Contracts - Positive reality

[SolihullOwl79]

It's actually a good thing that so many of the squad are coming to the end of their contract's when the season ends. 

 

It means we're not lumbered with high wages Regardless of staying up / going down. 

 

No clubs are in a position to offer high wages anymore because of the loss of income across the board. 

 

Don't be surprised if a lot of those with no contracts after the summer end up signing on for another season on reduced terms. It's not like other clubs are going to be able to offer much more than we can. Some of them will opt to stay due to settling in the area with their families etc. There will probably be little difference in what other teams can offer, thus not justifying the upheaval of a move. 

[@owlstalk]

Just now, SolihullOwl79 said:

It's actually a good thing that so many of the squad are coming to the end of their contract's when the season ends. 

 

It means we're not lumbered with high wages Regardless of staying up / going down. 

 

No clubs are in a position to offer high wages anymore because of the loss of income across the board. 

 

Don't be surprised if a lot of those with no contracts after the summer end up signing on for another season on reduced terms. It's not like other clubs are going to be able to offer much more than we can. Some of them will opt to stay due to settling in the area with their families etc. There will probably be little difference in what other teams can offer, thus not justifying the upheaval of a move. 

 

Fair points

[HighworthOwl]

Wish we had been in this situation back in 2000! 

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

I expect our stronger players will attract better offers from teams with parachute payments, as we saw when we failed to retain Fletcher and Fox last summer. Whether we're able to tempt any to stay this time around remains to be seen.

 

The bigger picture of course is that we potentially stand to lose the likes of Reach, Bannan, Lees etc. for nothing rather than selling them when their values were high and reinvesting that money into the squad.

 

I'm not sure that's necessarily a 'good thing'.

[matthefish2002]

The better players will always attract the better wages.

Wednesday on more than one occasion have had problems playing the wages.

Unless our better players out of contract are confident that situation has been resolved they will be off in May.

 

 

[gurujuan]

Yes that could happen, it’s certainly what’s happened with Hutch, following his short holiday. The problem is, where so many players being out of contract don’t re-sign, and we give ourselves too much to do. Last summer, needing to sign half a dozen strikers was an impossible task, and we have a similar scenario unfolding next summer That will be a big problem, especially if we manage to avoid the drop. Signing half a dozen championship quality strikers, on a limited budget, is virtually impossible

[S36 OWL]

Bannan , Reach and Lees will be off I would imagine. There are enough teams with failure payments in the championship that can offer them a better, longer contract than we can. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by S36 OWL

[gillyno9]

Age might come into it as well. For example bannan who is 31 I think....... he is not likely to get 3/4 year contract. I see him being offered 1 year with an option for a 2nd year. 
 

Hopefully likes of bannan, reach, Lee’s sign on for a bit longer.

 

shaw, needs signing up for the long term. 
 

all host of other players I’m not sure what the future holds. Harris, Rhodes, Westwood, Penney. 

 

a few nailed on to leave JVA, borner. Etc

[Dutch McLovin]

Whist the op makes some good points there is the other side to the argument that we need to be building something. We’re in the same boat every year either we don’t sell and have loads on long contracts or there all out of contract which means we’re never in control. 
 

I would like us to retain Reach and Bannan of the established players.

 

But where my issue is is the youngsters. As I understand it every player from our under 23s who has played for the first team this season is out of contract in the summer. This for me is tragic. Do I think they will all make it ?? No. But you never know until a player plays first team football. Every single one of them should have had the contracts extended last year as they were planning to be used this year. Just incase they perform which puts us as a club in the driving seat. We can offer them a longer deal on improved terms once they become established first team players or we can demand fees if teams come sniffing. As it is anyone can come in for them now as Celtic have Shaw and we are not in control. We’re not learning.

