Ok, I said this last night on the way home from the game, after reading a couple of posts on here I've decided to put in on here as well.

Enjoy Joel Porter while you can, because he'll leave in the summer.

Joel said nothing about the bid from the Aus club in the summer, I presume he wasn't particularly happy that Pools took up the one years option on his contract. But like the decent fella he seems, he took it on the chin and kept his head down.

Since then he's got on with the job we pay him to do. He's being extremely positive this season, taking about Pools scoring goals and pushing for the play offs, he seems keen to get quoted on a regular basis. He's clearly putting himself in the shop window.

7 goals and there will be more to come, Joel knows to get a good move he's going to have to have a good season, he's not getting any younger, he's got one more big contract left in him and he'll want it to be a team from back home.

If he can continue his form until the January transfer window opens, he'll be looking to sign a three year deal with Phoenix and go back to Aus in the summer.

Forget hoping Danny Wilson and Ken Hodcroft will offer him a new contract, unless it's a 4 year deal on mega money, he's simply not going to be interested. The lad has done his time at Pools, accept he's leaving and enjoy him while he's still here.

He is being targeted by Gold Coast United, new kids on the block in the A League, owned by an Australian billionaire.

So what you're actually saying there is that, when he needs the contract and the cash, he bangs goals in for fun, but when he doesn't need it, he can't be arsed???

Interesting.....

he will be tea potting again before the end of the seson

are you saying he is motivated by money how novel

And he may well of fooked off if an Aussie team had took a gamble on him................

I thought the issue at the start of the season was he wanted to go back to oz, mainly because his missus and kids have gone back there.

I'd love him to stay and i'm sure he loves it here but if he wants to go back for his family then we cant really stop him can we.

You normally talk a lot of sense Chip. But what can 'they' do.

If a player wants to leave - as all of your mentioned examples did - then you can't hold their families hostage. All were offered generous deals - in Westwood's case better than the one he opted for.

Strangely enough, and I know as I type this that it will not be a popular point, but playing in the NE in a small stadium in front of 4000 is not the extent of most player's ambitions. Each of the players that you mention went to a bigger club.

Even with your indie sensibilities if you were offered a choice of a gig at The Cluny or Glastonbury main stage you'd make a similar choice.

The club have repeatedly been clever with contracts -the one way one year 'option' thing is an example. Joel Porter was desperate to leave but the club kept him. I think IOR/The Director of Netball deserve praise rather than scorn for their contract management.

But we all know it isn't about the fee. All would have been on contacts that cost 2-3K a week minimum - ie wages over a two year contract are £200-300K over the term.

We can't pay that. £300k is half of what comes through the gate in a year. Because of clever management we got Joel Porter for another year cheap. Salute that, don't criticise it.

Consistantly our transfer policy has been clever:

-not paying agents a penny

-an entirely one way contract extension 'option' that favours the club- keep you if you're any good, have no obligation to keep you if you're not.


As for Sweeney and Brown - Brown was signed to a longer contract as soon as it was evident he was any good. But you can't make a player sign a deal he doesn't want.


And I know it's a different argument but the decision to release Eiffion was absolutely correct. Look at what he has done since leaving us.

Does JP's contractual situation mean that he can start to negotiate deals with other clubs from January if he is in the final year of his contract? So shouldn't we be giving him some sort of Christmas / birthday present ?

Sandy

he discusses his wages with you too