Byram was sold for a couple of million quid if my memory serves me correctly. Yes he was running his contract down but he still agreed to the move which he didn't have to do. Also he didn't refuse to play for the club as Taylor did in what should have been his final game as a Leeds player. Not the same at all.
Possibly but it explains the lack of commitment towards the end. If we’d stayed up, he wouldn’t have got that “good contract situation”
The more I think about it the more I lean towards the idea that some players deliberately gave a lot less than 100% in at least last quarter of season. Some wanted out whether we stayed up or night but relegation simplified their situation. But you know, it wasn’t their fault that such ridiculous conditions were inserted in their contracts to basically make their escape so easy. The 49ers played some part in that too
Exactly but probably only obvious given the following months. Didn’t help we had a new coach every four weeks. They hardly had time to learn the players names never mind getting inside their big heads. And imagine the abuse a coach would have got had they played the kids at the end and got relegated anyway
Agreed, remember this article https://www.planetsport.com/soccer/...mmer-exit-as-marc-roca-set-to-join-real-betis That article along with the Tweet proves Roca was planning his escape before we were relegated
You can certainly interpret the Roca situation that way. But we were relegated in May and he left in july. So nothing I’ve read confirms the deal was cooked whilst the season was ongoing (happy to be corrected). I’m sure some footballers might down tools to engineer a move. But personally, I think relegation brings uncertainty - staying up guarantees their salary whilst relegation added risk. I don’t generally buy into the ‘didn’t try’ theory. I’ve no doubt their agents were shopping around towards the end of the season - but actually they do that to some degree anyway. I seem to recall Allardyce questioning the players confidence, mental fragility and ability but not their effort.
Agree milky. We really should have beaten both Leicester and Newcastle at home during the run in but although our effort was excellent it just wasn't meant to be.
Does it? The article says Roca has been on an “extended break after the season” and “rumours” started after the season. I don’t deny that all those with relegation clauses might not have given their all, neither did some of the Leicester players, Tielemans being the main one that springs to mind.
Effort, body language etc was all wrong in second half of place game and the do or die supposedly against Spurs. Its as if a few just said during Palace game, feck this, Im out of here anyway
What I don't get is why the club paid many millions for some of these players (Aarronson, Kristenson, Adams, Sini, Wober etc) and THEN inserted a "loan clause" which allowed them to walk away for free. It's not as if we were getting Mbappe or Neymar, most of these guys were untried at premier level. I don't buy the argument that the only way we could get them is by offering these clauses, no other club was doing it. It is rank incompetence from Orta and all these ****heads are going to be back causing major headaches come the end of the season. Orta has done nearly as much damage to the club as Ridsdale, nearly.