Scott appointed Director of Football

[caytonmiller]

Cayton, here you go. It was kindly posted by mellowMiller on a different thread.

Quote Originally Posted by mellowmiller
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.”


Quite like what a lot of fans think in that we delay, we drag our heels until it's too late retaining players and as Citizen Erased points out, it has cost us millions in revenue be it a lot lower than we valued players. Is this how we will always conduct business and eventually be in a place where we can only look at non league or very lower league players?

Or Taylor promised rathbone he would get what he asked for before consulting TS about the budget. Tony then tells him the budget, which in his interview said Taylor had 2 million more to spend and he thinks (fek me). If I give rathbone that amount I can't buy who I want.
Tumbling effect after all the players turn is down and we have to sign ott old players who get injured regularly. All hypothetical as nobody knows but there has to be a perfectly good reason the talks were delayed and I would guess it has to do with Taylor blowing the budget in the summer

[Townerslovechild]

I Don't mind our better players leaving, as long as we get what they are worth, far too many leave under their value, or for nothing.
I know this happens at lots of clubs, but we do seem particularly bad at getting value for money.

[harpo88]

One reason for not signing new contract two years out might be - I have no inside knowledge so just speculation - if you give a player a 3 year contract, they play really well first season, if you offer them another 3 year contract only a year in, rather than waiting til 12 months before their contract expires, then you're a) paying higher wages for an extra year, b) paying another signing on fee, and c) you have to repeat the process sooner again next time. That might take budget from other signings and contracts.

Obviously a risk to both options, but we have to accept that there are 0 certainties in the outcomes of the decisions we make.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

What surprises me us why this new arrangement has taken so long.

It was first put forward as an idea back in the first year of Paul Warne's time with us.

[clarkey1974]

What surprises me us why this new arrangement has taken so long.

It was first put forward as an idea back in the first year of Paul Warne's time with us.

Sinatra Stewart wanted to do it his way…

[ragingpup]

No and no, but you've clearly not understood a word that has been said.

Yes, I'd sell a player who was otherwise going to leave if they were refusing to agree a new deal.

Yes, if the player has been at the club a number of years and proven themselves a star performer I would expect the club to look at the cost of that players replacement in wage, fees and transfers and decide to push the boat a little.

That is not risking the future of the club. It's delusional to think that retaining one or two individuals every two seasons or so would risk the club.

No I'm not suggesting we pay through the nose for aged dross either. Which is exactly what we have done this season.

We should always look to protect the club financially, which is exactly why I'd look at the Peterborough model and take the lessons from it.

I understand what you're saying only too well.

I asked you initially "The question was that you had already worked out that the most we could afford was 30% increase" and then if you would offer to go up to 50% with that in mind. That is the massively important question.

You answered yes, and I understand why. In an ideal world, if this comes off, you have a player tied down that can bring in big money if/when we choose to sell them.

But, my problem with this is if it doesn't come off. If the player loses form, has a bad injury etc, you are then left with a long contract on terms are substantially more than we could afford. That was the heart of my question. You would do it and fair enough, I'm just glad that you aren't making the financial decisions for our club! Have you considered supporting Reading? They have used your business model for a few years now. How do you think that's going?

And we should look at and take lessons from a club that despite huge advantages in fan base and little local comp[etition, have done substantially worse than us over the last 12 years. Why would you want us to do that?

[clarkey1974]

Well citizen doesn’t want to answer the throwaway “Peterborough model “ comment question….

But one part of the model would have seen us transfer list…oddofin,bola,Lindsay,kayode,rathbone…last summer….i wonder what his reaction to that would have been..

[Derbymiller]

Well citizen doesn’t want to answer the throwaway “Peterborough model “ comment question….

But one part of the model would have seen us transfer list…oddofin,bola,Lindsay,kayode,rathbone…last summer….i wonder what his reaction to that would have been..

Citizen doesn't say follow it to the letter he says to look at it and learn from it. I am sure that our new director of football knows his job and will be aware of the different approaches that clubs take to maximise the investment in assets. TS stated in his interview yesterday that he wasn't looking at buying players to sell on, he is more concerned with getting a Rotherham type player now (words to that effect). I think we have to look at the situation holistically and see what we need now as well as what we could gain at a later date. It might be that in the past we have made mistakes on gaining the maximum we could have done when selling players, we might have made mistakes on contract renewals, we don't have all the information so we don't know. In the end the club has made an organisational change in an attempt to improve the running of the club over the short, medium and long term, we should welcome this and see what if anything changes. As said yesterday, I thought the interviews were good and it gave me a positive feeling, I do not expect much net investment this window, but hopefully summer will be a breath of fresh air.

[gru]

If we signed someone today doubt he'd be starting tomorrow. Kioso should be means we'll be better on the right whatever formation we play. That's not worked on the left Revan left side of the defence with Bramall more forward.

[clarkey1974]

Citizen doesn't say follow it to the letter he says to look at it and learn from it. I am sure that our new director of football knows his job and will be aware of the different approaches that clubs take to maximise the investment in assets. TS stated in his interview yesterday that he wasn't looking at buying players to sell on, he is more concerned with getting a Rotherham type player now (words to that effect). I think we have to look at the situation holistically and see what we need now as well as what we could gain at a later date. It might be that in the past we have made mistakes on gaining the maximum we could have done when selling players, we might have made mistakes on contract renewals, we don't have all the information so we don't know. In the end the club has made an organisational change in an attempt to improve the running of the club over the short, medium and long term, we should welcome this and see what if anything changes. As said yesterday, I thought the interviews were good and it gave me a positive feeling, I do not expect much net investment this window, but hopefully summer will be a breath of fresh air.

Firstly how’s about let him answer as he made the comment,I asked what is the model and then see what In particular about if anything..?.

You can”t cherry pick it,you can”t do what they do without doing what I said they do.

I could say I like the brenford model,but one part requires a scouting network of about 60 people based all over Europe..