SMS Bailey, Clarke and Francis on the list

[MissWestStand]

I am confused by all this, I felt all this season its been touch and go with signing strikers, etc and towards the end of the season and on our winning streak it seemed things were finally starting to click with the team. They started playing better together, being exactly how it should be. With all these potential changes, surely it means another season another struggle from the start to build up a team that works well together.

I do understand some people have to go and some we are fine to see leave *cough cough Harold cough* but surely all these players from our first team leaving that are also some of our best players, this cannot be a good move for the club.

Potentially we are about to lose about 7 of our first team players, and if Southend get another 7 replacements, how long will it take for them to actually settle and work well together?

 

[Sean 2]

Bold bold move.

Out of interest do you think that all the players know what each other are on?? For example at my (and many other) firms talking about salary is strictly banned.

I can just imagine them texting each other in disbelief!

 

[Yer Blues]

Well ok maybe I flew off the handle a bit but aren't you in the least bit angry? I cant see many reasons pointing at the management here. would Ron really be so tight as to let our best players get transfer listed> I doubt it but I could be wrong. Its more than likely that we offered them improved terms and they wanted more and good on Ron for not giving it to them if thats the case.

If we still have the majority of these players next year then I will be amazed. However Im one to admit if I am wrong and if we tie up the loose ends then great I will hold my hands up and say hey Im wrong. If not then I think we are in trouble. I just think that loyalty is a word that is getting more and more lost in football thesedays and I know loayalty isn't part of the contract but it sure helps teams like us.

the case is still the same. if you were not offered the wage you knew/though you deserved or could achieve in your current job you would consider seeking alternative employment elsewhere. i fail to see the issue here.
sure, id prefer the 3 players mentioned today to stay and sign new deals but im not shocked they havent. the days of players loving the team they play for in the lower reaches of footbal are gone. not one of the players mentioned were even born in essex. so playing devils advocate, why should they express any loyalty to southend united when they can make perhaps a better living elsewhere? does that make them worse people? of course it doesnt just as it wouldnt make you or i a bad person if we left to work for a different company in the same sector.

in the case of bailey he was a legend here not a month ago winning player of the year and now cause he (just like anyone who has seen him play for us this season) has maybe worked out he could do better than SUFC and is now considering and is getting grief from a lot of people on this board! ****ing hell! god forbid anyone wanting to better themselves either with a new contract here or elsewhere.

 

[Hazey]

This is not good.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Don't belive it, you go off to do something constructive for a couple of hours and there's suddenly total chaos when you return!

I'm confident that RM won't have made these decisions without discussion with T&B, and I admire the stand they are taking. I'm sure we've all hated the way agents have grown to have such major power in the game and this is definitely the way they should be treated.

I believe Blackpool had signed another defender yesterday so they might not be so quick to come in for Clarke, and if he had bought a house down here and settled then he might quickly have a re-think.

Hopefully, he's not the only one and all these players are now remonstrating with their agents and will come back, tails between their legs begging for the original improved contracts they were offered. Of them all, the one I see most likely to go is Francis to be honest, he'll have caught a lot of scouts' attentions with his performance in the latter half of the season, and I can see a decent offer coming in for him. Bailey probably shot himself in the foot with his Donny displays, and Clarke has proved himself to be slightly error prone on occasion.

I also think that this attitude might prompt those still in negotiation to get pen to paper a bit more quickly.

 

[NZamba Legend]

If they don't want to play for us ..get rid..

I agree with this totally, but the players concerned haven't said they dont want to play for us, rather they (or more likely their agents) dont want to commit too far ahead on the terms offered. Which, if you are a highly regarded young player on an upward trajectory in a time-limited career as two of these three undoubtedly are, seems a wise thing to do.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Don't belive it, you go off to do something constructive for a couple of hours and there's suddenly total chaos when you return!

I'm confident that RM won't have made these decisions without discussion with T&B, and I admire the stand they are taking. I'm sure we've all hated the way agents have grown to have such major power in the game and this is definitely the way they should be treated.

I believe Blackpool had signed another defender yesterday so they might not be so quick to come in for Clarke, and if he had bought a house down here and settled then he might quickly have a re-think.

Hopefully, he's not the only one and all these players are now remonstrating with their agents and will come back, tails between their legs begging for the original improved contracts they were offered. Of them all, the one I see most likely to go is Francis to be honest, he'll have caught a lot of scouts' attentions with his performance in the latter half of the season, and I can see a decent offer coming in for him. Bailey probably shot himself in the foot with his Donny displays, and Clarke has proved himself to be slightly error prone on occasion.

I also think that this attitude might prompt those still in negotiation to get pen to paper a bit more quickly.

Francis said he would hoped to have signed before the end of May and he said he was happy with the deal.

I don't think Tilly will sell them, i think they've been offered really good deals, he's just done it to say go and find a better deal somewhere else if you dont like it , maybe the players will relise that it wasnt a bad deal and come crawling back.

