Tranquillo Barnetta signs for Schalke

[Ishmael]

Seeing as how Ashley's model of running a football club is so radical and visionary, maeks you wonder how the likes of Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Man City, Chelsea and  Man United struggle by with their archaic method of paying good wages for top players and, you know, winning stuff. The dirty, cheating gets.

 

They're all much much much much bigger clubs than us with considerably more financial backing

[The Prophet]

Forty grand a week? I don't know how he'd get by

 

 

Seriously though sounds like standard agent waffle to me, if the player is genuinly interested in a move I think we could still be in with a shout

[Cajun]

Fair offer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If he wasn't already on more than that, clowns!

[Foluwashola]

The offer needs to be put into context - he's at a Champions League club who finished 2nd last year above Bayern Munich.

 

and he doesn't look like being a first choice selection.

 

and he's playing in a lesser league.

 

and his contract is up in a year.

 

and they'll be knocked out in the group stages anyway.

 

As fantastic as these points are, they still wouldn't tempt any player to cut his wages by a third.

[Ishmael]

The offer needs to be put into context - he's at a Champions League club who finished 2nd last year above Bayern Munich.

 

and he doesn't look like being a first choice selection.

 

and he's playing in a lesser league.

 

and his contract is up in a year.

 

and they'll be knocked out in the group stages anyway.

 

As fantastic as these points are, they still wouldn't tempt any player to cut his wages by a third.

 

We don't know how much the player is on.

[Guest icemanblue]

The offer needs to be put into context - he's at a Champions League club who finished 2nd last year above Bayern Munich.

 

and he doesn't look like being a first choice selection.

 

and he's playing in a lesser league.

 

and his contract is up in a year.

 

and they'll be knocked out in the group stages anyway.

 

As fantastic as these points are, they still wouldn't tempt any player to cut his wages by a third.

 

Precisely. Pure fantasy to pretend to believe otherwise.

[Hughesy]

Why are we always trying to be so cheap like? Obviously we don't want to offer Man City money but ultimately if we are committed to bringing a player in we've got to satisfy everyone. Yes, £40,000 per week is a shitload of cash in the real world, but football has been disconnected from that for so long it seems daft to even bother mentioning it any more.

 

This reaction from his agent doesn't exactly sound like we're reasonably close to agreeing a deal, does it?

 

Course not, but agents can be prone to exaggerating in the media to achieve what they want.

 

No idea whether £40k a week is what he's worth, what he should be paid, too much or too little. All football wages are mental. But I wouldn't go as far as to say that means we should pay every player whatever it takes to get them.

 

Do you? Would we be having this debate if we'd offered him 50k, or 60k? Just seems like a discussion that's purely subjective.

 

Say we've offered him the same as Cabaye is on, that seems fair to me.

 

If we genuinely want a player then we have to pay what is necessary, both to satisfy his club and the player (plus his agent I guess). What that figure actually is, and what other players like Cabaye are on is totally irrelevant; each is its own case. If we want him, we'll have to pay what it takes. If it's too much for us, the transfer simply isn't happening.

 

This is apparently the player's agent, how often do you hear agents come out with reactions like this? It's not common to deride an offer like this. He claims we've known what he's on for some time. Perhaps foolishly I assume Llambias can operate Google and knows his current club is in the Champions League and has far better prospects than us. To therefore not offer somewhere near what it takes to get him is just stupid.

 

Like we did for Owen, Duff, Geremi etc etc.

 

Don't get me wrong - offering less than someone is on is stupid.  But we shouldn't pay whatever a player asks for and should be within our wage structure.

 

Ignoring the debate over whether a wage cap is a good thing or not, if our structure is that rigid then we should know within one or two phonecalls whether players are going to be attainable or not. We shouldn't even be wasting time and resources scouting them. Again, there's simply no excuse after all this time.

 

Oh, and that's an interesting set of names you mention considering one was signed by Ashley and one was supposedly offered the biggest contract in NUFC history... by Ashley.

 

Once again, if we have so much trust in our scouting team to deliver value for money, we should be willing to back his judgement.

 

I am not denying that some ridiculous contracts had been offered by Ashley.  Clearly though, there has been a shift towards a wage structure.  Like it or not, that is what we are operating under.  So just offering what a player wants is:

 

a)  never going to happen; and

 

b)  slightly stupid anyway.

 

I do, however, agree with your point re backing our scouting team.

