Former Burnley boss Adrian Heath on the MLS's return to training, life in Minnesota and a reset for Premier League wages

Former Clarets boss Adrian Heath is raring to resume what looks like being an exciting MLS campaign with his Minnesota United side.
Adrian HeathAdrian Heath
Adrian Heath

But, looking back home, he feels the Covid-19 pandemic should serve as a reset button for players' salaries, which he believes have spiralled out of control with every television deal.

A number of MLS teams were back on the training fields on Wednesday, after the league cleared voluntary individual workouts, with Minnesota waiting for the green light.

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The Loons, as they are nicknamed, had started the new season with two-successive away wins, winning 3-1 at Portland Timbers and 5-2 at San Jose Earthquakes, as they look to build on a US Open Cup Final appearance, and a first play-off berth.

The club joined the MLS in 2017, the second time Heath had taken a side into the league, after his time with Orlando City.

And he is eager to get back to work: "We're just waiting for the governor, the league have passed it, that we can go in and do individual training, so we're just waiting to be allowed to go back in.

"That would be a welcome addition, because it's driving me and probably everybody else crazy!

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"We played the first two games, so we finished March 14th, same sort of time as the Premier League.

"We can work on a quarter of the field, we can get four players in, so as much as you want to get them in, what you can do with one player with two balls and a few cones, there's not an awful lot.

"But just for everybody to get out of the house will be a bonus.

"We've got everybody here, my son's down in Miami with his wife and their little ones, and my daughter is in Ipswich with Will (Keane).

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"I've got myself a racing bike and I'm doing 20-odd miles a day, I've been able to do some work, get out and get some fresh air."

Playing at the new 19,400-capacity Allianz Field - nicknamed Cloud City after its resemblance to Bespin in the Empire Strikes Back - Minnesota have a 10-year tradition of singing Oasis' Wonderwall after home wins, and there have been plenty of late.

Heath is confident of another successful season: "We had a good year last year, because we built the stadium, we had to pay for the franchise, we could never really invest in the team the money we should, but now we've been able to do that the last couple of years, we look like we've got a decent team.

"I was confident we'd do well this year. We started with two difficult away games, but we scored eight goals and got two wins.

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"We had four home games to come, so the timing was a nightmare for us, but I understand why.

"Last year we got to the play-offs, which is the holy grail here, it was an achievement for an expansion team, when you have to bring in 24 new players, it's not easy, trust me, I've done it a couple of times now!

"Every club in the league can protect 11 players, and you can take from the rest, so the hard part is your squad is predominantly players other teams don't want, and you start from behind.

"Wonderwall started back in the NASL, it's something that grew, every every game, everybody stays, nobody leaves, it's incredible.

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"All the players go behind the goal, and they all sing Wonderwall, it's very impressive.

"We've got an incredible brew hall, 92 different beers in the stadium, so they get really busy.

"We have maybe the best stadium in the country, the Allianz, so we've got a lot going for us, and this is going to be a big year whenever we play."

Heath started coaching in the States in February 2008 with Austin Aztex, who became Orlando, and was appointed as Minnesota head coach in November 2016 before joining the MLS.

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And he loves life in the Land of 10,000 Lakes: "We have really bad weather for three-four months, but spring, summer, fall, as they call it here, it's absolutely breathtaking.

"I live on a lake, everybody gets out boating, and it's a really cool place."

The city's most famous son was Prince, and Heath added: "I really like Prince, but I've not been over to Paisley Park, but I will.

"He's like the King here, he's revered. When he became a star he came back and lived here, he's probably the biggest icon ever from here. Bob Dylan was from here but moved to New York, so Prince is the King.

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"I wasn't there when he died, but on the anniversary of his death, every radio station in the city - a lot of radio stations! - they all play Prince 24 hours."

While Heath is enjoying his time in the States, he still has a great affinity with football in England.

While Burnley boss, in 1996, I recall speaking to him about how he felt the Premier League riches could be redistributed more fairly among the Football League pyramid, and he wonders whether the pause for coronavirus might lead to a rethink: "If you look at the number of players who have played for England and had an effect on the Premier League, how many have come from the lower leagues?

"Vardy is top scorer - where did he come from?

"We have to protect those leagues. Stuart Pearce was in non-league, you can go through the list.

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"Our league is the envy of the world, the 92, or 91 now, and I honestly believe I don't think there should be the parachute payments, they should be evenly distributed to the clubs below.

"But that's just my personal opinion.

"I would like now, when you see the money paid by TV, I don't think the players should continually get more and more money, that should be distributed further down the leagues, and, ultimately, and I know it might be controversial, that should go to subsidising tickets for the people who go to watch games."

In the last 25 years, the average wage in the Premier League has gone from £3,668 a week to £69,779 - around £25,000 a week more than their closest rivals in La Liga.

Heath insists that can't continue to climb: "Every time there's a new TV deal, it doesn't mean every player should automatically get an extra few grand a week.

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"Why not subsidise tickets, freeze season tickets for four/five years?

"The biggest issue, speaking to directors, is an agent comes in and goes 'my guy wants an extra 50,60,100 grand a week.

"They can't do it.

"I feel, somewhere along the line, if this situation is a reset button, and maybe we can get back to some sort of normality as regards salaries.

"I don't mean the Alan Shearers in his day shouldn't earn the money he did, but when you consider there are players in the Championship on 3/4 million a year, that's ridiculous.

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"We have a salary cap, just under £5m, but with that, we're allowed to pay three designated players over and above the cap.

"They are capped at £400,000, but can earn £5m a year if it comes out of the owner's pocket.

"They are trying, but even in the MLS now, you can see the salaries going up, they've probably overtaken League 1, and players will be earning £6/7m a year.

"Our big player last year Darwin Quintero was on £2.5m, so it's good money."

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One reason the Premier League is expected to restart is the money involved, and Heath added: "American sport is all TV money, you won't believe how difficult it's been for the TV to cope with this situation, because they would now have NBA play-offs, MLB would be starting, MLS playing, around the corner is training for the NFL, so they 24-hours a day coverage of sport.

"Suddenly, they've got none, and it will make people realise how important sport is.

"It really is. I use England more than anything, it's the glue that holds society together.

"We have five sports here, in England, without football...I know from speaking to people back home, they can't wait for football to come back."

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Heath expects the Premier League to finish the season, again, with money a big factor: "There's so much still to play for for so many teams in England, it's not like it was in the old days, there's the TV money as well, and there's nine/10 games left, 27/30 points to play for, and millions of pounds that can shape your club, and make the difference between who you can sign for next season."

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