George O'Callaghan says things are NOT right at the Albion...

[andybaha]

If we bring some new players in in January I don't any of this is the end of the world. Richards is the one we will miss the most. All those that said Wilkins was treating Rents harshly will now realise that was not the case.

O'Callaghan is useful but he's not irreplacable. I don't think he plays well with Hammond, and Fraser had a good couple of games in central midfield when George was suspended. He always looks to me like he's got a strop on and spends half the game bollocking other players. Remember he refused to committ to us permanently that is why he is only on loan, he could have had a contract months ago.

Martot - tell me honestly that there aren't better players than Martot out there.

Savage - I've always thought he was a character and cannot deny he gives 100% but he's really not very good. He can't head a ball to save his life and although he holds the ball up sometimes it's not very often that he supplies the killer pass. Put it this way, teams like Leeds, Swansea, Notts Forest (the teams that are serious about promotion) won't have him on their 'to buy' list come January.

Try to sign Richards and two or three others in January.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

Oh dear oh dear this is really getting out of hand! First of all we should reemember that George has 'history' and has played this game before, as has Bas. However, I'm pretty disgusted by Dick exploding all over the papers..... there's absolutely no way George is staying now and players are not going to see this as professional behaviour by Dick. In addition his comments on the game are not very astute.

I am dissapointed by Bas and George but I'm also very dissapointed by Dick. He should know better than fan the flames in the press. It is understandable that the rest of the team are affected.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

I Nalso find it amazing that people are now saying the only person we'll miss is Richards. Look at the threads a month agao and you'll find everyone saying we wouldn't miss Richards. Surely NSC has a worse record than Dean White at rating players! (and that's saying something!)

 

[Finchley Seagull]

I think it's you who needs to get real!

Ok, Martot isn't a huge loss, but he's a loss nonetheless. Then there's O'Callaghan, arguably our most skilful player. He's been a revelation in our midfield. A rare hint of talent and vision in an otherwise predictable foursome. Bas, as much as he's taking the piss with his contract, is comfortably the best partner for Forster upfront, and to replace him we will have to spend money. And you only have to look at Rent's abysmal showing this afternoon to realise how good Richards is.

On balance, I'd say we're losing three of our most important players in the space of a week, and with our track record in the transfer market, there's no guarantee we'll replace even one of them, let alone all. It's a SHAMBLES.

I would agree that O'Callaghan is probably the most skilful player but he is also the most frustrating. He has flattered to deceive since arriving and yesterday was awful (having been great at Swindon). He is definitely replaceable.

Martot is a decent squad player but I think he would stay given the chance and if we got Currie (for example) instead I am sure the squad would improve.

Savage is an enigma and for that reason is a dangerous player. He has been great for us but there is no doubt we can replace. I am not even that convinced by him and Forster playing together.

Richards is definitely the one we will miss most if he does not return. However, when Elphick returns we can move Lynch across to left back. Richards was poor at first and we stuck by him after he had not played first team football for a while. Rents is the same and I am sure he will get better over time (although I would still buy a left back if possible).

None of these players are irreplaceable. People should wait to see what happens in the transfer window and then criticise. I think we may have a better squad by the end of January!

 

[Zebedee]

People should wait to see what happens in the transfer window and then criticise. I think we may have a better squad by the end of January!

I wish I had your optimism. I rate the chances of our having a better squad by the end of Jan as less than 0%. No disrespect intended but anyone who thinks otherwise is living in cloud cuckoo land.

 

[Spiros]

things dont change overnight - i cant think of one club that has gone from struggling in their league to being promotion material without an injection of money. the annoying thing is we have looked like we COULD achieve a top 6 spot this season - wilklins had put together a side that was winning games, playing well and could have gone onto get promotion - unfortunately we have now lost richards, savage and possibly o'callaghan - all his hard work has been undone by the boards reluctance to sort players contracts out

Or you could say that Wilkins has done his best to put a good side together BUT:

one loan player (Richards) thinks he can go straight back to a Championship club in January, so we'd never have been able to keep him anyway;

Savage has (not for the first time in his career) become deluded about what he is worth and the club have refused to be held to ransom

The other loan player - who we couldn't sign permanently because of his contract demands - has decided to use 'the club is falling apart' to try and put himself in the shop window.

Of course the board are reluctant to 'sort players contracts out' if that means paying them what they ask, even if it's over the odds. Compared to most clubs in league 1 we have less income and more expenses and I don't want to see the Albion in administration - do you?

As for O'Callaghan as a player - yes he is a good passer and in many ways has been good for us, but you can guarantee that every game he will make some pretty appalling mistakes as well, usually creating a gilt-edged chance for the opposition at least once. But as his name isn't Fraser he doesn't get any stick for it.

 

[Simster]

things dont change overnight - i cant think of one club that has gone from struggling in their league to being promotion material without an injection of money.

I can. Crystal Palace.

 

[NMH]

...............

As for O'Callaghan as a player - yes he is a good passer and in many ways has been good for us, but you can guarantee that every game he will make some pretty appalling mistakes as well, usually creating a gilt-edged chance for the opposition at least once. But as his name isn't Fraser he doesn't get any stick for it.

O'C has shown flashes for us on the field, but where he gets off being spokesman for the squad, and especially the young players, is a bit much. He's a loanee, and one integral part of impressing an interested club is NOT putting his oar in on club business like contracts.
His place is on the field as a football player - and beyond that he should look after his own financial and business affairs. It appears he was also rather critical of Cork's contract management - so perhaps he'd be better off working in an office as a book-keeper, or for the player's union, than as a 1st division midfield player.

