RUMOUR - Lita & Shorey on the way out

[Stranded]

My thoughts are that I shall wait until we have accepted a bid for Shorey before I make any judgement, as I do with all rumours from "reliable sources".

[Z175]

To be honest, head over heart, I'd sell them! We don't need Lita, hes lazy and overrated. Yeah he can shoot, but thats about it. Shorey is far too slow and weak in the air. If someones mug enough to pay for Doyle too, we should snap it up. Lets flog the whole team and give us all free tickets for this year- we'll probably go down anyway.

[SpaceCruiser]

I have it on very good authority from a reliable source that shorey is on his way. He's said to be disgusted with the lack of ambition and progress over the summer, and has said that he will be looking to join a more established club with a more secure future.

So with shorey on his way, where does that leave the team? Is golbourne ready to step up? He was quite impressive pre-season so i'm not too worried really. What are your thoughts?

By "good authority from a reliable source", do you mean your friend in the pub?

[Binfield Royal]

Therefore, the lesson must be - pay your top existing players what they're worth because if not, someone else will.

If we did that, then we'd be bankrupt! There is a wage structure for a reason.

So you admit we don't pay our players what they're worth then?

Also, a player like Shorey wouod cost us £5m plus wages. If we had top pay him an extra £5k a week to keep him, that must be better business?

[retro royal]

I'm slightly worried by this continous talk of 5m, could there be a release clause in his contract and that's why we're trying to get him to sign a new contract.

Also watching yesterday's game against the japanese team, he didn't look up for it, could just be the conditions out there.

[philM]

I have it on very good authority from a reliable source that shorey is on his way. He's said to be disgusted with the lack of ambition and progress over the summer, and has said that he will be looking to join a more established club with a more secure future.

So with shorey on his way, where does that leave the team? Is golbourne ready to step up? He was quite impressive pre-season so i'm not too worried really. What are your thoughts?

[Stranded]

I'm slightly worried by this continous talk of 5m, could there be a release clause in his contract and that's why we're trying to get him to sign a new contract.

Also watching yesterday's game against the japanese team, he didn't look up for it, could just be the conditions out there.

Looked his usual composed self from where I was watching.

[SpaceCruiser]

I'm slightly worried by this continous talk of 5m, could there be a release clause in his contract and that's why we're trying to get him to sign a new contract.

You must be imagining things.

So you admit we don't pay our players what they're worth then?

I doubt every single club does pay all their players what all the players think they're worth.

Also, a player like Shorey wouod cost us £5m plus wages. If we had top pay him an extra £5k a week to keep him, that must be better business?

Not if it causes us to lose money every week. Also do you imagine that there wouldn't be any knock on effects? Other players in the squad might think "Hey, hang on a minute, Nick's getting paid more than me, I want some of that".

[pardew'spony]

Stop press from my normal HP.
We have discussed a fee with Reading and been in contact with the players representatives in connection with outline terms of an offer. Reading for some reason best known to themselves have been stalling on giving him an improved contract (which he expected regardless of external interest) and the boy is getting understandably impatient. Nothing will happen till Reading return from the Far East (this week-end?) but I'm told "we have a decent chance". Remember too he was always Curbs #1 choice for LB.
Not much else to report apart from:
1. Think we may be making more of the Appiah thing than the club is.
2. Everyone is absolutely gutted by the Faubert injury. He was fitting in real good and promising much. He'll recuperate back in France.
3. The Dyer stuff was a complete surprise "to everyone at the club".

[SpaceCruiser]

I'm not going to believe any bullshit from a wet shammer.

[Don Finch]

I just want to know if he is Pardew's pony or if it's an insult.

Early next week Shorey will sign a new contract, he's a bright lad and knows what's best for him. Tha's not a rumour but an opinion.

[Coppelled Streets]

I just want to know if he is Pardew's pony or if it's an insult.

Early next week Shorey will sign a new contract, he's a bright lad and knows what's best for him. Tha's not a rumour but an opinion.

He wont sign a new deal at Reading. We'll offer a ground breaking 25k a week and he, an England international can earn at least twice that elsewhere.
He will not sign a new deal. I hope to God I'm wrong, but don't hold out hope.

[Don Finch]

I hope you're wrong too. As another poster said, this £5m figure's a bit worrying in that it may well be the release clause amount, think he could fetch more than that in this summer's market - especially if that useless sack of shoite Mido can go for £6m.

[SpaceCruiser]

I think you can safely ignore the figure of £5m as I think it's some figure dreamed up by the rumour-mongers.

