Hakeem Odoffin

[HensonsPRman]

Below is part of an article from the Advertiser published in early October 2023 about the Ollie Rathbone contract situation and the discussions to extend it.
I must say, reading between the lines I find the club's apparent lethargy a bit disturbing.
If this is typical of how they go about things it's hardly surprising that we don't retain our better players.

"At the start of this season it looked like an agreement was close to being brokered with the 26-year-old who has become a key man since his move from Rochdale in 2021.

However, it could now be the New Year before any resolution is reached.

“To be honest, it's cooled off a little bit,” Rathbone said. “I’d had a positive conversation with the manager just before opening day (August 5) and I came out of the meeting thinking it was really close to being agreed.

“But it was in the midst of the transfer window and the club then said it wasn’t something they could do at the time, which was disappointing but I understood.

“The ball's in their court as to when talks start again. It's cold at the moment.”

Boss Matt Taylor is keen to wrap up deals for Rathbone and other top Millers performers well before their terms expire rather than risk them becoming free agents and departing AESSEAL New York Stadium for no fee.

“Ollie is a fantastic player and a good addition to any team,” the manager said. “He's our captain when Sean Morrison isn't selected. I still think it can get resolved, although there is nothing immediate on the horizon.

“Everyone is comfortable with it, including Ollie. Once it gets past January, you're at the 18-month mark and looking towards the 12-month mark. Then you run the risk of what's happened at the club before with players leaving for nothing.

“A lot will happen between now and the end of January. The plan is to keep securing the majority of our better performers and Ollie certainly fits that description. He won't be the only player I will be pushing the board to secure on a new deal.”

I agree the club looks bad here but there may be an issue that is stopping the club offering Ollie the contract he wants. The guys I work with work on FFP plans for a number of clubs, not rufc so I have no inside knowledge. These have to be submitted at various points across the season, now in August we will be building a squad and we may not know what FFP headroom we have until the transfer window closes. If it is tight we cannot increase his contract as it will breech FFP rules. This would then need to be pushed back until the next FFP review which is in line with the Jan window.
Looking at the comments in the Tiser article this appears to be what has happened.

[mellowmiller]

I agree the club looks bad here but there may be an issue that is stopping the club offering Ollie the contract he wants. The guys I work with work on FFP plans for a number of clubs, not rufc so I have no inside knowledge. These have to be submitted at various points across the season, now in August we will be building a squad and we may not know what FFP headroom we have until the transfer window closes. If it is tight we cannot increase his contract as it will breech FFP rules. This would then need to be pushed back until the next FFP review which is in line with the Jan window.
Looking at the comments in the Tiser article this appears to be what has happened.

On that basis we may never be able to offer any of our better players an improved contract if we are always close to breaching FFP rules in every transfer window.
If what you say is correct it does suggest a lack of a coherent strategy concerning player recruitment and retention.
Unfortunately I suspect that's probably the case and hope it's an area Rob Scott can address with some urgency in his new role.

[caytonmiller]

I guess if we reach out limit there's prob fek all we can do except break the rules like 90% of other clubs do. I'm sure a percentage of fans would be happy doing this though for me keeping in the black is more important going forward.
I guess we get to blame the club/TS , for a little longer 😜

[mellowmiller]

I guess if we reach out limit there's prob fek all we can do except break the rules like 90% of other clubs do. I'm sure a percentage of fans would be happy doing this though for me keeping in the black is more important going forward.
I guess we get to blame the club/TS , for a little longer 😜

I don't think most sensible fans would want us to break the rules.
What I'm struggling to understand how we get in that position seemingly every transfer window if what HPR says is correct.
I've had plenty of experience compiling budgets and writing business plans and one of the key elements is to include contingencies to protect key requirements and provide cover for unexpected events.
If the club is always sailing that close to the wind and unable to protect its most valuable assets you have to wonder what the strategy is.
Or even if there actually is one.

[caytonmiller]

I don't think most sensible fans would want us to break the rules.
What I'm struggling to understand how we get in that position seemingly every transfer window if what HPR says is correct.
I've had plenty of experience compiling budgets and writing business plans and one of the key elements is to include contingencies to protect key requirements and provide cover for unexpected events.
If the club is always sailing that close to the wind and unable to protect its most valuable assets you have to wonder what the strategy is.
Or even if there actually is one.

It's not every transfer window. It's just January.
In the championship the manager blows the budget in the summer. Come January we have to ship out before bringing in.
Simple really. We don't have the finances to compete in the championship.