13 out of contract

[3canaries 0]

Huckerby has a very valid point he makes in this mornings EDP.  We have 13 players out of contract at the end of the season, meaning we could be down to 10 professionals!  These 13 players have very uncertain futures, especially with the Premiership payments coming to and end.  How do you motivate these players to give their heart and sole to our Football Club.  In the back of their minds at least half know they won''t be here so are probably thinking why bother? They''re all on a decent wage, and will probably not be able to command the type of salary they current receive here.

Majority of the time we don''t know what''s going on behind the scenes, who''s negotiating, who''s unhappy, who''s got personal problems, who''s in the ''comfort zone'', we can all debate and voice our opinion, but only a handful of the coaching staff can get the best out of these players.

For these 13 players who''s future is uncertain I''d say one thing to them.  You''ve all come to this club because you wanted to, to play football, learn and better yourself.  Whether or not your contract will be renewed you owe it to the club and the fans to justify your weekly wages by pushing us up the table to safety.

[chrish 0]

Arn''t the 12 (thirteenth was Hucks who has sighned) all players that we on this board have said we want to get rid of so why do we want them to have new contracts.

[a1canary 0]

Certainly seems a ridiculous number - does anyone fancy having a go at naming the 13? I''ll start us off!1. Paul McVeigh2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.

[Web Team - Vince 0]

See http://new.pinkun.com/cs/forums/849069/ShowPost.aspx

[7rew 0]

They are, (off the top of my head):1. Paul McVeigh2. Peter Thorne3. Craig Fleming4. Matthieu Louis-Jean5. Andrew Fisk6. Robert Eagle7. Matthew Halliday8. Andrew

Cave-Brown9. Joe Lewis10.

Ian Henderson11. Gary Doherty12. Adam Drury13. Dion Dublin

[mbncfc 1]

Those who are good enough should be busting a gut to prove it.

Those who aren''t should, and will, go - and for free.

I''m sure it does play on their mind slightly, but any respective person should use it as a drive to show what you''re capable of. Too many excuses I''m afraid...

[7rew 0]

hmmm, when i tried to look clever, vince hadn''t posted yet.

[Colonel Cullum 0]

just re-sign Drury and Dublin for me then. Can''  tcomment on the younger lads with a year option but have seen nothing from Eagle to impress me.

[blahblahblah 2]

I think it shows the willingness of the club to start again from scratch in the summer to be honest.  The players who are seeing out their contracts in "poor form" are doing themselves no favours at all - the championship isn''t exactly a shop window, but these blokes don''t even appear to be turning up at the shop.

Maybe the club should give garden leave to those who are disinterested, and let the ones remaining just get on with it.  We already play an Under 20 side (or as good as) in the reserves, on the infrequent occasion that the reserves have a game, so anyone not in the first team squad wouldn''t get a game anyway.

[Evil Monkey 52]

[quote user="7rew"]They are, (off the top of my head):1. Paul McVeigh2. Peter Thorne3. Craig Fleming4. Matthieu Louis-Jean5. Andrew Fisk6. Robert Eagle7. Matthew Halliday8. Andrew

Cave-Brown9. Joe Lewis10.

Ian Henderson11. Gary Doherty12. Adam Drury13. Dion Dublin

[/quote]McVeigh, Thorne, Flem, MLJ and Hendo can be released without tears.  The youngsters should probably stick around and be given a chance or loaned out to build up strength, etc.  Much as Doherty can be a liability at times, he can also be quite good on occasion (remember he was Player of the Season last year, or have people forgotten simply because he gave away a free kick once or twice) so I''d give him a year extension, along with Drury and Dublin.

[Huddy 0]

Peter Grant said yesterday that drury has another 18 months, so either he signed a new deal or the one year option is being activated.

[Hairy Canary 705]

I think Huckerby''s comments were aimed at the club to "sort it out".

The point is that we have 12 players who have an uncertain future and the club has not made an approach to any of them to extend their contracts. Imagine the discontent that level of uncertinty that brings. Half the playing staff are likely to conclude that they wont be at Norwich next year and dont know if they will even have a club or not. Whatever we all feel there is no doubt that having that number of players with low commitment is affecting the whole club. It might even be that some of them wont care if we stay up or not because they will be long gone.

