José Enrique

[magorific]

No we came off badly because we lost a Geordie striker with the potential to be the fulcrum of our side for the next ten years. We can't replace that because unfortunately the likes of Carroll come round once or twice in a generation, if you're lucky.

 

This.

No we came off badly because we lost a Geordie striker with the potential to be the fulcrum of our side for the next ten years. We can't replace that because unfortunately the likes of Carroll come round once or twice in a generation, if you're lucky.

 

if we use that 35M wisely including investing in a top striker (there are quite a few around who is actually better than Carroll), then I don't give a tosh if the one banging in the goals for us is Geordie or not. Those are just emotional niceties which has no bearing on the club's performance.

No we came off badly because we lost a Geordie striker with the potential to be the fulcrum of our side for the next ten years. We can't replace that because unfortunately the likes of Carroll come round once or twice in a generation, if you're lucky.

 

if we use that 35M wisely including investing in a top striker (there are quite a few around who is actually better than Carroll), then I don't give a tosh if the one banging in the goals for us is Geordie or not. Those are just emotional niceties which has no bearing on the club's performance.

 

I agree the fact he is a Geordie is neither here nor there, but Carroll's potential value to us went way, way beyond what Liverpool paid for him.

I'm assuming you are suggesting we could attract one of these "better" strikers you mention. I'd be interested to know who you're talking about.

 

On your second question, too many if you are willing to look outside the Premier league.

 

On your first question, I don't know whether or not we can attract these better players, if we don't get in someone at least as good as Carroll in the summer, then we would have done poorly but like I said that's because we didn't replace him not because we sold a striker whose had half a good season of premiership for 35M

 

Sorry, but how can you call Carroll's sale good business if it hinges on what you acknowledge is a likely inability to attract a better striker?

 

I'd still like to know the identity of these better strikers. Better in terms of stats and experience, perhaps. But a better bet in this league than Carroll? I guess you'd have nominated Dzeko before he went to City...

[Guest Roger Kint]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

[colinmk]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

[Benwell Lad]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

They did offer to review the 5 year deal he had just signed, at the end of the season, when he would certainly have been offered more.

The player's impetuous insistence that it be done there and then was rejected, and rightly so.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

They did offer to review the 5 year deal he had just signed, at the end of the season, when he would certainly have been offered more.

The player's impetuous insistence that it be done there and then was rejected, and rightly so.

 

A fact i 100% agree with, no way should we ever cave in to a players demands like that

[Flip]

In the end the club will always be bigger than a player. No matter who.

[Wullie]

I give up. If people want to believe that we did everything possible to keep Carroll and made it absolutely clear to him that we wanted him more than we wanted the cash then that's their prerogative.

[Colocho]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

[Guest Roger Kint]

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

So we should shatter our wage structure just to keep him happy? What would you suggest we do 1 year down the line if he asks again? Or everyone else decides that they deserve a new contract for every good 2 month spells they have on the pitch?  Where do you suggest the madness should end?

 

He is not worth £35m plus all the extras and wouldnt be near it if Chelsea hadnt been so desperate to spunk £50m on Torres, we were happy to look at a new contract in the summer which is more than fair considering he still isnt fit to start hitting March.

[merlin]

Can't see us selling Tiote, we only just signed the f***ing guy.

 

Wonder how long it'll be before I open a player thread and it isn't about him being definitely sold in the summer?

 

Get used to it. We used to be a club who bought players for large fees, give them massive career fulfilling contracts, and then could never get rid of them.

 

We are now a club who aims for players on lower fees, on lower wages, but with potential to be a hell of a lot better. It is a natural consequence of the second option that we will worry about the players we sign who turn out to be great player, and then leave for bigger and better clubs.

 

Do it consistently enough for a long period of time and you might get lucky and hit the sweet spot between the Arsenal model and the Man Utd model!

 

 

 

...and if you get it wrong a few times, you end up between the Sheffield Wednesday and WBA model...!

go the other way and it's leeds and pompey........and us to certain extent.

 

Leeds and Pompey do NOT have our crowd potential or drawing power.

Still, we can always settle for second best instead of 3rd best, eh !?

 

Leeds and NUFC's problems were the result of having a complete dickhead in charge instead of only a partial one..

you just don't want to get it do ya ? it doesn't matter what the size of crowds, turnover or prestige of club,'crowd potential or 'drawing power'......if you try to live too far beyond your means you'll end up f***ed. the only difference is the size of the numbers, the premise is the same for all.

 

 

 

Just don't want to 'get it'..!?

 

If I and others hadn't wanted to 'Get it' 20 years ago, the club would still have been run by McKeag's family and KK would never have arrived as manager ONCE. never mind twice...

 

I don't need a lesson in economics thanks - you are implying that the club would be 'living beyond its means'by competing for decent signings or trying to keep its best players ; that is a matter of conjecture - do you believe that Kuqui is a decent signing for a club like Newcastle ? Or would Gateshead be a more likely setting for him !?

