Kacper Lopata

[CaptainSmudger]

He looks like the sort of bloke who would hire a Bentley for the day to get photos for his social media accounts.

Is Ron’s Bentley hired as well?

 

[kentblues]

If your employer was on the news locally and sometimes nationally about being broke, you hadn’t been paid for a couple of months, was about to be closed by HMRC until a last minute announcement that it had been paid, but your mates in the office still haven’t been… etc - would you as an employee feel like you could be “blamed” if your contract said you could hand in a months notice, and you did it to make sure you can feed your family?

Again, just playing devils advocate here.

Remove the badge and the words “football club” from the situation and we have a pretty clear position IMO. Not nice for us fans, but not one to blame the players for.

You mention “if your contract said you could hand in a months notice”. An interesting point - are their standard contracts at this level with standard terms in line with FIFA rules etc. or can club/player negotiate whatever they like?
What was the situation in the NLS?

PS some of our players will be on standard EFL contracts

 

[BedfordShrimper]

As others have said I am disappointed he has left, but I am not devastated. Central defenders is a position we are pretty strong in. I am more than happy with the trio we currently have. When we signed Louis we were all very pleased. He came from a rock solid Brockley defence. He hasn’t really had a chance due to lopata coming back so am more than happy for him to now fill the void.

The only bit that concerns me right now, is the whole first team saw first hand last nights shenanigans, and it worries me it could have put ideas in others heads to also look at their options.

 

[Leeboy]

As mentioned many times before **** timing from KL but was this naivety from a 22 (?) year old ? Or his agent trying to stir things up to unsettle other players? Who cares - KL is gone. Let’s not lose sight of who the real bad guy is in all of this.
We need to have some concrete answers about when this embargo ends as I’m sure SVC said we have players waiting in the wings to join, including loanees from Brentford and Everton ? (I could be wrong but can’t be arsed to find his post)
Let’s keep on being United with supporting the players we have and United in our anger against a certain individual who is ruining OUR club

 

[tommy tucker]

You are blaiming the chairman for him wallking out .Funny how when he signed the same man was given a lot of thanks for breaking the bank to bring him back .Right lets look at said players history .We had him on loan .He was called back .he only played once on his return and a couple of sub apperances .So we move on to the sumer he then refused to train with the squad .Then he downed tools and refused to play for sheffield .He was then made to train with the youths before we snapped him up in sept .Now sorry but some sheffield fans wished him well and others said good riddens .So hostory seems to be repeated .Sout me down i dont really care we had life before he arrived i dare say we will again now he has gone .

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

There is clearly more to this than meets the eye. First and foremost had there been no breach of contract then he would not be able to terminate. That’s on Ron.

Second if it’s based on what we know about the wages situation then either the FIFA rules aren’t applying for some reason at this level or there maybe are other monies owed to Lopata/ his agent. Tbh when I hear mention of 28 days, 14 day rule then I am beginning to doubt the FIFA rules do apply.

Whilst this league has become more and more professional, and the standard increased substantially, maybe it’s retained a different way of doing things. Certainly in many ways it’s still “amateur”.

One thing for sure no one has managed to find any FA specific league rules on this situation, which kind of make you think the FIFA rules should apply. Anyway if you pay people on time you wouldn’t have a problem.

I heard the different rumours last night and don’t know what is true and isn’t. More may come out. He is now an ex player and we follow his progress in the way we do others. Thanks and good luck in your future career.

From last nights game if we are looking for someone who potentially will command more of a fee than Lopata then look no further than a certain 17 year old forward. I also think Kensdale is at this moment in time showing more potential, and could turn out to be a better prospect- he is far better on the ball.

This may be explained by previous references being made towards the FIFA regulations concerning overdue salaries (which we thought, and indeed was, a problem). However, if as alluded to by other posters, there has been another breach of contract, then this could be covered elsewhere in the regulations.

 

[Carl]

You mention “if your contract said you could hand in a months notice”. An interesting point - are their standard contracts at this level with standard terms in line with FIFA rules etc. or can club/player negotiate whatever they like?
What was the situation in the NLS?

