Friend or Defoe

When England footballers leave their old teams, they often leave big holes in the pockets of the people who supply them with vast amounts of cash. The local Maserati dealership, lap-dancing clubs, casinos, Champagne merchants, waxing salons, and grape-peeling services all feel the burn as thousands of pounds of annual fees are withdrawn suddenly. Landlords are another of those who face the prospect of financial ruin caused by the transfer of a star player. I was asked to shoot the ex-home of a major player who had departed from the Black Cats for pastures new in the South. This gigantic gaff is part of a development inhabited solely by multi-millionaires – whose mere Range Rover fuel bills often come to ten times what I actually earn in a year. That, by the way, is NOT an exaggeration. This was a six-bed jobbie with the usual enormous kitchen, cinema room, various lounges and wings with cavernous bedrooms etc. All for the princely monthly rental of six grand a month. Your council tax