 

We have sold a young player who, in all likelihood, will play for England for 10 years and win medals with Liverpool - yes, that's right, Liverpool and they WILL win medals despite the envious tripe spouted on here about them because they are ambitious and have rich backers....nobody is saying that NUFC should be signing 35m players but there IS and should be, a balance.

 

Also, any club selling its top players will never prosper - end of...

If you don't want to talk Sheff Weds, try Burnley and see how selling best players did for them. NUFC DOES have a big support and only clubs with decent support can be successful over a long period. NUFC has not punched its weight over the years and if you can't(or WON'T) see that, you either haven't supported the club for very long or you have a poor memory recall.

 

Ashley may not be Abramovitch but he COULD back the club a bit better in the market - as could anyone who doesn't blink at losing 1m a shot in casinos..!! Failure to attract or keep good players means that any decent ones left at the club will also want to leave.

 

How can you say the club hasn't been punching above it's weight when you look at the financial side of things before Ashley took over?  We were paying Champions League level wages!

 

Any club selling their best players will never proper...?  What about Sevilla, as Village Idiot points out?  It's all about the right balance, which is difficult to find, tbf.

 

What tripe is spoken about Liverpool as well?  Most of it is justified.  Head over to one of their forums if you don't like the scousers getting insulted.

 

You have proved your ignorance beyond doubt several times in this post.

 

I don't know how old you are (and frankly care less), but your comments about Liverpool are those of a prize tw-- or someone whose empty can makes the most rattle. They have achieved far more in a few seasons in the 80s than NUFC have done since 1892. If you are unaware of that, and the respect they have in the game as a result of that then you shouldn't be allowed out, never mind be a NUFC fan.

After reading your insightful(cough)comments, I wish I HAD been born in the NW of the country, then I could have spent my time laughing at the comments written by 'experts on winning trophies' such as yourself !! After all, you are well placed to give advice after seeing your side trounce the PL time after time - not to mention the many cups since 1969....

 

IF you had taken the trouble to read the posts leading up to the one you chose to benefit us with your comments upon, you would have seen that I made the point that, prior to Ashley, NUFC was being run by a d--khead, and that is why CL wages were being paid....

 

And WHY should I be interested in the example of a second rate Spanish club like Sevilla ? What do they have in common with NUFC ? Spain has 2 clubs who are any good - end of....just the same as Scotland except that every so often, someone like Valencia makes a show in the Europa Lge because they have imported some Argies or Brazilians...

 

Glad to be well away from people like you - the good name of NUFC fans is already blackened by similar people and you are in for a rude awakening..unless you are an Ashley troll of course !

 

Enjoy your success !

[Ginola]

I give up. If people want to believe that we did everything possible to keep Carroll and made it absolutely clear to him that we wanted him more than we wanted the cash then that's their prerogative.

 

I don't think anyone's said that. The point being made is that if a player wants to leave then he shouldn't be the figurehead of the side, not that we did everything possible to keep him.

[merlin]

I give up. If people want to believe that we did everything possible to keep Carroll and made it absolutely clear to him that we wanted him more than we wanted the cash then that's their prerogative.

 

See my post above Wullie...

[Guest Roger Kint]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

 

As a campaigner for a better run NUFC thats some staggeringly stupid logic.

[Yorkie]

I give up. If people want to believe that we did everything possible to keep Carroll and made it absolutely clear to him that we wanted him more than we wanted the cash then that's their prerogative.

 

I agree with everything you've said on the last page regarding how you should build a club. You summarized well why it was so devastating. However, Carroll put in a transfer request - and, in modern football, there's one particular thing that is absolutely certified. Even moreso than the penny-pinching mentality of our club hierarchy. And that is the greed of footballers.

 

I'll forever hate Carroll for being a greedy, money-grabbing, traitor cunt.

[merlin]

In the end the club will always be bigger than a player. No matter who.

 

Oh yes - NUFC is bigger than the players...unless they happen to be Waddle, Beardsley, Shearer, Gazza, Carroll, Supermac etc etc.

 

Just look at the club's record of success over the last 30 years - pathetic. The players mentioned, on the other hand, have a load of medals.....

[Colocho]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

 

As a campaigner for a better run NUFC thats some staggeringly stupid logic.

 

As was signing players like Geremi, Xisco, Smith, Viduka, Cacapa, R.Taylor and putting them on ridiculous wages.

[Benwell Lad]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

 

I really think you are brighter than that statement makes you sound.

It doesn't work like that in the real world, e.g Kieron Dyer probably earns about 4 or 5 times what Jack Wilshire does.

Contracts are binding and highly paid has-beens don't give them up willingly.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

 

As a campaigner for a better run NUFC thats some staggeringly stupid logic.

 

As was signing players like Geremi, Xisco, Smith, Viduka, Cacapa, R.Taylor and putting them on ridiculous wages.

 

Exactly, our club cant keep paying such wages and suggesting paying one player the same based on previous terrible decisions makes no sense.

[Colocho]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

 

I really think you are brighter than that statement makes you sound.

