Church

[winchester_royal]

Not saying we should give in and give Pearce 30k. The club are taking (what I consider to be) the right stance on his particular situation.

However 'giving in' and letting Church have a 100% promotion increase clause was financially irresponsible IMHO. No chance was he ever going to be worth 15k a week, and similarly we were never going to be able to flog him when on that sort of money. It's clear the club don't consider him a Prem player, so why give him a clause that puts him on 15k a week if we do get promoted?

The two approaches just seem to contradict each other.

Don't agree in the slightest. When did Church sign the contract, probably before last year? So at the time he was probably considered full of potential and one of our first choice strikers. Why wouldn't he get a 100% increase on promotion clause? You can't just tell him, screw you, you only scored 4 goals (or whatever) we're welching on the contract see you in Court. The judge will side with us because you obviously aren't worth it.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have given the 100% increase on promotion, it's in the contract so that's what he gets. I'm questioning the decision to give him the clause in the first place, knowing that the clause would put him on 15k a week which is a large amount of money, much more than his talent has been worth at any point in his career.

We're now going to lose a player we've produced on a free because a) we can't get him to sign another contract because his current wages far outweigh what he's worth, and b) we can't sell him because no club is going to pay those wages so he's best off waiting till June where he can get a decent signing on fee to make up for the inevitable loss in wages.

I'm just nit-picking really, it's not a huge issue, I just think it's slightly in contrast to the way we're handling the Pearce situation (i.e. not a penny over what we think he's worth)

[melonhead]

player has good season and gets increased offer
goes back to general level afterwards.

right decision at time, later found out to be a bit off,

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Atleast whenever he plays he doesnt just go out there to earn his money, he really tries to live up to what hes earning and I can only applaud him for that

What being a prolific goalscorer..which is what's he paid to do....he's in a division way above his ability level and given his return at Huddersfield, I'd say the same for the championship....he could make a go of it in Div 1 maybe..

[Woodcote Royal]

Church should be busting a gut to find a level where he can play every week and if that means getting 5k rather than 15, so be it.

Frankly, beyond having the good fortune to be part of a squad that won promotion last season, Church has done nothing to justify being paid more than 5k a week and needs to wake up and smell the coffee before he finds himself out of contract and desperate for a conference club to offer him a few hundred quid a week.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

In reality Pearce is probably on about the same money, whatever happens church will get the 15k a week to the summer, I would doubt millwall or Watford or anyone will be offering even what he was on before promotion.

As has been said he needs to come down to earth, before no one wants him.

[melonhead]

he will be snapped up on a free, regardless

[Royal With Cheese]

Snapped is probably overstating it but I'm sure a lower league club will find a place for Church.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

And because he'll be on a free there'll probably a decent "signing-on" fee for him too.

[melonhead]

Snapped is probably overstating it but I'm sure a lower league club will find a place for Church.

no. its snapped or nothing.

[Woodcote Royal]

And because he'll be on a free there'll probably a decent "signing-on" fee for him too.

You may well be right but the time for Church living off potential alone is fast running out and I doubt that many of us would play quite so fast and loose with our own job prospects.

Most players naturally want to play at the highest possible level but with Church yet to prove his worth in the Championship, he should be accepting decent offers from the likes of Millwall and Watford who, frankly, are both used to having the services of better strikers at their disposal.

[Royal With Cheese]

Snapped is probably overstating it but I'm sure a lower league club will find a place for Church.

no. its snapped or nothing.

Has he issued a "come and get me" plea yet?

[royal67]

And because he'll be on a free there'll probably a decent "signing-on" fee for him too.

You may well be right but the time for Church living off potential alone is fast running out and I doubt that many of us would play quite so fast and loose with our own job prospects.

Most players naturally want to play at the highest possible level but with Church yet to prove his worth in the Championship, he should be accepting decent offers from the likes of Millwall and Watford who, frankly, are both used to having the services of better strikers at their disposal.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

And because he'll be on a free there'll probably a decent "signing-on" fee for him too.

You may well be right but the time for Church living off potential alone is fast running out and I doubt that many of us would play quite so fast and loose with our own job prospects.

