Ashley Barnes - what would you have done?

[Biscuit]

Would I have sold him to a play off rival? No. Would I have sold him to a middling team or a team in a different division, yes. You've basically presented us with three options, with two of them having negative connotations ala ''Do a Murry'' or ''Do a Portsmouth'', that isn't the position we're in.

The fee is good and it makes business sense, but I can see Burnley and Brighton face up in the play offs this year - and Barnes will come back to haunt us. You mark my words!

You don't sell your strikers to rivals at this stage of the season, you just don't.

 

[CheeseRolls]

I am fence sitting. We don't really have much of a clue as to his reasons for leaving. I think he will do well at Burnley. Dyche has created an honest team, where everyone is prepared to work hard for the team. I also suspect that 2 is the only realistic option.

 

[Bozza]

Would I have sold him to a play off rival? No. Would I have sold him to a middling team or a team in a different division, yes. You've basically presented us with three options, with two of them having negative connotations ala ''Do a Murry'' or ''Do a Portsmouth'', that isn't the position we're in.

The fee is good and it makes business sense, but I can see Burnley and Brighton face up in the play offs this year - and Barnes will come back to haunt us. You mark my words!

You don't sell your strikers to rivals at this stage of the season, you just don't.

What if no other clubs, beyond Burnley and Leeds (who couldn't afford a fee) came in for him? That would make your only "cash in now" option to sell to a potential rival. What would you do?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Exactly what they've done, sell him to the highest bidder. Barnes is a competent Championship player. If you let yourself overpay on wages for those players you're a mug. Save the real money for the big stars.

He will do well, but he isn't Premiership class, and we need that if we are to progress, so right thing to let him go and get some fresh blood in.

How do you know we'd be over paying on wages? None of us know whether he's been offered a decent sized contract, or whether he's been undervalued. Obviously we won't know, but I'd like to know who in the squad his offer is comparable to. I imagine the reason he hasn't signed is there are a significant number of the team who will be on more than him, and yet he's been a regular for 3 seasons.

The question really is, who in the squad do you think his contract should be equal to or greater than? For me he's as important as Orlandi, Crofts, Buckley, Kaz, CMS - his contract offer should reflect that. If it has, then the club are doing the right thing.

 

[Giraffe]

How do you know we'd be over paying on wages? None of us know whether he's been offered a decent sized contract, or whether he's been undervalued. Obviously we won't know, but I'd like to know who in the squad his offer is comparable to. I imagine the reason he hasn't signed is there are a significant number of the team who will be on more than him, and yet he's been a regular for 3 seasons.

The question really is, who in the squad do you think his contract should be equal to or greater than? For me he's as important as Orlandi, Crofts, Buckley, Kaz, CMS - his contract offer should reflect that. If it has, then the club are doing the right thing.

Less than Ulloa, Bridcutt, PIG, more than the youngsters. On par with Crofts probably.

 

[Janbha]

Barnes sees his future elsewhere , im not sure what a club can do in that case , if ones offered the same job but with better pay who would turn it down it down ? not i .

I have enjoyed watching Barnes for all his faults temprement wise he is and will be a good squad player for any team , some of the dross he has taken has been in some cases warranted and he knows that , whats sad is he is now a far more better all round player with less attitude ,so its sad for me to see him go , but i wish him good luck

 

[brightonmark1234]

We are going to miss him

 

[robynsdad]

Hard call to make without knowing the real situation (which presumably very few people do). It is clear that Oscar rates Barnes, as did Gus (and so do I, but that's irrelevant). So I have to assume that there was no desire to sell him, but that he was making it clear he wasn't going to sign a new contract, and possibly was making noises about wanting to move on. IF that is the case then i guess little choice but to do what they have done. Of course it's not the end of the world, but it is a real shame. Barnes is getting better and I think has a long way to go yet. Such a shame to sell a good young player with potential to keep improving. But good luck to him.

 

[brightonmark1234]

I feel it's a massive blow losing him but hope we get a decent replacement

 

[Bold Seagull]

Less than Ulloa, Bridcutt, PIG, more than the youngsters. On par with Crofts probably.

