Ross Stewart

[Libby]

This. It reads like we didn’t have the option to trigger the extension until after the final game. And then there was a window. And that changed due to the issues

And surely no one is claiming we should have offered him a multi year contract extension prior to the play offs. Especially not when we thought we were protected by the clause

Not seen nothing that states we didn't have the option to do it until after the final game, just that the deadline was 5 days after the final game.

I'd be every surprised if we wrote in a clause that is only valid for 5 days in total. Sure we could have triggered it earlier if we wished.

 

[Shandy_top_89]

Unless he has a contract elsewhere in the coming two weeks this is actually a massive gamble by him given his injury record.

The club probably should have activated the option sooner if they wanted to keep him, but you don't exactly anticipate being kicked out of a play off final.

Shame as he would have been useful for this season, overall though I still think he was a dodgy signing three years ago and we should have picked someone else given his entirely forseeable injury record and despite him beginning to show he is decent when fit we haven't really got enough out of him over the course of his contract to justify what we spent, now we need to go out and find the person we should have found instead 3 years ago.

 

[Gregm1988]

That was the deadline to trigger the extension wasn't it? We could have just triggered it before that point but presumably we were waiting to see if we would be a PL club or not, suggesting that if we were, we wouldn't have triggered it. Which to me is silly, as although we'd have needed a new first choice striker for the PL, Stewart would have been fine for the squad. So although the deadline for the extension being messed up wasn't our fault. We should have just triggered it sooner.

I don’t think so. It comes across as a window. The idea that we could have triggered it at any point I think comes either form Football Manager (where you can) or those trying to find a stick to beat the club/sport republic with regarding the spygate mess. When it because apparent that there wasn’t going to be a rush of players making public statements that the club screwed them out of a premier league payday and handing in transfer requests / threatening legal action

 

[Shandy_top_89]

Not seen nothing that states we didn't have the option to do it until after the final game, just that the deadline was 5 days after the final game.

I'd be every surprised if we wrote in a clause that is only valid for 5 days in total. Sure we could have triggered it earlier if we wished.

Tbf it is probably daft to make these decisions before you know what league you would be in the following season, it suggests the club saw him as a player for the Championship, not the Premier League.

 

[Puck]

Not seen nothing that states we didn't have the option to do it until after the final game, just that the deadline was 5 days after the final game.

I'd be every surprised if we wrote in a clause that is only valid for 5 days in total. Sure we could have triggered it earlier if we wished.

I think this is right and if I was in a position of power at Saints I'd want any similar clauses to be rewritten in future to account for that sort of situation. Not necessarily a disqualification but any situation where you play your last game and don't realise it's your last game. Think of the Covid season for example. That season did re-start but it's not hard to imagine a situation where the last games didn't get played at all.

 

[Gregm1988]

Not seen nothing that states we didn't have the option to do it until after the final game, just that the deadline was 5 days after the final game.

I'd be every surprised if we wrote in a clause that is only valid for 5 days in total. Sure we could have triggered it earlier if we wished.

And you’ve also not seen anything to suggest we did have the option before. You are going for the negative interpretation. And I get it. It’s what I tend to do with most things in life. I look for disqualifying evidence for positive interpretations and accept said evidence much more easily than the other way around

But maybe we didn’t intend to extend his contract if we got promoted in order to sign someone better? We’ve accumulated players not quite good enough for ages now. A good example is the constant kicking of the can down the road on backup goalkeeper and McCarthy with some still wanting to try and retain him for one more year

It seems like some are demanding a level of foresight that was impossible

I’m just skeptical it was as simple as extending before the season ended because if we could and did go out it would have been easy to loan him out for the final year if we really didn’t think he was up to it. But some are determined to find any evidence that confirms Sport Republic are a shambles and don’t know what they are doing and jump all over it

 

[Libby]

And you’ve also not seen anything to suggest we did have the option before. You are going for the negative interpretation. And I get it. It’s what I tend to do with most things in life. I look for disqualifying evidence for positive interpretations and accept said evidence much more easily than the other way around

But maybe we didn’t intend to extend his contract if we got promoted in order to sign someone better? We’ve accumulated players not quite good enough for ages now. A good example is the constant kicking of the can down the road on backup goalkeeper and McCarthy with some still wanting to try and retain him for one more year

It seems like some are demanding a level of foresight that was impossible

I’m just skeptical it was as simple as extending before the season ended because if we could and did go out it would have been easy to loan him out for the final year if we really didn’t think he was up to it. But some are determined to find any evidence that confirms Sport Republic are a shambles and don’t know what they are doing and jump all over it

I'm not going for a negative interpretation at all, what a weird thing to say. Not even sure why that would be construed as negative?

