Harry Redknapp, manager of next to last place Queens Park Rangers, has essentially cancelled Christmas for his players. Redknapp says in a Sky Sports story, “No, I’m not into Christmas parties, not for footballers.”
Redknapp goes one step further and explains the dangers of QPR players going out.
“I think it’s more aggravation than it’s worth. It’s a changing world out there and there’s always someone out there with a camera on their phone.”
“I haven’t spoken to them about it, they haven’t mentioned anything about a Christmas party. I think they understand the pitfalls of going out.”
“You’ve only got to be closing your eyes and someone has got a picture of you making it look like you’re drunk. It’s not worth the hassle.”
I agree that a professional athlete should be careful about where they hang out and who they hang out with because ‘Arry is correct, many people have cameras on their phones. But to be worried that someone is going to catch a player “drunk” by getting a picture of them closing their eyes, that’s just being paranoid. By that logic, no one should go out and do anything for fear of something unforeseen.
Also, I think everyone has to be realistic when it comes to professional athletes, much less soccer players. I do not expect any player to spend every waking moment on the team. For one reason, I wouldn’t expect a soccer player to spend every waking moment on their job just like how I wouldn’t expect anyone else to spend every waking moment in their respective jobs. Another reason, a soccer player spending every waking moment on the team, can lead to a quicker burnout and that doesn’t help the team at all. If it was my favorite team, I would want them to dedicate most of their time on the team but everyone has to leave a little bit of time for some fun once in a while. If not, everyone is miserable and that helps no one.
Who knows, the way QPR is going, Redknapp may not even last until Christmas so maybe there’s hope for a Christmas miracle at QPR.