PS some of our players will be on standard EFL contracts

Good question. I know our football secretary rewrote the contracts but would need to trawl through old emails to see what the regulations are, don’t know off the top of my head. Bear in mind mine were semi pro and I think there were different contracts for the two, but again can’t be certain on that.

 

[Danshrimper]

I don’t buy for a second that Lopata has made this decision for “himself and his family.” The fact that his agent is owed money is clearly a huge factor here and I’d imagine he’s the one that’s pushed this. Unless Lopata goes to Wrexham or Notts County, walks into their team and gets promoted, his career doesn’t actually benefit from doing this now. He may as well stay here until the summer and then engineer a move then. It’d be very different if this happened in January.

But hey, Lomas deserves his chance now and let’s not forget that the majority of us were very excited about his signing in the summer. That centre back three is still easily one of the best in the league. We move on.

I presume if he stayed until the summer he wouldn’t have been able to leave due to the breach of contract anymore. He’d have 2 years left on a contract at a club he doesn’t want to be at, with no guarantee that we’d accept an offer him.

 

[amsemp]

Anyone having a pop at Kasper here needs to give their head a wobble.

If my employer treated me like Ron treats his employees, I’d be off too if I had other potentially even more lucrative offers elsewhere.

Kasper handled it poorly, yes. But don’t let that distract you from the common denominator in all this sorry state of affairs.

 

[kentblues]

This may be explained by previous references being made towards the FIFA regulations concerning overdue salaries (which we thought, and indeed was, a problem). However, if as alluded to by other posters, there has been another breach of contract, then this could be covered elsewhere in the regulations.

Maybe to your second point. Re the first nowhere in the FIFA regulations are there mentions of 28 days or 14 day rules. Which makes you wonder if the NL has never signed up to rules that would apply at EFL/Prem level. I don’t know but hence my mention of maintain rules days where much of the league was semi professional?

 

[dannypav]

It's all about opinions , but I can't believe the amount of negative comments on here towards Lopata.
Not being paid on time IS a SERIOUS BREACH OF CONTRACT - probably the most serious.
The fact that others are still here ( FOR NOW ) is a huge credit to them , but none of us know the personal details of each others lives and there could he plenty that have had an effect on KL that added to this decision - one being he has some good options from top NL clubs.
Other than Jack Bridge , I'm not sure the others do.
He's got a 'flash' agent - so what ?
You think he's the only one ?
Apart from a few who leave with the 'blessing' of the majority, this board always turns into a 'sour grape' , bitch fest and as supporters we come across like childish, spoilt , whingers.

Last week - "Lopata is our saviour"
This week - "Burn him"

He's a young man with a limited career span that may go higher but maybe not.
He's been screwed over by one man ( so have all the employees ) and I have no issues with him walking away.
Good luck to him and big praise to those still here.
Once again we take our eye off that person who is screwing us all.

 

[tommy tucker]

Sorry but i read he was on the team sheet .No player who ever .And no matter how good he thinks he is .You do not turn up on match night throw a paddy The storm of probable leaving the rest of the match day squd bemused as to what the hell is going on .Like him or not it is totaly wrong .If you plan to leave tthen dont turn up on a match night .Talk to the manager tell him you are leaving either at the training ground or in his office .

 

[kentblues]

I presume if he stayed until the summer he wouldn’t have been able to leave due to the breach of contract anymore. He’d have 2 years left on a contract at a club he doesn’t want to be at, with no guarantee that we’d accept an offer him.

I think the fact he was on a 3 year contract won’t have helped. If on a 1 year with no option he may well have stayed. I can imagine the “ you can take an opportunity to leave now and get x move or you could end staying for three years”

 

[OldBlueLady]

Lopata was a Ron signing, he wasn't seriously on KM's shopping list at the start of the season, he'd have preferred new contracts negotiated for some of our existing players at that time, but Ron, being Ron, did his own thing and got Lopata signed.