There's loads of examples of clubs activating extensions before the season ends which in my mind makes the idea that we've written a specific clause in which is only live for less than a week seem very unlikely.

The more likely option is that we only wanted to extend if we didn't go up.m and being kicked out of the play offs caused the unfortunate circumstance about missing the deadline.

 

[Libby]

I'll wait and see

I think this is right and if I was in a position of power at Saints I'd want any similar clauses to be rewritten in future to account for that sort of situation. Not necessarily a disqualification but any situation where you play your last game and don't realise it's your last game. Think of the Covid season for example. That season did re-start but it's not hard to imagine a situation where the last games didn't get played at all.

Yeah I said when this all came out that you can guarantee these sorts of clauses would be worded differently in future.

 

[metalmonkey80]

I said on another thread this is his job and he’s got a better offer at another place to do the same thing.

It’s wrong to think players have the same sentiment about a club as fans do. This is their career and they’ll pick the option that gives them the best chance at success and / or wages for as long as possible

 

[doritoharv]

I'll wait and see

I think this is right and if I was in a position of power at Saints I'd want any similar clauses to be rewritten in future to account for that sort of situation. Not necessarily a disqualification but any situation where you play your last game and don't realise it's your last game. Think of the Covid season for example. That season did re-start but it's not hard to imagine a situation where the last games didn't get played at all.

Just think back to what Ryan Fraser did to Bournemouth back during the Covid season

 

[Saints_Alive]

We'll replace LND (and NOT with Downs!) because we have had more hits than misses with transfers recently and I trust Dragan when he says that he'll provide for a team that can battle for promotion next season.
I still reckon that there's a chance that we can possibly start the season stronger than the start of last season.

 

[doritoharv]

We'll replace LND (and NOT with Downs!) because we have had more hits than misses with transfers recently and I trust Dragan when he says that he'll provide for a team that can battle for promotion next season.
I still reckon that there's a chance that we can possibly start the season stronger than the start of last season.

If we can retain all (or most) of the current squad that we wish to keep then we will start with a stronger squad and will also start with consistency off the back of this season. I think Coventry (and a couple of years back - Leeds) had that momentum and consistency, based on a strong previous season that just missed out on promotion, right?

 

[Shandy_top_89]

If we can retain all (or most) of the current squad that we wish to keep then we will start with a stronger squad and will also start with consistency off the back of this season. I think Coventry (and a couple of years back - Leeds) had that momentum and consistency, based on a strong previous season that just missed out on promotion, right?

Only problem we have is that Burnley, Wolves and West Ham make it a much tougher League next season (on paper).

I know West Ham have big problems, but I still see them a nuisance for us.

 

[doritoharv]

Only problem we have is that Burnley, Wolves and West Ham make it a much tougher League next season (on paper).

I know West Ham have big problems, but I still see them a nuisance for us.

All the more reason to come out the blocks like Coventry did before they get a chance to settle and gain momentum (like Ipswich and us eventually did)

 

[Saints_Alive]

All the more reason to come out the blocks like Coventry did before they get a chance to settle and gain momentum (like Ipswich and us eventually did)

Hopefully we'll wipe out the 4 pts penalty after the first two matches.

 

[Toss saints]

F*ck!! This is depressing news. Ross is a fantastic striker and well worth taking the risk on. Gutted the club haven’t given him what he wants. He’ll end up at a rival.

Kinda with you. Given how much it will cost to by a top championship striker, what £10-£15m, say we paid Ross £2mm a year for 2 years is only £4mm. We would then need to pay wages of new striker. I think I need to apply for the role as Saints Finance Director as the numbers on this make no sense to me.

 

[Toss saints]

I'm honestly not that fussed about him leaving. Good player but he's nearly 30 with a wretched injury record. Hopefully with the signing of Larin SR have ended their record of buying absolute turds for strikers once and for all.

Larin benefiited by only playing 45-60 minutes or so a week. Wonder if he will be so good if he gets flogged to play most minutes in most games. That what worked so well for Larin and Ross interchanging each game

 

[Libby]

Kinda with you. Given how much it will cost to by a top championship striker, what £10-£15m, say we paid Ross £2mm a year for 2 years is only £4mm. We would then need to pay wages of new striker. I think I need to apply for the role as Saints Finance Director as the numbers on this make no sense to me.

There's no way we'll be spending that much on a striker.

 

[Toss saints]

Only problem we have is that Burnley, Wolves and West Ham make it a much tougher League next season (on paper).

I know West Ham have big problems, but I still see them a nuisance for us.

but look how Saints and Leicester started last year - I think they may take a little time to adapt, so we need to start strongly

 

[Toss saints]

There's no way we'll be spending that much on a striker.

maybe not, but that is the cost of the better strikers at this level. so point stands that Ross was a cheap option on a two year deal