 

We have:

 

Shaw

Ozase

Penney

Brennan

Waldock 

Hunt 

 

All have started games all out of contract. Shaw we could lose already. Ozase is playing well and looking a prospect, someone could come sniffing around him soon. Penney looks inconsistent but prior to Milwall he had 3 good games and was man of match in 2. Hunt had been touted by the club to be Bannan’s long term replacement. Waldock had a good debut early season. Brennan has looked good when he has played in the cup. 
 

it’s a shambles 

[pazowl55]

I think if we have a strong run of results between now and the end of the season and stay up, a few of the better players may surprise us and sign new contracts.  We go down, the lot will be gone.

[Pieman]

I think it is time for Reach to go. He has been a good servant for us over the years, we both need to move on, as the modern game has.

 

Lees I think will be offered a longer term deal here than by other clubs and will stay.

 

Bannan will be the lynch pin for our next period and I think he will resign, probably as our best paid player.

 

I think Shaw and Urgy should be offered 5 year deals, cementing their positions at the heart of our team for years to come. Both have clearly demonstrated the potential they have and they will only improve. The other four should be 1+1. Penney is a conundrum, I have to say. I have never been so undecided on a player, either way. Their is clearly something not quite right, he has consistently been overlooked. At his age, he should be in the team every week. 
 

Harris deserves another 2+1 for me and Westwood + Hutch, another 12 months. Rhodes, Joey and JVA are goners.

[Quist]

Across the board their is a huge number of players out of contract this summer. clubs have not been able to extend or renew contracts.

 

Think lots of players will realise that wages will have to reduce.

 

Also some of them out of contract at Wednesday not sure you would want to renew.

[Ante's Bubbly]

11 minutes ago, SolihullOwl79 said:

It's actually a good thing that so many of the squad are coming to the end of their contract's when the season ends. 

 

It means we're not lumbered with high wages Regardless of staying up / going down. 

 

No clubs are in a position to offer high wages anymore because of the loss of income across the board. 

 

Don't be surprised if a lot of those with no contracts after the summer end up signing on for another season on reduced terms. It's not like other clubs are going to be able to offer much more than we can. Some of them will opt to stay due to settling in the area with their families etc. There will probably be little difference in what other teams can offer, thus not justifying the upheaval of a move. 

 

It is a good point regarding the wages. Whatever our plans are for next season and the players that will be required, plans need to be in place now for re-signing players and bringing in new ones.

 

If our main players like Westwood, Bannan, Reach, and Lees are all on wages that are way out of line with our sustainable fair play budgets, then unless they are settled as you say and we can compromise in some way without breaking the bank, we can wave goodbye to some of them, especially if we go down. Despite our squad lacking quality in depth and a couple of key players I never thought we would go down this season and still do not. If it was my decision, I would be hoping to keep as many of those four players as possible, along with three of the younger players Osaze, Liam and Alex Hunt, because the sheer number of players that are out of contract, combined with our very poor record for re-signing players quickly, or signing suitable Championship quality replacements, could put us in much bigger trouble next season. 

 

Plans need to be in place, because we cannot do the usual thing where players are allowed to sign up again only at the end of the transfer window when we are then given the task of bringing players in at the last minute, who obviously know that they are not the the club's first choice. On past performance you can only imagine that this summer is going to be completely chaotic player and squad wise. Last year we needed to have at least one striker and a left back targeted pre summer, with offers made and ready to sign up before the last transfer window and did not manage to replace either player, despite knowing that the players needed replacing when we restarted the season after the first lockdown. So replacing half a dozen players, or more after contract negotiations have broken down, then going about our normal unprofessional player signing routine is simply unacceptable this summer. The club has got to start gearing up and making moves now. The names can all be signed at the start of the summer transfer window, but the offers need to be in place now and the players who dilly dally re-signing can be replaced and sign much reduced terms later if we still want them and not the other way around.

 

At the start of next summers pre season training we should have a full set of players that will be needed for the season that want to be here at the club and that we actually want to be there too. Sounds simple enough, but it takes a lot of hard work behind the scenes and if we think we started early enough in the past we need to start much earlier this time, because it has been pathetically poor! 