I think it's fair to assume that, being a Ron signing, he's on more and possibly, considerably more, than the majority of the rest of the squad. Especially with the ******** of an agent he seems to have.

Two clubs treated in this way in less than a year is not a good thing to have on your CV. I thank Lopata for his good work done at the club, and in particular, the way Hobson has thrived alongside him, but for me, Ollie Kensdale is going to be the lynch-pin of our defensive line up going forwards so I am not that bothered about him going.

I am confused about the timing of it, they've just been paid January's wages 27 days late, and received February's a day late so while it's not ideal, I don't see a breach under the terms others have mentioned? So maybe it isn't actually a wages thing at all, and more solely down to the non payment of his agent's fees and he's being used as a puppet.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

.
just wish he'd taken Hyde with him. Probably got soap in his eye or something which is a 3 week injury for him!

Seems unlikely he’d have worked up enough sweat to need a wash though.

Am I the only one who is absolutely stunned with this?

The same player who worked so hard to force a move to his ‘beloved’ Southend United in September, now doing his best to force a move away some 6 months later.

He made the move to us as he wanted to be playing football. Remember he got the hump when Sheff Utd recalled him and then didn’t play him. It may be coincidence (the notice would have been handed in earlier) but he left when he was on the bench.

The thing is having won his appeal the door wasn’t necessarily shut. As a free agent he could still have re-signed with us for the rest of the season but having that row with Maher closes that door.

 

[kentblues]

Good question. I know our football secretary rewrote the contracts but would need to trawl through old emails to see what the regulations are, don’t know off the top of my head. Bear in mind mine were semi pro and I think there were different contracts for the two, but again can’t be certain on that.

True but remember this division was semi-pro until quite recently. Up to last year some clubs were. So maybe that means there aren’t standard contracts and terms in the same way?

 

[Supershrimper]

Andy hessenthaler was in the directors box last night with his notebook

He did ask after lopata

 

[in the know]

Believe one of the main reasons for his actions was that Ron’s non payment of wages breach presented him the opportunity to offload the buy out clause he had on his shoulders. Believe this is now gone so more clubs will be attracted to sign him for next season. When he says he did ‘what’s best for him’ I’d expect sure this was included.
It’s where he goes until summer that’s interesting. Don’t want him at chesterfield boreham or any other teams around us please!

 

[kentblues]

Believe one of the main reasons for his actions was that Ron’s non payment of wages breach presented him the opportunity to offload the buy out clause he had on his shoulders. Believe this is now gone so more clubs will be attracted to sign him for next season. When he says he did ‘what’s best for him’ I’d expect sure this was included.
It’s where he goes until summer that’s interesting. Don’t want him at chesterfield boreham or any other teams around us please!

Makes sense from his side on the buy out clause- especially given a three year contract.

 

[BedfordShrimper]

Lopata was a Ron signing, he wasn't seriously on KM's shopping list at the start of the season, he'd have preferred new contracts negotiated for some of our existing players at that time, but Ron, being Ron, did his own thing and got Lopata signed.

I think it's fair to assume that, being a Ron signing, he's on more and possibly, considerably more, than the majority of the rest of the squad. Especially with the ******** of an agent he seems to have.

Two clubs treated in this way in less than a year is not a good thing to have on your CV. I thank Lopata for his good work done at the club, and in particular, the way Hobson has thrived alongside him, but for me, Ollie Kensdale is going to be the lynch-pin of our defensive line up going forwards so I am not that bothered about him going.

I am confused about the timing of it, they've just been paid January's wages 27 days late, and received February's a day late so while it's not ideal, I don't see a breach under the terms others have mentioned? So maybe it isn't actually a wages thing at all, and more solely down to the non payment of his agent's fees and he's being used as a puppet.

I think it is due to the non payment of the agents fees as you allude to OBL. The agent has got in an arse over it and then he has’advised’ his player what to do. There was a loophole and assume the agent has been waiting for exactly this type of opportunity for a while as he was not happy with Ron.