Quote: Terry Monster "This is what will happen if Burgess is sold.
The club sells Burgess for an undisclosed fee, which means they have got next to nothing for him. Bulls lose their best man, nothing is spent on strengthening the squad, no replacement of adequate quality is signed, we see another miserable season.
Those that think we are going to get a bit of cash for Burgess and see it used for transfer fees for top players are going to be very very dissapointed and you'll be wishing that Burgess will have been held to his contract so we'd have had the advantage of a top quality player playing for us for a further two seasons.
All it will do is further pin down the fact that we have become a selling club.'"
We've talked about this elsewhere, and I know you feel strongly about it. And without a doubt you can see some of those areas of concern are shared by many (myself included). As I think has been said before, I don't see anyone saying we should through choice sell Sam? I'm sure the club through choice would not (and if they were in a position where they had no choice, then we ARE in trouble). And yes, I can't for one minute see us getting much cash if we released him early to go to Oz.
The thing is though, IF (as has been widely trailed in the media but never actually confirmed or denied) his new contract allowed him release if to Oz at end 2010, then since both he and the club willingly entered into that agreement you can't then take issue with Sam for wishing to exercise that release clause? Or with the club for recognising that the clause that they agreed to is there? Assuming of course it IS there, and since the club has not denied it I am assuming it is.
Then we get to the question of whether Sam - or his manager - or various antipodeans - have asked about the possibility of premature release. That is how it is playing out in the media, although I can't recall seeing Sam or even Caisley actually saying a premature release has been asked for by Sam? We HAVE seen what seems pretty unequivocal evidence that folk in Oz have enquired about this, and the only comments attributed to Hood that I have seen - in the Oz media - were that he would be going nowhere unless someone started talking numbers so big that no club could ignore them. Again, on the assumption that he would be free to go to Oz end next year anyway.
Sam's very recent comments read to me very much like he WOULD like to go ASAP, and he sort of implied (I suggest) that it was in the hands of the club to decide. So I feel sure there is a lot going on behind the scenes here. I would hope and expect that the club would make sure that there was indeed an enforceable commitment from Sam to return to us (provided the financial terms are OK) should he return within a reasonable period - should they agree to early release. Caisley should be the bloody expert on that by now...
And (as you know I have said before) why would the club consider early release if not primarily for the money? I suggest that if you can only keep a player for another season, and if he maybe can already sign now a contract for an Oz club to join them in 12 months so his performances next season will not affect his move to Oz anyway, and if (following the antics of his manager and high-profile Oz figures) he is now unsettled, then you are stuck with two choices. Its all very well saying in that case play him in the reserves to teach him a lesson but don't give in to him, but how would having a big chunk of salary cap tied up in a disgruntled high-profiler not helping the first team solve anything?
Its all still hypothetical because we continue to lack hard facts. We really could do without losing Sam. But if he has been persuaded he'd be better off personally seeking early release - IF - then I suggest the club has little option but to try and make the best of it. And you'd hope that Sam would remain sufficiently professional and honest that, should the club not be able to strike a deal reasonable in the circumstances and he can see that the club has indeed tried its best to accommodate his wishes, then he would in turn give HIS best next season.
As I say again though...we still know nowt!
My agent will be in touch.
But in fairness, I think you are probably allowed a few slips from time to time, as long as you continue to post reasoned arguments and opinions responsibly the rest of the time?
