I know none of us have lost any sleep over Liam Trotter but he's another one who very much burst onto the scene like Josh Carson. So, he is a local lad and clearly left with a bitter taste in his mouth and had 'unfinished business'. i.e. Simon Clegg insulted him with his contract offer - the same reason we didn't sign Charlie Austin and the reason we have to settle for defenders like Delaney and forwards like Ellington when the opportunity has presented itself to sign St Ledger, Sharp and many more. Trotter said: “It was not really a hard decision at the time, because even though it was a contract offer, it was not one that said to me the club really wanted me to stay. “Kenny Jackett showed he really wanted me and promised me games, so even though I wanted to stay, it wasn't the right thing and in the end it was an easy decision.”
Sums everything up that is wrong with the club, Clegg needs to be the first one out of the door. Any manager will struggle with clegg at the helm!
I thought Trotter was a very promising player here and wish he was still here. Unfortunately when he played for us he was used as a defensive midfielder. Millwall played him in a rather free role on Saturday. He was everywhere and I thought he was great.
It doesn't matter which position he was played, the fact that he was only offered a 1 year deal swung the balance. And that is Clegg fault.
Guru, I was refering to the first part of the post by Lancs about nobody missing him. I think based on what I have seen of him for Millwall that he could have done a very good job for us. I havent seen anything offical confirming the contract statement that has been posted but it wouldnt surprise me if it was true. When here, Trotter was competing against Keanes dream team of Leadbitter and Norris for a CM start so I can easily see that offers from elsewhere would have been a lot more appreciated by the lad. I think it was a Liverpool player under Shankly that said he could be told he had been dropped for the next match by Shankly and come out of the meeting feeling like he was the second best player in the world in his given position but he was behind the worlds best at Liverpool. Its a quality in a manager/ club that you need if you want everyone to feel wanted and I dont see much of it around these days.
I was never really very dissapointed when I saw Trotter leave. I though he was pretty poor, he looked like he had little quality and just lumbered around the pitch. I remember Keane kept playing him instead of Garvan and I just thought that was absurd. But to be fair to the lad he's gone off and done well for himself playing in a more attacking position. Although in hindsight it looks like a bad decision at the time I wasn't particularly bothered, there were far more pressing matters to be annoyed about. Perhaps it was a good decision for both player and club!!
You aren't looking at the bigger picture, If trotter felt like that, then surely other young players will feel that Ipswich Town isn't serious about them with these crap 1 year offers. Remember whether you liked him or not he started a lot of games that season. Also the point about playing young players help their developments, I really hope this was put in front of PJ nose.
Guru, I dont think the way the modern clubs are set up help youth development. We pulled out of the reserve league last year due to the fact we were playing Southend, Oxford, Stevenage and various other 'nobody' (with all respect) reserves. It was never a platform for proving your first team worth. We pulled out and have since played ad hoc friendlies to give fringe players some game time. It doesnt help whether your 17 or 27 but at least with the 27 year olds in the situation they will have a track record for a manager to look back on. It would be very unfair for anybody going from this kind of youth set up to our first team. I think what we have done with Ronan Murray etc (ie a season long loan) is probably the only way to get players games. Having said all that we need to show players that they can potentially have a future here and that although it will be no easy job getting in the first team that we have the faith that they can do so. With the new financial regulations coming into force, the option of 'bulking' a squad with youngster rather than pro's with pro's wages is going to be a bonus. I dont think agents help. Last season Coalan Lavery's agent turned down our offer because a league two club were going to guarantee him first team football and double his wages. I have never heard of him since so I think realism has to come into play. At 17, I know everyone would want to be playing first team football but instead of chasing a fast buck, a sensible approach from all would put both the club (no transfer fees etc) and the players (a sensible wage for a unproven quantity) on a stronger footing