 

[fosters headband]

O'C has shown flashes for us on the field, but where he gets off being spokesman for the squad, and especially the young players, is a bit much. He's a loanee, and one integral part of impressing an interested club is NOT putting his oar in on club business like contracts.
His place is on the field as a football player - and beyond that he should look after his own financial and business affairs. It appears he was also rather critical of Cork's contract management - so perhaps he'd be better off working in an office as a book-keeper, or for the player's union, than as a 1st division midfield player.

There are people around NMH who just can't keep quiet when they think someone is being unfairly treated and I include you, with your defence of ElAbd.
I never thought for one moment that O'C would sign for us full time and I do think he has given himself a problem with this outburst for getting another club. He will be seen as a trouble maker.
But I do feel that O'C has blown the lid on problems that are a live issue in the club and others may not be prepared to speak out and we all continue to think that everything is rosey in the club with the players.

 

[Kylies Stunt Arse]

O'Callaghan can go f*** himself. He's a Billy Big-Biscuits who thinks he's a lot better than he actually is. There's a fairly obvious reason why he hasn't made it at Iswich, he's not good enough, and they have exactly been world beaters have they?

Yes, he is skillful. Yes, he can pass a ball. BUT the one thing that he wants to do more than anything else is make himself look good. Anyone can come deep, pick the ball up of the centre half, turn a player and knock it back to the defence. Make yourself look good, keep it tidy and achieve exactly f*** ALL. Then watch the defender get criticised for hoofing the ball forward, when it's O'Cockaghan that's set the passage of play up by boosting his own ego.

He should know his place. Loanees shouldn't get involved in saying shite like this. He can go and rot in Ipswich reserves some more. I can't see many clubs wanting to take him when he gobs off about this stuff all the time, and when he's more interested in showing himself off than in the team winning.

 

[Simster]

O'C has shown flashes for us on the field, but where he gets off being spokesman for the squad, and especially the young players, is a bit much. He's a loanee, and one integral part of impressing an interested club is NOT putting his oar in on club business like contracts.

He should know his place. Loanees shouldn't get involved in saying shite like this. He can go and rot in Ipswich reserves some more. I can't see many clubs wanting to take him when he gobs off about this stuff all the time

 

[fosters headband]

Anyone can come deep, pick the ball up of the centre half, turn a player and knock it back to the defence. Make yourself look good, keep it tidy and achieve exactly f*** ALL. .

We should be able to find another to replace him fairly easily then?

 

[Questions]

If Dean Wilkins was working on O`C maybe with just a slight outside chance to get him to stay then you can bet thats been scuppered by Knights comments. If players are getting worried about their contracts and it starts affecting their performances then O`C is right when he says these matters should be dealt with sooner rather than later.


Maybe it was not his place to say what he did and should have been left to a more senior player like the club captain............. who is also pissed off with the club at the moment.

 

[Kylies Stunt Arse]

We should be able to find another to replace him fairly easily then?

I'll do it for £500 a week!

I'm certain that we could do better without him. I'd rather see Hammond, Fraser and Martot in there, with Cox playing in front of them.

 

[fosters headband]

I'll do it for £500 a week!

I'm certain that we could do better without him. I'd rather see Hammond, Fraser and Martot in there, with Cox playing in front of them.

Martot is going aswell and if O'C is correct so could Hammond and maybe Coxy!

 

[itszamora]

If Dean Wilkins was working on O`C maybe with just a slight outside chance to get him to stay then you can bet thats been scuppered by Knights comments. If players are getting worried about their contracts and it starts affecting their performances then O`C is right when he says these matters should be dealt with sooner rather than later.


Maybe it was not his place to say what he did and should have been left to a more senior player like the club captain............. who is also pissed off with the club at the moment.

On the other hand if O'Callaghan already knew he was out, he had nothing to lose by speaking up whereas if Hammond or someone else actually contracted to the club had they would have been in all kinds of trouble judging by Dick's comments.

 

[Kylies Stunt Arse]

Martot is going aswell and if O'C is correct so could Hammond and maybe Coxy!

IF.

We'll see what happens in January.

 

[NMH]

There are people around NMH who just can't keep quiet when they think someone is being unfairly treated and I include you, with your defence of ElAbd.
I never thought for one moment that O'C would sign for us full time and I do think he has given himself a problem with this outburst for getting another club. He will be seen as a trouble maker.
But I do feel that O'C has blown the lid on problems that are a live issue in the club and others may not be prepared to speak out and we all continue to think that everything is rosey in the club with the players.

Er...el-Abd aside (anyway, DW seems to agree with me on that subject)......

Right on the second bit, he's put a big sign out on that front.
Even if players DO have issues, a look around the league will reveal that 'blowing the lid' is not very-much welcomed by ANY club. At United, we have seen perhaps the best defensive player in the World simply shuffled out unceremoniously, after thinking he could talk-it-up about everything. I'd suggest that Sir Alex Ferguson knows the right way to approach such an issue, and he made an excellent example to all, about players who want to shake their employers' up.

After O'C has yakked it up - in the style of James Bond - DK and DW might do well to be shaken, but not stirred.

 

[Simster]

I am still flabberghasted that a loan player can make these sort of comments in the press. I haven't seen him play much, but he does strike me as a billy big bollocks, too. Who the f*** is he to spout this shite in our local press then? Some nobody in the Ipswich reserves? Do me a favour.

I think there are lessons in all of this.
Firstly, how much should the club be relying on loan players? It seems like an easy option but is actually fraught with risk.
Secondly, whose job is it to manage player contracts? I don't like the idea that FOUR key players have contracts that are all due to expire in the same month. If it was unavoidable then some of them should have been sorted out before now. It looks like shit planning to me.
Thirdly (and the only positive), it should be transparent to all playing staff that the club won't be held to ransom over contracts. In the long run, the fact that there is clearly a wage structure in place is surely going to prove to be a good thing.