Skybluefaz
Well-Known Member
He couldn't make the finances work. Shame because he scored bucket loads last season.
Dave Tarpey turned us down (9 Viewers)
- Thread starter Skybluefaz
- Start date
He couldn't make the finances work. Shame because he scored bucket loads last season.
National league striker who has scored 7 in 5 this season for Maidenhead and 45 goals last season in the national league south turned us down this summer.
Boss lets Dave Tarpey leave work early to travel 225 miles and bag four goals
He made a huge decision in the summer, and honestly doesn’t know if it’s one he’ll live to regret.
“I went up to Coventry City, had a tour of the ground and facilities and then sat down with them,” said the former Hampton &?Richmond, Farnborough and Aylesbury United forward.
“They made me an offer, and I had to weigh it up. When it came down to it, I just couldn’t make it work.
“I would have had to leave my job obviously, and also relocate. Relocation wasn’t the issue, but I have a mortgage and without going into exact figures I would have been worse off.
“When you look at it, I earn from working full-time, playing at Maidenhead and I would have had to stay in Coventry for a good part of the week. I don’t rent down here, so it was a big decision.
“It’s not all about money. But I have a young boy called Jack who is 19 months old, a fiancée and I can’t afford to just say ‘sod it, I’ll earn less money’ – life doesn’t work like that and I had to be sensible about the whole situation and not dive in head-first.
“It was one of those things, I had to turn it down and only time will tell if that was the right thing to do. I know Coventry are a big club so I had to really think long and hard about it. In the end it just couldn’t work, however hard I tried to make things come together.
“That doesn’t mean I will never go full-time and it doesn’t mean I lack ambition. I’m 28 and I still want to play in the Football League. It’s a big ambition of mine and always will be.”
Boss lets Dave Tarpey leave work early to travel 225 miles and bag four goals
He made a huge decision in the summer, and honestly doesn’t know if it’s one he’ll live to regret.
“I went up to Coventry City, had a tour of the ground and facilities and then sat down with them,” said the former Hampton &?Richmond, Farnborough and Aylesbury United forward.
“They made me an offer, and I had to weigh it up. When it came down to it, I just couldn’t make it work.
“I would have had to leave my job obviously, and also relocate. Relocation wasn’t the issue, but I have a mortgage and without going into exact figures I would have been worse off.
“When you look at it, I earn from working full-time, playing at Maidenhead and I would have had to stay in Coventry for a good part of the week. I don’t rent down here, so it was a big decision.
“It’s not all about money. But I have a young boy called Jack who is 19 months old, a fiancée and I can’t afford to just say ‘sod it, I’ll earn less money’ – life doesn’t work like that and I had to be sensible about the whole situation and not dive in head-first.
“It was one of those things, I had to turn it down and only time will tell if that was the right thing to do. I know Coventry are a big club so I had to really think long and hard about it. In the end it just couldn’t work, however hard I tried to make things come together.
“That doesn’t mean I will never go full-time and it doesn’t mean I lack ambition. I’m 28 and I still want to play in the Football League. It’s a big ambition of mine and always will be.”
Skybluefaz
Well-Known Member
Should probably have included a SHFWF
sw88
Chief Commentator!
Crazy isn't it! Money that goes into football now a days yet a player is still better off holding down an every day job while playing part time football for the remainder!
Fair play to him for seemingly having his head screwed on and not being too ambitious to forget the things that actually matter in life; his family!
Fair play to him for seemingly having his head screwed on and not being too ambitious to forget the things that actually matter in life; his family!
Greggs
Well-Known Member
Agreed. I've got a few pals that could have made the grade as lower league pros, but at the time had decent jobs and earned £150-£300 a game playing a good level of semi pro. 3 games in a week and its potentially £900 in their pocket.
It is and it isn't.
Andy Brown the ex Nuneaton player is on £800 at Brackley or Bracknell town.
It's a choice some non league players face, whether to chance it or stick with the solid job, then we hear Nuneaton are able to offer more to one of our kids.
Said it a few times, I can see our current level and possibly the one above reverting to part time status.
stupot07
Well-Known Member
Decent non league strikers will also get a premium so will get a lot more than £150-300 a game plus goal £100+ per goal. For all we know he could have a £40k+ pa full time job. His wife night also have a decently paid job too.
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I_Saw_Shaw_Score
Well-Known Member
Biamou's tearing up League 2 anyway.....:shamefullyembarrased:
Skybluefaz
Well-Known Member
Why is it a non story? I think it's quite interesting that a player like that is better off part time. Whilst at the same time I understand it from our point of view. I wouldn't want us chucking good money at a player that is a risk. It's a shame for the guy that the finances are what they are. Fair play to him for making the choice he did too.
steveo1987
Well-Known Member
Jack Finch turned down £800 a week for Barrow.It was too much travelling.He is now apparently going to play for his local side Brackley town for £600 a week
ccfcway
Well-Known Member
ccfcway
Well-Known Member
Some might be realistic in that they know they wont be good enough to make it to prem.
