HarryBosch Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 It now appears that we are going to find out how Forte will perform for us without having to guess. I fear the ground rules have changed though. We now know there is a fitness issue and Forte's head will definitely be in a different place. Did he want to go or was he pushed? Either way it doesn't bode well for a happy return. Intriguing! He seems a reasonably intelligent, well balanced bloke by the standards of today's average footballer - hopefully he'll be fine about it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twisbrogan Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 He seems a reasonably intelligent, well balanced bloke by the standards of today's average footballer - hopefully he'll be fine about it all. Should be given it now seems it was his choice to stay (albeit for not agreeing personal terms). I still worry about his knee-knack though (maybe I should try not to). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I will not be able to watch the games properly for fear of him getting injured, cursing that he should have signed for them so we could have banked that undisclosed fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singe Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Bloody hell, you can't go away for an hour without this Forte transfer taking another couple of twists and turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beag_teeets Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Let's face it, Forte, like the majority of the squad do not give two :censored:s about OAFC. They are their employers and beyond paying lip service to "The chairman, manager, staff and fans have made me feel welcome, I'm really happy here" platitudes they have mortgages, utility bills and lifestyles to fund. Occasionally lower league players get attached to a club but these are fairly rare, if another club comes in offers them more cash and the security of another year on the contract they would be foolish to turn it down. Forte's potential is behind him, he is looking for securing his wages for as long a time as possible and there is nothing wrong with that. He has a contract for another year, the only way he will get more than that is either getting a move now or performing well this season and either us extending it or some other club coming in for him and taking a risk on his dodgy knee(s). Not comparing their abilities but Paul McGrath had a decent career after Fergie got shot due to fitness concerns, Ledley King didn't do too bad for a crock and there are other instances of players, not just defenders prolonging their career despite medical evidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP1960 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 It now appears that we are going to find out how Forte will perform for us without having to guess. I fear the ground rules have changed though. We now know there is a fitness issue and Forte's head will definitely be in a different place. Did he want to go or was he pushed? Either way it doesn't bode well for a happy return. Intriguing! That could apply to B Wilson too, but his attitude v Bolton was first class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Let's face it, Forte, like the majority of the squad do not give two :censored:s about OAFC.This type of comment does my head in - what does it even mean? What about those who do not give one :censored: about the club or is two the yardstick? So you know this is the case based on what exactly? While a player is under contract to a club, he does care because (as you go on to point out) the club finances his lifestyle. I agree that most of us will change jobs for better prospects and compensation but that does not mean we do not care about doing a decent job for our current employer. You only have to look at the goal and victory celebrations to see that they do give a :censored:. Rant over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 The problem with gifts though is that a player is signed on big wages, the chairman/owner throws his toys out of the pram and leaves, and the club are still liable for the players wages for 3 years which they can't afford. Been there, done that, no thanks. Wrong! The players wages will have to fall in line with FFP the regardless of the owners gift the gift can be used to pay a signing on fee or a transfer fee therefore if an owner wants to walk away the gifts are a sunk cost and so if an owner signs a player on a 4 year deal but the owner walks away after 1 year the club will not be anymore hamstrung by the players wages than they would otherwise be. If an owner wants to invest in a football club they can if they want to invest in players they can they just have to do it by transfer fees and signing on fees rather than wages. If they leave clubs won't be in the same kind of trouble they would have been before this is why FFP works clubs are now protected and owners can still invest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie_J Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Maybe it was all simply a means to unsettle a rival's main goalscorer, Championship Manager style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewBlue Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 No Oldham player wants to play for Oldham. Present them all with a move and they'll grasp it - we've learnt that by now. That doesn't mean they don't perform on a weekly basis. I see no difference with Forte. We should've also learnt by now that the club and the board are as complicit as the players for leaving. I'd guess his break down over personal terms was about length of contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueatheart Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 You only have to look at the goal and victory celebrations to see that they do give a :censored:. Rant over. I like winning. If someone was going to pay me to wear a shirt of a different colour, I would still like winning. I wouldn't mistake competitiveness in professional sport with "giving :censored:". Christ, players get goal bonuses or clean sheet bonuses to make them give a :censored:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc1955 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 You would have thought terms had been thrashed out and fully agreed on ie. salary, length of contract etc. etc. before any medical had taken place. Every transfer I care to remember states 'terms have been agreed and the player will sign subject to a medical' In this case it seems to have happened the other way around........strange! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simpo Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Disagree that every player is now 100% mercenary. Quite strongly actually. I have a good feeling that a lot of our current squad quite like the club. And it's not that long ago since the summer of 2003, when my dad and I went to the ticket office, and one of the staff told us they'd just had Fitz Hall in tears, saying goodbye to everyone. I understand, it's so easy to be cynical to the extreme in modern football. But the worst case scenario you dream up in your head is not always true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Think Johnson would be advised to dust that trusty dossier off, all doesn't seem well in Dickie Bird's manor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP1960 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I like winning. If someone was going to pay me to wear a shirt of a different colour, I would still like winning. I wouldn't mistake competitiveness in professional sport with "giving :censored:". Christ, players get goal bonuses or clean sheet bonuses to make them give a :censored:. I thought Latics players didn't get bonuses, but time off instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singe Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Think Johnson would be advised to dust that trusty dossier off, all doesn't seem well in Dickie Bird's manor. If ever there was a dodgier Dodgy Dossier, it would be that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeroyboy Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 That could apply to B Wilson too, but his attitude v Bolton was first class. Agreed. But, as always, no two circumstances are identical. Wilson, in my view, may not be thinking he could easily walk into a better job than the one he has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Disagree that every player is now 100% mercenary. Quite strongly actually. I have a good feeling that a lot of our current squad quite like the club. And it's not that long ago since the summer of 2003, when my dad and I went to the ticket office, and one of the staff told us they'd just had Fitz Hall in tears, saying goodbye to everyone. I think it helps if the player is part of a bit of success or, failing that, sticks around for more than 5 minutes. Unless a player grew up supporting the club who's stayed long enough to develop an affinity in recent years? This is another reason why we must place more emphasis on pushing the boat out to keep players & make them feel wanted. Make them feel important - we know what egotistical twats a lot them are. A payrise for, eg, Mike Jones would in all likelihood cost the club far less than letting him go then spending signing on fees, wages etc.. on the 3 or 4 new players we'd go through before adequately replacing him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristolatic Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I've ploughed through all 15 pages of this. There's some good stuff and there's some crap. But, which ever scenario you believe about players' loyalty, fitness, ability and everything else that football brings, there is one thing we now know. Forte is not going to join the poisoned dwarf. And for that, I for one am truly grateful. Let's just hope he has a season that started off like the last one. Even if he doesn't score as many, he'll frighten a few defenders to death so, all being well, we can capitalise on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewBlue Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) Disagree that every player is now 100% mercenary. Quite strongly actually. I have a good feeling that a lot of our current squad quite like the club. And it's not that long ago since the summer of 2003, when my dad and I went to the ticket office, and one of the staff told us they'd just had Fitz Hall in tears, saying goodbye to everyone. I understand, it's so easy to be cynical to the extreme in modern football. But the worst case scenario you dream up in your head is not always true. The club changed Hall's life. Obscurity to a Premier League contract. Think back to last season. Elokobi played the clap-trap yet when he left it was without much more than a whimper. I do strongly believe they are all mercenaries at this club, and none would give a second thought to leaving if offered the slightest bit more money at a slightly bigger club. How much attachment can you get when you've been at the club for no more than a couple of years and have achieved next to nothing? The last few I've thought had more than a contractual attachment to the club were Baxter, Smith, Tarky and Harkins. Maybe that's because we loved them! That sort of says that if our current bunch do something decent maybe they'll become more than just mercenaries... Edited July 24, 2015 by NewBlue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardie Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I hope that Forte sticks with Latics and does well this coming season. I can perhaps see a potential issue with the fans who consider Lee Johnson as a Judas and Forte getting linked to that same sentiment, and if so, I am sure that will evaporate once he starts scoring goals again. Any player who gets offered the prospect of a better deal at another club would be stupid not to at least give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OAFC_ULTRA Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Maybe he hasnt agreed terms because he doesnt want to go to Barnsley?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc1955 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 If he didn't want to go to Baaarnsley he wouldn't have been at Oakwell in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjk2008 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I refuse to believe this wasn't a fitness issue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaddySmoker Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I will not be able to watch the games properly for fear of him getting injured, cursing that he should have signed for them so we could have (banked that undisclosed fee.) transferred that money across the Atlantic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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