[mcmigo]

Tell them all they can have new 3 year contracts and a 50% pay rise if we stay up.

 

Let them sign the contracts.

 

Then go back to paying £7k a month.

 

[SolihullOwl79]

26 minutes ago, Dutch McLovin said:

Whist the op makes some good points there is the other side to the argument that we need to be building something. We’re in the same boat every year either we don’t sell and have loads on long contracts or there all out of contract which means we’re never in control. 
 

I would like us to retain Reach and Bannan of the established players.

 

But where my issue is is the youngsters. As I understand it every player from our under 23s who has played for the first team this season is out of contract in the summer. This for me is tragic. Do I think they will all make it ?? No. But you never know until a player plays first team football. Every single one of them should have had the contracts extended last year as they were planning to be used this year. Just incase they perform which puts us as a club in the driving seat. We can offer them a longer deal on improved terms once they become established first team players or we can demand fees if teams come sniffing. As it is anyone can come in for them now as Celtic have Shaw and we are not in control. We’re not learning.

 

We have:

 

Shaw

Ozase

Penney

Brennan

Waldock 

Hunt 

 

All have started games all out of contract. Shaw we could lose already. Ozase is playing well and looking a prospect, someone could come sniffing around him soon. Penney looks inconsistent but prior to Milwall he had 3 good games and was man of match in 2. Hunt had been touted by the club to be Bannan’s long term replacement. Waldock had a good debut early season. Brennan has looked good when he has played in the cup. 
 

it’s a shambles 

The point I was making is that given our financial position, it's a good job they're out of contract and not on our books at the current rates for another season. 

 

How many of our squad are going to be wanted by teams on parachute payments. Most of them are players that will help a relegation candidate team escape the drop, not many will aid a promotion push which is what the parachute teams will be after. 

[sherlyegg]

They better players may end up at Derby..or the pigs, Wilder doesn't mind paying players 25k per week anymore...it's just us paying it he ain't keen on.

[theowlsman]

I’m happy for there to be a complete rebuild. They can all go.

 

Not exactly covered themselves in glory this season have they? Just odd good performances with many can’t be arseds.

 

Maybe I’m less patient and less emotionally attached than most?

 

Only one I’d probably push to keep is Shaw because

 

1)He has bags of future potential

2)Has loads of years of football left in him

3)Could be a future star for us

4)Probably wouldn’t cost us a fortune to retain. 

[jonnyowl]

We do have good players plus promising youngsters that are out of contract.

 

Bannan, Reach, Lees will all be difficult to replace with the same quality.

 

Shaw and Urhogide are out if contract.

 

I dont think its a good thing so many are out of contract.

 

15 players are out of contract, which means we are going to need at least 12 players in the summer and again a big rebuilding job rather than a few quality to add to what we have.

 

And who is going to be doing to recruitment? DC and Piaxo!

 

Does anyone trust them to re-build our squad given how poor our recruitment has been.

 

I definitely don't see the number out of contracts as a positive.

[SolihullOwl79]

2 hours ago, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said:

I expect our stronger players will attract better offers from teams with parachute payments, as we saw when we failed to retain Fletcher and Fox last summer. Whether we're able to tempt any to stay this time around remains to be seen.

 

The bigger picture of course is that we potentially stand to lose the likes of Reach, Bannan, Lees etc. for nothing rather than selling them when their values were high and reinvesting that money into the squad.

 

I'm not sure that's necessarily a 'good thing'.

It's not a good thing that we didn't sell when stock was high. I'm not saying it was. 

 

I'm saying given the current financial situation at our club and in general, it's a good job the contracts are up in a lot of cases. 

 

Doubtful any of our squad will be chased by clubs on parachute payments, they'll want better players than we have. 

 

 

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

35 minutes ago, Dutch McLovin said:

Every single one of them should have had the contracts extended last year as they were planning to be used this year.

Good post Dutch nd here’s the thing, there’s little evidence that the club plans anything. Good or bad we seem to stumble into situations and react when we get there. Often the reaction comes too late.