No different to most of us realising we wont be a CEO or MD of the business we work in
pastythegreat
Well-Known Member
As a decent non league player you can earn best part of £250-300 a week on top of your wages! Scoring 45 goals in a season you'd think he'd be at the higher end of the spectrum. I think Kev Thornton is on about £500 a week at Cov Utd.
He leaves his job and it goes belly up at City say, then what? Hope he can walk into another £35k a year job?
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He leaves his job and it goes belly up at City say, then what? Hope he can walk into another £35k a year job?
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Nick
Administrator
Exactly, it would be a massive risk. It would need to be a massive difference in money to be able to do it, or a young lad with no kids etc.
Thornton is on £500 a week at that level? Madness.
pastythegreat
Well-Known Member
Lad I work with plays for Walsall Wood. Same league. He's a CH and gets £150 for starting on the bench!
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steve82
Well-Known Member
Football is a short career, and at 28 and likely offered a 2 year deal at best. At the end of that deal he's 30, and of it fails he's left his working career and possibly relocated his family.
Can understand his reasoning to turn a deal down and stay as he is plus being far better off working and playing semi pro.
Can understand his reasoning to turn a deal down and stay as he is plus being far better off working and playing semi pro.
JulianDarbyFTW
Well-Known Member
Pleasantly surprised by the balanced views on this post. Well done, chaps.
Terry Gibson's perm
Well-Known Member
Barrow have dodged a bullet there the only thing he should be doing with a barrow is pushing it
Nick
Administrator
That's the thing, average L1 wage is say £800 - £1000 so if he is on the average wage of about £31k (no idea what he does, so could be more or less) that's £550 - £600. Add to that being semi pro that could potentially be £400 - £500 with a goal bonus (which he is cleaning up with at that level). That will be more than the League 2 average wage without having to re-locate, up his family and quit his day job.
With a mortgage to pay and family to support, do you quit a steady job to earn potentially less on the chance you will get spotted and go up to the Championship and big money?
RegTheDonk
Well-Known Member
At 28, he obviously hasn't done enough in the past to break into the big time. While he's done well recently in non-leauge, I'm surprised no other club have tried to snap him up on decent money if there is potential to have a decent striker on the books. Missed the boat perhaps?
Winny the Bish
Well-Known Member
Gareth Dean - the former Nuneaton Town skipper - did the exact same thing. Has had the option to go full-time at National League level for the last 3 seasons, but has rejected it every time in order to keep his job at Jaguar Land Rover and stay in the Conference North.
I_Saw_Shaw_Score
Well-Known Member
Was linked with Gills & Charlton last Jan both being in that neck of the woods.
I suppose if he can score 30+ goals a season and move around clubs in that area at the level he's at he'd make a few quid.
Good article and you read it and think "fair enough"
CCFC_Charlie
Well-Known Member
I like that we're looking at the lower leagues to try and pick up a few gems. I know that Biamou hasn't exactly looked fantastic so far but it's early days and this approach has been working for other clubs.
sw88
Chief Commentator!
sw88
Chief Commentator!
Peterborough signed a Nuneaton player, Walsall signed the Tamworth lad, so there are players down there who might be worth a punt
But as mentioned before, at 28 this chap probably had more to lose than gain.
He could give up working plus the footy for FT, and it not work out, be tied into a contract, maybe sit it out for 2 years or whatever he was offered, and then at 30 he back to square 1 trying to find a regular job and maybe part time footy.
I think he's a wise lad for giving it serious though
What's the betting he doesn't have a agent, and that's why he's gone with the most sensible option?
But as mentioned before, at 28 this chap probably had more to lose than gain.
He could give up working plus the footy for FT, and it not work out, be tied into a contract, maybe sit it out for 2 years or whatever he was offered, and then at 30 he back to square 1 trying to find a regular job and maybe part time footy.
I think he's a wise lad for giving it serious though
What's the betting he doesn't have a agent, and that's why he's gone with the most sensible option?
hill83
Well-Known Member
It's feels like where real life and real money meets football. And I fully agree with the praise he is getting for his decision. Yet George Thomas gets stick for deciding to leave and earn more money. It's exactly the same scenario but not 'real life' as it's professional football.
stupot07
Well-Known Member
Fair enough, I thought the motive of posting it was to kick the club in the nuts for not offering enough money.
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Nick
Administrator
Think most of the replies on here have been pretty realistic. It's after some spinning it will go that way.