One last thing. If you were Dury, contract up at the end of the season, your club has not made any approach to re-negotiate and Derby, 2nd in the table, come in for you, what would your reaction be?

This is more terrible mis-management from the board. 

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="Evil Monkey"]

 Much as Doherty can be a liability at times, he can also be quite good on occasion (remember he was Player of the Season last year, or have people forgotten simply because he gave away a free kick once or twice) so I''d give him a year extension, along with Drury and Dublin.
[/quote]

lol, Player of the season as part of the worst Norwich championship defense since Mackay arrived at the club what 8 years ago....  And was our worst defender by some margin when played in the premiership...

A quality player...

[percyvarco 0]

PPPPPP

Prior Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance. I wonder where this 13 fit into Munby''s two year relegation plan that he was on about last week?

If we end up down a league our squad will be paper thin for economic reasons so watch a high number of these wages being shown the door, but then the Sky cash is also no more so is it a mindful plan on behalf of the Board?

[Pyro Pete 1,907]

Providing they are replaced by better players, I have no problem seeing these players leave. But we had this situation last summer when we let a whole series of players go, but failed to bring in replacements. Ironically, I''d be happy to see our most senior player, Dion Dublin, stay. But Fleming, Henderson ,Louis-Jean, McVeigh and Thorne can all move to pastures new.Those with one-year extention options are mostly youngsters - Cave-Brown,  Eagle, Fisk, & Halliday. I am only familiar with Eagle, who looks promising.That leaves Doherty and Drury, who have one year extention options, but both have been disappointing. I wouldn''t mind see both depart, providing we had proper replacements come in. But it seems like bad business, as both would fetch a fee of some sort if still under contract.

[Crazy Eddie 0]

Drury is not out of contract at the end of the season. He has 18 months remaining.

[djc 0]

Of those that Grant doesnt want to keep why are we not getting rid of now, during the transfer window, on either a free transfer or one of nominal value?

Why waste another 6 months of valuable wages?

 

[Huddy 0]

[quote user="djcat"]

Of those that Grant doesnt want to keep why are we not getting rid of now, during the transfer window, on either a free transfer or one of nominal value?

Why waste another 6 months of valuable wages?

 

[/quote]

I cant see there being many takers for people like peter thorne and matheui louis jean can you. Even if there were, nobody would match the ridicilous 5k + they are on at norwich and so they will just stay put with their big fat pay cheque untill there contact expires, when they will probably retire or finally accept low wages as their coffers have been overfilled because of worthy''s poor judgemnt. It seems no-one wants ryan jarvis, because he''s avaialble for loan. I cant see any championship club wanting mcveigh or anyone going near his wages, so he''s another one who will sit theiur till the end of the season.  Then there is Halliday, Eagle, Cave-brown and fisk. The latter 2 arent good enough to make an impact a kings lynn, halliday wasnt in the frame when we only had 1 other available centre half and eagle will be at wroxham in 12 moths time. Theres no point releasing them because they are on minimal wages. Hendo''s been loaned out, to try and earn  acontract which is fair, he''s not on much anyway.

The others out of contract are dublin who will probably get another year and doherty who is in the team at the moment.

[Big Rons Brain 0]

Agree with MBNCFC

When I am on a short contract and don''t like it, I work bloody hard to make sure I get it extended.  Responding to pressure by sulking is hardly a good characteristic, don''t really see  "I might have to get another massively overpaid job in a few months time" as a real problem in the scheme of things. Let the winging swines go and some other sucker pay their wages.

