We need to talk about Dale

shabba · Aug 23, 2016

sheebo said:
If true, I'll be hugely disappointed in Dale. He'll just be another spoilt little brat footballer to me. But I'll wait to see if true. If not true, I really hope he stays as his and Kayal's partnership is key & we've not actually seen it this season yet to my knowledge...

I couldn't agree more, it sounds very much like a strike. He ran down his contract at Charlton, so why would he not do the same here? There is no loyalty in football and he is just a greedy T**t. My only issue is, we paid his wage while he was injured and we have only really had one good season out of him and then he just ups and runs, good riddance to him, take the money and move on. Personally I would not have clapped him, he deserves jeering! However, if he plays up too much, make him stay, just to piss him off!

Also, he is from up north and so he will jump at any chance to go back up there, good knows why, it is mostly a shit hole!

Nixonator · Aug 23, 2016

shabba said:
I couldn't agree more, it sounds very much like a strike. He ran down his contract at Charlton, so why would he not do the same here? There is no loyalty in football and he is just a greedy T**t. My only issue is, we paid his wage while he was injured and we have only really had one good season out of him and then he just ups and runs, good riddance to him, take the money and move on. Personally I would not have clapped him, he deserves jeering! However, if he plays up too much, make him stay, just to piss him off!

Also, he is from up north and so he will jump at any chance to go back up there, good knows why, it is mostly a shit hole!

Jumping the gun slightly. It's starting to look like I could be wrong, but I have always maintained by judge of character that I couldn't imagine him doing this kind of thing, and Chris has categorically told us that he hasn't.

Weezle · Aug 23, 2016

He blatantly has. If his fitness needed improving he wouldn't be missing out again against Oxford tonight. As said above, we've only had one good season out of him. He owes the club more. He's a prick and he can do one.

Albumen · Aug 23, 2016

Weezle said:
He blatantly has. If his fitness needed improving he wouldn't be missing out again against Oxford tonight. As said above, we've only had one good season out of him. He owes the club more. He's a prick and he can do one.

Charming.

Uh_huh_him · Aug 23, 2016

Weezle said:
He blatantly has. If his fitness needed improving he wouldn't be missing out again against Oxford tonight. As said above, we've only had one good season out of him. He owes the club more. He's a prick and he can do one.

We may have only had one good season out of him. But what a season!
He was excellent and was one of the main reasons we came so close.

He owes us nothing!

Last season Dunk tried it on and the club chose to try to talk him around.
He lost his place in the starting line up as part of that process because GG and Uwe were performing well and kept the shirt.
Dunk came back as a better player and has gone from strength to strength.

I suspect the club are trying to keep him, there are probably some hard negotiations going on.
Until these are resolved we are better off giving game time to players who have committed to staying.
If Dale decides to stay at the end of this window, then he will get his chance.

Right now we are better off working with Kayal/Sidwell/Norwood.
That's still a pretty good set of CMs, IMO

fosters headband · Aug 23, 2016

Uh_huh_him said:
He owes us nothing!

Really, so we buy a player on a three year contract and they only need to work for two, is that what you are saying.

I wonder what other professions you would take this attitude?

Icy Gull · Aug 23, 2016

Bizarre that BFG hasn't played for half a season and is being touted as possibly playing on Saturday having played tonight whilst Stephens can't make any team at all because he is not match fit. Oh well this bullshit is nearly over.

atomised · Aug 23, 2016

The difference with BFG being that particularly if Rosenior is out we are very short on numbers. The midfield posution is well covered by comparison

Icy Gull · Aug 23, 2016

atomised said:
The difference with BFG being that particularly if Rosenior is out we are very short on numbers. The midfield posution is well covered by comparison

Agreed but Stephens is not going to get match fit if he doesn't play at all

Leegull · Aug 23, 2016

I cannot see the club letting such a pivotal player leave at this point, when we finally have a squad capable of promotion. Surely the negotiations go something like this.

Dale signs new and improved contract, with a very nice pay rise. Contract says that Dale can leave in the summer for X amount if the Albion fail to gain promotion..

Contract also says that Dale will get an even better pay rise of X in the summer if We do get promoted, he then gets the money and the PL football?

Not buying the moving back up north line. It's a short career and it's all about maximising as much cash as physically possible in that timeframe for any player.. The above must be the best solution for all parties right now?

Finchley Seagull · Aug 23, 2016

Icy Gull said:
Bizarre that BFG hasn't played for half a season and is being touted as possibly playing on Saturday having played tonight whilst Stephens can't make any team at all because he is not match fit. Oh well this bullshit is nearly over.

