teaching Leeds United how to run a football club? Adam Clayton and the club cannot agree a contract extension. Unlike the Beckford, Johnson, Gradel and Howson bungles, Clayton is put on the transfer list with a year on his contract still remaining and the club not with its back to the wall. This is how to run a football club.
Gradel and Howson had a year and 6 months on their contracts, respectively. They were both extremely talented players who were worth whatever they were demanding. Transfer listing them wouldn't have done anything other than get us less money. End of the day we didn't want rid of any of these players because they are the few bright sparks in a sea of ****, yet they still went and now another one is on the way out.
You should be grateful we send you players who are not good enough to get in our team TC, after all, they won you your only trophy, along with the Dockers cup of course, KJ's "manager of the month award" for avoiding relegation again.
I think it would have been better business to pay Clayton the average wage he wanted and get more consistency out of him, moulding him into the top player he has the genuine ability to become. Not flogging him so we can get in Danny Pugh Mark Two to hoof the ball to Becchio next season. If we'd not kept Beckford, Johnson and Howson until the end (or almost the end in Howson's case) of their contracts, we'd have been megafucked last season and the one before.
Wasn't Beckford put on the transfer list during the summer prior to his last year of contract? Then taken off it. Then requested a transfer on the eve of our match v Man U. Then listed a few days later. Then taken off the list after that?
NB Jonny - You do know that Ken Bates and Sean Harvey run the club - Warnock just manages the team and does as he's told
We don't need Danny Pugh mark two, since Clayton has been sacrificed in favour of keeping Danny Pugh.
Warnock's taught us short termism is the only way he knows how to manage. He's taught us he can't manage a team only a few points off the play offs because 'they're someone else's players', then creates such negativity around the squad that we end up accummulating 13 points from his 14 games. Sorry Colin but good managers manage, and play the hand they're dealt, they improve the performance of the squad they inherit. Finally NW's taught us he's no time to hone up and coming gems like Clayton, preferring to play Russian Roulette with our squad.
Agree with you that we should be offering more and better. Don't agree that we should give anyone whatever they want as it may be unreasonable. However, if that is not done, then those situatins could have been handled better. While I would prefer Clayton to stay, if that is not doable then best to resolve that situation now.
Agreed, but if that cannot be, then I believe this is a better way to handle it than the other situations were handled.
Totally different issue. I think he failed in that respect. Others may say the players failed him in that respect. Perhaps they tried too hard to impress instead of relaxing and playing.
I guarantee Gradel wasn't asking for anything more than what the other top players were on. All Howson was demanding was some ambition from the club. I said we should have given these players whatever they wanted, because I know their demands were not unreasonable. They both loved the club enough to be reasonable, Gradel was never offered a contract and Howson was pushed out the door and then touted as "wanting a fast track to the Premier League". I don't think we should give in to players demands, I just think we should stop playing this stupid power game with players. The player has as much power as the club, no one player is bigger than a club but no club is bigger than a player. The board need to accept that players get paid so much for a reason - they provide the entertainment we pay for. Talented players are in high demand and short supply, and this archaic, naive view that players should only get so much for whatever arbitrary reason bates has is seriously holding the club back. Running around a pitch for 90 minutes, on top of training, the pressure and the hounding from the media is worth a damn sight more than sitting on your fat ass in Monaco complaining about everybody else.
Marko, these are time limited footballers under the direct influence of their agents to be greedy. None of them are loyal, for example Howson is suiting himself at Norwich and will soon be looking for his next pay-day move. Where Bates & Harvey get it wrong is when they don't clearly state what we are offering who!!! This is what is driving the support into the ground.
I know you meant "driving into the ground" as in lowering it, but "driving the support out of the ground" would be more fitting Howson was genuinely heartbroken to have left. Watch his interview after signing for Norwich. It wasn't about money for him, it was about playing in the Premier League. He wanted to play with Leeds United in the Premier League and was holding back on signing until the club matched his ambition. Instead they took it personally and said "right if you don't think building a new stand is showing ambition you can **** off then" before being forced out of the club and then the club saying "we reluctantly accepted an offer".
Anyone who believes Gradel and Howson were mercenaries and wanted out have surely been on a planet other than earth for quite some time. It's quite unreal that there are some who think that way.
