Quote ="Slugger McBatt"Quote ="Slugger McBatt"Agents are necessary evils.
I have an agent in one aspect of my career and she has given me advice for nearly twenty years. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes it wasn't. They are not fortune tellers and the problem with being the recipient of the advice is that sometimes it's a bit from the hip, or just a thought with one client that she then forgets she voiced, but for the recipient it's the only advice they are going to get and rely solely on it.
On the other hand, they know the ins and outs of contracts, and can work with people in other countries, and stops the clueless mug being taken for a ride, or from agreeing to what sounds great but then becomes less great when the fine detail is put into effect.
I'm not saying club chairmen take players for a ride or exploit them, but without agents some perhaps would.
Agents are like lawyers: parasites, but a world is sometimes better with them than without them.'"
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I think there is a world of difference between a literary agent and most RL agents. Not to put too fine a point on it, they are dealing with adults, many like yourself who were already well educated and worldly wise long before you wrote a book. Sure you need their advice on a technical level but I'm pretty sure Slugger that you were more than capable of spotting a rip off by yourself.
These are kids, many from ordinary families, families that in a lot of cases have no RL connections and thus nobody to seek advice from. They are ripe for exploitation, far more than your good self. I'm not saying there is not a requirement, though frankly I know for certain that you could achieve similar results if you just consulted an employment based Solicitor and an accountant, at a fraction of the cost long term.
Had my son been good enough I'd have negotiated for him, I'd have done so for free and because I'm confident I could have done. In truth I'm as qualified as many of the so called agents out there, in that I'm not qualified at all!
However if they have to exist they need cleaning up, and the RFL should create a register of approved agents who must pass rigorous scrutiny, assuming that doesn't already exist. Only then will I consider the a necessary evil or necessary option to be kinder.
Finally, I'm not exactly sure what people think club Chairman have to gain by exploiting any player. it's not the days of Frank Machin anymore. They want good players for their club and they want to keep them so we have success and we make money - so highly counter-productive to con a young player who you'd like to keep, just a thought.
