Outgoing? O’Connell to Brighton

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This is where we've got a problem. They're 20k p/w players all day long and they know it. Yet we're not going to pay it.

We have to think about raising our wage ceiling I'm afraid. There's no way around it if we want to go up.

There's no point being able to spend a £5m fee if you can barely pay them 15k p/w.

This Brooks money could be used partly to fund increased wages. And then we can adjust future squad sizes around it.

Absolutely. We're lucky to have a manager that 60-75% of the time gets a good player in for not a lot of money, maybe increase per player budget a bit, £750k to £1mil for our most expensive transfers last season, up that to £1.5mil/2mil but stay off those £4 million pound splooges that a lot want us to make, and increase the pissing wage budget so that people want to stay.

I'd imagine our core are on 12, 15K or something, at least let us be able to compete with a starting salary in the Prem, probably about 20K.

We need to do that anyway to get people through the door, not just keep the players we have.

Don't need to go Wendy levels but a bit of an increase is necessary to maintain never mind go forward.
 

Brooks wanted to go. Wilder has always said he would not keep an unhappy player.
At the moment we know nothing about JOC thoughts on any deal. If indeed there is potential for one.
If however he wants to go, we have no option but to allow him to leave.
Invest the fee in increasing the wages of our better players.
Buying better players and we will slowly be on the same page as higher championship,and lower premiership clubs, it is a slow process but it is the only way to,do,it as long as the money is invested back into the squad.
We cannot have unhappy players at the club which is what happens when we have an unrealistic wage structure and players not performing as they want away.
This is our policy It has to be its the only way and will be clarified by Wilder in an interview hopefully tomorrow
 
Absolutely. We're lucky to have a manager that 60-75% of the time gets a good player in for not a lot of money, maybe increase per player budget a bit, £750k to £1mil for our most expensive transfers last season, up that to £1.5mil/2mil but stay off those £4 million pound splooges that a lot want us to make, and increase the pissing wage budget so that people want to stay.

I'd imagine our core are on 12, 15K or something, at least let us be able to compete with a starting salary in the Prem, probably about 20K.

We need to do that anyway to get people through the door, not just keep the players we have.

Don't need to go Wendy levels but a bit of an increase is necessary to maintain never mind go forward.

I'd be surprised if any of our players are onanything like that. My guess would be half of that - and that's the top earners.
 
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I'd be surprised if any of our players are in anything like that. My guess would be half of that - and that's the top earners.

If so that's a bit of a worry. Thought I'd heard that one of our senior players was on 10k at the start of last season, and a lot signed improved contracts but that's all I'm going on, not ITK or anything.

Definitely need to sort it out if we're losing players we can't replace for pittance because of few K a week.
 
Firstly no player at the Lane is not for sale. Sorry but clubs much bigger than us still lose their better players - even Man U occasionally. However if we do lose Joc, as good as he is, they'll only sell him, or anyone else, if the the big is so large that it makes good business sense to do so because ultimately this is business as well as football. If we sell O'Connell then I've no doubt Wilder will have a replacement in mind but the problem is we can't get like for like, because Joc is so good, as is Fleck. That's why you see the likes Of Lundstram and Evans arrive and then we as fans give them a load of crap when they aren't as consistent as we'd like. If they were they wouldn't be coming to us on our wage structure.

The good news is that in Wilder we have a manager who has created such a close knit squad and team spirit that the players want to stay and play for him and in this team. But if Joc wants to go or anyone else then sadly its a gamble to keep them even though many fans rightly say they should still be professional but look what happened to Michael Brown when he didn't get the move - his form dropped and he was a shadow of himself. There's an art to selling at the right time and we've not done that well often but under Wilder you know we're in good hands, especially with the long contracts that these lads are on.

I presume that this rumour was the one that Nixon was referring to and presumably he had to let us know about it so he can take the credit for when it happens, He's just doing his job though whether you like it or not.
 
Unless his head is turned CW wouldn't even think of accepting a bid for him unless it's a ridiculous offer far over his evaluation. So O'Connell is in control of whether this happens. Fact is we are alot more vulnerable due to our wage structure being one of the league's lowest, that makes it hard for us to recruit quality players aswell as keep quality players, players like Fleck, O'Connell who might have the chance for a Prem move to secure there financial futures are may not likely avoid that unfortunately. Thats the problem, if we had a more competitive wage structure we wouldn't be as vulnerable with players wanting to go for more money cause players would be more content with the wage there on here. I reckon wages are a bigger problem for us than transfer fees at the moment in terms of both recruiting players and when teams come in for our players.
 
How did you gather that from that comment?

The bit about ‘our fans fuck me off’ just because they’ve said how much they think he’s worth. Seems a bit strong, after all they’re only putting their opinion forward on a message board
 
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Firstly no player at the Lane is not for sale. Sorry but clubs much bigger than us still lose their better players - even Man U occasionally. However if we do lose Joc, as good as he is, they'll only sell him, or anyone else, if the the big is so large that it makes good business sense to do so because ultimately this is business as well as football. If we sell O'Connell then I've no doubt Wilder will have a replacement in mind but the problem is we can't get like for like, because Joc is so good, as is Fleck. That's why you see the likes Of Lundstram and Evans arrive and then we as fans give them a load of crap when they aren't as consistent as we'd like. If they were they wouldn't be coming to us on our wage structure.

