I get the feeling Lee was happy to leave his own contract to after the window, simply to free up his and the clubs very busy schedule, but as the player negotiations have begun, it has become apparent that players are apprehensive or even totally put off signing.
This. A lot can happen/change in a week.
Except that isn't what has happened. Bear in mind that if it was Lee could have gone to MS and said, "you know what, I've changed my mind. Let's do the deal now and it will be a nice surprise for the fans". Instead of which he has given the story to the local paper, knowing there is media stuff this afternoon, so that Southall has to respond to it publicly and if no deal is reached at the weekend the new administration will come under further pressure from fans to explain why not.
He is effectively saying to Southall: "Don't think you can take the piss."
Southall: We’ve met on a few occasions. We've had… we've had some good time together so I could kind of portray to him what our longterm ambitions are. That's important for him as well. You know he wants to know that the new ownership coming in are going in the right direction, have got got the right vision. I've spoken with his agent. And what we decided, for now, obviously being in January, is to focus on the playing side of things and try and tie that up after the window. I'm comfortable with that. And like I say I think the main thing for me is ensuring that the club stays in the Championship. And then obviously we can take each day as it comes from there.
So you're saying what Southall said in bold is a lie? Or since MS gave this interview, Bowyer has gone to Southall to get things done and he's been told no?
I'm saying that the Bowyer didn't like Southall's version and wasn't prepared to let it stand publicly. Hence he has responded publicly, understanding the context and the questions it raises.
This will be about money - for Bowyer and for the transfer window. I have no way of knowing whether their offer to Bowyer is fair or not, but as Redhenry has intimated it appears the position on the squad hasn't changed materially from RD's ownership - hence the talk of the squad being good enough without the injuries.
Agree. There were other options:
1. LB could have left the dialogue with Southall private, i.e. I know we agreed to wait until February to sort out my contract, but it is an open issue when talking with potential new signings, so how about we get it done and out of the way this week? or
2. It could have been left for Southall to say to the press that, despite what he had said earlier in the week, they had now mutually agreed to advance LB's contract talks for those same reasons.
The fact LB has chosen to make it public implies they weren't necessarily on the same page re timing contract talks. Doesn't feel like the most positive start to their working relationship when issues like this are played out in public.
Agreeing to wait and being happy about waiting is not the same. Southall implied both were on the same page which probably angered Bowyer. The only problem is, do the new owners value Bowyer enough to overlook this?
If Mr Southall has been speaking to Lee since November and a new contract is a priority. Would it not been beyond the wit of an agent and an ex agent to have a "oven ready" contract to sign on day one?
Seeing as they said back in November that their No1 priority was to secure LB & LT on new contracts then yes, you would have thought this would have been tied up as soon as they officially took over, ie by the WBA cup game last sunday.
As I said on the MS interview thread, their actions are not currently matching their words.
1. MS and LB originally agreed they’d deal with the manager contract at the end of the transfer window.
2. They’ve tried getting some deals done but whoever they approach is only willing to sign on the line if LB is confirmed as the manager.
3. LB feels the situation has changed and wants his contract sorted.
4. Besides all of that, we have new owners who are looking to seriously invest to get us back to the Prem. I wonder if they are not seeing LB as the big name manager to do that in the medium to long term. Perhaps they don’t want to overcommit to a contract they have to pay out on when they ask him to leave to make way for that big name?
To some extent it would make sense to the owners for part of the post-season changes to include a new management team. If it is the case that no one - including the management - is bigger than the club this might make sense.
In my mind this transfer window is a shoring up exercise to prevent relegation, and the real re-shaping of things will happen after the full time whistle goes at Elland Road. Whether that includes Bowyer, Jackson and Gallen, who knows...
MS mentioned in the interview securing championship survival we were top 4 etc. I think ESI deliberately stalled before offering contract to see where we are in the table. Bowyer has backed them into a corner and called there bluff
Six pages of angst in just four hours. I think we all need to chill a little. Let's face it none of us are in the know. All we've go to go on are a few de-contextualised quotes and a sensationalised headline. It'll all play out one way or another, no matter how much we fret about it or how we try to ascribe motivations to disembodied words.
For me that doesn’t jive with what I interpreted from the press conference. Not a red flag in my opinion but it doesn’t jive. I’m sure they’re all sorting it out amongst themselves.
1. MS and LB originally agreed they’d deal with the manager contract at the end of the transfer window.
2. They’ve tried getting some deals done but whoever they approach is only willing to sign on the line if LB is confirmed as the manager.
3. LB feels the situation has changed and wants his contract sorted.
4. Besides all of that, we have new owners who are looking to seriously invest to get us back to the Prem. I wonder if they are not seeing LB as the big name manager to do that in the medium to long term. Perhaps they don’t want to overcommit to a contract they have to pay out on when they ask him to leave to make way for that big name?
To some extent it would make sense to the owners for part of the post-season changes to include a new management team. If it is the case that no one - including the management - is bigger than the club this might make sense.
In my mind this transfer window is a shoring up exercise to prevent relegation, and the real re-shaping of things will happen after the full time whistle goes at Elland Road. Whether that includes Bowyer, Jackson and Gallen, who knows...
I think it's quite clear that Bowyer did not agree to wait until February to sort his contract out. Absolutely no way does he go to the press having agreed that.
If that was the case, he would have spoken to Southall privately.
I have to say, whatever the rights, wrongs or whatever’s of all this, the fact that our manager and chairman are having a public tiff/joust/arm wrestle within the first week of official ownership isn’t particularly clever.