 

[toellandback]

I wouldn't worry. Any manager/chairman worth their salt will have lists and lists of targets. Those for if you went up, those for if you stay down, plan A's, plan B's. These things don't just happen they will have planned for nearly everything, even with released players it will be knowm who is likely to leave etc.
Also most players are on holiday at the moment so there is going to be very few transfers just yet

 

[sufcintheprem]

I wouldn't worry. Any manager/chairman worth their salt will have lists and lists of targets. Those for if you went up, those for if you stay down, plan A's, plan B's. These things don't just happen they will have planned for nearly everything, even with released players it will be knowm who is likely to leave etc.
Also most players are on holiday at the moment so there is going to be very few transfers just yet

You can talk as much sense as you like but unless you're a Southend fan, I'm afraid it will be deemed as nonsense. Apologies

 

[Yer Blues]

I wouldn't worry. Any manager/chairman worth their salt will have lists and lists of targets. Those for if you went up, those for if you stay down, plan A's, plan B's. These things don't just happen they will have planned for nearly everything, even with released players it will be knowm who is likely to leave etc.
Also most players are on holiday at the moment so there is going to be very few transfers just yet

thanks columbo

 

[Southend_Lady]

I agree with this totally, but the players concerned haven't said they dont want to play for us, rather they (or more likely their agents) dont want to commit too far ahead on the terms offered. Which, if you are a highly regarded young player on an upward trajectory in a time-limited career as two of these three undoubtedly are, seems a wise thing to do.

Im sorry but if they truely wanted to pkay for the club then they would've signed. The statement "they wanted to play for the club for the right wage" is much closer to the point Im sure.

well if they leave then honestly good luck to them.

However, from another angle - if you were another club looking to sign Bailey, would you not be thinking hold on, he was only at Southend for a year. What if he has a magic season with us and then moves on again?
If you go for a job and on your CV it shows that you were only with a certain company for 6 months then they would surely question your loyalty when looking to employ you.

 

[Firestorm]

Would these three want to commit themselves to a contract which ties them in to playing for Southend in 2009/10 regardless of the division ?
These are players who should be playing at Championship level , 2 of them signed for a Championship club. I reckon that they are more than willing to try and get the team out of league 1 one more time but beyond that ???
And I think RM knows that, and is not going to break the bank in order to get out of this Division until FF is at least being built, therefore it makes sense to get a fee for these players rather than lose them at the end of their contracts (and remember they are free to negotiate pre contract agreements from January)

 

[Southend_Lady]

Francis said he would hoped to have signed before the end of May and he said he was happy with the deal.

I don't think Tilly will sell them, i think they've been offered really good deals, he's just done it to say go and find a better deal somewhere else if you dont like it , maybe the players will relise that it wasnt a bad deal and come crawling back.

I think you are right here. Now that they are transfer listed I think it's quite clear that they have been told - if you think you can find yourself a better deal then help yourself to the door. If they come crawling back it won't be because they have been offered improved deals yet again, it will be with tails between legs and sheepish looks on faces.

Personally I think that now they have been transfer listed, it's too late to go backwards. The damage is done now.

 

[ozzy-shrimper]

No no no no no!! Francis!!!!!

This has ruined my day.

Time to panic i believe.

 

[C C Csiders]

No no no no no!! Francis!!!!!

Crap impression. It should be "Nay, nay and thrice nay, Francis"

 

[Sean 2]

I wonder if conrary to what Tilson has said about Gower,that he IS off to Swansea, without a fee heading our way?
Then in walks these 3 players turning down decent improved contracts and they think right,might as well sell them now if that's the case.The most amazing thing in all this is that they've been named and shamed to the fans.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Crap impression. It should be "Nay, nay and thrice nay, Francis"

I fear he may be a little on the young side to understand that!

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Interesting move.

I'd have thought that one of the bigger selling points for sacrificing the possibility of bigger money elsewhere, was the chance to stay at Southend with (a) our good team spirit and (b) a realistic chance of a promotion push - our form in the second half of the season was probably as good as anyone's.

My concern is that by listing so many players, it undermines those two selling points and might encourage someone like Gower to move elsewhere.

The only two players that I'd be really concerned about losing are Bailey and Gower. Sure, someone like Francis is a good player, but Bailey and Gower are the two you'd look to build your team around. Right-backs; dwarf keepers who can't command their goal-line let alone a 6 yard box, don't communicate, have poor distribution and are below par decision makers; and centre-backs who don't dominate in the air; should be easy enough to replace.

Now I think about it, I'm not overly surprised about Bailey. From what I was hearing before the play-offs, he'd been tapped up and was looking to cash in on an excellent season. I think that might explain his play-off performances. Whilst I'd be upset to see him go, I'd be more upset to see him stay and perform like Luke Guttridge did when he wanted out. That, and an inability to defend, is what got us relegated (and not Freddy being lazy/not having a partner up front).

 

[les@donr]

Could be a way of Tilly offloading players that don't want to play for Southend and bring in players through part exchanges that do.

 

[IloveShrimp]

Lets not forget that loyalty works both ways!