Big difference is we're short of defenders but not of midfielders. There seem to be a lot of people on here basically calling Chris Hughton a liar and questioning what he's been saying. It's sad the lack of trust they have in our manager

Icy Gull · Aug 23, 2016

Finchley Seagull said:
Big difference is we're short of defenders but not of midfielders. There seem to be a lot of people on here basically calling Chris Hughton a liar and questioning what he's been saying. It's sad the lack of trust they have in our manager

I have said before that I think CH is being hung out to dry here, we need to hear from Bloom or Barber on this situation, it is bizarre in the extreme to keep finding excuses not to play your most effective midfield, don't you think?

fosters headband · Aug 23, 2016

Leegull said:
I cannot see the club letting such a pivotal player leave at this point, when we finally have a squad capable of promotion. Surely the negotiations go something like this.

Dale signs new and improved contract, with a very nice pay rise. Contract says that Dale can leave in the summer for X amount if the Albion fail to gain promotion..

Contract also says that Dale will get an even better pay rise of X in the summer if We do get promoted, he then gets the money and the PL football?

Not buying the moving back up north line. It's a short career and it's all about maximising as much cash as physically possible in that timeframe for any player.. The above must be the best solution for all parties right now?

So are you proposing we pay him the Premier League money now, that he could be earning if he joined a PL club in this window?

Finchley Seagull · Aug 23, 2016

Icy Gull said:
I have said before that I think CH is being hung out to dry here, we need to hear from Bloom or Barber on this situation, it is bizarre in the extreme to keep finding excuses not to play your most effective midfield, don't you think?

Not really. He clearly was injured pre season. Given that, if he was refusing to play, why not say he's injured again? Whatever you might think about the logic, I think the reason Hughton is giving is correct as you are unlikely to make it up

Leegull · Aug 23, 2016

fosters headband said:
So are you proposing we pay him the Premier League money now, that he could be earning if he joined a PL club in this window?

No I'm proposing that we pay him top end Championship money now but with a guarantee of PL money if we get there.. If we don't then he is free to leave for pre agreed price.

Lower West Stander · Aug 23, 2016

atomised said:
The difference with BFG being that particularly if Rosenior is out we are very short on numbers. The midfield posution is well covered by comparison

Oh come on.

Are you really saying that's the reason he's not playing? If you got a chance to play at a higher level for more money and in the area you grew up, would you really say no?

I don't blame CH for playing this with a straight bat - but the club haven't got many aces to play here

Blue Valkyrie · Aug 23, 2016

Icy Gull said:
I have said before that I think CH is being hung out to dry here, we need to hear from Bloom or Barber on this situation, it is bizarre in the extreme to keep finding excuses not to play your most effective midfield, don't you think?

We cannot hear from Bloom or Barber as that would potentially weaken our negotiating position if other clubs want to do a deal. Keep them in the dark and keep them guessing.

We have actually heard from Bloom about Dale's contract situation. We won't get any further comment until after the window shuts.

Uh_huh_him · Aug 23, 2016

fosters headband said:
Really, so we buy a player on a three year contract and they only need to work for two, is that what you are saying.

I wonder what other professions you would take this attitude?

TBF any employee has the right to walk away from an employment contract under the terms of the agreement.
No employer turns around to an employee who hands in their notice and says "we gave you a contract you must work until the end of it"

During this window he can choose one of the following options within the terms of the agreement:
-Stay with us and run out his contract
-Put in a transfer request
-Sign a new improved contract with us

We do not know what the current status is and to the best of anyone's knowledge Stephens is not refusing to play and is not in breach of his contract.

I suspect Stephens view is he should be looking seriously at any options to play in the premier league and maximising his earning potential.

Putting in a transfer request will penalise him financially, so he will need to be absolutely sure of the terms on offer before doing that.
Running out his contract is one option - he will be a free agent and should command a decent signing on fee.
The club will not want tis to happen.
They will be keen to negotiate a new contract in the next week or accept Burnley's offer and cash in now.
Therefore the club will be forcing the agenda as much as the player.
This is what happened last year with Dunk.

Signing a new contract with us, with enhanced terms should we go up and a release clause if we don't, will require some serious negotiations.
I suspect this is what is happening at the moment.

atomised · Aug 23, 2016

Lower West Stander said:
Oh come on.

Are you really saying that's the reason he's not playing? If you got a chance to play at a higher level for more money and in the area you grew up, would you really say no?

I don't blame CH for playing this with a straight bat - but the club haven't got many aces to play here

Not what i was saying at all. I was simply stating that defence is a position we are struggling for numbers in therefore anyone available is likely to be rushed back so the situations arent comparable

Albumen · Aug 23, 2016

Icy Gull said:
I have said before that I think CH is being hung out to dry here, we need to hear from Bloom or Barber on this situation, it is bizarre in the extreme to keep finding excuses not to play your most effective midfield, don't you think?

1. He was injured pre-season. This WILL affect affect him if he doesn't finish his pre-season.
2. Kayal was rested in a league last Tuesday, Stephens played.
3. Norwood was bought to play. I wouldn't be surprised if he rotates all season as our midfield were dead on their feet by the end of the season. Why not keep switching to make sure each player knows how to play with each other?

Or 4. He's lying and we're only going to play the same two midfielders for the next 42 games.

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