I wouldn't disagree with that, so it would be interesting to know how far the club has stretched for his offer. I'd be disappointed to find out their offer didn't value him at this level or slightly higher.

 

[Biscuit]

What if no other clubs, beyond Burnley and Leeds (who couldn't afford a fee) came in for him? That would make your only "cash in now" option to sell to a potential rival. What would you do?

I'd keep him and let him walk at the end of the season if he decided too. Until then it'd be in his interests to do everything he could to get us up.

We aren't talking about promotion from League One or Two here, where you'd almost certainly sell in this position. This is dicing with promotion to the Premier League and the vast wealth that comes with it. Personally I wouldn't have blinked and I would have kept him at the club.

 

[keaton]

Given him a longer contract last year

 

[macky]

I think it's a shame that he is going They will show him love up there and he will respond I have a feeling that he had not stop progressing I just have this feeling that we have screwed up with him

 

[martin tyler]

I trust TB and his decisions and thats the same on this one

 

[kevtherev]

The club have done the right thing. The prem is clearly the aim, a blind man can see that. I would be more worried if we were offering stupid contracts to players who are clearly not good enough to play at the next level. Ince on the other hand, is a great news...Just look at Dobbie, Palace signed him, then went up, then he was out the door as clearly not good enough for that level.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I'd keep him and let him walk at the end of the season if he decided too. Until then it'd be in his interests to do everything he could to get us up.

We aren't talking about promotion from League One or Two here, where you'd almost certainly sell in this position. This is dicing with promotion to the Premier League and the vast wealth that comes with it. Personally I wouldn't have blinked and I would have kept him at the club.

I really really don't understand this sudden infatuation with Barnes. Is it because he's leaving that people are now seeing him as the best player in our squad? with Obika on-board and CMS on the way back, he's arguably going to be 4th choice striker (you could argue that Obika was brought in as a response to his imminent departure).

If he isn't likely to get a game as a striker, then there's the option to use him either withdrawn or wide; but with players returning from injury and perhaps Conway returning he's not first choice ahead of conway, Buckley (when fit), Lua Lua, Orlandi, March, Lopez in the wide berth, or Orlandi, Agustein, Crofts, even JFC in the middle.

He's a member of our squad (and a valuable part of it) but I can't see how cashing in on him to avoid him walking away on a free has generated the amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth as we've seen on here.

This is directed at you explicitly [MENTION=307]Biscuit[/MENTION] but I just don't get it.

The club made the correct decision, and I feel they will use the income wisely to make our squad better then it was before. And when we play Burnley - just stick Adam el Abd on him for 10 minutes - he'll wind him up nicely.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

...the answer has to be to cash in, but in my case, with a heavy heart.

My voting thoughts exactly. I'd rather we didn't sell him to a club I regard as a play-off rival (I don't think Burnley will last the course as an auto-promotion contender), but this is, providing a replacement can be found, the right decision I think. If the link to Mason has any substance, and he comes in as well as Obika's loan (and hopefully Ulloa's retention), I don't think we'll have weakened the squad.

 

[aolstudios]

I'd keep him and let him walk at the end of the season if he decided too. Until then it'd be in his interests to do everything he could to get us up.

We aren't talking about promotion from League One or Two here, where you'd almost certainly sell in this position. This is dicing with promotion to the Premier League and the vast wealth that comes with it. Personally I wouldn't have blinked and I would have kept him at the club.

Nail On Head
We are exposed without him, with Leo only just back, CMS months from being match fit & no real idea of how well anyone else will fit our system.
We've just about kept in the mix so far but could easily fall away now - things might click with new striker(s) but if they don't or take a week or four this could've been a gamble too far.
Fingers crossed

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I think it's a shame that he is going They will show him love up there and he will respond I have a feeling that he had not stop progressing I just have this feeling that we have screwed up with him

Burnley have a happy knack of turning huge profits on young forward players (Rodriguez, Austin, Ings..). IF the Barnes deal includes a healthy sell-on, it might ultimately transpire to be quite a good one (for a player who was out of contract).

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Sadly, cashed in.

He was stalling on a new contract which suggests he was looking to move on. Best to cut our loses and get something rather than him moving on for free in the Summer.