Contractual Situations

The Trio Whose Contracts Are Up

Usually for Forest this isn’t a tale of half a dozen key contracts being up for renewal, but for once just 3 really. Aside from the loan players of course.

We have three main players out of contract and one of those has spent the majority of the season unavailable or out on loan in the guise of Marcus Tudgay. Contrary to rumours elsewhere Chris Cohen is not out of contract, a quick search reveals he signed a new deal in October (evidenced here). Other contracts that were expiring in Dexter Blackstock and Radi Majewski have been renewed.

Which leaves Andy Reid, who signed a 2 year deal when he signed, erm, 2 years ago, and Lewis McGugan.

Now I don’t know the ins and outs of whether we have offered deals, and in the past this kind of news has lead to conjecture about players futures. A number all blindly believed Dexter had joined Leeds, and a strange Polish press release seemed to indicate Majewski couldn’t agree terms, but these were both in the early days of negotiations and seem to be a counter ploy by agents to get the required deals.

I say it’s all conjecture because you never know the truth in these matters. Reid and McGugan on the surface appear to be have not offered deals yet. This would surprise me as Reid has played regularly this season and is a big part of how we play, and McGugan is dangerous and would have sell on value.

Our new found wealth would also mean that any potential stumbling blocks over Reid’s wages (believed to be around £12k a week) would now be averted, as had this been last year there isn’t a cat in hells chance of agreeing anything similar.

Unless it is that is a problem. That the club don’t want such high wages when we aren’t sure where we will be next season. However I do assume that the new deals signed this season were all of a higher end of any pay scale, and the fact Reid is 30 might be stumbling blocks too. Stick him on a 2 year deal and we’d be stuck with it. 30 year attacking midfielders aren’t the most valued commodity even if they have the quality Reid does, and with his pay deal and being saddled with that in the Championship? Well Chairman get itchy about that.

There is every chance deals are in the pipeline, but they may have been earmarked as players to monitor in relation to our league position and where we end up. The likes of McGugan would probably want a good deal, and he could maybe step up, but here’s a catch. Is McGugans bright form because of that very reason? He’s playing for a deal? We’ve seen it time and time again.

I can honestly see Tudgay being released. I think the club want to see where they are before seeing what to do with Reid and McGugan, and maybe they both want to see where the club are before they start negotiating. We seem to have been locking down players we want to keep. The fact these 2 deals are expiring I find interesting.

The Radi Contract Situation

It turned out yesterday that Radoslaw Majewski had tuned down a contract offer of a year extension from Forest. This has left a great deal of fans distraught. The cat calls and wails of it’s the usual Forest way of letting players go for free for not sorting out proper deals.


Perhaps it is, and perhaps it isn’t.

Consider we don’t usually get to know the ins and outs of contract negotiations till either a deal is signed like with Gillett, or on other hand that we know they are definitely off and definitely not signed a deal.

A great many point out to last season and the players we lost for free. That’s unfair though. Last season wasn’t normal. For one we were embroiled in a relegation fight, that meant we didn’t want to give new deals to players we wouldn’t be able to afford. Secondly our finances were in such a parlous state that we were in no position to tie people to deals. A third facet is the perceived injustice from longer term players, who were angry the likes of Derbyshire, Greening and Reid were parachuted into the squad on double if not treble their own wages, and wanted either parity, or a deal elsewhere. Hence Morgan left although for a fee, and ultimately Chambers, McCleary and Lynch.

The financial instability has gone, but the ongoing question of where our future lies has not. For if we get to the promised land of the Premier League, do we really want to be saddled down long term by players who won’t be good enough. And let’s face it; Majewski is not a Premiership quality player. A capable and often genius Championship player that transition may not be easy for the Pole. Therefore it seems the club are looking to keep people on short term deals so that we can easily then jettison them in the next year or two. Rather than be saddled with players for ¾ years, who frankly won’t be near the team. I assume this will be the case for virtually all our current team, who although are very competent Championship players, all of them are untried or failed at the top flight level.

Additionally to this is the fact we simply don’t know if this offer was an opening gambit from Forest to test the water. After all this news wasn’t broken by Forest. Radi’s own agent might release this to invite other more lucrative offers. This in turn could be a catalyst for Forest to increase their offer. Remember the Moussi situation, where his agent spun that half the world wanted him, which turned out to be false. Similarly with Tyson. People are so willing to blame the club; they forget the shadowy operations of agents, who would also see a player moving on a Bosman as a cash cow for themselves.

There are two ways this could go, one is Forest improve their offer. Or second and unlikely is that was our only offer. It’s funny how most people seem to base their knowledge of running a club based on Football Manager at times and yet seem to forget this most basic element of the game. Ho really playing that every makes a first offer that is what the player wants. Unless this is the same type of idiot who turns that option off. However, Majewski could be able to be negotiating with foreign clubs as we speak, and make no mistake if a British club was interested they would have sounded out Majewski’s agent. Therefore he will be more than aware what he could get elsewhere. And in the same way we are forcing Birmingham’s hand on a player they will soon lose for free; other clubs might hope the same for Forest.

