Jag Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 Am I being cynical in suggesting that ST & prices won't be released until after we find out which teams playing in the league? Possibly not. I heard that the club are looking at the possibility of offering a season ticket without Celtic or Rangers games included. They may be waiting to see what happens in play offs. Or they could just be ridiculously slow at capitalising on an opportunity for greater revenue by getting them on sale early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 I wonder if the out of contract players are being offered less lucrative deals because of the drop in income from lower crowds etc. Would be a sore one to take for players, especially given their recent efforts to achieve safety. Archie's recent comments about not breaking the bank and asking players to consider the other (non £) reasons to stay at the club indicate that this is the case. More strange then that club don't put season tickets on sale earlier and get the new strips out earlier, like other clubs have. Really feel they're missing a trick here, especially now we're safe and with fans still in football mode before disappearing to go on their summer holidays. The club have no money. They can't offer greatly increased terms to out of contract players so the players involved will be reluctant to sign if they can get more lucrative deals elsewhere. I don't think that many will be re-signing over the next few weeks. I hope I am wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bunny Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 Archie hoping to keep Lyle! http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32677218 Yes, hoping. No more than that. But we know that already. He was hoping last year too. All that was said was: "It's a bit more complicated with Lyle, obviously he's got a contract at Scunthorpe so we'll get to the end of the season then we'll cross that bridge." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jags on tour Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 I think someone has mentioned it above but in the BBC gossip section it says Fox has rejected a new contract offer. it doesn't look like a lot of these guys are going to re-sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bunny Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) It's just as well we have the spine of a team left for next season (Frans, Seabourne, Bannigan, Fraser, Stevenson, Doolan and McDaid) and that Elliot, Lawless and Craigen are very likely to sign on again. It's going to be tough having to replace key players like HIgginbottom, O'Donnell and Taylor but at least there is something solid to build on. Osman seemed to suggest he'd be interested in staying on but that may just have been how the papers interpreted what he said. It would be great if we could keep him: I'd feel more confident regardless of who else needed to be replaced. I think Archie won't offer less money for re-signing (probably go with a player or two fewer in the squad and depend more on youngsters) but won't be able to offer a lot more - if anything more. Edited May 12, 2015 by Mr Bunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindau Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) Archie is right in saying players should be careful what they wish for. ATS is a classic example and players like Higgy have openly admitted that it's been great getting regular football at Firhill after spending a lot of bench time at other clubs. Sadly for a team like us, it's a fact of life that we are going to lose players, but this group of players have been great over the last few years, so we can't really complain about any of them wanting to leave. For me the really important ones we need to keep are Osman, Booth, Taylor and Balatoni. Would love Higgy and O'Donnell to stay but have already accepted they are probably gone. Time will tell. Edited May 12, 2015 by Lindau Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 I'm hoping that there will be an announcement soon that one of the out-of-contract players has signed up again. Pour encourager les autres..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Arch Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 The Express article ends with "Jags midfielders Kallum Higginbotham and Abdul Osman may also quit the club." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Starting to look like we're not able to match this season's wage bill. As Mr Bunny says we can go with less of a squad and rely a bit more on the youngsters coming thru but I fear that would only be of marginal benefit. Normal procedure would be to sell a player to fund others re-signing but I can't really see that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bunny Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 It is slightly worrying when you consider that Hearts are coming up and likely to be a stick on for top six. The other team who come up will almost certainly be capable of staying up. So it would have been harder to stay up even with the same team kept together. Only good thing is we still have that spine I mentioned of good players who also have experience of the pressure of avoiding the bottom two. Will still need some astute new signings though and clever use of whatever budget we have.. Anyone got a spare hundred grand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fawlty Towers Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 From this month's TAG Newsletter, Maxi's take on the contract situation: As soon as Thistle secures a third consecutive season in the Scottish Premiership Ian Maxwell's phone started to ring, this marked the beginning of a busy period for the Jags managing director. Here, Maxi takes us through the ins and outs of dealing with agents, getting contracts signed and dipping the club's toe into the transfer market. "It's 5:13 pm, we've just won 3-0 against St Mirren