The Good of The Game believes that Tottenham's Russian Roman may be harming his future prospects by his repeated outbursts, and in this instance player-power might not be the answer.
Roman Pavlyuchenko has once again subjected us to his innermost thoughts in a bid to buy a one-way ticket out of N17 and end his disappointing spell with Tottenham Hotspur.
In the latest of a number of carefully worded comments to the press, Pavlyuchenko has taken one step further towards guaranteeing his exit from the club, claiming that manager Harry Redknapp is "mocking" the Russian by refusing to play him.
I can't help however, but think that Pavlyuchenko is only making his situation worse by confiding these self-indulgent comments to the wider world. That his Tottenham career is coming to an end is beyond doubt - Redknapp has staunchly refused to use Pavlyuchenko in any match of any importance this season. But I wonder which big clubs will want to take a look at the Russian, and perhaps take a gamble on him, when they know his propensity to moan to the press whenever things are not going his way.
Pavlyuchenko's great advantage is that he hasn't played European football this year, so he could be picked up by a side that has progressed to the latter stages of either the Champions or Europa Leagues. However, I struggle to see any side in either of those competitions where Pavlyuchenko would walk straight into the starting XI, something which he seems to think he is entitled to.
Rumours have been surfacing all season about potential moves to the likes of Roma, Liverpool and a host of clubs back in his home country. It seems like a move back to Russia may be his only option because surely he would not be content to warm the bench at another club in the same manner as he has been doing at Spurs this season?
A big part of me feels that if Pavlyuchenko had handled his current situation with more dignity he would be a more attractive prospect for big clubs, and may have found himself given another chance to prove himself at the highest level. After all, even the very best players occasionally suffer from a transfer to an ill-fitting club, and rejuvenate their fortunes by moving to a more suitable side. However, the striker has been so obsessed with speeding up his exit from White Hart Lane, that he might just have severely limited his future options.
Player power is of course a big part of the game today. Players enjoy a large amount of freedom in moving between clubs, and are entitled to request permission to be transferred, or to speak with another interested party if they wish to leave their current club. Of course they have benefited from this free market immensely in financial terms, and now have the right to seek the best deal for them. However, in cases like this would it not be more beneficial for the player to show a good attitude in the public domain, and quietly air his grievances to the club behind closed doors?
Engineering a transfer through communicating to the press (either in person or through an agent) is the most messy way to leave a club and often significantly damages the reputation of the outgoing player. Is it really the way to go about your business? If you're a Ronaldo or Berbatov this may not matter as you have another big (or bigger) club to walk straight into. They may have had poor attitudes, but they had the form to fall back on as evidence to potential buyers. But for the likes of Pavlyuchenko, displaying a poor attitude to go with poor form, the future does not look quite so bright.
