Barker..

[derby123]

What is actually happening with him?

Is he near full fitness?

Is he fully involved in training with the rest of the squad?

Has he had a setback? will he ever play?

Feels like ive missed something, all very quiet on his injury, would any one who has inside information care to shed some light?

[wristslasher_909]

I think his contract is up at the end of the season.

At one of the 'meet the fans' events Macca said it was highly likely that he wouldn't play again.

[Gaspode]

Last report I heard was that he'd had so many injections that the bones around his knee had gone soft and that now needs sorting out. Tragic for him, but I think he'll have to accept the inevitable fairly soon...

[Popsidepaul]

I just wonder why we renewed his contract after he got injured. Since his last game we would have paid £000's in wages on a new contract. Doesn't make sense.

[roger_ramjet]

I just wonder why we renewed his contract after he got injured. Since his last game we would have paid £000's in wages on a new contract. Doesn't make sense.

A few thoughts on that one Paul. Do we / you know what the salary in the renewed contract was - it may have been peppercorn just to cover the remote possibility of him reaching match fitness?

Another is the insurance question - to let him go might have jeopardised the Club's insurance against loss of player, or possibly his own insurance for personal injury etc.

We don,t know: but what I do know is that the Board are hard nosed enough to have cut him lose if there wasn't a good reason to keep him on.

[Stringer_Bell]

But what kind of insurers would insure somebody who is already injured when it comes to the time that we renewed his contract? That's like taking out insurance for a car that's already smashed up. If the insurance company knows it's smashed up they're obviously not going to insure it.

I always got the impression Barker was a bit matey wit Clough and that's probably the reason he was given another contract

[southernram22]

perhaps some sort of coaching role at end of contract.

[roger_ramjet]

I speculate, Stringer. However I used to be involved in the insurance of the players in the NBA where long term injuries were not infrequent and contracts not always as long as the probable injury / recovery period.

The policies issued to the clubs, which included, amongst other things, loss of use of the player (ie his wages) and medical costs would span the whole contract and then have clauses to prolong cover beyond the contractual end date as regards medical, in particular, as long as the contract was renewed or the player was picked up under free agency etc.

If he no longer had a contract anywhere then his medical costs would be prejudiced. Hence you could often see players given token contracts to preserve their rehab, even those players were immediately put on the DL.

As I say, I don't know if that's the case with player contracts here, but it could be some or all of the reasoning.

[Rattea]

But what kind of insurers would insure somebody who is already injured when it comes to the time that we renewed his contract? That's like taking out insurance for a car that's already smashed up. If the insurance company knows it's smashed up they're obviously not going to insure it.

I always got the impression Barker was a bit matey wit Clough and that's probably the reason he was given another contract

Rogers on the right lines hes still our player so there must be some loss. Wasnt it Rowett that took insurance and came back at a lower level?

The insureance tho is at the time the injury happened not after is the one that pays up! Hes probably uninsurable now but not at the time of the injury!

[roger_ramjet]

It also depends on whether we are looking at a claims made or a claims incurred based policy, as which policy year the point of loss is charged to will vary. If its claims incurred then it will all fall on the policy year when the injury took place; if its claims made then each payment will fall in the relevant policy year when it is paid. So for a long term injury, if you have a claims made policy you need to keep insuring every subsequent year.

We then need to examine insurable interest: if he is no longer under contract to us, we do not have an insurable interest, so cannot get cover for those medical bills...

But hey we are getting technical here