Jobs for the la's or astute business? | Page 3 | Vital Football

Jobs for the la's or astute business?

ManchesterLatic89 said:
A quarter of a million pounds a year is a low wage in the Championship these days, average wage now in the league is about 10k a week, maybe now even more with PL parachute money getting bigger and bigger each year.

Plus who knows some of that wage may even be appearanced based. His base salary may be even lower. Roberts is an experienced player to have around in case of an injury crisis and means we can priortise other key areas now such as LB, ST and attacking midfield.

Plus what is worse, Roberts 250k a year, or Gibson, Macca, Powell (who i believe wishes to leave), Olsson, Cole, McDonald and Walker all soaking up 70k a week or so (3.5 million a year) out of that lot Powell is only one i would keep and chances of that are unlikely. All the above coming off contract will free up plenty of wages as except for Powell, they are all deadwood.
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Look mate, you can throw figures around all day long, the bottom line is 250k is a lot of money for a club the size of Wigan Athletic, if Roberts wasn't a mate of Cooks he wouldn't even be considered for a contract extension to be a bit part player.
The club cannot afford these ridiculous contracts, what i would like to know is who the bloody hell rubber stamped this extension? Obviously someone who doesn't have the club's interest at heart.

I remember a while ago when we lost out on a decent player from Hearts because the club wouldn't stump up a extra 100k, the club can't have it both ways.
 
Stormin' Norman said:
Ive said it many times over the past couple of days, the money should be invested in new blood not over the hill, bit part players that are being paid handsomely because they are good in the dressing room.

I am dreading the transfer window with Cook at the helm.
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New blood like who, though? We probably have one of the youngest sides in the division. It can't hurt to have a cool and experienced head around to help the younger players. If Roberts had been dreadful every time he came on this season I'd be agreeing with you, but he's actually done okay, and come up with goals at crucial times. Therefore, we can have the best of both worlds; somebody who provides experience and is a good presence in the dressing room, and someone who can be relied upon to do a job when necessary. Would you rather have that, or another 1m blown on 'young blood' like Leo Da Silva Lopes, only for them to be farmed out on loan when it's discovered they aren't ready?
 
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Stormin' Norman said:
Look mate, you can throw figures around all day long, the bottom line is 250k is a lot of money for a club the size of Wigan Athletic, if Roberts wasn't a mate of Cooks he wouldn't even be considered for a contract extension to be a bit part player.
The club cannot afford these ridiculous contracts, what i would like to know is who the bloody hell rubber stamped this extension? Obviously someone who doesn't have the club's interest at heart.

I remember a while ago when we lost out on a decent player from Hearts because the club wouldn't stump up a extra 100k, the club can't have it both ways.
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I accept the argument 250k is a lot of money for a club our size and im certainly no fan of the wages banded about in the modern game now.

However, as ridiculous as it sounds 250k a year is not a lot of money for a Championship player these days. Roberts might even be on a pay as you play deal, it might even be appearance based, it may be even less than the figure quoted above. We wont know for sure, but i cannot imagine its a significant amount of money. He may even knowing his standing at his age and stage of his career have accepted a wage cut to remain with us.

If Roberts was going to be a regular starter for us, i would object to us handing him a new deal 100 per cent. However, he is going to be a squad player who can fill in as a late sub here and there in certain games, play in league cup /FA Cup early round ties to rest our senior players for league matches.

Plugging holes left behind in midfield, goal, fullback and a playmaker in the first team are more important. Retaining Roberts for one more season is is one less squad space for our management to have to worry about. Gives them time now to focus on plugging these aforementioned holes as that will be decisive in how well we do next season.
 
He wasn't even a regular League One player so it was a huge surprise he had an extension to his first year. Flabbergasted he was given a third year.
Obviously the club must be loaded with money. Nobody can say things like "on our budget" again when we have all that money to chuck away on a player who isn't expected to play but he's a good laugh!
 
"........ , to chuck away on a player who isn't expected to play but he's a good laugh"

You haven't answered my question.
 
Gary has performed well whenever he's played and scored some important goals. He's a very good pro, has bags of experience, and it's very well liked in the dressing room. When he's been called upon for first team action, he's never once put in a poor performance.

He's likely on a pittance by Championship standards.

Keeping a competent squad player that always gives 100%, who's great in the dressing room, sets a fantastic example of how a pro footballer should behave on and off the pitch, all for a tiny, tiny fraction of the wage budget is good business, end of story.
 