This is a very murky time of year; clubs in these tough times increasingly will leave negotiations till they know what their future holds. Nobody wants high waged players in a lower division as much as I said about filler players in the Premier League, with the likes of QPR squad inundated with players they collected on their rise but never got shot of.

So it ultimately comes down to the fact we really don’t know the ins and outs, other than press releases in Poland, and that this may have been a simple first offer. We may make a better offer. At the end of the day there was a telling line from Majewski, or more likely his agent. We never got as far as discussing wages. Because after all, like Camp or Blackstock that too might be a stumbling block in negotiations. Like I said with other offers, he may well have a heightened sense of worth. Only the next few weeks will tell.

Lastly, McLeish might not even have him central to his longer term plans. Therefore only a shorter deal offered. As much as you might not like that, he is the manager after all.

But as always, the fact that so many people get so vocal about something ultimately out of their control. We don’t always know the full picture remember. Before you get angry, wait and see what develops

Contracts

One of the main criticisms from fans aimed at the club was our largely tardy nature in trying to sort of contracts with players whose deals were expiring. We have seen too many players; both good and bad disappear for nothing because we never negotiated a deal. Earnshaw, Tyson, Commons, Wilson, Chambers, McCleary and Lynch in recent times all left because they’re deals were allowed to run down too close. We also nearly lost Moussi that way. And that’s just recently.

Cohen has signed a new deal.

The problem has always been we didn’t know where we were going. Chambers, Lynch and McCleary were difficult to sort out as by then the club was in financial turmoil and new deals couldn’t be budgeted for. But that situation shouldn’t have happened. You don’t leave these deals to the last minute, and further forward planning should have been set in place.

The problem with the Championship is no-one wants to be saddled with a long term expense that a contract can be. Look at Miller, Greening and Derbyshire. Hefty contracts we can’t shift, nor stomach. So we never offered players likely to be wanting substantial rises when we would probably still be in the Championship. On the other hand you get players like Robbie Savage, stuck in the Championship on a huge Premiership type wage.

There are aspects like Tyson simply wanting to be a bigger fish, and Earnshaw wasn’t worth what we were paying him anymore. Though still a good player, his form hasn’t been worthy of the supposed £15k a week he was warning. He also refused to take a pay cut.

Then there are Commons and Wilson, who frankly should have been sorted out sooner, but again, it was questions of the future. We didn’t know where we would play so we didn’t offer deals. That cost s when January came and they negotiated a way out. When Commons left we’d just gone up, but it seems obvious he’d signed for or agreed to sign for Derby before that, and Wilson, well we were in danger of relegation still, and why saddle a huge debt like that?

Is it a risk worth taking? Well the hope is now that we don’t have to get to that point, but there are plenty of cases of clubs ending up with players on their wage bill they can no longer afford due to relegation. Look at Leeds. The whole legacy of their situation is paying now against future earnings that never materialised. For years it nearly scuppered Cardiff, plus countless other Championship clubs who go from promotion contenders to League One obscurity too quickly.

When the panic sets in and the club is struggling against relegation, these long term expensive contracts provide no wriggle room at all financially. No-one else will take them on, you can’t shift them, and so you’re stuck.

In a similar regard players who play well when looking for a deal, get the deal and that perform terribly as they have their deal now, think Andy Impey for that one. 

But then you also get what you pay for. Cardiff broke the bank for Bellamy and he is arguably one of the very best in this division and can change games. That phrase break the bank or the pay structure for a top player generally signifies ambition and would also hopefully trigger in shirt sales and the like.

And so too though conversely is getting these players to agree new deals. Cohen’s new deal this week is excellent news, as is getting Darlow to stay. The whole sorry Bamford episode last season was significant in that we’d let a young player with great promise get down to a mere months left on the contract, rather than getting them on longer term deals. Admittedly we then offered him the best terms ever for a youth player, but it was too little too late. His head had been turned, we needed the cash (which arguably allowed us to bring in players that kept us up) but it should never get that far. We also seem hesitant with youth deals. Lascelles deal was mentioned as not being long term either, which if these players show the promise they purportedly do, then get them tied down. It enables us to get bigger transfer fees if they do demand to go.

All in all, it’s another side the al-Hasawi family have changed for the better at the club. And I applaud them for it. It is only an issue if their wells of money they give us dry up for some hopefully never going to happen unforeseen future incident. Then we’d really be in the mire.

Renewing Player Contracts

So like every year at Forest, player contracts have been left untouched with an exodous of key players potentially leaving this summer.

Captain Luke Chambers, Garath McCleary, Paul Anderson and Joel Lynch are among those who could go and, like many Reds fans over the years, Cotterill has lambasted it as ludicrous to be in this position.

Cotterill said: "Desirable players going out of contract is ludicrous. I don't understand what has happened. If I could have, I would have done before Christmas. 