It doesn't work like that in the real world, e.g Kieron Dyer probably earns about 4 or 5 times what Jack Wilshire does.

Contracts are binding and highly paid has-beens don't give them up willingly.

 

Of course I know how much a player earns is not always relative to his quality. However, what I'm trying to say is if Ashley is willing to hand someone like Alan Smith £3m a year for his services, or Xisco around £2m - then he should be willing to make Carroll a high earner as well!

 

The days of those kind of wages for distinctly average players, are hopefully in the the past at this club, but to keep our best players we MUST pay competitive wages.

[Jayson]

This has been done over so many times and some people just dont get it.

 

We didnt even try to keep Carroll. You're living in a fantasy world if you think the time he signed his contract has any affect on anything. Clubs were offering stupid amounts & stupid wages, every single player in the game in his position is going to choose that move if the offer is not even close to being matched at where he currently is.

 

Whether he was worth offering highes wages to is determined by our ability to replace him in a way that will improve our team. Theres nothing more to it atall. There are logical reasons why we both may have become a better side with Carroll in our future as there is that we may without him. We dont know yet.

[Benwell Lad]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

 

I really think you are brighter than that statement makes you sound.

It doesn't work like that in the real world, e.g Kieron Dyer probably earns about 4 or 5 times what Jack Wilshire does.

Contracts are binding and highly paid has-beens don't give them up willingly.

 

Of course I know how much a player earns is not always relative to his quality. However, what I'm trying to say is if Ashley is willing to hand someone like Alan Smith £3m a year for his services, or Xisco around £2m - then he should be willing to make Carroll a high earner as well!

 

The days of those kind of wages for distinctly average players, are hopefully in the the past at this club, but to keep our best players we MUST pay competitive wages.

 

Sure.

And Carroll would have become a very high earner had he hung around and renegociated his contract at the end of the season, despite the ink hardly being dry on the one he'd just signed.

He impetuously insisted on having it reviewed there and then and the club quite rightly refused.

[Beren]

Bad omens: The Enrique thread has prematurely turned into the Carroll thread!

 

Poor Jose hasn't even got a mention on this page!

[Colocho]

Surely the whole situation is different when he hands in a transfer request though? You shouldn't have the figurehead of your team, the Raul/Shearer type, wanting to leave the club, should you? Obviously I don't know the whole ins and outs and everything that went on behind the scenes to do with the transfer, but for us to reject a bid, have a transfer request handed in, and then accept it, I know what it looks like.

 

He was FORCED to hand that transfer request in. [/obviously]

 

He loved and still loves the club. He's have played for peanuts if Ashley had only given him a hugh and told him how much he loved him.

 

Carroll was only ever interested in the future of NUFC, until we forced him out into the cold

 

f***ing hell. Peanuts? £30k+ a week is NOT peanuts and he felt that wasnt enough!

 

I'm afraid for a top striker who has market value of 35m that is peanuts.

 

So what would you say is a fair wage for him? Ignoring the utter stupidity of suggesting £30k+ in any circumstance is peanuts.

 

He was one of our best players, arguably the best and one of the top scorers in the premier league so something around the amount our top players are getting. 60k + I imagine.

 

If a 27 year old Alan Smith (who had played 30 games in the previous seasons) is worthy of £60,000 a week in Ashley's eyes, surely one of the most promising young strikers in the world (arguably) is worthy of the same?

 

I really think you are brighter than that statement makes you sound.

It doesn't work like that in the real world, e.g Kieron Dyer probably earns about 4 or 5 times what Jack Wilshire does.

Contracts are binding and highly paid has-beens don't give them up willingly.

 

Of course I know how much a player earns is not always relative to his quality. However, what I'm trying to say is if Ashley is willing to hand someone like Alan Smith £3m a year for his services, or Xisco around £2m - then he should be willing to make Carroll a high earner as well!

 

The days of those kind of wages for distinctly average players, are hopefully in the the past at this club, but to keep our best players we MUST pay competitive wages.

 

Sure.

And Carroll would have become a very high earner had he hung around and renegociated his contract at the end of the season, despite the ink hardly being dry on the one he'd just signed.

He impetuously insisted on having it reviewed there and then and the club quite rightly refused.

 

So it was out on principle that the club rejected his request for a new contract? I don't believe that we weren't in a position to offer him a £60k a week contract.

 

So what are you going to say when clubs come knocking for Tiote and he asks for an improved contract, or leaves. Is Tiote worthy of £45,000 a week? Because to Man Utd/Chelsea he will be.

[Guest Roger Kint]

You seriously dont understand the difference of Carroll asking despite being rewarded a new contract weeks earlier and Tiote coming in from a poor league, no doubt on poor wages compared to his team mates and having his reviewed and improved after a year?

 

 

[Colocho]

I do, but in my opinion he's an exceptional case. Wouldn't have been a sign of weakness to offer him more money. Contracts mean nothing.

 

It's irrelevant though ... at the end of the day, they wanted to accept the £35 million.