Summer window

Christ. People getting in a flap because a journo reckons Burnley have bid £9m. They're all full of ****, maybe they have bid, but there's no way he'll know the amount.

 

Cant see what all the fuss is about over a club bidding for one of our players. If we turn bids down and don’t sell cheap it sends a message to the bidding clubs they need to get serious. If they hit a valuation then the club looks at the plan, makes sure the replacement is lined up and if it’s right we make the deal. A player has progressed, it encourages others, we reinvest and end up with a stronger squad once the dust settles. Time to trust the club, think they’ve earned that since KLD came in.

 

Part of the problem is every thing under the sun end up in the same thread.

 

It's the ones having a go at the club for something that's not even happened.

 

Are you Mowgli over the road?

 

no

 

This. I’d be devastated to lose Clarke, especially at £14M. I still think he’ll leave this summer mind.

 

I think he’ll leave towards the windows end for 18million straight after we’ve agreed a deal for a replacement - if it’s a club he wants to join.

 

Expecting similar. Really hope it’s not the case.

 

I don’t think he will go. I genuinely don’t.

 

At what point do they rename the football club with the name of the manager first? I hate it, "Frank Lampards Derby", "Steven Gerrards Rangers", now its sneaking in with Kompany. Oh and as for there bids, meh.

 

In my opinion and my opinion only, and Ill put my tin hat on, but I think if Burnley put down 11-12 million, conversations will start getting a bit more serious. No way we're getting 20, 25 million.

 

He'll have been told by his agent that these first few bids are like the first few moves of chess. This is the first time anyone has really had to deal with our new ownership for a potential large transaction. Quite alot of feeling out going on.

 

Excellent point.

 

Yeh there’s no way anyone is paying £20m for him this window. So he either stays or we accept less. And it will probably come down to whether he asks to go or not. Hopefully he doesn’t but I never rule anything out when it comes to footballers asking for moves

 

How would you know what figure they will accept?

 

Clubs don't necessarily need encouragement from agent to put bids in.

 

No but they usually will have discussed it first.

By encouragement I don’t mean proactive and passionate encouragement. I just mean Burnley will have spoken to Harte and he has obviously not said “no don’t bother lads he’s staying”. Burnley think there’s a deal possible. And haven’t been told otherwise.

 

I think the club hit a little lucky last year and the fans gave them a lot of good will especially the home form or lack of it. Expectations have been risen and if the club think it’s going to be an easy ride picking up cheap foreign young uns without adding experience then it could turn quite quickly.
It going to be the first real test of the squad ownership when the first “gem” is sold. It’s going to be an interesting couple of months.

 

How were the club lucky?

I'd be hugely disappointed if our fans turn because a player gets sold, or we're not quite in the playoffs mind.