Without wishing to start an article with such a cliché (although this wouldn’t be the first time), I find myself thinking about  'the good old days'  when players committed to a club and did not chase the cash instead of staying put through thick and thin.

I should point out that I am not simply referring to Thierry Henry, who has shown incredible strength up to now to remain at an Arsenal side that is on a slow decline. But I feel that he will leave in the coming months - and it makes me wonder about the value of loyalty in football.

The wages available to footballers these days are obviously astronomical in comparison to those pre-Premiership, and I guess that must have a huge effect on a player remaining at the same club throughout their career. With the exception of a handful of Fergie’s babes and John Terry, I am hard-pushed to think of another high-level player who has spent his entire career at one club.

Prior to the Premiership this was far from rare; Arsenal had a wealth of players from Tony Adams to David O’Leary (save for a handful of games at Leeds), Spurs had Steve Perryman and Gary Mabbutt (who although originally from Bristol Rovers, had 16 years at White Hart Lane).

Matt Le Tissier is a case in point,. Some would say that he held back his career by not leaving his small Southampton pond to play with the big fish, but he stuck with the Saints for his entire career, which included nine Premiership years. I will always have a lot of respect for players, especially home-grown players who decide to do their best for the club that reared and developed the talent.

Whether you like it or not, I believe supporters always show more respect for those who put their faith in a club by staying put, even in examples of players who have been forced to leave a club through mitigating factors (Robbie Fowler's move to Leeds springs to mind). Those fans still display their admiration, even when they are elsewhere.

Spurs have one such player at present. Ledley King, having spent almost a decade at the club, will no doubt have a decision to make some time in the next 18 months or so to either chase the glory (because even a Spurs fan must admit that ultimate glory in the shape of Champions League trophies and Premiership titles lies elsewhere). Sol Campbell had a similar decision to make and he chose to up sticks and leave  - albeit only a mile or two down the road.

Man United’s babes had an easier decision to make; they had the success and only other factors, such as Sir Alex's hair-dryer treatment, would force them to leave. Those who have stayed, players such as Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes ,are now all over the 500-appearance mark for United, a milestone that in this day and age is almost unheard of.

John Terry strikes me as the kind of person who would have stuck by Chelsea even if Roman Abramovich had never touched down at Heathrow on his way to bankrolling the team. And I am sure that he will represent his beloved side for the rest of his career. However, this I could not say about most players in the Premiership, or indeed those in the lower leagues who are only motivated by the cash incentive inherent in the top flight. They should be showing loyalty to the cause of getting their own side into the Premiership instead of fleeing.

So maybe Terry or King will be the last one-man player in the Premiership? At least until Cesc Fabregas completes the quadruple for the Gunners in 2015.