phone in on saturday

[Publius Ovidius]

some bloke having a right pop on saturday suggested that Asaba was signing for us, until it all fell down due to lack of money.

Is this true?

He also suggested that if there was a chance we could have signed him, then why didn't the club ask the fans to stump up some money to put specifically for this purpose?

If this has already been discussed, I have been off on holiday and cant be arsed to plough through threads.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Apparently there is some truth in this....

 

[Stinky Kat]

Wonder how much Asaba wanted?

 

[Easy 10]

We should have done a Cardiff and got him anyway, then get the PFA to pay him for us. Missed a trick there.

 

[Silent Bob]

He never would have signed as he already has a new club lined up for the end of the season.

 

[Stinky Kat]

He never would have signed as he already has a new club lined up for the end of the season.

Whose he going to?

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

Here's some stories about Carl Asaba from the Sentinel, Stokes local newspaper.

12:59 - 31 March 2005 Stoke striker Carl Asaba is ready to resurrect his City career by playing a potentially pivotal role in an end-of-season push for the play-offs.

Asaba is poised to return to the senior squad for Saturday's home clash with Rotherham after the collapse of his proposed move to Coventry. The 32-year-old was about to join Coventry on a free - before Stoke slapped a six-figure asking price on his head.

And Asaba says an 11th-hour attempt to clinch the move was scuppered when chairman Gunnar Gislason could not be contacted on deadline day at a time when several moves could have been in the offing.

Now Asaba, who re-appeared for the club in yesterday's reserve outing, has pledged to fight for the cause in the closing eight games of the season.

"I've had a long heart-to-heart with Sarbs," said manager Tony Pulis, "and he's managed to get his head around what has happened.

"There was never a fall-out between us because we recognised Coventry could offer him a long-term deal and it would have been wrong for us to stand in his way.

"It didn't happen, so now he's back and wanting to play a part in what's left of our season. I want to stress he never fell out with me or the club in general - and certainly not the fans."


March 23rd Carl Asaba continues to await the green light for his move to Coventry.

Asaba has until 5pm tomorrow to persuade chairman Gunnar Gislason to drop his asking price and allow him to join Coventry on a free.

Coventry defender Robert Page, a close friend of Asaba's at Sheffield United, turned up the heat by declaring: "The situation at Stoke has got a little bit petty between Carl and his chairman.

"He was told one minute he can go on a free and then the next they are asking for a silly fee. If he is not going to play, why not let him move?"


14:00 - 17 March 2005 Stoke striker Carl Asaba has issued a heartfelt request to chairman Gunnar Gislason by pleading: "Please send me to Coventry."

And he reckons Nottingham Forest striker Marlon King would have recently joined Stoke on loan, not Leeds, if he hadn't read about Asaba's plight at the Britannia. Asaba has broken his silence over his on-off move to Coventry by calling on the club to save money by removing him from the wage bill.

The 32-year-old, who arrived on a free 18 months ago, says he was set to leave for Coventry last month until Stoke suddenly slapped an asking price on his head.

"At a time when the club is making people redundant to save money," said Asaba, "they would have saved the equivalent of one of their annual salaries if they'd let me go four weeks ago.

"But for some reason they now think they can get a fee for someone who came here on a free for 20 per cent of the wage I was on at Sheffield United.

"I am not in the manager's plans and that's fair enough, there's certainly no hard feelings towards him or the club in general. It's just a case of cutting our losses now.

"I don't know why they suddenly want a fee. It's as if they've gone to Queen Guinevere and asked it to come up with a figure like it does for the lottery."

He also insisted Marlon King, a former Gillingham colleague, would have recently joined Stoke on loan had he not learnt about Asaba's current predicament.

"He saw the situation I was in and thought twice about it," said Asaba. "I've got a lot of friends in the game and they might also have second thoughts about coming here after seeing the way I am being treated."

Asaba, again omitted from this week's squad travelling to Gillingham, added: "It's not a criticism of the club or the supporters in saying I want to leave. It's just the best solution for everyone now because it hasn't worked out for me."


The only possible link I can see with us is the line about the Stoke chairman being away on deadline day. Think the main gist of the stories is that Coventry wanted Asaba, had sorted a deal out, Stoke suddenly asked for money so City signed Shaun Goater on loan instead.

Still why let the facts get in the way of another traditional phone-in rant about Dick Knight?

 

[London Irish]

some bloke having a right pop on saturday suggested that Asaba was signing for us, until it all fell down due to lack of money.

Is this true?

He also suggested that if there was a chance we could have signed him, then why didn't the club ask the fans to stump up some money to put specifically for this purpose?

If this has already been discussed, I have been off on holiday and cant be arsed to plough through threads.

Yep, Dave, it was discussed, even by your mate Harty himself.......

http://www.northstandchat.biz/showthread.php?threadid=49982

 

[The Oldman]

Thought Harty introduced the topic. One of the better phone ins IMHO

 

[Harty]

I am led to beleive that the local paper story from Stoke was at the request of Pulis, and if anyone thinks things like that don't happen, even on the Argus, probably still holds out for the tooth fairy leaving money under their pillows.
Asaba was an Albion target, along with Watford, Cardiff and significantly Coventry. He spoke to the Albion, stating he preferred a two year permanent deal rather than a loan period, but in the end it apparently partly came down to money, we all know our budget is somewhat limited.
Another factor was our old favourite Micky Adams who had been trying to sign Asaba for the last month or so, he now seems prepared to wait until the summer which might have ruled out any possible Albion loan deal. How would Mr Adams have felt if Asaba had notched for the Seagulls on Sat and left Coventry in the bottom three?

 

[Yorkie]

There is another factor in a loan deal. If you are living in Sheffield and get loaned to Coventry or Stoke you can get to games and training without having to get temporary accommodation.

We are quite a bit further away from a lot of clubs which will limit choice.

 

[cardboard]

Race posted on here about a week ago on this subject
and said tank spoke to Sarbs (Asaba) and he was never going to come here so i think its pretty much pie in the sky