Conn job

Following the revelations that we've been lying on forms and paying vast sums to agents, David Conn has dug deeper into the whole sorry mess. As I understand it, footballers pay agents to get them the best deal - which seems logical. It also transpires that clubs pay agents, in the hope that they will persuade their player client's to accept deals that fit in (or as close to) the club's wage structure.

Now, if I was a player, I'd be somewhat annoyed to find my agent was not only helping himself to a percentage of my income, but also being paid by the other party in the negotiation to ensure I wasn't paid as much as I might think I'm worth.

Obviously the big winners in all this are agents, who make sure they get their cash either way.