to secure our Premiership status. I'm walking across the pitch to go to the hospitality lounges and I get a text message which reads "great result Maxi, now you're safe what do you need for next season?” And so it begins. We've not even been safe for half an hour and the questions have already started. The speed and regularity with which my phone buzzed after that gives me the feeling this is going to be the busiest summer yet. "Of course the gaffer and I have been discussing things for a few months in terms of players he wants to keep, areas he'd like to strengthen, players we think we might lose and players who may become available. In fact, when I think about it, those discussions never really stop. Pretty much every day we discuss the players. Everything from how they’re playing, attitude in training, fitness levels, how they mix in the dressing room, how other signings affected them, how press coverage affects them. Pretty much every aspect of every player is analysed. "This summer will see the highest number of players out of contract that we’ve had for some time, with 13 of the first team squad and 5 of the development squad up for renewal and decisions needing to be made about each of them. Every discussion we’ve had about every player over the season then comes together to form a decision on whether or not a new deal will be offered. "In terms of any final decision that will always be the manager’s call. I’ll give an opinion, and I think the gaffer likes to hear a different perspective on things, but so long as his success or otherwise is judged on the performance of the team, it’s only right and proper that he picks the players. "Once decisions have been made the players need to be told the good or bad news. That must be the toughest part of the manager’s job. Telling any player of any age they are out of a job can’t be easy and I don’t envy that task at all. There is also the issue of when to start speaking to players. Last season we were safe on the Wednesday night at Tynecastle and the league finished on the Saturday so there was very little time in between and it really had to wait until after the last game. This season we have three weeks to go and are stuck in the position where we still want to win games and finish as high up the table as we can, but players, quite rightly, want to know where their future lies. Any that are not being kept then need to make a decision on whether or not to play for a club that doesn’t want them and potentially risk injury. It’s not an easy time for anyone. "The players that we do want to keep are then offered contracts, well their agents, - or intermediaries as they are now called - are. The football agent gets a hard time and, while I think they have a part to play, the number around and the number of players who have one baffles me. It seems that every player now needs an agent no matter what age or stage in their football career they are at. We have 18 and 19 year old players who now have agents. In my view the sole focus of a young player should be on playing as much football as they possibly can, rather than worrying about their next move.The reality is, if the player is good enough he’ll get the move he wants in due course. "Regardless of my view, the agent is very much part and parcel of things at the moment and they need to do their job and try to secure the best deal they can for their player. Given the financial situation in Scotland at the moment there is really very little negotiating done. I like to try to be as straightforward as possible when it comes to contracts. The manager and I discuss what the player is worth to us and we offer him that deal. I’m not saying that there is never an element of negotiation, but it is minimal and the player either agrees or doesn't, it really is that simple. "Contracts in Scotland don’t have much to them. Basic wage and appearance money are the staple elements, some get help with accommodation if they are not local, but that’s about it. Thankfully we’re not at the level where we need to worry about image rights, buy out clauses, car deals, kids' private school fees or some of the other crazy things you hear about players getting paid as part of their deals. The whole thing reminds me of 2002 when I was leaving Ross County and Thistle wanted to sign me. I came to meet John Lambie and he sat in the office and, I’m sure he won’t mind me quoting him: "right son there’s the deal, if you want it great, if not I’ll sign some *%*# else!’" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 I like the Lambie approach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javeajag Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Elliott signs 2 year deal and Booth 1 year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bunny Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Elliott signs 2 year deal and Booth 1 year Good. I think since the league will be a wee bit tougher next season one thing we need in place right from the start is a solid defence. We had Frans and Seabourne and now we have Booth signed - who will have no problem fitting in. Elliot is good cover for the full backs.as well as useful cover for some of the attacking positions. Now we need a good right back and a player who can cover at centre half. To me there are 4 key positions that need filling: Lawless, Higgy, Osman and Taylor. Probably most folk would say the same. Of these probably Osman and Taylor would be the most important to get signed up again. They would be the most difficult to replace with just as good if they left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allyo Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Interesting thing about Maxi article is that it seems to suggest that there are players potentially in the current first team that the club "doesn't want". I find this surprising, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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