 

[Coelho 0]

Personally, I think McVeigh, Thorne, Fleming, Louis-Jean and Henderson should be released.I know very little about Fisk or Halliday, but I don''t think they''ll be demanding much money, and another year of development can''t do them any harm, especially if they can get first-team experience on loan. Doherty and Dublin should be kept on - I know Doc isn''t the most talented of footballers, but he''s strong, committed and passionate, and I don''t see too many other people at the club who fit that description. Dublin - enough said! Lewis is very talented and would command low wages so he should be kept on for sure. Eagle looks okay, despite a chronic lack of pace, and again an extra year wouldn''t be hitting us in the pocket. Cave-Brown must be kept at all costs - I saw him in the Scotland U20 team that reached the European final and he looked a very accomplished player. In a couple of years he could become a real asset.So the only big wage-earners that we''re likely to keep on are Dion and Doc, freeing up valuable resources for new signings. Doesn''t look too bad from where I''m sitting.

[GJP 79]

Me thinks we need to keep (assuming Drury does have 18 months left) Dion, Doherty and Joe Lewis. Not too fussed about the rest. Although it would be good if PG could get McVeigh fit and motivated as there''s no doubt that he''s a quality footballer...when he''s up for it.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

Its an absolute bonus these players contracts are running out.  The worst thing that could have happened was to pay most of these chaps another season''s inflated wages.  It a real shame other donkeys at the club still have a year or two to go before we can lose their ridiculous wages.

[canary cherub 1]

It''s the sheer number of players out of contract at the same time which is the issue. When Hucks says we''re probably the only club in the country in that position, he''s almost certainly correct.  Half the entire squad is out of contract.  What a terrible situation.  The phrase "terminal decline" springs to mind.

Some of you say you''d be glad to see the back of most of them at the end of the season.  That''s not the point.  The point is that they can leave on a free, so where''s the money coming from to replace them? 

One of the EEN''s "10 questions" that wasn''t answered at the AGM touched on this topic, ie: "Peter Grant has hinted that a major reshuffle is needed.  Can this be done when we have 12 players out of contract in the summer, none of whom will raise significant transfer fees?"  No doubt one of Archant''s finest is pursuing it as we speak . . .

 

[Canary Poirot 1]

If I was Peter Grant, I would ask every single player out of contract this season, bar Dublin and the youngsters into my office, and tell them all, in no uncertain terms, that if they do not perform between now and the end of the season, a press statement will be given, to forewarn every club in the world, stating exactly why those players are not having their contracts renewed. With luck, none would ever work in professional football again. And hopefully, that act would worry the three infamous midfielders, Hughes, Robinson and Etuhu, who we''re lumbered with for another season sadly, to pull their fingers out or see their careers go down the swanney to in a years time.

 

[Branston Pickle 3,667]

The problem with this thread is that it is based on a false premise.

There are actually 6 players out of contract in the Summer, together with 6 that we have one year options on, so those players in effect have 18 months on their contracts if we wish to extend them.  The EEN actually quoted the figure, but it is most definitely incorrect based on what the pinkun put up here on 14/1; indeed, this was all covered on a thread about a week and a half ago.  .

Posted by Web Team Pete on 14/1:

Contracts expiring in June 2007:
Dublin, Fleming, Henderson, Louis-Jean, McVeigh, Thorne

Contracts expiring in June 2007 with further one-year option:
Cave-Brown, Doherty, Drury, Eagle, Fisk, Halliday

So, it is really only the first list that is of ''concern''.  The others are here for 18 months if we want, but we can let them go if we don''t.  That is a fairly reasonable position to be in. 

But from that first list, who, exactly, is anyone actually that bothered about losing, other than DD (and possibly Hendo?)??  All of the remainder have been moaned about for some time here, and none would command much of a fee, if any - given age, recent performances etc.  Indeed, for MLJ and Thorne you''d hope for an early release to free up some cash.  WLY ought to be really trying hard to get a new contract, but isn''t.  Flem seems out on a limb, his days probably numbered, but was so moaned about on here last season that I can''t believe some would actually miss him.

We really do need some freshness about the club, and for me having some of the dead wood out of contract in the Summer is a godsend, not something to moan about!!

 

 

[Coelho 0]

Totally agree with all that, Branston. Joe Lewis isn''t included in that list, though - anyone know if he''s got an extra-year option? It could really come back to haunt us if we let him go. Someone will snap him up and we''ll live to regret it!