Football can be an unrelentingly dispiriting, cynical and cruel sport - or ever more increasingly, business.
State backed investment funds are buying clubs to change perceptions of countries through sport. Players are taking extraordinary amounts of money to move to the Middle East, which is fine for those past 30 who have done it all, but more questionable for 26-year-old Ruben Neves. The Wolves man has seen reported wages of £400,000 tip the scales towards money over spending his best years in the best leagues ahead of a move to Al Hilal.
Closer to home, Gary O'Neil was woken by a call at 6am to tell him he had been sacked by Bournemouth after taking potential relegation fodder to Premier League safety in relatively comfortable fashion. Having banked the club another batch of TV millions, O'Neil was given the boot by relatively new American owner Bill Foley, who clearly thinks they can do better than their 15th placed finish by promptly appointing Andoni Iraola. The Spaniard did a fine job at Rayo Vallecano but it does feel harsh in the extreme.
