Damien Batt and Others

[Son of Geordie]

It is obvious that many people will comment on the small exodus of players from Clarence Park, as they supposedly look for full time football. Having listened to a conversation in my local pub, it would appear that the club cannot get players to sign contracts if they do not want to and this most certainly applies to Damien Batt. Both Magnus and Damien have the same agent who was not involved with either player when they were desperate and without clubs at the start of the season. Having returned from the wc ( in the pub ), I then heard comment that players are earning almost as much at St Albans as they are elsewhere. Management cannot understand the logic of players who say that they are going full time which means that their whole week is then taken up by a maximum of 3 two hour training sessions and which stops them getting a job elsewhere. If a player works full time and then gets say £350 a week for St Albans he will be much better off than if he egotistically goes full time for £450 per week.

I also heard that if St Albans took the decision to put all of the players on contracts, considering their current budget for this league, then they would be in deep trouble if they got relegated, as they would still have the players contracted but the gate money would go nowhere near to covering the costs,ie basic economics.

One other point is that the manager has no flexability with the squad if all of the players are under contract and particularly if two or three are not playing well. You cannot release contracted players to generate some spare cash for other players that may be needed.

[Rob_the_Saint]

Why do contracts have to be one year, two year etc, why can't they just be until the end of the season then re-negotiated?

 

Anyway, I'm not too worried about Magnus and Elliot leaving. Batt will be a great loss with no obvious replacement but the concern at the moment is getting enough players out for the Morecambe match.

 

If I'm not mistaken we only have sixteen now and Haks is suspended for this one (and also Cracknell?) making fourteen. At least we've got Saturday off to give us a few more days to get someone else in.

[TomDavisPonyTail]

Originally Posted By: Son of Geordie

If a player works full time and then gets say £350 a week for St Albans he will be much better off than if he egotistically goes full time for £450 per week.

I assume you mean 'part time and get £350'?

[Midweeksaint]

Surely if the manager wishes to retain flexibility within the squad by not giving contracts to all, then 'we' must simply accept the inevitable will happen when players move on to better themselves (either financially, egotistically or whatever). Seems to me to be a question of ambition. And also of confidence in the manager to select the right core of players within the squad and get them onto a contract. Whilst I accept the point that the club can't make a player sign if they don't want to (surely in itself a sign of the player's intent), surely there are ways to 'incentivise' a key player like Batt to sign. But he's gone and 'we' need a new left back pronto. How close is Scott Cousins to full fitness?

[Yellow_Fox]

Shocked at Batt's departure - Yes, surprised - No.

Timing of it came completely out of the blue and only leaves us 4 days before the transfer window closes, to get a replacement.

 

Seems to have the ability to play at a higher level and can we really begrudge someone the opportunity to further themselves by playing full time ? What makes the move frustrating is the combination of the timing and the club he has moved to.

 

On the question of contracts, we are a part-time club, in the Conference for the first time and were relegation candidates from the first game of the season. Do we really want to put the club in financial difficulties by signing everyone on longer term contracts then get relegated, with a drop in income ?

 

We do need to look at contracting players like Leon Archer, who have potential and are on the way up in the game. That way if they do leave to 'better themselves' we at least get some financial compensation, to re-invest in the team.

 

If by the 28th April, we have survived our first season in the Conference, we will be in a better position to understand what it takes to become a team that stays in the Conference season after season. Maybe then the club can start to take some informed, steady and calculated risks to progress the club forward. Or alternatively we could end up like T' Muff.....heaven forbid !!!

 

[Hatboy]

Just as we were starting to get the defence sorted out, lets hope Scottie isn't too far from returning !