What did Dobson see when he signed that pre-contract given that he would be losing the "security" of playing for our Club? One that has been for the duration of his three year contract, in the third tier of English football and a division he has been in for the whole of his eight year career with the delights of Stockport, Mansfield, Rotherham, Blackpool, Northampton, Wigan etc etc once again awaiting him? All for the potential of European football with its wide coverage, for the River Danube, for Lake Balaton, for magnificent architecture, for fascinating culture, for superb food, for its tokaji wine, for its hot springs, for its ancient spas? And that's all without being lauded by the Hungarians as as the Englishman that was happy to come over and embrace all the country has to offer? As opposed to staying with us, for a proportion of the fanbase that don't seem to rate good enough to wear the Charlton shirt anyway and for a Board that originally deemed not worth keeping? Or to go to yet another League 1 club because there is absolutely no guarantee that a Championship club would have come in for him.
But, when all is said and done, maybe, Dobson felt wanted and needed and was offered a contract to match that too? As opposed to us, who, on second thoughts, decided he wasn't quite so dispensable and who only then opted to up our offer for him to stay.
And for the record, Dobson 2nd offer was basically what he wanted, but chose not to sign it.
So says Andy Scott.
What does Dobson say about it?
But the narrative that the offer was only as good as Tennai Watson's just comes from some rando on here...
The issue is our fanbase, and in particular many posters on here, need a pantomime villain to point and scream at. Scott is now that person and nothing people will say or do will sway that for them now. Similar to when we had Steve Gallen, every good signing was his and every bad one was Driesen's, when in reality it was a bit of both, because that's what happens at clubs across the world, some signings work and some don't. And when Driesen was no longer here and it all fell to Gallen the narrative shifted to "but he has no money to work with" when the reality is we never really had money to work with.
No doubt if we build a squad next season that challenges for promotion, it will all be down to Jones, and any bad eggs will be dumped upon Scott's head, and if it looks anything like this season Scott will be blamed for it all.
Look at Arsenal for instance, close to winning the league and with standout players like Rice, Odegaard and Martinelli, but they've signed some dross along the way too like Pepe (who cost close to £70m more than Martinelli) but it wasn't that long ago that they weren't even playing European football
Ok - Arsenal signed some dross but have also signed superstars. Where’s the superstars that Scott has signed ??
Also, if he really wanted to stay, he had two contact offers, and he could have come out in press and put his side of the story out, but he hasn’t, which suggests to me, he also hasn’t played ball in this as well.. this isn’t to say he hasn’t been our most committed player still..
It is sad he is going on, and hopefully we can bring in a more forward thinking midfielder to play alongside Coventry. Sad to see him go, but not as said as losing someone like Aribo a couple of years back.
We move on, and hope we are sitting here this time next year celebrating promotion
You are seriously proposing that having that George Dobson, should have personally played out contract negotiations via the SLP ? That is never a good look for any professional footballer and is a red flag for future employers.
I know muddying the water is your thing but that is not sensible / realistic at all. Especially for a good character such as George Dobson.
It is apparent that 'technical director', Andy Scott didn't rate him and the money to keep him was not made available by the SMT. Not as yet anyway. Nathan Jones wants to keep him, and for any potential promotion push, Charlton supporters have to hope that Nathan Jones choices are at the top of the list and money is available to back him.
Why wouldn’t he, if he really wanted to stay, and has a manager that trusts him and believes in him, I’ve could easily come out and said I wanted to stay, but it was difficult for me to do so.. also not once has Jones actually said Dobson wants to stay. More he wants to keep him.. and the comment of they need to find common ground suggests a lot of work, from Charlton, the other club and Dobson. For me Dobson is a good player, but if we want to get out of this division, we need better.
He wouldn't because he is a professional. Decent professionals don't play out contract negotiations in public. Your proposing that Dobson undermined the contract he had in Hungray at risk for an uncertain future with Scott et al in public discussion ? With a wife and young family to find a secure future for ?
George Dobson is a good player, physically fit, proven, has a good injury record, and of proven good character. Nathan Jones has a good eye for player and keeping Dobson is a good thing. I trust Nathan Jones opinion a million more times than Andy Scott's (or yours). Scott the man, who pursured Jonson-Harris from Peterbourgh, when he clearly didn't want to be here, of uncertain character and nearly wasted £500k on him. Built an unbalanced squad that has produced the lowest club finish in 98 years ?
The worry is of how much influence Scott has in players and contracts going forward and how much resource is available. If Charlton are going to challenge for promotion, Chartlon supporters have to hope that Nathan Jones views are the main ones heard on players, and that the SMT & more importantly the owners back him with sufficient resources. That is the only way Charlton have a chance of gaining promotion into the Championship and the US owners of getting any money back.
And for the record, Dobson 2nd offer was basically what he wanted, but chose not to sign it.