I like Roberts. Intelligent, clever player, who usuallly creates chances or pops up with a goal himself....whats not to like?

As for experience in the squad, he gives us that. I'd also like us to replace Darron Gibson with Charlie Adam, but it would obviously depend on what wages he would want. Experienced, decent player, capable of a bit of shithousery as well. Always handy.

Leon Clarke is on transfer list now as well.
 
96Tav said:
I like Roberts. Intelligent, clever player, who usuallly creates chances or pops up with a goal himself....whats not to like?

As for experience in the squad, he gives us that. I'd also like us to replace Darron Gibson with Charlie Adam, but it would obviously depend on what wages he would want. Experienced, decent player, capable of a bit of shithousery as well. Always handy.

Leon Clarke is on transfer list now as well.
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Thats the point im making mate, we could probably bring in better players and pay the extra wages, theres always a stumbling block with paying extra money with us yet we can dole out around 250k a year on a guy thats hardly going to play. I would sooner us pay someone like Adam what he wants to play on a regular basis and make the difference ON the pitch.
 
I don't think Roberts is going to be on 250k a year. The average L2 wage is about 1k, the average L1 wage is 2k so i doubt a 33 year old back up player who was released on a free effectively from L2 would've been offered 5k a week or gotten pay rises as he's gotten older.

Charlie Adam will be looking at prob 1m a year which is more than we pay anyone. He also scored zero goals, got zero assists and played less games than Roberts this season. Why would you want to pay likely between 4 to 10 times more for a player who contributed less than Gary Roberts? But have an issue with Roberts?
 
king_dezeeuw06 said:
I don't think Roberts is going to be on 250k a year. The average L2 wage is about 1k, the average L1 wage is 2k so i doubt a 33 year old back up player who was released on a free effectively from L2 would've been offered 5k a week or gotten pay rises as he's gotten older.

Charlie Adam will be looking at prob 1m a year which is more than we pay anyone. He also scored zero goals, got zero assists and played less games than Roberts this season. Why would you want to pay likely between 4 to 10 times more for a player who contributed less than Gary Roberts? But have an issue with Roberts?
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I didn't necessarily mean we should try to sign Charlie Adam, but players in that mould that would strengthen the team and we could pay their wages instead of quibbling over a few quid like we have done in the past, i would rather us pay for players that can do the business on the pitch and not because they are good around the dressing room.

I haven't got a issue with Gaz Roberts i met him last season at Doncaster he even offered us a ride home on the team bus, he's a sound lad but shouldn't have been given a contract just because he is popular with the players and a mate of Cook.

Its like pulling teeth on here sometimes.
 
I don't understand your reasoning on this Norman. You are criticising the club for retaining the services of a player who contributed 2 goals and a couple of assists in 18 outings last season, yet on the other hand are encouraging us to accept the premise of recruiting players like Charlie Adams (or others) who literally contributed bog all to Stoke last season. A player from a club in the same division that was deemed surplus to requirement. Had he been playing at a higher level I could understand your argument.
 
TRUE BELIEVER said:
I don't understand your reasoning on this Norman. You are criticising the club for retaining the services of a player who contributed 2 goals and a couple of assists in 18 outings last season, yet on the other hand are encouraging us to accept the premise of recruiting players like Charlie Adams (or others) who literally contributed bog all to Stoke last season. A player from a club in the same division that was deemed surplus to requirement. Had he been playing at a higher level I could understand your argument.
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I dont know how you justify 2 goals, a couple of assists in 18 games is worth a 12 month contract extension even though Cook has said he wont be playing as much, oh and just for the record, whoever we sign will be surplus to requirements at their current club, i cant see us chucking big money around to prise players away from other clubs, unless they are lower division clubs/bargain basement players, a bit like we have already.
 
Let's be realistic - it seems unlikely we will be finding an IEC warchest close season - another bottom half finish awaits - question is will a team without Reece and Nick be able to keep it's head above water ?
Did Reece and Nick between them gain us 12 points this season ?
If they did we should be worried !
 
