more to the average person and is thus more likely to engender envy. And all you people criticising out there, how many of you would say no if your boss offered to pay you ten times what you are making now? Exactly!

Al, Weybridge, UQ

It's a relevant article. You have to be soo uber-ultra-competative to even get to a mediocre position in football. People take that forgranted. A run of bad injuries (or even one bad tackle) and you're finished.

Alot of the time it IS a bad case of the 'green eyed monster' from the general public, towards these elite footballers (and hte lifestyle it entails).

As for the England set up, the wheels started to come off for McClaren and England as the result of outrageously intense media (vampirism) pressure. Following a freak (10,000/1) blooper away to Croatia.

IMO, awesome slant on your arguments. Another great piece.

Keep up the good work Simon.

(The class argument is no different from sports such as boxing, for example). With the exception of LeSaux, u dont get very many intellectuals in these types of contact sports.

Glen Oglethorpe, Workington, Cumbria, UK

An Irish friend remarked to me how England fans appear to hate their players as much as love them. What's that about if it's not resentment and envy, the English default states?

Sharker, London,

Whitey, Surrey

If you actually believe what you've written, you need to get out more mate!

If you were being ironic, I apologise...

Homer, London,

Very disappointed with this article - I normally enjoy your pieces. However, I am suspicious of your true motives for what you have written. I believe there is an ulterior motive in this which seems to be reoccurring in certain other newspapers. Footballers are not exempt from criticism or the law irrespective of class or wealth and should be treated accordingly

John, Bexhill on Sea, UK

Two weeks ago I watched a German Bundesliga game in Bochum – it was a Saturday afternoon and great value for the €12.50 ticket. That evening, by complete coincidence, we ran into the team at their Christmas party at a chic restaurant in town. The players (just as working class as those at Man U), were smartly dressed and accompanied by a bevy of elegant beauties. They were listening intently to their club president making a speech, congratulating them on their successful season to date. When they saw us looking at them through a window, some of them waved at us and smiled. Our hosts told us that it was not unusual to run into individual players in town, and that it was written into their contracts that they had to stop to talk to fans and sign autographs. Perhaps Sir Alex should get himself over there to take a look at how a club should be run, and instead of banning the players’ party next year, actually attend to ensure that some basic standards of behaviour are adhered to.

Eduardo, London, UK

Some of these state I am not envious but then go onto display exactly that. I couldn't agree more with this article as have said for a long time that envy and class are key reasons fuelling the unfair critisism. Footballers provide a fantastic service. I pay to watch them like millions of others and will continue to do so until the service declines. These young men have worked incredibly hard to get to this position and display self belief and bravery to go out and perform each week in front of millions of armchair critics. It takes a special mentality to do that not unlike the determination a succesful businessman displays.

Whitey, Surrey,

Ginny, I am aware this is a classic response, but no-one made these women act in this way, and no-one else 'cast' them in the role of 'WAG' or 'recruited hangers on' they did it themselves.

Maybe footballers would have more respect for these women (not all, just these women), if they had a little more respect for themselves.

I do agree with your point about being better role models though, not sure if footballers attitude towards women adds to or is a result of general male attitudes towards women, but being better role models wouldn't hurt.

Rob, Bristol,

The saddest thing in all of this is the fact that the money handed out to these so-called athletes will eventually end up as the mitigating factor in the games demise! We've already seen several clubs go into administration and I'm sure that there are several more on the brink. I can see where eventually there will be very few clubs that can survive under the present financial set-up and who wants to watch the same dozen or so clubs play each other four or even five times every season!

Michael Tyler, Stokes Bay, Canada

It's not that the footballers are predominantly working class that is the issue. Anyone flouting their money or wasting it in such a grotesque way is unattractive, whatever "class" they are.

Many of those who are fortunate to have alot of money and value the priveleges it gives seek to use it to make the world a better place. This is something I think the footballers should try to emulate.

Mike, Surrey, UK

It was ever thus; top sportsmen have always been richly rewarded and always will be. The problem with the small group of footballers that always appear in these grotty red-top scandals is that they seem to live like some kind of roman emperor would; thinking that their wealth and fame give them a license to act how they please. As a non football fan, I think what grates as much as anything else is that the england players especially are faboulously rewarded for mediocre performances at the highest level but are constantly feted as the best in the world, whilst the clubs squeeze every last penny out of the fans. Football as a whole encapsulates all that is wrong with this country - brash, mediocre, overblown, non-inclusive and living beyond it's means. It has absolutely nothing to do with class jelousy rather the knowledge that these people have absolutely no concept of what a fantastic opportunity has been presented to them.

Scott , London,

i would say that we resent paying the players wages, by buying tickets to watch them, buying the t-shirt, the video game etc etc, and then seeing it spat back in your face. Holding a Party is fine, and of course people who earn what they earn are going to go overboard. but the general lack of respect shown towards the club, the fans, the opposite sex etc. its all very hard to stomach.
man utd arent the only ones gulty of this, and it shows how out of touch and uncaring our "heroes" are.

very upsetting

red-faced-red, Newport, S.Wales

What annoys me most about footballers is not the money, but the lack of respect they have for the opposite sex. Wherever women are involved in the lives of these footballers they are either cast in the role of grasping WAG or selectively recruited hangers on. Why the great and the good in the game do not do anything to educate these young men on how to be gentleman escapes me.
Presumably these men have mothers, sisters, daughters. What a great example they set.

Ginny, London, UK

Simon your headline is wrong.The majority of fans do not resent the money footballers earn,but they do resent the behavoir of some footballers .They do resent the arrogant,crass, insensative and downright loutish antics that have been demonstrated by some footballers this week.
Maybe it's an 'English' thing,because the picture we saw of Man United players on their 'boys night out' was of all English players.If this was done for team bonding,then the players are
more stupid than we think they are.

chris dee, london,

Simon, who are you to judge the rest of us? Anyway, I think you're missing the point.

What the majority dislike is having our noses rubbed in it as to how rich they are - Ferdinand was reputed to have been boasting about how much the party cost, not how good it was, how enjoyable the food and the surroundings, but HOW MUCH IT COST - that's what mattered. And who could forget poor little Cashley Cole almost crashing his car when his agent told him Arsenal would only give him £50k, not £55k?

Jon, Auckland - braying asses from the City are despised just as much as the footballers when they are larging it up in West End bars going on about their huge bonuses they just don't get the same publicity.

People aren't generally envious, but no one likes their smug "I couldn't help noticing, but I appear to be considerably richer than you" attitude

Homer, London,

Couldn't agree more.

There are more City bankers who earn more than our top footballers but they don't get anywhere near the level of slating that the footballers get because their talents are in their heads rather than their feet. Pure envy!!

Jon, Auckland, New Zealand

Britain needs to define consent to within a reasonable distance of a girl being able to walk as opposed to carried.

Tazia, Dallas, USA

Agree. If I was being offered large sums of cash to do my job, I wouldn't turn it down!! Maybe we should be looking at the way cash in such a rich sport is distributed and, more importantly, by whom. Sadly i think the BskyB horse has already bolted and nothing is likely to change. Set up a salary cap, a league will pop up with no cap-no doubt funded by TV.

Its a dilly of a pickle!

Rob, Hobart, Australia

I fail to see how our society would be better off if no-one ever criticised bad taste.

Oliver Chettle, Bedford,