I've never heard of Phil Hay but his Minions are getting excited by a possible return by JH. I would hate to see him go, but if he isn't compatible with how SW see's us playing then so be it. I would imagine Norwich's stance is that everyone is available at the right price and Johny could command a decent fee to help with the rebuild. But Howson struck me as the sort of dependable and talented player that a good team needs in its spine. Hope it doesn't happen. Bah!
No idea, but I bet if you took a 'straw' poll among Leeds fans, they'd be hoping Norwich 'baled' Howson out of his remaining contract
Hey, we will have a minus amount of players in the very near future. Rangers (no money ) will sign Dorrans and Madison, Pritchard is on his way to Brighton, Naismith is to be given a free transfer. Come on guys (and girls) get real. These hacks hear /see a rumour on the internet and it becomes fact in the interests of their continued employment.
The silly season is upon us. Should have expected as much after SW told the seven they weren't coming back. It gives lame sports writers carte blanche to write any damn thing the want (not that didn't already). Still, as the General says, if the money is right, anyone could go.
I'm extremely dubious about the sources for both the Naismith and Howson story. Both look like journos making it up as they go along. If we let either go in the manner described, then I really will wonder about SW's grip on things.
A new twist on the Naismith story - http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwic...-rangers-plot-steven-naismith-swoop-1-5002465 Let's hope it comes off and at least we won't have to pay him compensation!!!!
I'd prefer for Naismith to stay, but I can see that his salary is an issue. With 5 options at WR and WL and 4 options at AM currently, I can see the logic of Naismith leaving to save on his salary, but it'd depend on his taking a pay cut at Rangers or elsewhere. He has 2 years left on his contract, so talk of his leaving on a free transfer is ridiculous. If that was viable, we'd have done it with Lafferty years ago.
Can anyone remember when we signed Bassong? Did Spurs not pay a contribution to his wages? Can we not do the same? I know its not ideal but would reduce the wage bill.
I think Suffolk meant do the same with Naismith, Dave. If we're still paying him, even only half, I'd rather he was playing for us. He scored 7 goals in 23 starts and 9 sub appearances (including his cup goals against Everton and Southampton). He is also a good leader on the pitch and could make a big difference next season. Having made huge salary savings on the 7 leaving and Brady and Olsson before that, in addition to the £30m in parachute payments, we must have enough money for the 3-5 players we now need. Bassong was never going to get a game at Spurs; it isn't like that with Naismith.
Any sort of deal where we pay out to get rid of him would be a farce. Yes his wages are far to big, but I'd rather keep him than subsidise him for someone else. He could still be an important player. But I guess SW and the new HC will have to weigh that up. What sort of morons where holding the purse strings and agreed that deal without relegation clauses for Naismith? (Assuming the rumours are true!) Amazingly poor judgment if so, worryingly Steve Stone was possibly a big part of that, although he says past mistakes won't be repeated. Bah!
if weve got to pay off his remaining 2 year contract or anywhere near it he should be kept imo, else we are just chucking money away on a new player who could be no better\worse. I really dont understand why City press release information like this about letting players go for free to get wages down., all they are doing is devaluing the player with no hope of getting any cash for him, Rangers will just sit there now and sweat it out till we give him away.
Sorry Dave, yes as RER said I was relating it to Naismith. I was purely thinking if we were able to get someone to offer an acceptable fee for him, it might be an option to contribute to his wages. Enabling us to get more money in from the transfer and cover the wages for a replacement. Not ideal I know, it was just a thought. Naismith has certainly improved his performances in the last few games, whether that is due to playing alongside Pritchard rather than Hoolahan or that he is trying to secure his job and those high wages for next season, who knows!
I can see your logic, Suffolk, but I still think that he's the kind of player we'll need next season. I don't get to may games these days, but I did see the away game at QPR where Olsson was sent off in the second minute for handball on the line. Brady had to drop back to LB, leaving Naismith to cover both WL and AM, which he did very well while also rallying the rest of the players to boot. He also got the goal with an excellent header in the 2-1 loss which resulted. We're going to need that sort of attitude and can ill afford to lose him, IMO.
Except we hadn't changed our structure back then and hindsight is brilliant, appreciate many were saying get rid back then but none if us were the manager either, all we can do now is work with we've got. If someone is in £25k per week & we extend the contract to sell them & then can't get rid inside 4 weeks for >£100k then you were financially better off releasing them instead aren't we?
Webber could very quickly go from Hero to Zero if he begins to sell players that we actually want to stay!!! No-one was THAT surprised with the list of seven but to sell JH would be criminal! Especially as he would likely go to a rival! Our midfield is already very thin on the ground. We found that out when Dorrans got injured last year and we struggled! Dorrans is an OK player and we missed him! Id say Tettey is the only midfielder we can afford to let go and then we need to ADD quality, not LOSE it!!!
Couldn't agree more bedford and I'm pretty sure everyone on here wants JH to stay, even if selling him would bring in much needed funds - and to sell him to Leeds would be tantamount to unforgivable IMO!!! I'm pretty sure Thompson is ready to step up and hopefully the new HC can work out Godfrey's best position, which I think will be DM having seen him play a few times and he has had a few minutes in the first team already.
Thompson and Godfrey are both very good prospects, but Tettey is still one of the best DMs in the Championship. It's possible that we could find a better DM, but there aren't that many around who know this league and can play well in it. Had Thompson not been injured, I think he could have had some good match experience when Dorrans was injured. Both of them being injured was a big part of our decline. Dorrans can play as a CM or a DM quite effectively and he's one of the best passers in the squad. Thompson (who is now 22) and Godfrey (who won't be 20 until next January) will probably get some experience in the cup games and come on from the bench in league games to try and make their mark the way Jacob and Josh have done this season.
Out of the whole team Howson is the last player I want to see go, would be a huge blow for next season. Not sure I'm liking our new setup, just feel like it's a manager job to decide what players he wants.
Well, it's now supposed to be a joint decision, with the final say going to the HC. Is it possible that SW discussed the 7 released players with all of the candidates on his short-list? If not, SW's decision seems pre-emptive. Perhaps he'll justify it by saying AI had the final say as Caretaker HC, but it still seems very odd to me as well. EDIT: Thinking about it, no other Championship team has released players with one game to go. What was the desperate hurry about it?
