‘MARNICK VERMIJL IS replaced by number 46, Ryan Tunnicliffe.’
With those words, boomed across Old Trafford on Wednesday night, Mick Tunnicliffe was £10,000 the richer.
19-year-old Manchester United midfielder Tunnicliffe made his competitive debut in Manchester United’s 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Newcastle United and his father, Mick, is set to collect a 100-1.
In 2002, with his young son a talented nine-year-old, Mick went along to William Hill bookmakers and bet that his son would, one day, play for United.
76 minutes into the cup tie and a father’s pride was transformed into fat stacks of cash as the midfielder replaced the Belgian, Vermijl.
Tunnicliffe Sr has placed another bet of £100 that could land him more money in the coming years. His bet, placed with odds of 350/1, is for Ryan to make his international debut with England.
Graham Sharpe from William Hill said:
The last time a bet of this nature cost us £10,000 was when Chris Kirkland made his debut in goal for England, also landing a £100 bet for his father.
“We will obviously be paying close attention to the progress of Ryan’s career in the future.”
Tunnicliffe spent last season in the English Championship with Peterbrough United, which is managed by Darren Ferguson, son of Manchester United boss, Alex.
He is one of the better keepers in Loi. The fai are long overdue to address the problem of players being out of work when they finish playing ?a pension trust for players should be in place for a time in their career , maybe kick in at 35 years old ? And the clubs should be made subsidise this payment also ? I know the argument for clubs is they are struggling , but this plan with the main body and clubs should be in place imo. The players also can contribute some payment to the fund .
Paying people a pension when finishing work at 35?
@Robert O’Rourke: saving the tax payer also , not many sportspeople over 35 . And if those people were lucky to get a job , after various courses , then they would be taxpayers also .
@Tricksy: Why should they get special treatment just because they’re sport stars though. I’d like quit my job at 35 and have a pension waiting for me. Maybe a back to education scheme but not a pension.
@Robert O’Rourke: A few people have suggested I retire at 35 and even before that but I know they are only joking regardless of the Mayhem all around me .
@Robert O’Rourke: employer s are not inclined to employ some one in their thirties who never had a previous job ! And by the time they do a few unemployment courses they are older also . So these ex players are getting a welfare payment more than likely from a person like yourself (tax payer) who is in employment from young age , but had no talent to play a sport !
@Tricksy: Not sure how we’re supposed to sympathise here. They have plenty of time to do courses while they’re footballers if they have any small bit of drive or maturity at all about themselves. See the amount of young Irish professional rugby players who are currently doing degrees? Also, employers have no issue taking on people in their 30s with several decades left in their careers. You’d swear they were in their late 50s!