[PineBarrens]

Seeing as how Ashley's model of running a football club is so radical and visionary, maeks you wonder how the likes of Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Man City, Chelsea and  Man United struggle by with their archaic method of paying good wages for top players and, you know, winning stuff. The dirty, cheating gets.

 

You actually made a fair point there but ruined it with such extreme examples.

 

Will Tottenham Hotspur do? The point remains - until we actually stop pretending that his model is a good thing, this club will go nowhere.

[Guest H09]

Why are the Caulkin, Brenner, Farrington and Edwards hitting out at his agent and almost defending the club, it is just cringeworthy.

[Ishmael]

The offer needs to be put into context - he's at a Champions League club who finished 2nd last year above Bayern Munich.

 

and he doesn't look like being a first choice selection.

 

and he's playing in a lesser league.

 

and his contract is up in a year.

 

and they'll be knocked out in the group stages anyway.

 

As fantastic as these points are, they still wouldn't tempt any player to cut his wages by a third.

 

Precisely. Pure fantasy to pretend to believe otherwise.

 

The assumed wage could easily be pure fantasy...

[Ryan_Taylor]

Why are the Caulkin, Brenner, Farrington and Edwards hitting out at his agent and almost defending the club, it is just cringeworthy.

 

Its almost like he's in the wrong for wanting the best for his client

[Lotus]

Says McIntosh is his 'British representative.' Might mean he has an agent over there but this guy is trying to get paid as a contact or whatever, feels he's being cut out and his bad mouthing us to the press.

 

Now, i know i'm not Mr Positive around here (clearly Ian W, bless him) but i'm not going to think the worst based on what this dickhead's said to SSN.

 

 

Cheers, interesting that about his agent.

 

I've gone from being fairly frustrated that you don't see things as i do to actually thinking you're a wonderful person! The sun never sets on Ian it seems

[Mick]

Not sure that offering a player who is interested in signing for us what we are able to afford is idiotic

 

Who said that is all we're able to afford?

[ikri]

According to swiss media he's on 1.6 Million EUR a year...

 

That's about £26k per week at current exchange rates.

 

Why are the Caulkin, Brenner, Farrington and Edwards hitting out at his agent and almost defending the club, it is just cringeworthy.

 

It is just possible that his agent is actually a bigger cunt than Ashley

[AyeDubbleYoo]

The offer needs to be put into context - he's at a Champions League club who finished 2nd last year above Bayern Munich.

 

and he doesn't look like being a first choice selection.

 

and he's playing in a lesser league.

 

and his contract is up in a year.

 

and they'll be knocked out in the group stages anyway.

 

As fantastic as these points are, they still wouldn't tempt any player to cut his wages by a third.

 

Precisely. Pure fantasy to pretend to believe otherwise.

 

Whey it's all rumour and speculation anyway. If he decides he wants to sit on their bench for a season and leave on a free then fair enough.

[BlueStar]

It's all very well taking a stand about premier league players getting paid in a week what a head teacher gets in a year or whatever, but it's not going to get them to come and play for us for 25k a week if other clubs are still offering them premier league wages, is it? Or even from taking a similar wage at everton or stoke because they'd rather not play for a club run in a manner that makes it a laughing stock. When we've paid to buy some decent players and look like we're going somewhere we can start saying "We're not paying you 40k, either take 35 or you don't get to play for Newcastle and we'll go somewhere else." Ashley has put us in the position where the players hold all the cards and we need to speculate to accumulate to get ourselves out of it. That or just accept being a championship club where we don't have to pay premier league wages.

[Ishmael]

Not sure that offering a player who is interested in signing for us what we are able to afford is idiotic

 

Who said that is all we're able to afford?

 

I'd like to think that is obvious.

[Hughesy]

 

Like we did for Owen, Duff, Geremi etc etc.

 

Don't get me wrong - offering less than someone is on is stupid.  But we shouldn't pay whatever a player asks for and should be within our wage structure.

 

Is Hughesy an anagram for Derek?

 

I suppose I shouldn't bite - but seriously - is that the best you've got?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Says McIntosh is his 'British representative.' Might mean he has an agent over there but this guy is trying to get paid as a contact or whatever, feels he's being cut out and his bad mouthing us to the press.

 

Now, i know i'm not Mr Positive around here (clearly Ian W, bless him) but i'm not going to think the worst based on what this dickhead's said to SSN.

 

 

Cheers, interesting that about his agent.

