Kevin Phillips believes Tyrone Mings has a point about Project Restart – despite accusations the Aston Villa star was ‘whinging’ about the resumption of the Premier League. In an interview last weekend Mings suggested players were not consulted about the extensive efforts to restart top-flight games and that the primary motivation behind those efforts was financial. He has since admitted players are more comfortable about the situation now but that didn’t stop former Leeds man Noel Whelan laying into Mings – and his club in a startling outburst.
Noel Whelan said “Unless he does not want his 80 grand a week and he wants the business to fold. I suggest you get back to work, I hear too much whinging coming out of Aston Villa at the minute and I am sick and tired of it. Get on with your jobs.”
However, Phillips – a former Villa, West Brom and Birmingham City striker turned pundit believes Mings has a point.
Kevin Phillips said “There is an element of truth in that, We know how much money is generated in the Premier League through TV rights and it would hit the football world very heavily if we did not restart. Nobody would want to come back unless it is 100 per cent safe but we are moving in the right direction as a country as a whole. Ultimately, it is financially driven. It is a business now. It is not just sport anymore, it is a business for every club. I would not say 100% but it is certainly a high percentage. The motives are possibly 100% financially driven rather than integrity driven. I am all for playing again because we have no other choice. As players, we were the last people to be consulted about Project Restart and that is because of where we fall in football’s order of priority.”