Stormin' Norman said:
I dont know how you justify 2 goals, a couple of assists in 18 games is worth a 12 month contract extension even though Cook has said he wont be playing as much,
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You say that 2 goals and 2 assists in 18 games isn't enough to warrant a contract extension, yet use a player who has no goals and no assists in 12 games as an example of someone we should sign. I'm not trying to be obstinate, but can you see why there's an inconsistency here? It's perfectly understandable not to like Roberts' contract extension, but personally (may just be me) I'm finding it difficult to understand your reasons for not liking it, and I'm genuinely interested to know.

I can understand what you mean about buying someone who wants to play, but I think Roberts put in a lot of effort during the games he was involved in last season; enough to convince me that he still has the desire and motivation to play when called upon.

Stormin' Norman said:
oh and just for the record, whoever we sign will be surplus to requirements at their current club, i cant see us chucking big money around to prise players away from other clubs, unless they are lower division clubs/bargain basement players, a bit like we have already.
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Not strictly true imo. Olkowski, Hooper, Wells and Matias are all realistic options that weren't deemed surplus to requirements at their respective Championship clubs.
 
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Roberts’ presence has been invaluable this season, and I for one am glad he’s been rewarded with a new deal considering how impactful he was at crucial times in the season.

The match-winning performance against West Brom, and opening goals against Blackburn and Villa spring to mind. Nine points without which we’d have been much closer to the drop-zone.

We can’t afford to fill our bench out with Championship-quality players in their twenties, so realistically you cannot turn away a player who is A) fiercely committed to the club, B) A useful relief player and C) someone who so clearly has a positive and I and uplifting effect on the players around him - all of which can only be beneficial to Wigan Athletic next season.

You only have to look as far as Danny Fox to gauge just how much of an impact a wise head can have on steering a team in the right direction. I believe Roberts did just the same in even more trying circumstances mid-season when we had a massive injury crisis, but never received the praise he warranted for pretty consistent performances.

Just to add my own personal experiences to support my argument (it may be worth nothing, but I like to think I have a unique insight), of working within professional sports teams, I cannot stress enough how much of a positive impact an exemplary professional and vibrant character with strong leadership skills can have on a dressing room and individual players’ performance levels over a campaign.

Seasons are long and arduous, and veteran players with knowledgeable and experienced voices are often the ones that keep things from falling apart behind the scenes during an inevitable sticky patch or bad run of form.

Coaches aren’t over-stating or exaggerating when they talk about having good characters and the right type of players - it’s just as important to have decent leaders as it is to get your tactics right on a match day. Ask any professional player or coach you’ll meet and they’ll say the same - it’s all pretty obvious stuff, but I think the value of oldheads and the human side of sports gets lost in transmission a bit these days with the obsession over statistics and analytics.

Cook’s not saying these things about personality for the fun of it, he’s a professional at the end of the day who likes to joke around but is deadly serious when it comes to discussing transfer stuff like this.
 
Stormin' Norman said:
I dont know how you justify 2 goals, a couple of assists in 18 games is worth a 12 month contract extension even though Cook has said he wont be playing as much, oh and just for the record, whoever we sign will be surplus to requirements at their current club, i cant see us chucking big money around to prise players away from other clubs, unless they are lower division clubs/bargain basement players, a bit like we have already.
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Just for the record Norman, Nick Powell scored 8 goals this season in 32 appearances during which he barely lasted 90 minutes in many of them. Roberts managed 2 goals, 25% of Nicks total, in fewer games most of which were off the bench. Given that return I assume you would also oppose us giving Nick a new contract, let alone a much improved contract. Bearing in mind that Roberts wages will no doubt be 75% less than Powells.

I still do not see the logic of binning a player who gives 100% effort every time he pulls the shirt on and citing as a possible replacement a player who has been binned by another club in the same division, who would no doubt cost us either a transfer or signing on fee and higher wages. Makes no sense at all to me.

I und
 
Hampton said:
Let's be realistic - it seems unlikely we will be finding an IEC warchest close season - another bottom half finish awaits - question is will a team without Reece and Nick be able to keep it's head above water ?
Did Reece and Nick between them gain us 12 points this season ?
If they did we should be worried !
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Slow down a bit Hampton, season's only just finished, we did better than we thought a few months back when we were on the edge of relegation....think we need to wait n see what transpires over the summer before we start the negativity. Whose to know we don't uncover another Reece, Nick stops n has the season of his life, Roberts becomes super sub & we actually push for promotion / play offs. All ifs, buts and maybes but we'll just have to wait n see. For me I'd love promotion but realistically prob mid table so long as we play like we did in the last part of the season.
 
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