Peschfan Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Birch talks about his season and joining the PFA http://www.givemefootball.com/interviews.html?interviewID=923&method=full Marc Bircham - QPR The PFA is hoping to take more players under its management wing with a view to protecting and maximising their earning capacities, both on and off the pitch. At a time when there is growing debate regarding the integrity of some player agents, the PFA has nearly 100 years' experience of hands-on representation for players at every stage of their careers. One player who has recently linked up with the PFA's Player Management team is QPR midfielder Marc Bircham and the 26-year-old talked to givemefootball's Mark Shail about his decision to choose the PFA, as well as QPR's outside chance of a play-off birth. Q WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO MAKE THE SWITCH TO THE PFA? A You know that everything they do is for the good of the players, and everyone knows their name and what it stands for. A player only has a short career so it is important that you can trust the people giving you advice. I have known Phil Sproson (a new addition to the PFA Player Management Agency) for many years and he is someone I trust implicitly to point me in the right direction regarding my career. Q HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR PLAYERS TO RECEIVE THE RIGHT ADVICE? A I think it's important in all areas of life - the playing side of things as well non-footballing matters. Because it is such a short career it's crucial that players are pointed in the right direction in terms of contracts, investments, mortgages etc. Q HOW LONG IS YOUR CURRENT DEAL AT QPR? A I signed a three-year contract at the club only last year, but who knows, if we manage to get into the Premiership this season I might be knocking on the gaffer's door trying to negotiate a new contract! Q DO YOU THINK THE PLAY-OFFS ARE A REALISTIC TARGET? A At the moment we are five points behind the sixth-place club so anything is possible if we can string a run of wins together. We did it earlier in the season and there is no reason why we can't do it again. Obviously it is going to be a tall order but you only have to look at Stoke City to see what can be done. Just over a month ago people were talking about Stoke being possible relegation candidates and now they are up to eighth. Q ARE YOU ENJOYING LIFE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP? A I'm loving every minute of it. No disrespect to the likes of Colchester, Chesterfield and Hartlepool, but it's great to be playing at grounds like West Ham, Leeds and Wolves. Q HAVE THE HOOPS EXEEEDED EXPECTATIONS THIS SEASON? A Most definitely. Our first priority was to make sure we were safe, and anything after that is a bonus. Because of that, we don't have the expectation and pressure on us that perhaps the players at West Ham have to deal with. So we can go out in the remaining games and play with freedom and have no fear. Q ARE YOU SURPRISED BY THE CLUB'S IMPRESSIVE CAMPAIGN THIS TERM, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE LIMITED RESOURCES IAN HOLLOWAY HAS IT HIS DISPOSAL? A I have been because we only have a small squad and the financial problems at the club have been well documented. On top of that, 'Olly' (Ian Holloway) has had to deal with a long list of injuries, but we have a great team spirit and all the players have all relished the challenge this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud Mouth Soup Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 "...with a view to protecting and maximising their earning capacities..." Read: "We're going to squeeze every last penny out of the clubs worse than agents ever could". Sounds very NHLPA-ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QPRCanada Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 URRRRRRRs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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