and if we had given them a long contract initially paying well above what they were worth and they hadn't made the grade people would still be blaming the board. I don't think it's fair to judge every decision by the board with the benefit of hindsight. If we'd stayed in the PL then they would have probably have been sold or sent out on loan, they are quite someway off PL standard at the moment, like most of our squad. Anyway whilst they're both doing well at the moment they are a long way from the finish article. Totally agree re Whittaker though.
So you're content to see them go for a pittance or walk away on a free as they're no longer contracted next summer because of complacency by the NCFC board? Like grains of sand, slipping through our fingers Tragic and utterly incompetent, if it comes down to that
I'm not sure anyone thinks we should be giving them long contracts over the odds. But youngsters like them need to be annually reviewed keeping at least 2 years on their contract where possible. If you don't think they'll make it and there is little chance of a sale then obviously you run down the remainder or offer lesser terms commuensurate with your perception of those prospects. Like I said we should have been extending their contracts in line with how they performed last season. For me that should have seen them both be payed in the order of a first team player in the Upper reaches of Lge 1 or the lower reaches of the championship(Both of which I would imagine ammount to significantly more than the terms on their existing contract before their loan spells). Had we have done so and they now had 2 3/4 seasons of contract at a reasonable wage then we would be in good position to offer them more assuming we wanted to stave off the suitors from the PL or sell them at full market price. Had they performed poorly or not made any real impact on the first team, we could have loaned them out or looked at bids like Coventry for ~£0.5M at the level they performed well at before and at which there wages would be reflected. Like I said though it is probably agents rocking the boat as I can't imagine we offered them no extended terms. But we obviously didn't offer enough, whether that was market rate or not remains to be seen. But outwardly to me it looks like an error by the staff retentions dept. Bah!
I think we need understand that their value has only been apparent since the beginning of this season. They didn't set the world on fire while on loans, so that's probably why their contracts weren't a priority to the club. I know their parents, they are very sensible people and will talk to them and give them the right advice!
Wasn't Josh MK dons players, player of the season? That in a championship side constitutes exceptional progress in my book and maybe even setting the world on fire! Going into a final year of a contract for a team to be playing in that same division pretty much says to me that if it wasn't a priority, why wasn't it? It's not like they were busily signing strikers! Bah!
How many offers did we get for them last season? None that I'm aware of, so that's the point I'm making. It's only since they've started scoring fantastic goals that people are taking notice. With the greatest respect M K Dons aren't in the same league as Everton!
The alternative point is that our (lacklustre) board need to be far more proactive, rather than wait for interest and then have to be reactive. If they deem these guys have potential, all this should have been addressed before bigger clubs start snuffling around in the NCFC trough
Reading and Preston both thought Jacob was worthy of a championship contract after his stint at Coventry so I would again say that even if it was just retaining in the hope they could get a better price, a new contract should have been sorted. Besides which even if other clubs weren't taking notice till now, our scouts and management team should have been fully aware of their abilities and potential to do just what they have so far this season and ensured that they were signed up for longer. And how they faired against Everton now maybe inflating their profile but many could see their value in Lge1 and the championship following their loan spells. I would imagine a hands off and perhaps that they were not actively seeking a move would have desuaded further suitors. All that said I'm optomistic that we will get them to sign as long as they are getting game time and we're doing well. Bah!
PD and MB discuss the main points of today's presser - I put it on here because they mention interest / speculation from above in the Murphy boys towards the end. AN says basically "They're happy here and playing regularly, why go elsewhere to sit on the bench" He failed to mention contract talks, though, which concerns me a tad
But you're using hindsight to judge what the board should have done 6 months ago. If the board had (assuming the Murphy's were willing sign a contract) signed them up for say 3 years on championship wages and they had not been good enough for the championship then people would be saying what a waste of money, what were the board doing etc, etc. We are where we are now and it's very easy to what should have been done 6 months ago knowing what we now know. Interestingly it was only a few months ago that people were moaning about our youth system and how much we were spending our academy and that we should be using what money we had to buy championship quality players.
But unless the Murphy's are totally mad their not going to sign a long term contract unless we pay them more than they are worth in wages now because they are still developing. 6 months ago we were in the PL and the smart money was on us staying there. The Murphy's were nowhere near PL standard then and whilst they've done well so far this season to decide they are suddenly PL standard now is insane. So if we had stayed in the PL I'm not sure we would have wanted to keep them and I doubt they would have wanted to stay only to be loaned out.
MK Dons got relegated and currently sit 17th in division 1. I think from that it's fair to say that although they were playing in the championship it wasn't in a championship quality side.
Sorry but this is not relevant. We're not, they are getting game time, improving match by match, and so if Pulis, Phelan and Koeman can see that why the hell can't AN and Jez Moxey. Saying they're happy here in a presser smacks of utter complacency and could even be construed by some clubs as a 'come and get them' gesture. Whereas NCFC should be taking steps to show the boys and any prospective suitors that we do aim to keep them - until either our, or their situations change.
You're beginning to sound like you don't want them at the club, CC? For every single argument raised about why we should look to retain them (for the time being) you have a counter argument suggesting they're not worth keeping
Who said I didn't want them at the club or to give them a new contract ? Not me that's for sure. My point was that unless we employ mystic meg there was no way the board could have made decision then based on the position we're in now.
Apologies then, it's just the way some of your points came across. So they were right to offer extended deals to (semi) knackered old warhorses like Turner and Whittaker, but not to burgeoning talent spawned of our (less than prolific at development into first team level) academy? Fair enough, we'll agree to disagree on this one
