aren't the testimonials a throwback to the days when players were skint @ the end of their careers & often on winning/losing pay rather than lucrative contracts.

Does any sl player need one these days & much less premier league footballers

Players who stay loyal to one club often forego lucrative signing on fees & arguably lower salaries than if they move around.
As has been debated ad nauseam these events are an opportunity for fans to reward loyalty.
If you don't agree with it don't go.
Simples.

was a question not a disagreement

Premier League footballers I'd agree don't need a testimonial since even average players get paid more a year than the entire Leeds team. But RL players do deserve one, they get paid relatively small wages. Don't forget with the salary cap the average wage for a first team player is £64,000. Which whilst large to a lot of people (chicken feed to Mr Ramrod of course), is not much when their career is over at the age of 35.

The shirt will be in the public domain this week, and will go on sale on Saturday.

In fairness, I think most Premiership footballers' testimonials are charity affairs these days anyway.

I agree with the point about RL players. It isn't like the old days when you had another career on the go at the same time. THey need to pad their nest a bit while they're playing, because a lot of them are going to have to start again with something else when their knees/shoulders won't let them play any more.

Apparently Matt Diskin's testimonial shirt is now in the club shop. its a quartered with 2 squares of blue as well as one white and one yellow.

sadly there is no number on the back unlike most testimonial shirts.

True, I do think that if a football player has been at a club for 10 years he should get a testimonial anyway more as an acknowledgment rather than topping up their wages.


Yep, of course there will be some of the higher paid RL players who will be well off financially by the end of their careers, and some will be more careful with their money than others, but in general they don't get paid much for a career that only lasts 15 years.

[url=http://img30.imageshack.us/i/diskinshirt.jpg/[/url

Got mine today from the club shop.
So no need to wait to the weekend if you're really desparate.
I wasn't but I had to go to return "the road to Old Trafford" DVD for the second time.
Let's hope this copy plays properly otherwise I'm calling it quits.

Matt's Jersey @ www.mattdiskin.co.uk/news4.htm

Matt's Jersey @ www.mattdiskin.co.uk/news4.htm

Don't know if it's been posted before but the kick off time for the testimonial game has been brought forward to 2.30.