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Garbutt: Players Were Always Going to Do the Right Thing
Thursday, 9th Apr 2020 19:22

Blues loanee Luke Garbutt says it was inevitable that Premier League footballers would show their support for the NHS and frontline workers during the coronavirus crisis.

Yesterday evening, a contribution fund under the #playerstogether banner was was launched by a large number of Premier League players - including former Blues Tyrone Mings, Adam Webster, Connor Wickham and Aaron Cresswell as well as ex-loanees Chris Wood, Andros Townsend, Mark Noble and Asmir Begovic - partnering NHS Charities Together, an umbrella organisation made up of more than 150 separate NHS charities, “helping those fighting for us on the NHS frontline, as well as other key areas of need”.

"A lot of players put a letter together in support of doing this gesture, particularly for the NHS and frontline workers, making sure it goes to the correct place,” Garbutt told the club website.

“They don’t want to do these gestures and then it not go to the correct place. I think it was always going to be the case that if players were going to discuss it between themselves then eventually the right thing was going to get done.”

The initiative followed comments from secretary of state for health and social care Matt Hancock, the MP for West Suffolk, calling on top flight players to “make a contribution, take a pay cut and play their part”.

Garbutt, with Town for the season from parent club Everton, felt it was unfair that players were singled out: "From my point of view, his comments were a little bit undermining of football players because they do a lot for communities and a lot that is unheard of.

“Just because footballers get paid a lot of money, it doesn’t mean they don’t do a lot of good for communities.

“I don’t know whether it was a little bit harsh to just call out players straight away. To put that forward aggressively and to try and undermine footballers doesn’t really sit right with me."

Town relaunched their Community Trust this season, while the Toffeemen have a well-established community operation.

Garbutt added: ”Ipswich is massive in the community. This season I’ve seen it first hand that they do a lot for the community. It’s a family-focused club and the fans have a good connection with the players. They will see what the players do to commit themselves in the community, I don’t think that goes unnoticed with most supporters.

"Everton is a huge community club as well. It does a lot for the community. The fans will have a lot of admiration for the players and what they do."


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Vancouver_Blue added 02:41 - Apr 10
Let's hope the money goes to the right places and together we can beat this awful virus and get our lives back to something like normal
1

WeWereZombies added 06:13 - Apr 10
Charities supporting the NHS is a lot better than nothing but what would really make a difference is for some type of super tax on the big earners like Premier League players and the super rich to ensure that now and in the future the NHS has more than enough funding to do more than the basic.

A few years ago the Massachusetts Institute of Technology surveyed all the healthcare systems in the World to find which one delivered best and the NHS came out top. But great delivery needs the best goods and services, the best people and for them to be best rewarded. Britain needs to stop trying to do that bit on the cheap.
6

Pecker added 08:24 - Apr 10
Better late than never. He said that they were always going to do the right thing, which I would question. Selfless individuals as a whole and not sure they would have done it without the pressure put on them. Hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.
2

chorltonskylineblue added 10:45 - Apr 10
@Pecker. The conversations were going on between PL players and charities before Matt Hancock's comment and the press furore and there appears to be clear proof of that. Co-ordinating so many players across all 20 PL clubs can't have been easy and credit to Jordan Henderson for leading it.
1

positivity added 17:28 - Apr 10
hancock calling for them to take a pay cut was ridiculous.

that would mean taking money from the nhs (in tax take) and giving it to the likes of mike ashley and roman abramovich. not the best of ideas!
0

Karlosfandangal added 19:56 - Apr 10
I think it was wrong to single out top flight players.....it should have been amid at top sports players ie formula 1 golf etc then what about pop stars Bankers who get a couple of million for a bonus..... CEO of companies or people like TV presenters or Billionaires.
1

braveblue added 15:18 - Apr 11
We were zombies. That would raise a tiny fraction of what is needed. The wealthy already pay 80% of the tax take. This sort of thing sounds good but is misplaced.
0

braveblue added 15:19 - Apr 11
Hope the publish the amount raised. Also, they talk about a pay deferral i.e. not a cut but get it a few months later? Don't think they are covering themselves in glory.
1

spanishblue added 18:42 - Apr 11
Sorry I disagree with most the place to start pay cuts or deferrals is the top ie.the management and I'm not talking football it's not a footballers fault s club pay them all that. Money all of us would love it. After this rubbish is finished there will be retribution for all the failures at the top, to many good people have died unnecessarily through the fault of white shirted failures who did not or were unable to deliver safety equipment lack of resources from where I ask not the football clubs
-1

SpiritOfJohn added 20:27 - Apr 11
If only footballers and other high earners did pay the taxes that they owe HMRC. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51698150
1

Razor added 11:15 - Apr 13
I am not so sure---it just seems to me the Spanish,Germans and Italians were a lot quicker off the mark and it was not until our lot were named and shamed did they start to do do something.

Guess Hancock picked on them because he knows millions of pounds in game and it is loved and enjoyed by so many people----cant really argue with him really and reckon he did a good job on that one.

Whatever, loads of dosh now being raised and lets hope it goes to right places-----I am no expert but more kit for our magnificent NHS would be a start.
0


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