The good news is that in Wilder we have a manager who has created such a close knit squad and team spirit that the players want to stay and play for him and in this team. But if Joc wants to go or anyone else then sadly its a gamble to keep them even though many fans rightly say they should still be professional but look what happened to Michael Brown when he didn't get the move - his form dropped and he was a shadow of himself. There's an art to selling at the right time and we've not done that well often but under Wilder you know we're in good hands, especially with the long contracts that these lads are on.

I presume that this rumour was the one that Nixon was referring to and presumably he had to let us know about it so he can take the credit for when it happens, He's just doing his job though whether you like it or not.

Do agree with most of that and think there has been an overreaction (me included) from the fear he’ll go and that not a great prospect.

But honest question - do you think we would reject £12m bids like the likes of Brentford and Reading have Done for imo inferior players (even with the Brooks cash) or is it more likely we sell for less than half that?

I know based on past experience which one I forsee
 
The bit about ‘our fans fuck me off’ just because they’ve said how much they think he’s worth. Seems a bit strong, after all they’re only putting their opinion forward on a message board
It’s frustrating to see how willing our fans are to see a player go, which fucks me off.
 
I think it’s frustrating to see how willing our fans are to see a player go. That fucks me off

I am not willing to let any of our coveted players go I just see it as inevitable, it’s the nature of life that the big fish feed off the little fish and there are consequently damages.
 

I am not willing to let any of our coveted players go I just see it as inevitable, it’s the nature of life that the big fish feed off the little fish and there are consequently damages.
Which is probably the reason why we have achieved next to nothing since World War 2.
 
Which is probably the reason why we have achieved next to nothing since World War 2.

Err we have primarily been little fish in a big pond. We have however been let down by our owners on numerous occasions when they have seemingly been unable to see the big picture.
The present circumstances are however different to owners syphoning money at inappropriate times as we are currently in a position where our transfer dealings are controlled by our manager, who can not 9nly see the big picture but has mutual respect with his players.
 
This is a rumour from a newspaper journalist who is tying to,drum up interest in him and his paper.
Bloody chill out and get back in the fridge!


Also Nixon has probably read opinions about him on here and his feelings are hurt.
 
Err we have primarily been little fish in a big pond. We have however been let down by our owners on numerous occasions when they have seemingly been unable to see the big picture.
The present circumstances are however different to owners syphoning money at inappropriate times as we are currently in a position where our transfer dealings are controlled by our manager, who can not 9nly see the big picture but has mutual respect with his players.
Ok. We just accept the fact that we have mediocre owners that will inevitably sell our best players, after all it’s the blades way. We’ll be reyt in a few years. It’s never ended badly before. I admire your ambition sir.
 
How can we ever be serious about mounting a promotion bid if we even entertain the idea of selling our best players, let's hope that there's nothing in this.

I couldn't tell you the last time I recall United coming out and playing absolute hardball "he's not for sale, at any price". Whether we do that behind the scenes is irrelevant, sometimes a public show of determination counts for a lot.
 
Brooks going was not a surprise to me, and could turn out to be be good business.

But if we was to start selling off the spine of the team now, just cos the offers come in (as they well might as it is a pretty decent spine with the likes of JOC, Coutts,Fleck, Duffy etc) then I would be more than a bit worried.
 
Do agree with most of that and think there has been an overreaction (me included) from the fear he’ll go and that not a great prospect.

But honest question - do you think we would reject £12m bids like the likes of Brentford and Reading have Done for imo inferior players (even with the Brooks cash) or is it more likely we sell for less than half that?

I know based on past experience which one I forsee

12 million and McCabe would drive him there personally - that's my guess anyway. A lad who cost us 300,000 and then sell on for 10m plus would definitely be accepted - in my view. We won't get that sort of bid though I don't think.

We can't replace O'Connell with a like for like - he's too good and he's a ball playing/carrying centre half. But we could sign a decent centre half for a million or so that would do a solid job for us. i think O'Connell represents much more than simply a footballer. He's a crowd favourute and a huge part of two season's ago success. I don't think United fans have connected with a player as much as Coutts, Fleck and O'Connell for many years even more so than Harry Maguire, Jamie Murphy, Billy Sharp and Brooks.
 
We want more than what Bournemouth have just forked out. We’re not talking potential now. We’re talking proven CB who will only get better.

Bidding starts at £15m minimum

100% agree with that and Premier League clubs have plenty of money. Make them cough up.

If it’s a case of much higher wages being offered then match it and keep him here. We just sold Brooks for £12m, use some of that.
 
Team next season:


Henderson

Basham Stearman Wright

Freeman Evans Lundstram Stevens

Duffy

Walters Ched
 

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