I wonder if the withdrawal of Taylor's contract offer has triggered this? Maybe he wasn't fully on board with that decision and would prefer the offer was increased and sorted as it sounds like LT does want to stay and he would be a fundamental part of LB's plans.
For me that doesn’t jive with what I interpreted from the press conference. Not a red flag in my opinion but it doesn’t jive. I’m sure they’re all sorting it out amongst themselves.
Redhenry keeps saying about lack of money offered to players MS begging fans to come Bowyer irked he isn't sorted/weighed out Training ground not purchsed
Am i allowed to say
5% They're skint bluffing it 30% Small roland type budgetary constraints 64% They're gonna run a reasonable sensible ship and do it their way 1% we're so loaded we might change from the dullest football team and put middlesbrough back in that spot
Are we overlooking the fact that has been a triangular conversation between Bowyer, his agent, and Southall? Southall said he agreed the timetable with Bowyer's agent, not with Bowyer himself, so it could be that the breakdown in communication was between Bowyer & his agent.
There were hints of something similar during Bowyer's negotiations with Duchatelet last summer - I remember thinking at the time that RD was well known for not liking agents, so perhaps that was why in the end Bowyer spoke to RD directly & all was quickly sorted. But maybe there were other reasons behind the situation of RD saying one day there was no agreement on the contract (possibly not agreed with the agent) and Bowyer saying the next day his contract had been agreed (speaking directly to RD), to do with communications between Bowyer & agent
Initial meeting with Matt and Bows, they agree that new signings are most important, and his contract can wait until after window. Tuesday Matt's interview, he relates this to Olly
Wednesday Bows speaks to a target who asks about the longevity of our manager Wed/Thurs Bows speaks to agent, you are meeting Matt this week, we may need to bring forward contract talks. Thursday Bows press conference, he mentions talks may be earlier than stated earlier.
Don't panic. No demands were issued, no threats were made.
Think I'm done with football to be honest. Can't be doing with year on year compounded uncertainty. Still stand by giving people the benefit of doubt, including RD to begin with, but it's meant to be about football, not contracts and fuckin shares.
But isn't some people jumping the gun a little. Do not jump off the plank just yet.
It's not hard for news reporters to bend a few words here and there, to make the situation way more complex then it actually is.
I believe we had players lined up, but nobody is signing untill Bowyer contract is sorted, it's more then possible this could have come up this morning and that would obviously change everything in terms of negotiation.
Let's not judge MS to quickly on this because of the negative expierence from the Roland regime.
Think I'm done with football to be honest. Can't be doing with year on year compounded uncertainty. Still stand by giving people the benefit of doubt, including RD to begin with, but it's meant to be about football, not contracts and fuckin shares.
over the years pro football (and other sports) have become a soap opera with all the background 'family' feuds and incidentals that are the foundation of a good soap .. the papers and media in general spend more time and space on rumour and speculation (as well as s**stiring) as they do on reporting the actual games .. thing is , it will just never get any better.
Comments
1. LB could have left the dialogue with Southall private, i.e. I know we agreed to wait until February to sort out my contract, but it is an open issue when talking with potential new signings, so how about we get it done and out of the way this week? or
2. It could have been left for Southall to say to the press that, despite what he had said earlier in the week, they had now mutually agreed to advance LB's contract talks for those same reasons.
The fact LB has chosen to make it public implies they weren't necessarily on the same page re timing contract talks. Doesn't feel like the most positive start to their working relationship when issues like this are played out in public.
As I said on the MS interview thread, their actions are not currently matching their words.
1. MS and LB originally agreed they’d deal with the manager contract at the end of the transfer window.
If that was the case, he would have spoken to Southall privately.
MS begging fans to come
Bowyer irked he isn't sorted/weighed out
Training ground not purchsed
Am i allowed to say
5% They're skint bluffing it
30% Small roland type budgetary constraints
64% They're gonna run a reasonable sensible ship and do it their way
1% we're so loaded we might change from the dullest football team and put middlesbrough back in that spot
Southall said he agreed the timetable with Bowyer's agent, not with Bowyer himself, so it could be that the breakdown in communication was between Bowyer & his agent.
There were hints of something similar during Bowyer's negotiations with Duchatelet last summer - I remember thinking at the time that RD was well known for not liking agents, so perhaps that was why in the end Bowyer spoke to RD directly & all was quickly sorted. But maybe there were other reasons behind the situation of RD saying one day there was no agreement on the contract (possibly not agreed with the agent) and Bowyer saying the next day his contract had been agreed (speaking directly to RD), to do with communications between Bowyer & agent
As I see it:-
Initial meeting with Matt and Bows, they agree that new signings are most important, and his contract can wait until after window.
Tuesday Matt's interview, he relates this to Olly
Wed/Thurs Bows speaks to agent, you are meeting Matt this week, we may need to bring forward contract talks.
Thursday Bows press conference, he mentions talks may be earlier than stated earlier.
Don't panic. No demands were issued, no threats were made.
All those of little faith go hang your heads.
But isn't some people jumping the gun a little. Do not jump off the plank just yet.
It's not hard for news reporters to bend a few words here and there, to make the situation way more complex then it actually is.
I believe we had players lined up, but nobody is signing untill Bowyer contract is sorted, it's more then possible this could have come up this morning and that would obviously change everything in terms of negotiation.
Let's not judge MS to quickly on this because of the negative expierence from the Roland regime.
This isn't Roland anymore.
Give them some time and keep calm 😝