One of the first things I said when I came in was that players needed to be tied down on contracts now and we haven't been able to do that for one reason or another."

I think we all pretty much agree with Cotterill.

The likes of Kris Commons, Kelvin Wilson, Robbie Earnshaw, Nathan Tyson and Sammy Clingan were players we commanded great fees for, yet we chose to let their deals run out before showing our desire to keep them. In the end, they all went for nothing.

As Earnshaw said last year, Forest left it too late - sarcastic 'again' would fit that comment beautifully.

The planning in the club has been baffling.  How does it make any sense to let players walk out for nothing, if it will cost £2m to replace them? 

Look what has happened in replacing Earnshaw.

We spent big in getting both Miller and Derbyshire in, smashing the wage structure in the process. The return has been 6 goals between them - just over half of the 11 Earnie bagged last season. 

Cotterill is spot on in what he says, what club in their right mind would let a player like McCleary go for nothing?

Maybe if we still had Doughty backing us, he would have been signed up a while back - although we can not forget his form has only kicked in from February.

Now there are two factors which have contributed to these players not being signed up. The financial woes and the uncertainty over which division we will be in next season.

Financially, even if contracts were offered, I do not believe any agent in their right mind would be advising their player to sign for a club who does not know who the owner will be next season. They of course want the best for the player, and themselves, the uncertainty at present promises nothing.

I suppose in terms of what division we will be in next year, that has been a problem dating back way over 10 years. When was the last time we had a season were we were not fighting relegation or promotion? 2001-02 season?

It could explain why historically good players have gone for nothing; although Commons, Earnshaw and Wilson for example, would have been great for the squad no matter what league we were in. 

It is the same now. 

Lynch and McCleary should have been tied up in January as they would have signed no matter what league we were in.  Now McCleary is a little bit uncertain due to Premiership interest, despite saying he wants to stay. 

To be honest though, Cotterill knew the financial restraints when he joined and I am sure we could have signed them up in January had he not opted for an influx of loanees.

It was not possible to get in Premiership loanees and sign everyone up to a new deal - at best we could have tied up Lynch or McCleary but not got Guedioura in on loan with the Wes and Bamford money.

The route Steve chose to take was the best one in loanees. We all would have done the same as we were badly missing players and since they joined, our results have shown the benefits they have brought. 

Maybe with a prospective new owner and Cotterill, a manager who wants his players tied up to longer deals, will next season finally be the year this become a thing of the past.

For now, expect mad dashes from Cotterill begging people to stay in the Summer sun.

Follow me on twitter @benando_torres

McCleary: I want a new deal

Garath McCleary has today pledged his future to Forest by stating his desire to sign a new contract.

The 24 year old has been in scintillating form of late, scoring 3 goals in 5 games, and would love the opportunity to continue to work with Steve Cotterill, who he believes is the catalyst as to why the he is playing so well.

But Garath is prepared to be patient for a new deal with our uncertain future in mind.

McCleary said:

"I am hopeful of getting my future secured. I have not heard anything at the moment, but that is understandable given the (financial) position the club is in.

I am happy to sit and wait and hopefully something can be sorted out. I am certainly hoping I will be here next season.

It is a massive club and to have a gaffer that is giving me so much confidence all the time is brilliant...every player needs a manager who has faith in them.

"Things have not always gone my way here in the past. I am not saying they were bad managers in the past, because they were not. I have nothing bad to say about the previous managers because I enjoyed working with them all.

"But it is brilliant to have a manager who has real confidence in you."

I said a few weeks back I would offer him and Lynch new deals now as they are likely to stay whatever division we are in next season.

While McCleary is now attracting the attention of West Brom, I think it is a testament to Cotterill for keeping one of our key men so happy they wish to stay and work with him.

I just hope that despite his pledges, he ends up being another Commons, Clingan, Sciemica or Earnshaw due to us being too slow to make a move.

Follow me on twitter @benando_torres
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Forest Players Contract Expiry Dates

After publishing yesterdays ponderings about whether we will have to sell in January I have looked into when various contracts are are due to expire. Most of these are done via a Google search so this isn't gospel, but most of them are reported in various news channels so these should be accurate. But if you do know different do let me know via Twitter or Facebook(links onside)

There are obvious alarm bells here in this list


2012
Luke Chambers
Wes Morgan
Paul Anderson
Lewis McGugan
Joel Lynch
Garath McCleary
Brendan Moloney
George Boateng
Paul Smith

2013
Chris Cohen
Lee Camp
Dexter Blackstock
Radoslaw Majewski
Robbie Findley
David McGoldrick
Andy Reid

2014
Chris Gunter
Marcus Tudgay
Ishmael Miller
Matt Derbyshire
Jonathan Greening
Guy Moussi


Of course there are very worrying contracts that will expire. Chambers, Morgan, Lynch, McGugan and Anderson would all be losses, and as discussed should we cash in on these guys whilst we can get decent fee's? It's certainly a large issue that the club will have to address. The likes of McGugan should surely look for pay increases,which with the financial situation may not be very likely.