Too right. Gradel had all the time in the world for fans (he was caught on camera spending 10 minutes trying to convince a young child it was really him, on the kids birthday), something the opposite of typical for mercenaries. Howson loved the club and his interview after signing for Norwich proves he didn't want to leave. The poor lad's almost in tears in that video, can tell he's trying his best to hold his head high.
Jonny Howson is a nice kid, he played for his home town club and did well. But no one forced him to sign for Norwich! We need to realise that he was not made to leave, he choose to leave which was his right and in his interests. The club should make clear on the table offers to keep our best players. We should then automatically transfer list any player with under 12 months left of their contracts & take the best offer, this should be done on all players without exception. We need to re-invest in buying players, not waste wages on Bosman journeyman like we have been doing. I think Colin is doing alright at the moment, but he needs to tell Snodgrass to sign or move him on.
Gradel and Howson only carried out what anyone who is in employment tries to do, get a better job, more money and career development. There's nowt wrong with that and anyone who thinks footballers are different is not on this planet.
I agree with you Boab, my only issue is that Ken Bates & Shaun Harvey don't seem to realise that their cloak and dagger contract tactics are ripping the club apart.
Ben Parker has said Howson was pushed out. Who do you believe, Bates and Harvey or Parker? I believe Gradel's move was ultimately his decision, but we didn't do nearly enough to convince him to stay.
My point exactly. We don't know what is going on. I hold Bates responsible, but I doubt that Bates was stupid enough to push Howson out the door, as when he left as it cost us promotion. Its more realistic to assume that we did not believe he was worth what his agent wanted & decided to cash in on him once we realised he was not staying. But we do not know, Howson's agent would have wanted him to move as it equalled payday. So what his he going to tell his client?
Howson wanted to go. It wasnt a question of money. He wanted prem football and it was obvious he wasnt gunna get that here
Just about right, Logi, but instead of "wanted to go," I would say he "reluctantly left." Yes, players leaving is their choice, my feeling though is the club is not making sufficient effort to keep them. At least give them something to think about by making attractive offers, not outrageous ones, but attractive ones. Right now, I would say they are making "no-brainer" decisions.
I was as doom and gloom as the next person last season after watching the lack of transfer activity and then crap after crap player signed but.... Warnock is in charge now, he was brought in to get us promoted and until he has finished wheeling and dealing we should give him a chance. Howson and Gradel are done now, let us be a little more positive about Pearce and look forward to seeing who the next 4-5 are. If they are absolute garbage let us have a moan but come on, take Clayton transfer listed out of the equation and we would be as happy as pigs in **** about Pearce in and Bruce, Paynter, O'dea and co out. Let us give Warnock a little more credit for what he is doing, I still think it is gamesmanship and Clayton will be making the shirt his own come the first match of the new season.
Oh for ****s sake, how many times are we going to have to go through this? He was FORCED OUT. He woke up one morning in January and found out the same way as the rest of us that the club had accepted an offer for him. It was made entirely clear to him that he wasn't wanted at the club because the £ signs showed up in the eyes of bates. It's not rocket science, I'll say it again, watch his interview: [video=youtube;TGyPmHDfk1Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGyPmHDfk1Y&feature=related[/video] His eyes look so sad
you took from that "we don't know what's going on"? How much does it take? bates is a known liar and Parker had the microphone snatched away from him for blurting out something the club didn't want us to know. Howson was forced out, no two ways about it, so stop thinking it's anything less than bates wanting to cash in. All Howson asked for was some ambition and real drive to get to the Premier League, the club failed to show that, letting go of our best players and refusing to sanction the signing of adequate replacements. He was then sold with the usual spin of "he wanted too much money" and you've eaten it up and believed it all again.
I already told you concern has nothing to do with Warnock's ability. It's this "I trust Warnock I think he's amazing lets give him a chance" attitude that makes me cringe. The final say on who we get isn't down to Warnock, it is after Warnock has identified a player and sent him to the incompetents to negotiate a contract. It doesn't matter how good a manager Warnock is, the players won't sign if they get treat like **** by the board, which most of them will.
Rubbish, he had plenty of chances to sign a new contract, he didn't, he was sold. I don't trust Bates or Harvey, but it is their incompetence that is letting greedy agents tout our best players around. PS. "His eyes look so sad" ??? Are you sure your a Marko and not a Margo?
In one sentence you've contradicted yourself... you don't trust bates or harvey but you're willing to believe the ****e they spout every time we let a top player go? I have bolded this part because it is of the highest importance - you admit to not trusting these men then you instantly contradict that by suggesting the player left because of the reasons given to you, contrived for one purpose, to make you blame the player for leaving. Howson didn't sign because the offer wasn't good enough - he wanted Premier League football and the club made no attempts to match that ambition with top quality signings and an attempt to hold on to our better talent. Even if he did want a bit more money, can you blame him? Top quality player, he has his career to think about as well as the success of Leeds and he has to be shown the club are committed to keeping him. It's a two way street. Players don't want to sign for Leeds because the club never show they want the player enough. This has happened time and time again. There's no two ways about it. Howson was forced out. Parker has said it. Howson shows in that interview he's not too happy to have had to leave Leeds.
Money & Status vs. Loyalty to Leeds I don't blame him, but don't keep making him out as the victim he had a choice in the matter.
As soon as you find out your club has accepted an offer for you, you know they don't want to keep you. Technically it was his choice, but he was still forced out. It's the same case of "you're not wanted here" that every player gets.
True and I don't fault you on your opinions, but Howson still has to share the responsibly for his part. As does/will Snodgrass, White and Gradel for not signing their contracts sooner. Now if Bates & Harvey stated what they were all offered it would make it easier to see which party was at fault for been greedy.
but they will never tell us what they were offered, which makes me think they had something to hide. Any figure bates spouts that the player was supposedly asking for, it has been inflated through whatever means, twisted and made to sound a lot worse than it is. I am never going to blame the players in these situations because the players are just looking out for their careers, and their careers are going to crash and burn earning small time money at Leeds United, when they could be playing for better clubs with ambition. There is no logical sense in blaming the players, regardless of whether or not the players have to shoulder some responsibility, because that is what the board want you to do. Split the blame and that's half less they have to deflect on to other people. The more you blame others the less likely you are to see that the entire situation has been contrived in a way that makes you think "well its not bates fault the player wouldn't sign" - actually it usually is for not offering the player a reasonable deal.
It is my recollection that despite repeatedly asking for one, Gradel was never offered a new contract.
