I am tired of the deceit coming out of the club. </p> "We have money to spend" (if we sell our best player)</p> "Andy Ritchie was sacked for not having enough ambition" (but we'll let our best player go to Wolves)</p> The message that goes out to the fans is 'WHY BOTHER?'. On one hand we get four decent signings in - excellent - but the fans favourite goes out the other way. We've had three months of enjoyment out of McIndoe - just long enough to establish himself as a fans favourite, and catch the eye of other clubs (no doubt) - but then he is gone. The message is 'We won't keep our star players - don't get attached to them'. What is a football team without the star players? The one you go to watch? The Glavin, the Hendrie, the Hignett. It makes sense to keep them for at least one season - at least let the glue dry on the names on the back of the fans shirts. Try to suggest that we can keep hold for at least one miserly season. Otherwise what is the point? Even if we get a good player we will flog him as soon as we possibly can - within three months of getting that player even! This is seriously against the fans, and the spirit of the club. It feels like a serious backward step. Watch out - anyone who catches the eye could be down the road.</p> Add to this the way in which the chairman conducts his business - which is, at least abrasive and amoral - deceitful and misleading, disrespectful to fans and employees a like. How long did they know this was happening? I'll bet that Mick McCarthy didn't ring up at four O'clock and make an off the cuff enquiry. The only thing that pursuades me that this hasn't been lined up for months is that we haven't had McIndoe that long! - but we find out about this TWO HOURS after the close of play. I'll bet the club new plenty longer than that. The players we sign we'll find out about as breaking news - as soon as possible - the star player goes and we can find out hours after the close of play (and this transfer must have been a carefully guarded secret). The spin really pisses me off. I will never trust this chairman now. He has double crossed his own word so many times.</p> No doubt we will get told 'McIndoe was a trouble maker, he didn't fit in, he wanted away'. Fact is that you need to work hard to keep your star players happy. Treat them like they are star players, give them what they are worth, and make it worth their while to stay. Motivate them. That's management. Cold hard fact is that we need to keep the players who produce the goods, not the ones who are behind the pace. Results are everything, we're fighting to stay up. From what I saw of McIndoe on the pitch - he seemed more than fairly committed to me, he worked hard and he produced the goods. We have to fight to keep these players and more than that, to keep these players happy. </p> Bottom line - we're a selling club, we don't have any money, and we're always going to sell anyone who looks like owt. Thanks a fecking bunch Shepherd.</p>
Couldn't agree more. We criticise John Dennis for what he did to our club but he never took us as fools and was as disrespectful as this. I'm tired of the spin.
The way they kept it quiet about McIndoe(probably all day at least)while they fed us with "breaking news" about new signings. Cloak and dagger stuff.
its clear he wanted to go...if i was the board id do the same by announcing new signings before his departure
I suppose if he wanted to go, then fair do`s.But a bit of a blow. He was a good player and entertaining to watch.
RE: NO WIN SITUATION.......... If he wanted to leave, then thank god he's gone. Last thing we want is a player that's not commited to the situation just because we refused a move. Start of week I'd had enough of GS and the board, after yesterday I am more optimistic. For me the squad as a whole looks that little bit better (minus Macca).
Player wanted to leave was prepared to hold club to randsom, refusing to play for us etc, had no choice other than to get the best deal for the club. even though every attempt was made to persuade the player to stay, he wanted to leave, there was no way he could be 'made happy', what would you have done?
Let him go.. I just thought you were being mysterious. As this week has proven, NO-ONE is bigger than the club
RE: NO WIN SITUATION.......... Well I was very pleased when the new signings were being made, just took the edge off it a bit later on with Macca going. But like you say, no good holding back a player who wants to go. We need players who are going to be committed.
...and another thing ...we still haven't done anything about that defence either. Amidst all the smoke and mirrors of 'we're signing players', the one area that was absolutely critical, the defence, remains untouched. In a flurry of transfer activity the star player gets hustled out the door and the **** house defence survives untouched.</p>
