Knudsen on his way out?

Once again we have a good servant to Ipswich that the club is not doing the courtesy of talking to about his contract.

Knudsen has come out to say, effectively, that he is free to talk to other clubs in January and is ready to move on.

This has been going on for years. Whatever fees we spend on transfers are effectively a waste of time when we don't look after the players we already have at the club.

 

It's a job for him as it is for every single footballer.

I don't think he comes across brilliantly (to Town fans) with his comments, but I don't think they're too uncalled for..

His view (and the Danish press that are interviewing him) is that he's gone & played in a world cup, come back to his club team and been left completely in the dark. I don't think you could blame him for wanting to call out the club for not offering him a contract (yet)... Though I think he could have worded his comments a little better

 

Our approach to out-of-contract first-team players is completely misguided, in my opinion. How many times have we left first-team players in the lurch who clearly care about the club and put the effort in? I'd argue it's more a damning indictment of Marcus Evans' business approach to football where every pound is accounted for and cutting costs appear to be the constant priority.

I'm not the biggest fan of Knudsen, and I believe that the full-back positions are areas where we require improvement over the January window, but we should be able to provide Jonas either with a new contract, the assurance of a new deal, or given official notice that he can talk to new clubs as his deal won't be renewed. As one of the few saleable assets we have left in the playing squad, why can we not renew his contract and the explore the opportunity to sell him in the summer?

 

How has Knudsen not been looked after by the Club? A contract was drawn up, both parties signed, the Club was happy, Knudsen was happy, he got away from a tin pot Danish Club and started earning more money than he ever had before. Personally I don't think he's international standard but perhaps that reflects possibly the poor standard of Danish defenders, I've said before that he's gone big time Charlie since the Summer so let him go and maybe we can replace him with a genuine Championship standard full back, he really isn't that good.

 

It's not about whether he is a top player or not, but he's a committed servant and an important first teamer and many have spoken about getting the same treatment.

Apart from money why does it matter? We want players who are excited about building a career and a team at Town, not players being professional and doing a job on the pitch whilst they sort out their future somewhere else.

Better clubs than Town will be in for him and it's just more money down the spout for Town that could have gone into improving the squad. He is not going to lose out in the long run from this approach, Town will.

It's in such stark contrast to the way Ipswich Town was always run before the Evans era and the way Leicester City has been run.

 

I've been one of the Evans out brigade for many years so I won't get started on that subject, as for the term " servant " that's not a term that applies to a professional footballer, they are very well paid by the Club that employs them. Knudsen is now an international due in no small part to the coaching and guidance he has received at ITFC he certainly wasn't that standard poor as it is when he came here so it's a 2 way thing, why didn't Town open contract talks with him months ago? I don't know but we probably will find out later.
He's not Prem standard by a country mile so I don't believe there will any takers there, so it's a rich Championship Club at best but most of those have better players than him so that's not certain, will it come down to money? You betcha it's everything to do with it, big time Charlies expect big time money even if they're not worth it.

 

If it's just a contractual obligation for both sides, then Knudsen needn't put any effort in or care whether we win or lose. He is just an employee who just needs to turn up for work. There are dedicated people in all sorts of employment but we both know that football is not an ordinary job. Will he be on better money somewhere else? Of course he will, because Town pay peanuts in relation to other Championship sides. Who can blame him?

I agree that it's far more likely to be a Championship side than Prem, but there may be one of the smaller Prem clubs in for him or he may be promoted to that level. Either way I don't think he's one of those that ends up released and dropping down a division or two. He says he's open to a move overseas.

Town are up against it enough without shooting ourselves in the foot like this.

I would like to understand the rationale for not talking to players about contracts, or is it just a massive oversight or lack of strategy? Or is it arrogance that Evans feels that the players are not of much value?

 

It's not in a players interest to be associated with a failing side as far as " worth " goes, obviously the better he performs the more attractive he is to another Club or it gives him more leverage with his current employer at contract time so just turning up is not an option, money will decide this as I said earlier not whose upset with their employer for not speaking nicely to them.

 

Completely agree with this, he comes across as gutted he didn't get his move to Boro or Stoke last summer.

Based on that not interested.

He'll want improved terms. We don't know what league we'll be in, so simply put, right now we cannot enter into negotiations sensibly.

 

Fair point and hadn't thought about this, but easy to put a relegation clause in a contract (or at least it would have been in the summer, who would take it now?).

Who wouldn't be gutted you missed the potential to play for Boro in the Premier League next season when instead you're bottom of the league and the club's not even bothered to talk to you about your future.

 

Very easy to, but in this day and age I think he will shop around and get more money elsewhere.

Oh I agree, but should have kept that to himself. That’s only his word the club hasn’t- we’d have to go through his agent and they aren’t all kosher. So who knows the entire story.

Realistically it’s either sell for a small fee in January, or he will end up on a free come seasons end.

 

Westy any chance of a matchday thread?

 

As Westy said the contract talks couldn't begin with the uncertainty over managers / relegation, and lets face it if we are relegated we wont be able to pay the tea lady let alone international players, and as for Knudsen feeling left out and not valued, grow up boy you could be working night shift for the minimum wage then tell us how undervalued you feel, nobody will be listening because they are too worried about how to pay the gas bill.

 

fieldmarshall, I think you are conflating two separate issues. Team spirit, pulling together and feeling valued are vitally important and doesn't mean anybody is taking their position or their salary for granted. It is virtually impossible to achieve a high level of performance without those things. People who earn a lot of money feel stress just the same as everybody else, by the way.

 

Will do one tonight!!

 

As I said grow up get in the real world, he's not even very good.

 

It's a very sad state of affairs.

 

No it isn't, it's a player with not much left on his contract trying to wring more money out of his employer and if he doesn't get it he will go to the highest bidder, forget this " servant " bullshit.

 

Afternoon fieldmarshall. Servant is a common term in football, I think it's apt for Knudsen for his ultra-reliability. I think you're wide of the mark, he's said his agent is talking terms and he's concentrating on the football. IF he signs a new contract that is quite some loyalty to show for a club in crisis. Bear in mind we pay some of the lowest wages at this level.

 

I'm completely indifferent to whether he stays or goes.He's at best a "competent"left back,shows little going forward and can barely deliver a cross.His USP appears to be his long throw,which invariably is a good way to give possession back to the opposition,even when we had Murphy as target man.