In an interview with the Fulham Chronicle Jol has said that he is in no rush to renwew the contract of older players in their final year. Namely; Mark Schwarzer, Damien Duff, Chris Baird and Simon Davies. Pointedly he makes no reference to those brought in recently on 1 year contracts and confirms that he hopes Brede will agree to new terms. The actual article repoted : As an optimist, I'm guessing that by going public Jol is in fact using this as a stick to get the players to give that bit extra, with the carrot being a contract extension.
Can't see Davies' and Duff's contracts renewed unless they take a pay-cut. Baird still has it and is physically strong with not many injuries. Same as Schwarzer.
Duff's future may depend on how Dejagah does, not how he himself does. As others have said before now, it's hard to see Davies getting opportunities. His best hope of extending may be to get fit at the right time (when others are injured) and to do a really good job, possibly in a position other than his preferred one on the wing. Having got back into first team contention in midfield, Baird may baulk at signing a contract at the end of the season if January sees us do what we're all calling for and signing a quality central midfielder. If Baird thinks he's being pushed back in the queue again, he may decide he's better off elsewhere, whether the club want to keep him or not. It would be sad to see any of the four mentioned in the article leave, but that doesn't mean that in some or all cases it might not be the right decision.
Jol said today that some players have clauses in their deals that trigger an extension after playing a certain number of games. He wouldn't say who, but my guess it is the one's signed up on one year deals in the summer (and possibly Damien Duff ?)
