Txiki Begiristain

[schfc6]

Ha ha can't believe you're still chatting about this!!! You're like a dog with a great big fucking bone!!! (No offence meant)

My understanding of what you're trying to say is that Txiki has done a great job getting players and manager in. However, he has done a poor job in planning for the future and should've been doing things differently for the past 2-3 years.

Perhaps if you could explain what you think he should've done, as in who he should've got rid of and who their realistic replacements should've been, taking into consideration that we had a finite budget per annum due to FFP, then everyone might be able to see where you're coming from a bit better?

You're right, I have done this to death. But normally in direct response to either valid questions or insults from the less open minded.

I've actually addressed your question or similar earlier on.

I'll paraphrase.

I haven't got all the answers, but I'm not in this position.

Three options I would have considered. All hypothetical, I as many have said, we've no exact remit of his job.

Sell players earlier in their contracts. Sell closer to their peak. Taking a gamble on perhaps losing out on one more good year.
I suggested YaYa and Zaba in 2014, their stock was high, would have been desirable to many. I admitted this would have been a very brave decission. One I wouldn't have made at the time.

Not offering players already in their 30's 3-4 year deals. This is something that other clubs certainly don't do. Especially for squad players.

Recruitment, Don't sign Mangala for £30 million plus and then Sagna for free. If you only have a budget restricted by FFP, don't spend most of it on one gamble. I rate both by the way, especially Sagna.

Hindsight is wonderful but we could have signed Otamendi rather than Mangala and added a younger less established right back.
It's not like we haven't signed Otamendi a year later for twice the fee.

As I say, all old ground and pretty far from easy to suggest or call. It's not an exact science.

I haven't got the answers, all I've done all along is suggest whilst we should praise Txiki for the good he's done, there's still concerns and our ageing squad is one of them. They guy himself is actively working to remedy this.

 

[Maly]

You're right, I have done this to death. But normally in direct response to either valid questions or insults from the less open minded.

I've actually addressed your question or similar earlier on.

I'll paraphrase.

I haven't got all the answers, but I'm not in this position.

Three options I would have considered. All hypothetical, I as many have said, we've no exact remit of his job.

Sell players earlier in their contracts. Sell closer to their peak. Taking a gamble on perhaps losing out on one more good year.
I suggested YaYa and Zaba in 2014, their stock was high, would have been desirable to many. I admitted this would have been a very brave decission. One I wouldn't have made at the time.

Not offering players already in their 30's 3-4 year deals. This is something that other clubs certainly don't do. Especially for squad players.

Recruitment, Don't sign Mangala for £30 million plus and then Sagna for free. If you only have a budget restricted by FFP, don't spend most of it on one gamble. I rate both by the way, especially Sagna.

Hindsight is wonderful but we could have signed Otamendi rather than Mangala and added a younger less established right back.
It's not like we haven't signed Otamendi a year later for twice the fee.

As I say, all old ground and pretty far from easy to suggest or call. It's not an exact science.

I haven't got the answers, all I've done all along is suggest whilst we should praise Txiki for the good he's done, there's still concerns and our ageing squad is one of them. They guy himself is actively working to remedy this.

That for me explains things a little clearer.

All I'd like to suggest to you is that the contract renewals of these 'older' players were purely balance sheet transactions to get us out of the shit with FFP on 2 fronts. Wages & amortisation. This was a financial decision & not a football decision, so I'd doubt these renewals would even be Txiki's remit.

Would you agree?

 

[schfc6]

That for me explains things a little clearer.

All I'd like to suggest to you is that the contract renewals of these 'older' players were purely balance sheet transactions to get us out of the shit with FFP on 2 fronts. Wages & amortisation. This was a financial decision & not a football decision, so I'd doubt these renewals would even be Txiki's remit.

Would you agree?

The contract renewals? I certainly agree. Lower basic, bigger bonuses. Makes sense.

Did Kolarov require a extension? Possibly? For some? Yes, others no. Subjective as is most.

Sagna & Willy, I'm not so sure the only way we could attract them was with such contracts.

It's not easy, far from simple or obvious and certainly not a huge mistake.

 

[BillyShears]

That for me explains things a little clearer.

All I'd like to suggest to you is that the contract renewals of these 'older' players were purely balance sheet transactions to get us out of the shit with FFP on 2 fronts. Wages & amortisation. This was a financial decision & not a football decision, so I'd doubt these renewals would even be Txiki's remit.

Would you agree?

Also i'm curious as to which 30 year old plus players we gave new 4 year contracts to? Because I don't recall that ever happening. The players we're talking about are basically Nasri and Kolarov. Both of who signed deals back in 2014 when they were respectively 27 and 28 years old and had both just been instrumental in a league title win. Hindsight is an easy game to play sitting on the internet but at the time both players had earned those renewals.

There are no other unwieldy contracts from that period.

 

[BillyShears]

It's not easy, far from simple or obvious and certainly not a huge mistake.

And yet you've devoted how many words/paragraphs/posts to this singular issue of older players and their contracts?

 

[schfc6]

And yet you've devoted how many words/paragraphs/posts to this singular issue of older players and their contracts?

A fair few, it passes the day. Less than I've spent defending myself from sad little digs though..

 

[FantasyIreland]

Also i'm curious as to which 30 year old plus players we gave new 4 year contracts to? Because I don't recall that ever happening. The players we're talking about are basically Nasri and Kolarov. Both of who signed deals back in 2014 when they were respectively 27 and 28 years old and had both just been instrumental in a league title win. Hindsight is an easy game to play sitting on the internet but at the time both players had earned those renewals.

There are no other unwieldy contracts from that period.

Kolarov receiving a 4 yr deal(and improved.....) was bizarre,he may well have played a part in our title win but it was painfully obvious he wasnt ever good enough,and the likelihood of him improving as he approached 30 was pretty much zero.

That was an awful decision imo.

As for Nasri,i've never been a fan but i can at least see why his ability was worthy of a renewal,unfortunately that too has bit us on the arse.

 

[BillyShears]

A fair few, it passes the day. Less than I've spent defending myself from sad little digs though..

Don't take it to heart. Whenever you post on a public forum those posts are there to be shot at.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Don't take it to heart. Whenever you post on a public forum those posts are there to be shot at.

Usually with the equivalent of an RPG.

 

[BillyShears]

Kolarov receiving a 4 yr deal(and improved.....) was bizarre,he may well have played a part in our title win but it was painfully obvious he wasnt ever good enough,and the likelihood of him improving as he approached 30 was pretty much zero.

That was an awful decision imo.

As for Nasri,i've never been a fan but i can at least see why his ability was worthy of a renewal,unfortunately that too has bit us on the arse.

I disagree. Both players earned those contracts (along with Dzeko) that season. I said it at the time and I still feel that way now. You reward players for success. Also as the earlier poster stated, there's an added benefit from an accounting stand point.

Either way within the context of a discussion about Txiki, this particular red herring which has been done to death by @schfc6 isn't any sort of issue other than an administrative one. We are financially strong enough to not register players for the PL if they refuse to leave and have it not effect us.