Just a few grand a week short and for less years after it was made pretty clear those in power before Jones came along didn’t see him as integral to our plans going forward. No, Dobbo’s agent is/was not a saint, but he tried to get the best terms, Scott was not playing ball and would’ve happily let him go in February if it wasn’t for Jones. But otherwise yeah basically what he wanted…
The enforceability of a pre-contract will depend on the specific terms of the agreement. Pre-contracts are generally not binding under English law as they are usually marked ‘Subject to Contract’ and are simply a commitment by the parties to enter into a later contract. The difference between a pre-contract and a contract is that the parties to the pre-contract have not agreed the essential terms and so the pre-contract does not reflect the final agreement. However, if a pre-contract contains all the essential terms that have been agreed, then the pre-contract is effectively a final contract and is likely to be binding.
FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (‘DRC’) has had to determine on a number of occasions whether a pre-contract has binding effect when a dispute between a club and a player has arisen. The DRC has generally held that a pre-contract is binding if it contains essential terms such as the duration of the contract, remuneration and additional benefits. Another factor taken into account by the DRC is whether the pre-contract has come into effect. If the pre-contract has been terminated prior to when it is due to take effect, then the DRC has been reluctant to find that the pre-contract is binding, whilst if the parties have already begun to perform their obligations under the pre-contract prior to any termination, then this is usually evidence to prove that the parties intended to be bound by the terms of the pre-contract.
In an attempt to release themselves from the obligations under a pre-contract, parties have attempted to allege that the validity of a pre-contract was conditional upon a player successfully completing a medical or obtaining a work permit. However, the DRC has rejected all such arguments on the basis that Article 18(4) of FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players 2012 prevents the validity of a contract between a player and a club being “subject to a successful medical examination and/or the grant of a work permit”.
Well it's obviously not settled because Dobson or the club, or both, could very simply issue a statement to say " it's done, Dobbo will not be at CAFC next season". That would remove all speculation such as is on this thread, and would clarify the situation for everyone. The fact that no such statement has been released, is an indication that discussions must be continuing behind the scenes.
If Dobson does go, Scott needs to follow him out the door.
The loss of Dobson will make our squad of Scott's bargain basement rejects look even more lightweight for next season.
Many of our contracted players don't even play for us. Others, we have hardly seen.
Apart from May (and possibly Small, who was Jones' choice) who would definitely form part of a promotion-challenging team next season?
Dobson could have been the continuity figure for any new summer signings. Sadly, Scott thought he could make ten bob by selling Dobson to Hungary and replacing him with Coventry for free. When Dobson was a bit reluctant, he threw in a few insults and leaked some rumours to ease him out the door.
Then Jones intervened, we received no fee from Hungary and Coventry is not as good as Dobson - so it was another Scott balls up.
Let's not forget Scott also let CBT go which, combined with the ludicrous Appleton appointment, saw us face a real relegation threat.
That Hungarian news is a summary of the English news of the past few days, including Jones's statement.
There is a new part in it that he can only stay if he is bought out by Charlton, but Videoton does not want to sell him.
Which would place the ball firmly in Dobbo's court.
If he's decided he now doesn't want to leave, then Videoton would be crazy hanging on to a player who doesn't want to be there, can't give his best, and most likely will have a diminishing value also, due to the above circumstances.
They'd be far better off cutting a fair deal with us now before this gets even more messy.
Also, if he really wanted to stay, he had two contact offers, and he could have come out in press and put his side of the story out, but he hasn’t, which suggests to me, he also hasn’t played ball in this as well.. this isn’t to say he hasn’t been our most committed player still..
It is sad he is going on, and hopefully we can bring in a more forward thinking midfielder to play alongside Coventry. Sad to see him go, but not as said as losing someone like Aribo a couple of years back.
We move on, and hope we are sitting here this time next year celebrating promotion
Spot on .. no one twisted his arm to sign for another club .. that was down to Dobson and his agent …. said before their the ones who should buy his contract up if he wants to stay not the club
And for the record, Dobson 2nd offer was basically what he wanted, but chose not to sign it.
So says Andy Scott.
What does Dobson say about it?
But the narrative that the offer was only as good as Tennai Watson's just comes from some rando on here...
The issue is our fanbase, and in particular many posters on here, need a pantomime villain to point and scream at. Scott is now that person and nothing people will say or do will sway that for them now. Similar to when we had Steve Gallen, every good signing was his and every bad one was Driesen's, when in reality it was a bit of both, because that's what happens at clubs across the world, some signings work and some don't. And when Driesen was no longer here and it all fell to Gallen the narrative shifted to "but he has no money to work with" when the reality is we never really had money to work with.
No doubt if we build a squad next season that challenges for promotion, it will all be down to Jones, and any bad eggs will be dumped upon Scott's head, and if it looks anything like this season Scott will be blamed for it all.