 

I've gone from being fairly frustrated that you don't see things as i do to actually thinking you're a wonderful person! The sun never sets on Ian it seems

 

I'm positive about our new signings, I'm worried that we still need some more. I'd say my outlook is mixed but optimistic-ish.

 

Very prepared to become depressed if everyone's worst predictions about next season happen mind.

[Lotus]

Says McIntosh is his 'British representative.' Might mean he has an agent over there but this guy is trying to get paid as a contact or whatever, feels he's being cut out and his bad mouthing us to the press.

 

Now, i know i'm not Mr Positive around here (clearly Ian W, bless him) but i'm not going to think the worst based on what this dickhead's said to SSN.

 

 

Cheers, interesting that about his agent.

 

I've gone from being fairly frustrated that you don't see things as i do to actually thinking you're a wonderful person! The sun never sets on Ian it seems

 

I'm positive about our new signings, I'm worried that we still need some more. I'd say my outlook is mixed but optimistic-ish.

 

Very prepared to become depressed if everyone's worst predictions about next season happen mind.

 

Can't imagine you depressed about anything!!!!!

[Minhosa]

It's like a mediocre german company picking up the phone to me whilst I work for a top 2 UK firm......................

 

Ze Germans: we like your work young Minhosa, we can see what you'd bring to our, once great, organisation.

 

me: Why thank you kind german people, I could be tempted to be in your employ.

 

Ze Germans: We have an offer in mind. What do you earn at the minute?

 

Me: £1 a week, you wonderful germans.

 

Ze Germans: Ok, on that basis, we'd like to offer you a whole 60p a week to join our fine establishment.

 

Me: You fucking what? Are we talking pounds or some other currency?

 

Ze Germans: We are talking british pounds. That's not all though, did we mention the staff bore-hole, the newly tarmacced landing area at the ground and the fact we'd give you your very own parking space, sponsored by a leading supplier of sportswear in the Uk. Also, in the event we recieve an acceptable offer for you in the future, not only would we not stand in your way, we'd provide you with use of the company chopper, with free pilot (*Note - you would be contractually obliged to pay for the fuel from any signing on fee).

 

Me: Hangs phone up.

[jdckelly]

2 things no 1 why would a swiss guy have a british agent esp since he's playing in germany

no 2 the moment anyone uses 40k a week as ridiculous they lose all sympathy from me no matter how good the rest of the argument is

[AyeDubbleYoo]

It's all very well taking a stand about premier league players getting paid in a week what a head teacher gets in a year or whatever, but it's not going to get them to come and play for us for 25k a week if other clubs are still offering them premier league wages, is it? Or even from taking a similar wage at everton or stoke because they'd rather not play for a club run in a manner that makes it a laughing stock. When we've paid to buy some decent players and look like we're going somewhere we can start saying "We're not paying you 40k, either take 35 or you don't get to play for Newcastle and we'll go somewhere else." Ashley has put us in the position where the players hold all the cards and we need to speculate to accumulate to get ourselves out of it. That or just accept being a championship club where we don't have to pay premier league wages.

 

It's not as black and white as that though is it? We've already proved we can find some decent players that we are prepared to pay what it took to get.

 

It just makes it harder than if you pay more.

[Stifler]

According to swiss media he's on 1.6 Million EUR a year...

 

That's about £26k per week at current exchange rates.

Sounds like his agent is getting mixed up with 40k Euro's and £40k.

[Ishmael]

It's like a mediocre german company picking up the phone to me whilst I work for a top 2 UK firm......................

 

Ze Germans: we like your work young Minhosa, we can see what you'd bring to our, once great, organisation.

 

me: Why thank you kind german people, I could be tempted to be in your employ.

 

Ze Germans: We have an offer in mind. What do you earn at the minute?

 

Me: £1 a week, you wonderful germans.

 

Ze Germans: Ok, on that basis, we'd like to offer you a whole 60p a week to join our fine establishment.

 

Me: You f***ing what? Are we talking pounds or some other currency?

 

Ze Germans: We are talking british pounds. That's not all though, did we mention the staff bore-hole, the newly tarmacced landing area at the ground and the fact we'd give you your very own parking space, sponsored by a leading supplier of sportswear in the Uk. Also, in the event we recieve an acceptable offer for you in the future, not only would we not stand in your way, we'd provide you with use of the company chopper, with free pilot (*Note - you would be contractually obliged to pay for the fuel from any signing on fee).

 

Me: Hangs phone up.

 

Too much effort for something that isn't comparable.