[Coppelled Streets]

I think you can safely ignore the figure of £5m as I think it's some figure dreamed up by the rumour-mongers.

You think? Great, let's not panic because Spacey thinks it's a rumour.

An up and coming England international left back should always fetch more than £5m. One hopes there isn't a release clause, but that is a small amount, especially in an overinflated market right now!

[SpaceCruiser]

I think you can safely ignore the figure of £5m as I think it's some figure dreamed up by the rumour-mongers.

You think? Great, let's not panic because Spacey thinks it's a rumour.

It's not just me thinking it's a rumour, it IS a rumour because there's nothing definite to prove it as true.

Stick to ringing up gay chat lines in your local phone box.

[Coppelled Streets]

I think you can safely ignore the figure of £5m as I think it's some figure dreamed up by the rumour-mongers.

You think? Great, let's not panic because Spacey thinks it's a rumour.

It's not just me thinking it's a rumour, it IS a rumour because there's nothing definite to prove it as true.

Stick to ringing up gay chat lines in your local phone box.

SpaceCunt in can't hold a conversation shocker.

[SpaceCruiser]

You think? Great, let's not panic because Spacey thinks it's a rumour.

It's not just me thinking it's a rumour, it IS a rumour because there's nothing definite to prove it as true.

Stick to ringing up gay chat lines in your local phone box.

SpaceCunt in can't hold a conversation shocker.

It's because you're stupid.

[Binfield Royal]

[That assumes :

- Sidwell was stupid and wasn;t well aware of what he might get elsewhere right at the start of the process
- That Sidwell would have accepted 18k (you may have inside knoweldge on that - I don't)
- That the initial (and final) club offer was £15k (which I doubt given the much larger sums offered to others)
- That the club should pay people whatever they want.

I'd argue the evidence over the last few seasons is that almost every player has been happy to accept new deals offered so the pay must be about right. Of course we have players like Shorey and Lita now in talks who are in a different league to people like Sidwell in terms of what they might reasonably be expected to earn and it will be interesting to see how their discussions are approached. I would expect both to be offered much more than Sidwell was, given that they are both much more important / better players in our team.

Just to add some meat to the bones on your points

1. Initial negotiations were at the very start of the season and no one knew at that point if Reading would go straight back down so to be saddled with a player in the Championship on £18K a week was seen as a bit of a risk. Sidwell wasn't stupid but at that point, he was unproven at Premier League level so his negotiating position was not as strong as it was later on

2. Allegedly, Sidwell was offered £15K in August (see above) and would have signed for £18K. (I have some inside knowlege which I have no reason to doubt).

3. The final offer was said to be £25K plus appearances and bonuses which I believe is the top of the Reading wage structure but this was not put on the table until after Christmas by which time, his agent was already talking to other clubs who were talking about considerably better offers than Readings best offer.

4. Should the club pay any player whatever they want? Thats the $64000 question as they say. If Reading had taken a chance and agreed the £18K with Sidwell in August, he would be tightly under contract now or alternatively, we would have got a tidy sum for him from Chelsea or whoever.

You can see Shorey going the same way. Football is a short career and can be even shorter if the player suffers a career ending injury which could come at any time. Shoreys "stock" is high at the moment. He has played for England and is appearing in a number of experts "teams of the year". He may well be thinking "if John Terry is worth £130K a week, I must be worth at least half that".

And the hard truth is, West Ham or some other Premiership club will pay someone as good as Shorey £50K a week.
They pay that to Zamora FFS.
Lucas Neill is on £60K a week.

What would you do???

[Behindu]

To be honest there are lots of holes in your 'meat' - too many 'alleged' and 'it is said's for me !

The bit about risking a player earning too much if we went down is a total red herring given the clauses in contracts that include reduced wages if clubs are relegated.

Sidwell's agent is either useless or would have been talking to clubs well before January. He would have known last summer exactly what sort of interest there might be and what sort of wages might be available. If Sidwell would have signed for 18k last summer then the numbers simply don;t add up. I don;t think there were any signs that Sidwell was goingt o sign, but bow to your inside sources !

I agree that Shorey holds a strong hand, but so do the club. Shorey has 2 years to run so even if he declines a new deal now we can hold him for another 12 months and then cash in. He could agree a new deal now with a break clause in case of relegation or with a buy out fee. That would cover his future.

And to answer your question directly I think a player would be crazy to sign for West Ham as they could be in a lot of trouble over Tevez. I'd steer clear of signingf or them, Pompey or Newcastle at the moment if I fancied a long career.