Look at Arsenal for instance, close to winning the league and with standout players like Rice, Odegaard and Martinelli, but they've signed some dross along the way too like Pepe (who cost close to £70m more than Martinelli) but it wasn't that long ago that they weren't even playing European football
Scott is in charge of the recruitment of our side (and was part of the 'choosing a manager' committee).
We have ended up in our worst league position for nearly a century.
We are now losing our best player and club captain on a free.
There's no pantomime villain here, just a man that has not performed his role at an acceptable level.
But he not in charge of the contract or Dobson right hand signing it …. the club made him an offer 2 years with another year , he wanted straight 3 his dad was more then happy to tell everyone that it was nothing to do with money .. ….. would question he our best player and always thought we needed a better captain ..
Also, if he really wanted to stay, he had two contact offers, and he could have come out in press and put his side of the story out, but he hasn’t, which suggests to me, he also hasn’t played ball in this as well.. this isn’t to say he hasn’t been our most committed player still..
It is sad he is going on, and hopefully we can bring in a more forward thinking midfielder to play alongside Coventry. Sad to see him go, but not as said as losing someone like Aribo a couple of years back.
We move on, and hope we are sitting here this time next year celebrating promotion
Spot on .. no one twisted his arm to sign for another club .. that was down to Dobson and his agent …. said before their the ones who should buy his contract up if he wants to stay not the club
We don't know the in's and out's of this saga (although I'm sure you do of course) but I agree that no one twisted Dobbo's arm to sign so if he wants out of his contract it's up to him and his agent to get him out of it.
Comments
But, when all is said and done, maybe, Dobson felt wanted and needed and was offered a contract to match that too? As opposed to us, who, on second thoughts, decided he wasn't quite so dispensable and who only then opted to up our offer for him to stay.
Genuinely confused by that one.
Funny business this journalism lark. Spend all your time asking questions but usually the wrong ones to the wrong people.
Can only assume they have been told by the club to stay off the subject.
Are Pre-Contracts binding in football?
The enforceability of a pre-contract will depend on the specific terms of the agreement. Pre-contracts are generally not binding under English law as they are usually marked ‘Subject to Contract’ and are simply a commitment by the parties to enter into a later contract. The difference between a pre-contract and a contract is that the parties to the pre-contract have not agreed the essential terms and so the pre-contract does not reflect the final agreement. However, if a pre-contract contains all the essential terms that have been agreed, then the pre-contract is effectively a final contract and is likely to be binding.
FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (‘DRC’) has had to determine on a number of occasions whether a pre-contract has binding effect when a dispute between a club and a player has arisen. The DRC has generally held that a pre-contract is binding if it contains essential terms such as the duration of the contract, remuneration and additional benefits. Another factor taken into account by the DRC is whether the pre-contract has come into effect. If the pre-contract has been terminated prior to when it is due to take effect, then the DRC has been reluctant to find that the pre-contract is binding, whilst if the parties have already begun to perform their obligations under the pre-contract prior to any termination, then this is usually evidence to prove that the parties intended to be bound by the terms of the pre-contract.
In an attempt to release themselves from the obligations under a pre-contract, parties have attempted to allege that the validity of a pre-contract was conditional upon a player successfully completing a medical or obtaining a work permit. However, the DRC has rejected all such arguments on the basis that Article 18(4) of FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players 2012 prevents the validity of a contract between a player and a club being “subject to a successful medical examination and/or the grant of a work permit”.
That would remove all speculation such as is on this thread, and would clarify the situation for everyone.
The fact that no such statement has been released, is an indication that discussions must be continuing behind the scenes.
The loss of Dobson will make our squad of Scott's bargain basement rejects look even more lightweight for next season.
Many of our contracted players don't even play for us. Others, we have hardly seen.
Apart from May (and possibly Small, who was Jones' choice) who would definitely form part of a promotion-challenging team next season?
Dobson could have been the continuity figure for any new summer signings. Sadly, Scott thought he could make ten bob by selling Dobson to Hungary and replacing him with Coventry for free. When Dobson was a bit reluctant, he threw in a few insults and leaked some rumours to ease him out the door.
Then Jones intervened, we received no fee from Hungary and Coventry is not as good as Dobson - so it was another Scott balls up.
Let's not forget Scott also let CBT go which, combined with the ludicrous Appleton appointment, saw us face a real relegation threat.
...🤷♂️
If he's decided he now doesn't want to leave, then Videoton would be crazy hanging on to a player who doesn't want to be there, can't give his best, and most likely will have a diminishing value also, due to the above circumstances.
They'd be far better off cutting a fair deal with us now before this gets even more messy.
That's a new one for us..
Bravo Andrew Scott.
Having thoroughly read that article, may I say it’s all Greek to me.