Most players naturally want to play at the highest possible level but with Church yet to prove his worth in the Championship, he should be accepting decent offers from the likes of Millwall and Watford who, frankly, are both used to having the services of better strikers at their disposal.

Agree with that. But in his situation I'd probably do the same. He has a choice of :

Six months of guaranteed PL-level wages and then a signing-on fee with a Championship club in July (and then being on Championship level wages) - or going straight to a Championship club now and being on being on Championship-level wages straight away. Staying out he also has the chance of being sent off on-loan somewhere else (without taking a wage cut - or maybe getting chances here in the PL if we have a run of injuries.

What would you choose? Even more so as most footballers are always only too aware that they're always one tackle or one stretch away from a career-ending injury, so don't tend to take the long-term view.

[Woodcote Royal]

It looks like he wants to do a "Sidwell" and take the the short term view but, in his case, I think this could backfire.

In all honesty, he should count himself very lucky to have these offers on the table and I strongly suspect that, given an entire summer to unearth a replacement for his loanee that was sold to Leicester, Jacket will find one and other Championship offers could dry up...........................it might be a case of Championship now or League One come the summer.

[SPARTA]

It looks like he wants to do a "Sidwell" and take the the short term view but, in his case, I think this could backfire.

In all honesty, he should count himself very lucky to have these offers on the table and I strongly suspect that, given an entire summer to unearth a replacement for his loanee that was sold to Leicester, Jacket will find one and other Championship offers could dry up...........................it might be a case of Championship now or League One come the summer.

Couldn't agree more. Or if he does get his move this window, it wont take long to figure out he's not consistent enough in the Championship. Plus if a club does pay top dollar, he'll be under added pressure he can do without. Either way, he is destined for League 1. His greed could well bite him in the arse!

[Ian Royal]

Not saying we should give in and give Pearce 30k. The club are taking (what I consider to be) the right stance on his particular situation.

However 'giving in' and letting Church have a 100% promotion increase clause was financially irresponsible IMHO. No chance was he ever going to be worth 15k a week, and similarly we were never going to be able to flog him when on that sort of money. It's clear the club don't consider him a Prem player, so why give him a clause that puts him on 15k a week if we do get promoted?

The two approaches just seem to contradict each other.

Don't agree in the slightest. When did Church sign the contract, probably before last year? So at the time he was probably considered full of potential and one of our first choice strikers. Why wouldn't he get a 100% increase on promotion clause? You can't just tell him, screw you, you only scored 4 goals (or whatever) we're welching on the contract see you in Court. The judge will side with us because you obviously aren't worth it.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have given the 100% increase on promotion, it's in the contract so that's what he gets. I'm questioning the decision to give him the clause in the first place, knowing that the clause would put him on 15k a week which is a large amount of money, much more than his talent has been worth at any point in his career.

We're now going to lose a player we've produced on a free because a) we can't get him to sign another contract because his current wages far outweigh what he's worth, and b) we can't sell him because no club is going to pay those wages so he's best off waiting till June where he can get a decent signing on fee to make up for the inevitable loss in wages.

I'm just nit-picking really, it's not a huge issue, I just think it's slightly in contrast to the way we're handling the Pearce situation (i.e. not a penny over what we think he's worth)

But the context is completely different. We valued Church at £9k, probably about right at the time, and gave him what was probably a pretty standard promotion clause - especially for a player that was likely to be expected to be regularly involved in the first team. We almost certainly did exactly the same for Pearce at the time of his last contract.

Now Pearce wants more on top of his promotion increase, possibly fair enough, possibly not. But comparing the two is apples and oranges.

[Ian Royal]

Church should be busting a gut to find a level where he can play every week and if that means getting 5k rather than 15, so be it.

Frankly, beyond having the good fortune to be part of a squad that won promotion last season, Church has done nothing to justify being paid more than 5k a week and needs to wake up and smell the coffee before he finds himself out of contract and desperate for a conference club to offer him a few hundred quid a week.

Or alternatively he should be maximising his income whilst he can get it, because he probably won't earn nearly this much money again.