Nationwider Posted 1 September 2005 Share Posted 1 September 2005 The sale of Connolly was a good bit of business, but it could be the tip of the iceberg. Put simply, if we don't go up this year (and don't play disastrously badly either) it's likely that we will lose more players to Prem clubs at the end of the season....if they catch the eye. Three that spring to mind are Stearman, Hughes and Maybury. We could make a healthy profit on any of these if they play well this year. There could be others to join the list too. Sheffield Utd, Forest and Ipswich have all suffered from this in recent seasons. Rasiak going to Spurs is another example. This is neither good nor bad, it's just a fact of life given our predicament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted 1 September 2005 Share Posted 1 September 2005 There's no denying that should promotion fail us once more we are going to struggle keeping our best players if the Premiership clubs come sniffing. Hopefully there won't be a repeat of the summer of 2004 though when good players were leaving for next to nothing due to clauses in their contacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nationwider Posted 1 September 2005 Author Share Posted 1 September 2005 Hopefully there won't be a repeat of the summer of 2004 though when good players were leaving for next to nothing due to clauses in their contacts. Hopefully that little fiasco won't be repeated again. <_< Thatcher, Dickov, Bent.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookwhaticando Posted 1 September 2005 Share Posted 1 September 2005 I think (hope) we steered well clear of the ridiculous clauses which allowed people to just walk off for nothing. I know reducing the wage bill was important, but after relegation they were really taking the piss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scow Posted 1 September 2005 Share Posted 1 September 2005 As a Championship side lacking funds, we have to expect that we're vunerable to losing our best players. The problem revolves around the wage bill - This may be our best chance of promotion this season as our wage bill will be cut progressively year after year. Saying that, I think the Connolly sale was influenced by Wigan paying over the odds for him. I don't think any other club would have offered anywhere near £2 Million for Connolly - This was a case of desperation on Wigan's part. They even wanted Dean Windass at the age of 36, and were prepared to pay over half a million for him. Crazy. I don't think the board or Levein would be prepared to sell our best players at their anticipated value. Despite what the Connolly sale may indicate, I think the club are looking to go forward, and won't sell players unless the fee is stupidly high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted 1 September 2005 Share Posted 1 September 2005 Posted by Foxes Trust on foxfanzine: It is correct that the wage bill will suffer a further big cut this summer as the parachute payment ends. This would have been avioded had the ground share gone ahead with the savings made and money received as part of the deal.Given there will be very few players left whose contracts run out at the end of this season, this could indicate that one of the most valuable players may have to go to generate funds for the playing budget (ideally one of the top earners). Whether Connolly's departure now will avoid any further requirement to sell would seem doubtful to us, but we wouldn't expect a mass exodus as many are on 2-3 year deals. And the largest factor which will affect this is the attendances at games this season. That was the biggest hole in the budget last season and the crowds so far suggest much the same this. Bottom line. Unless we get promoted or crowds pick up significantly we will have to either sell one of our best players or get rid of a few more high earners (again, likely to be our best players). Of course maybe Dublin, Wilcox and Tiatto are on big money and that'll solve all our problems...but I doubt it. We could also have another cup run and that might help again, but that's a bit of a long shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenfox Posted 1 September 2005 Share Posted 1 September 2005 As a Championship side lacking funds, we have to expect that we're vunerable to losing our best players. The problem revolves around the wage bill - This may be our best chance of promotion this season as our wage bill will be cut progressively year after year. Saying that, I think the Connolly sale was influenced by Wigan paying over the odds for him. I don't think any other club would have offered anywhere near £2 Million for Connolly - This was a case of desperation on Wigan's part. They even wanted Dean Windass at the age of 36, and were prepared to pay over half a million for him. Crazy. I don't think the board or Levein would be prepared to sell our best players at their anticipated value. Despite what the Connolly sale may indicate, I think the club are looking to go forward, and won't sell players unless the fee is stupidly high. Spot on word for word.Good post Mr. Scowy Sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vo Rogue Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 The sale of Connolly was a good bit of business, but it could be the tip of the iceberg. Put simply, if we don't go up this year (and don't play disastrously badly either) it's likely that we will lose more players to Prem clubs at the end of the season....if they catch the eye. Three that spring to mind are Stearman, Hughes and Maybury. We could make a healthy profit on any of these if they play well this year. There could be others to join the list too. Sheffield Utd, Forest and Ipswich have all suffered from this in recent seasons. Rasiak going to Spurs is another example. This is neither good nor bad, it's just a fact of life given our predicament. [/quo Someone like Stearman would go relatively cheap and if he stays here to contract end then who knows what. Same applies for Weso when he's back.If they're any good play them as much as possible and make them the people that push for our promotion and survival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Prussian Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 As far as I can see, it's all about the money. The Premiership is probably the richest league in the entire world. Thanks to some filthy rich people like Abramovich or Glazier, the league won't run short in the next couple of years. The moguls are starting to run their own Roman Colosseum, with all Premiership teams included. What remains of that money that is spent on an international level (and on players from Brazil, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Argentina, Colombia, Japan, etc.) lands in the hungry mouths of the weaker lions, e.g. the Championship clubs. Somehow, it's become a complete sell-out. I do understand that when the price is right, nobody will turn down an attractive offer. But at the same time, I ask myself how you want to achieve a constant level of success. How do you want to build a team that can grow together, win titles (=promotion) when the key players are lured away on a constant basis? That's why Wigan, West Ham and Sunderland are so weak in comparison to the "established" clubs in the Prem. They simply don't have that money and that consistency. And that's why more clubs will struggle (even more) in the future to keep up with that extreme development in the Premiership. Well, once you're in the Prem, there is no more promotion possible. You've reached the top level. And the 17 clubs that remain up there, are just plain lucky and can rely on the cash cow (some clubs more than others). It is a development to think about. If we're lucky, we may reach promotion in say, 5 years. I don't even want to start to talk about what would've to be done to maintain that position... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 We've always been a selling club. I don't see this ever changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 There aren't many clubs in this league that are in a position where they don't have to sell. The thing with us is, we haven't had any players worth any money for years. Levein is starting to buy young players that if they play well will be worth a decent fee and will attract premiership clubs such as Hughes, McCarthy, Hume, Stearman, Weso, etc. One of the good things is that Levein isn't afraid to sign youngsters and if we do have to sell some of our players, you can be sure Levein will be straight out to buy the next up and coming youngsters and life will continue. If it was Adams who was still manager then heavens know's what state we'd be in. I can't imagine the players we have been signing will be on inflated wages, perhaps the likes of Douglas, Sylla, Dublin, Tiatto and Nils are on top whack for this league but the younger players we have signed will be on an average wage for this league. So next season we either sell our younger players to cover the wages of our more established players or we offload the older players and continue to build. I'm sure Levein has this all planned out, his mindset is long term not short term and i'm sure he realistically knows we aren't premiership material for a few years yet. I'd be surprised if we would still have one of the highest wage bills if you took the above names mentioned off it. I know Douglas, Sylla and Nils are contracted for longer than the end of this season but in terms of figures we must in the same boat as alot of teams. It's just nice to see that we do have some players worth money these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cisono Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 ... I think the Connolly sale was influenced by Wigan paying over the odds for him. I don't think any other club would have offered anywhere near £2 Million for Connolly - This was a case of desperation on Wigan's part. They even wanted Dean Windass at the age of 36, and were prepared to pay over half a million for him. Crazy. I wish we had that kind of money availability! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazza Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 Someone like Stearman would go relatively cheap and if he stays here to contract end then who knows what. Same applies for Weso when he's back.If they're any good play them as much as possible and make them the people that push for our promotion and survival. I can't imagine them going too cheaply unless a club comes in for them in January. As youngsters their wages won't be a big burden on the club and CL and the fans can see they're going to be something special. I think at their age and the wages i assume they'd be on (probably a lot less than the likes of Dublin) i think it would take a pretty good offer to tempt us, i mean didn't Tim Davies comment that he'd like to see Weso in the first team after injury? i'm sure i saw someone post that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 I can't imagine them going too cheaply unless a club comes in for them in January. As youngsters their wages won't be a big burden on the club and CL and the fans can see they're going to be something special. I think at their age and the wages i assume they'd be on (probably a lot less than the likes of Dublin) i think it would take a pretty good offer to tempt us, i mean didn't Tim Davies comment that he'd like to see Weso in the first team after injury? i'm sure i saw someone post that. Tim Davies said that before Weso got injured, Levein had pencilled him in as first choice centre midfielder alongside either Williams or Hughes. He said Williams and Hughes were shitting themselves as they knew this lad was special and would put their place under threat!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazza Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 Tim Davies said that before Weso got injured, Levein had pencilled him in as first choice centre midfielder alongside either Williams or Hughes. He said Williams and Hughes were shitting themselves as they knew this lad was special and would put their place under threat!! That's the one, and i thought it was you who mentioned it As for the original point, it's pretty much already been said but anyone outside the premiership is vulnerable to losing players for decent money, unfortunately. CL was on Century/Heart FM the other night basically confirming the Hume deal but he did say that Connolly asked to leave when he heard there was an offer, so bearing that in mind and the money offered i think we were right to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Hero Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 I was hoping this thread might be a like to an ebay auction, with someone selling a club. I've struggled to kill seals with the same ruthless efficiency since my last club was stolen by some lads who were (and probably still are) bigger than myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitesh Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 I think that without another promotion the club will inevitibly have to sell their good players, but having said that it should be a last resort and even then it would have to be a substantial fee. The only way any club can get promotion is with a good squad, and selling the good players doesnt help, and therefore every season you will be taking a step backwards. However, the only way you can stop the cycle is by building a squad of youngsters, and i think this is something Levein is doing and he realises that this is the only way he can acheive success. In the long run its the best option. I was annoyed with the board the other day when they agreed to let go of Connolly, and despite use getting a big fee, i still felt that it wasnt a necessary selling. Its not as if we needed to sell him to survive. Anyway, thats done and i just hope the board realises that you need some good players in order to SURVIVE, espeically in the Championship. I hope when January comes we dont go and sell the likes of Hughes and Maybury! If we kept them another 6 months we would then have a good chance of promotion and get more money from that than we would from selling both players! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gené and Tonic Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 Tim Davies said that before Weso got injured, Levein had pencilled him in as first choice centre midfielder alongside either Williams or Hughes. He said Williams and Hughes were shitting themselves as they knew this lad was special and would put their place under threat!! It's such a massive shame he's lost 6 months of his development Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thracian Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 There aren't many clubs in this league that are in a position where they don't have to sell. The thing with us is, we haven't had any players worth any money for years. Levein is starting to buy young players that if they play well will be worth a decent fee and will attract premiership clubs such as Hughes, McCarthy, Hume, Stearman, Weso, etc. One of the good things is that Levein isn't afraid to sign youngsters and if we do have to sell some of our players, you can be sure Levein will be straight out to buy the next up and coming youngsters and life will continue. If it was Adams who was still manager then heavens know's what state we'd be in. I can't imagine the players we have been signing will be on inflated wages, perhaps the likes of Douglas, Sylla, Dublin, Tiatto and Nils are on top whack for this league but the younger players we have signed will be on an average wage for this league. So next season we either sell our younger players to cover the wages of our more established players or we offload the older players and continue to build. I'm sure Levein has this all planned out, his mindset is long term not short term and i'm sure he realistically knows we aren't premiership material for a few years yet. I'd be surprised if we would still have one of the highest wage bills if you took the above names mentioned off it. I know Douglas, Sylla and Nils are contracted for longer than the end of this season but in terms of figures we must in the same boat as alot of teams. It's just nice to see that we do have some players worth money these days. And, most of the incomers seem to be on decent length contracts so the club can sell when it suits them and for what they consider a worthwhile price. Selling well and replacing well is the trick and, my life, we're in a better position today than 12 months ago. Hopefully, only the odd one or two good players will go to finance the future and Levein will remain one step ahead regarding who comes in to fill the gap. This will enable him to retain a good club spirit and enough talent (bought from an increasingly healthy budget) to give the club a reasonable chance of success. I really can see a lot of healthy buds on the "trees" at the Walkers Stadium and am look forward to them bearing an excellent harvest in the months to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxes_Trust Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 I can't imagine them going too cheaply unless a club comes in for them in January. As youngsters their wages won't be a big burden on the club and CL and the fans can see they're going to be something special. I think at their age and the wages i assume they'd be on (probably a lot less than the likes of Dublin) i think it would take a pretty good offer to tempt us, i mean didn't Tim Davies comment that he'd like to see Weso in the first team after injury? i'm sure i saw someone post that. When we discussed with the club the liklihood of sales much earlier this, we were asked if fans would be particularly upset by any departures. Our response was generally no, as due to the quick turnaround of players there weren't many we clearly identified with. We also said that some of the home grown talent, the fans were split on the batch currently around the team (Stewart, Heath & Wright), but would be more upset if some highly regarded next wave of players went before getting many games, such as Stearman. The club would certainly not underestimate Stearman's value, he has been watched by the top clubs from a few years back, way before the vast majority of City fans had heard of him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cisono Posted 2 September 2005 Share Posted 2 September 2005 I was hoping this thread might be a like to an ebay auction, with someone selling a club. I originally thought this thread was about selling a club too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royston. Posted 4 September 2005 Share Posted 4 September 2005 I'm not much bothered about selling Connolly, we got a good price for him. Remember, even if we want players to stay, its up to them and not the club, if they leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 5 September 2005 Share Posted 5 September 2005 When we discussed with the club the liklihood of sales much earlier this, we were asked if fans would be particularly upset by any departures. Our response was generally no, as due to the quick turnaround of players there weren't many we clearly identified with. We also said that some of the home grown talent, the fans were split on the batch currently around the team (Stewart, Heath & Wright), but would be more upset if some highly regarded next wave of players went before getting many games, such as Stearman. The club would certainly not underestimate Stearman's value, he has been watched by the top clubs from a few years back, way before the vast majority of City fans had heard of him I wonder if there are any teams looking at Chambers? At 15, he's demolishing anything put in front of him. You often hear about the big clubs paying stupid money for young players before they've even played a first team game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gené and Tonic Posted 5 September 2005 Share Posted 5 September 2005 Apparently Chelsea were ready to pay 2 mill for Theo Wallcott before he played a game for Southampton. Fair play to him though - he rejected them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 6 September 2005 Share Posted 6 September 2005 Apparently Chelsea were ready to pay 2 mill for Theo Wallcott before he played a game for Southampton. Fair play to him though - he rejected them I think they have signed Scott Sinclair from Bristol Rovers, he's only 16 and had played about 15 mins of first team football. Not sure how much they paid for him though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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