I’m not sure a player being on holiday, unless they’ve gone to the middle of the Amazon, means they are completely cut off from communication - it’s not 1982!
Although getting through to the ticket office for play off tickets it felt like it.
With Small, we know he, or maybe his agent, has been happy to move clubs when they felt it was the right thing to do.
He owes no particular loyalty to us as we gave him, in effect, an 18 month contract which he has honoured. We could have offered more than 6 months plus a year option but we didn't. In hindsight that was a mistake. However, at the time giving a player who had flopped on loan at Port Vale 3 years, for example, would have been a big risk.
He has always, as far as I could see, played to his best ability.
He took the risk to let his contract run down, as is his right, and is now is a very strong position to negotiate his next deal with us or another club.
We, the club, have let other players' contract run down and not offered them anything. That is the harsh reality of professional football for Watson, Aneke, Henry, etc.
It is up to Small and his agent to decide how much he wants in wages and how long the contract should be and it is up to the club to decide how much of both to offer him. Hopefully there is some over lap and his signs for us.
If he can get what he feels is a better deal at another club he has every right to go for that deal. That's not being greedy, that is being practical. He is a professional footballer after all.
We saw with the Jones to Cardiff fiasco that it's wrong to jump too quickly to conclusions about whether deals are or aren't going to get done.
He hasn't signed with another club, as far as we know, so he can still sign for us.
So until it's on the OS, ours or someone else's, it's not done and we'll all just have to wait and see what happens.
He's got a different agent though now, Jon Fortune.
If I were his agent, and as long as the money we were offering was sensible, I'd get him sign a new deal here, as a year in the Championship at a place where he is established and popular AND has a good chance of regular 1st team football, will be better long term for his career than starting again somewhere else.
His 2 goals have been more valuable than the number may show. They both came in 1-0 wins, which bagged us 4 points to help us finish in a comfortable play-off position and avoid the tougher gig of playing Stockport.
An eventful season - He's contributed 40+ appearances, been hauled off in the first half at the Valley, moved between LB to LWB to RWB, won the PFA Community Champion, seen his right foot prove to be more accurate than left under pressure, and won promotion with the Club.
Stats can be misleading not for goals but for assists. Thierry put a lovely short ball across after skilling up the defender down the Covered end on the left and "Godden again" didn't happen as Matty put his header over the bar and he said afterwards he should've scored.
Agree with Killer above: have another year at CAFC in the Championship with the 'release clause' set at a figure both the club and the agent feel is commensurate with the continued progress of a 20 year old player. The fame and Fortune ! will come if and when Small becomes consistent.
TS walks now and we get that minimal fee for young players that we received for Joe Aribo when he went to Rangers.
If I were his agent, and as long as the money we were offering was sensible, I'd get him sign a new deal here, as a year in the Championship at a place where he is established and popular AND has a good chance of regular 1st team football, will be better long term for his career than starting again somewhere else.
One of the reasons professional footballers have made it is that they have enormous self belief, they couldn’t beat the overwhelming odds of failure without it. He’ll 100% believe that he’s good enough to play regular first team football for any club that is realistically in the running to sign him.
You or I might want him to think that only Charlton can offer him regular first team football, he definitely won’t be thinking that and that (amongst many other things) is why he’s a professional footballer and we are sitting behind a screen writing about him.
If I were his agent, and as long as the money we were offering was sensible, I'd get him sign a new deal here, as a year in the Championship at a place where he is established and popular AND has a good chance of regular 1st team football, will be better long term for his career than starting again somewhere else.
One of the reasons professional footballers have made it is that they have enormous self belief, they couldn’t beat the overwhelming odds of failure without it. He’ll 100% believe that he’s good enough to play regular first team football for any club that is realistically in the running to sign him.
You or I might want him to think that only Charlton can offer him regular first team football, he definitely won’t be thinking that and that (amongst many other things) is why he’s a professional footballer and we are sitting behind a screen writing about him.
It’s the same with Jones. Total self belief in what he’s doing. That’s my only concern that he thinks he can get more out of what we have and not look to strengthen all over the pitch.
With Small, we know he, or maybe his agent, has been happy to move clubs when they felt it was the right thing to do.
He owes no particular loyalty to us as we gave him, in effect, an 18 month contract which he has honoured. We could have offered more than 6 months plus a year option but we didn't. In hindsight that was a mistake. However, at the time giving a player who had flopped on loan at Port Vale 3 years, for example, would have been a big risk.
He has always, as far as I could see, played to his best ability.
He took the risk to let his contract run down, as is his right, and is now is a very strong position to negotiate his next deal with us or another club.
We, the club, have let other players' contract run down and not offered them anything. That is the harsh reality of professional football for Watson, Aneke, Henry, etc.
It is up to Small and his agent to decide how much he wants in wages and how long the contract should be and it is up to the club to decide how much of both to offer him. Hopefully there is some over lap and his signs for us.
If he can get what he feels is a better deal at another club he has every right to go for that deal. That's not being greedy, that is being practical. He is a professional footballer after all.
We saw with the Jones to Cardiff fiasco that it's wrong to jump too quickly to conclusions about whether deals are or aren't going to get done.
He hasn't signed with another club*, as far as we know, so he can still sign for us.
So until it's on the OS, ours or someone else's, it's not done and we'll all just have to wait and see what happens.
Only 25% convinced he'll stay (that was ever since L.Jones penned a new deal), since he has had all that time to sign something.
Giving him a (Championship) deal is our last shot, so 30% (but that is only since we got into the Championship). The fact we got promoted doesn't make a difference though (he could have accepted a non-promotion release clause).
*- considering we are in a transfer window (till 10th June) I would be a bit annoyed if we end up loosing him on a free.
I find it funny how people marvelled over a journeyman who in my opinion wasn't as good as Thierry, in CBT. Yet would be happy to see a 20 year old with his whole career leave for free.
I find it funny how people marvelled over a journeyman who in my opinion wasn't as good as Thierry, in CBT. Yet would be happy to see a 20 year old with his whole career leave for free.
I find it funny how people marvelled over a journeyman who in my opinion wasn't as good as Thierry, in CBT. Yet would be happy to see a 20 year old with his whole career leave for free.
Who’s taken that position?
I think everyone on here wants him to sign a new deal.
Comments
An eventful season - He's contributed 40+ appearances, been hauled off in the first half at the Valley, moved between LB to LWB to RWB, won the PFA Community Champion, seen his right foot prove to be more accurate than left under pressure, and won promotion with the Club.
Thierry put a lovely short ball across after skilling up the defender down the Covered end on the left and "Godden again" didn't happen as Matty put his header over the bar and he said afterwards he should've scored.
Agree with Killer above: have another year at CAFC in the Championship with the 'release clause' set at a figure both the club and the agent feel is commensurate with the continued progress of a 20 year old player. The fame and Fortune ! will come if and when Small becomes consistent.
TS walks now and we get that minimal fee for young players that we received for Joe Aribo when he went to Rangers.
You or I might want him to think that only Charlton can offer him regular first team football, he definitely won’t be thinking that and that (amongst many other things) is why he’s a professional footballer and we are sitting behind a screen writing about him.
Only 25% convinced he'll stay (that was ever since L.Jones penned a new deal), since he has had all that time to sign something.
Giving him a (Championship) deal is our last shot, so 30% (but that is only since we got into the Championship). The fact we got promoted doesn't make a difference though (he could have accepted a non-promotion release clause).
*- considering we are in a transfer window (till 10th June) I would be a bit annoyed if we end up loosing him on a free.
Not worried about Small not signing
I think everyone on here wants him to sign a new deal.