its naive to think that either party would come out of the meeting and just blurt out what was said. we might never know...
I don't think anyone here expects them to say what the issue is/was exactly and for good reason it's private, what we're hankering for (obviously) is just the happy to stay or still want out announcement - That's easy enough to sort
How are we even sure they aren't still in talks? If we know where and what time this meeting is supposed to be, surely the EDP, etc do, and for possibly the biggest NCFC story this summer, surely you'd make sure you had a reporter waiting by the exit? We've had nothing in the press yet, which makes me think talks are still ongoing.
Well we know that talks were definitely at 4pm as Radio Norfolk said their reporter saw Holty going in just before 4pm. Yes talks could still be going on, I think what the point being made earlier was surely things aren't so bad they need 4+ hours of talks to sort out? But I imagine you are correct and that talks are still going on as haven't heard reports that Holty and McNally have been seen leaving
Ay! I gotta step in now guys. I know it's been a long time but this stuff steamrolls out of control and before you know it, we're the pinkun Don't allow yourself to worry, relax, everything will be fine
True. I'm pretty sure the first we hear of this will be from the club themselves. McNally will not let any reporter print anything he doesn't want them to.
I could be putting two and two together and getting five, but... Holt says he's been treated quite badly according to the agent and not happy about a few things said (not sure how reliable this is, but I doubt even if this is resolved we're going to get any more info). This made me think about Paul Lambert's comments at the speech at the end of year party where he said Holt was the worst player at training. Someone also mentioned the other day that there had been criticisms about his eating habits. He was obviously put under a lot of pressure last summer to get fit because it was mentioned several times that he had to lose quite a few pounds. The fact that his training and eating habits have been mentioned so much makes me think it is more than a co-incidence. It sounds a bit pathetic, but people can be very sensitive about their weight and it can obviously get to the point of pretty serious illnesses, so it may be that Holt is having to fight other battles we wouldn't necessarily hear about. He must have been pretty devastated not to have got into the Euro squad too and that could easily have been the straw that breaks the camel's back. The timing of the request was so odd it does just seem like he flipped a lid... Just a thought
rob, its called banter. people give banter about things like that IF they know the person on the end of the banter is fine with it. the fact even holty laughs about his weight on twitter suggests this is completely irrelevant.
I know what banter is, jeez! I was just pointing out that sometimes people are a bit more sensitive about the banter behind the scenes than we might otherwise think or that they show outwardly. It's clear weight has been an issue for him and that rumour about him eating junk food sounded ridiculous, but in context may not be so unbelievable. Added to the fact it is the sort of thing Lambert would try and deal with hard, it may be that it all just got a bit out of control and Holt decided he didn't want to be told what he had to eat anymore. Think about it: -You are a professional sportsman who likes a pie and a pint. It's never really affected you before. You laugh when people call you "fat" cos you really couldn't give a sh1t. -Suddenly, you play in the highest division you ever have and realise you can't quite compete. -You get told to shed a few pounds. It's pretty tough. You get nagged about it quite a bit. It pisses you off. You still get the same stuff about being fat from fans, but obviously couldn't care that much. But just to make a point you rip your shirt off at Swansea anyway to shut them up and show them all the hard work. -Your form really picks up after you lose the weight. Your boss and support team tell you you have to maintain it. -You get to the end of the season and are pretty gutted you don't make the England squad. Still, you're looking forward to a nice chill out to try and forget about it. Maybe have a beer and a burger. -Just as you're relaxing, a member of the diet team rings you up and says: "listen, we don't want you starting next season like you did last. We need you fighting fit right from day one, we can't afford to let you take two/three months getting to full fitness again". Would that scenario maybe just wind you up a little? Does that seem completely unbelievable given everything we know about Holt?
sorry rob, you're barking up the wrong tree here and you've put way too much thought into it. holt even mentioned himself that nobody told him to lose the weight early in the season - it was something he felt he had to do to get back in the team and was proud of how his physique had changed. he's become a much better player for doing so too
there is no way grant holt has handed in a transfer request because of this. his family have just moved down here, he loves playing for the club, he says he wanted the manager to still be here alongside him next season... people are looking for something which isn't there
The thing is many of the players in the squad say Holt is terrible at training (Drury, Martin and Benno have said this that I have actually heard) but he is great at the matches, and thats all Lambert said to. It seems to be an on-running joke between the squad so I highly doubt that has anything to do with it
I said I was putting two and two together and could easily be making five... I just thought about this now. The fact that he felt the need to mention his weight so publicly doesn't disprove my suggestion, if anything it screams of someone a bit insecure about it. Holt is obviously not going to be public about a problem like this. I'm not saying it's what happened, but somebody the other day claimed they had good authority on the argument between Holt and Lambert over him eating junk food. This was a pure guess and I think it's as good as any. No-one else has mentioned anything about these supposed things that were said and I suspect we'll never know, but I really can't think of anything else anyone could possibly think to criticise Holt about that he would be sensitive about (behind closed doors obviously). I'm only going on the basis that we have been told by his agent he is unhappy with some things that have been said over the last few months. Purely guessing, but as Carra agrees, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes
holty is a light hearted chap too. he is all about the banter! he's one of the jokers in the dressing room and he's often behind any high-jinx occurring
Supers, I agree with you. All I'm saying is sometimes people will show that they aren't bothered about banter, but behind closed doors, it may play on their mind.
i understand that. i have experience of eating disorders (not myself i should add) so i know how it can grip people. its just i really, really, really don't think this is the case with holt.
One thing that does concern me is the spirit and banter within the team. All season, we've been told, and seen, about the team spirit between Lambert and the players. Now, personally speaking, if I was in a position like Holt, if I had a problem, I would ask the manager if he had a couple of minutes to spare, or, if he could offer some advice on who to speak to about the problems, assuming that they are non football problems. NOT let an agent dictate what to do. I don't think we will ever find out what prompted the transfer request, and to be totally honest, I don't care. What I do care about, however, is that the matter is sorted out one way or the other and that both parties can move on in whichever direction they move.
