Steele interview on Radio Sheffield this morning - wants to stay.-

loves the club - doesnt want to go anywhere else - SO WHY DONT WE OPEN CONTRACT TALKS WITH HIM - answer me that please Mr Hill.

 

Exactly - said this a few times over last few days. Don will be seeing pound signs though

 

You're shouting at the wrong fella.

 

Hill wants him to stay. The board know who he wants to keep, it's now down to Don to start talking.

 

The fans who pay home and away every week deserve the club to at least try and keep our best players. There's a lot said about lowering crowds and unrest amongst fans but what do they expect? Every time a transfer window opens its a kick in the teeth to us fans. Maybe we are over ambitious and maybe we do expect more than we can achieve but isn't that what it's all about? I love the club the town and the atmosphere on match days but equally I hate the lack of ambition and pessimistic nature that emanates from the club on a near weekly basis. We're down to the hardcore 7000 fans at home now which is hurting the club financially but I feel with a bit more positivity from the club regarding contracts to our better players and continued efforts with lower ticket prices we could claw back a few fans. Takeover or not the boards ambition needs to come into line with the people who spend their hard earned money through the turnstiles!

 

How do you know talks are not in progress? Luke's last statement on the subject was that he wasn't ready to talk yet. This suggests he now is. And Keith Hill does not negotiate contracts, the board of Directors are in charge of that.

 

Like many threads, hopefully we can find out more from Don on Wednesday

 

Luke Steele is one of the highest earners at the club so it may be that to offer him a new contract, the wage offer may be much lower than what it is now so he can fit in to our new wage structure. In terms of selling him, West Brom are due 50% of any fee we receive so from the clubs perspective I don't think he's ever been considered as an asset to protect on a long contract. If we lose him for nothing, we got him for nothing and have had brilliant service for 5 years. He might want to stay, but I doubt he would take a huge pay-cut to do so which is fair enough.

 

Perhaps he wants to stay now because he knows he would not pass a medical at another club.

 

If we continiously sold someone because they were the highest earner we'd soon have a squad on 2.50 a week. He fits into our new wage structure or we'd not be operating in the black.

 

I recall Butterfield making similar noises

we all know what happened there. Steele and Davies will be gone in January get used to it.

 

Luke stated ages ago that he wanted a contract and was waiting for the club to bother offering one.

 

That is pretty much what it boils down to. He wants to stay. Its in the clubs hands. If they don't even bother offering him a new deal then its a disgrace, and once again they will be showing their disregard for the fans opinion.

 

Hasn't Hill said that contract talks haven't been started yet?

 

He said a couple of weeks ago that he won't be looking at contracts until after January, because they weren't on his agenda at the moment

 

His agenda will be seeing if he can find a cheaper alternative, then they will sell him. Expect Sinclair to sign.

 

And on 4th October Luke Steele stated that the club had never even mentioned a contract to him so he can't possibly have said he didn't want one.

 

Hasn't he got that in Alnwick though?

Clearly, Steele is crying out for a contract. He wants. We all want it. Hill wants it (Said so in Chron couple of month ago). So, lets see what happens. But in the wake of recent years, it is only normal for us to be feeling how we are, we can't help but feel that they won't even bother offering him a contract.

 

Maybe it's my age but I find this approach to contract negotiation bordering on incompetent.