Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,185
Hopefully Burnley will go on a bad run, the worse they do the better Stephens is likely to perform.
Hopefully Burnley will go on a bad run, the worse they do the better Stephens is likely to perform.
Don't like that 'explanation' one bit. It's 'not an apology'. You've got some ****ing making up to do Dale. Also not just saying it but we have so, so much more going for us than Burnley. It's literally just about a season or 2 in the prem lg & £s - part of me doesn't blame him but part thinks he can't see the bigger picture and what we're building here. You owe us some seriously good performances now Dale.
Not according to [MENTION=805]Kalimantan Gull[/MENTION]
He also brought into the extra training gaff
The only villains here are Burnley. Like others have said, i'm sure they could have had him weeks/months ago if they had matched the asking price.
They tried to get a bargain and it backfired. They have now paid 10.5m for a lesser player, in my opinion.
Dale is obviously pissed off, I wouldn't have expected the tone of anything he says to be good until he's had at least a few days to come to terms with it. Most of his message is fair game, though I disagree that this could be his 'last chance' to play in PL. That is just bollocks that I doubt even he believes. What he really means to say is he wants 'at least a couple of years earning PL money'.
Also, people are interpreting wrongly about him not thinking the albion can make it, who's to say we would want him if we go up? I hope we would keep him as I rate him very highly, but CH/Recruitment may have other plans.
Of course I didn't, but I also don't believe for one second he refused to play. Bottom line, he's a great player, we needed him to have a shot at automatic, and he's still here. The future remains unwritten.
Perhaps it went something like this.
Burnley make enquiry about Stephens. Albion reply that not keen on selling but that the asking price is (say) £10 million.
Burnley offer £3.5 million (the same as their initial offer for Hendrick). Albion say no, pay the asking price or no deal.
Stephens is aware of deal and fancies chance of playing in EPL. His agent advises not to put in a formal transfer request as will lose out on a cut of the sale proceeds.
Burnley come back with further offers, still substantially less than the Albion's valuation, trying to get DS on the cheap. At the same time they also increase their offer for Hendrick by roughly the same amount.
Derby also play hardball until Burnley cave in and offer asking price and cough up £10.5 million.
Stephens' agent realises that needs to try to force the deal by putting in a transfer request. Burnley fail to meet Albion's valuation once more so no deal. You don't **** with Tony Bloom.
Fair play to DS for stating his position. Most people want to work at a high level in their profession. There's no reason why he would sulk for rest of season because (a) he won't let down his work colleagues, he's not that type of bloke, (b) the better he plays the greater the chance of playing in the EPL next season, either with the Albion or another club, (c) he's on appearance and win bonuses just like every other player for the club in all probability, so why cut off your nose to spite your face?
I don't think he's the bad party in all this, Burnley could have had him a month ago had they met the valuation, the Albion would have had time to find a replacement.
Burnley chose a different approach via making six bids, each only a small increment higher than the previous one.
Sent from Konnie Huq's lingerie drawer.
The part about being 27 is quite funny, when you realise that Ulloa was 28 when he came to us. Now aged 30, he's played in the top division winning the title.
Dale, 27 is not too old. You're not on your last legs, so just get on with it.
I love that line that he will 'honour his contract' What else was he going to do after the window shut? Gap year in Thailand? Work experience in a bank?
Get you head down you overpaid bell cheese. It's Burnley FFS not Real Madrid. Lifelong ambition to play with George Boyd? Feck me.
Slugs are the bane of my life.I'm 41 and I worry about how close slugs are to my plant pots. That's when you know your best years are behind you, not when you are driving a Porsche playing pro football.
I think Dale is being a bit dishonest here. If he wanted a move purely to 'play in the premier league' he would have handed in a transfer request long ago. Fact is he was also very interested in getting a chunky fee once the deal was done, so only handed it in yesterday to try and force a deal through. It's only natural to want a move to a higher division and more money but he shouldn't make out it was purely to do with the level of football he would be playing at.
I think Dale is being a bit dishonest here. If he wanted a move purely to 'play in the premier league' he would have handed in a transfer request long ago. Fact is he was also very interested in getting a chunky fee once the deal was done, so only handed it in yesterday to try and force a deal through. It's only natural to want a move to a higher division and more money but he shouldn't make out it was purely to do with the level of football he would be playing at.