Clyne "I want to play in the Champions League"

I thought we were all saints fans? Please forgive us the delusion that some players might actually like us as much as we do...

 

I'm not saying people can't do it. It's only sports villainy after all.

Just saying I don't particularly understand this one. Like I said before, I think this situation is pretty close to Jack Cork's but the reaction seems much different.

 

Well Jack Cork left to get first team football, which he wasn't getting much of at Saints. Clyne was, and is still, our first choice right back, so you can hardly compare the two.

 

I'm sorry he doesn't want to stay, but not really angry with him...players move all the time. As long as they do it decently and don't kiss the badge.

 

Expecting this saga to have a thick red line drawn under it tomorrow.

 

Best to get it over with and put the money towards keeping Toby.

 

Is that the difference?

I guess for me, while wanting first team football is a commendable goal, so is wanting to play in the CL. Cork could have stayed and fought for a first team place. Clyne could have stayed and helped us to a CL spot. So both had a chance to theoretically achieve their goals by staying here and working hard.

Realistically, I'm not sure Cork could have won a starting spot. Nor that Clyne has the quality to make the difference (it's kind of hard for any RB, tbh) between 7th and 4th. But if the club had felt that way, I'm sure they would have been happy to award them a first team contract/playing time or a CL club-type wage.

And fortunately for both of them another, arguably easier path opened up for them to achieve their goals, so why not take it?

I just look at it like they both signed contracts. They played without fuss until their contracts were nearly up. It got to a point where the club had to sell or see them go for free, or both sides had to agree on a long-term deal which is not easy with both sides having a lot at stake. So it just didn't work out.

Lallana, Lovren, Schneiderlin asked out while they still had plenty of time on their contracts. To me, that is more like reneging on a deal. If you play your contract out, it's just sort of like "Hey, thanks for the good times but we're moving in a different direction." "Yeah, me too. Well, see ya later and good luck."

The worst that could be said about Clyne is he said he wanted to play CL which is probably true, and also probably also not-so-subtle code for wanting more money but that's okay and not something 99.9% of players wouldn't also do. I suppose it could be said he jerked the club around, but I'm not sure about that. The club said that they thought Clyne would stay but of course they have an incentive to say that. I suppose he ended up not getting CL football even though he said he wanted it, but a CL club never came for him so in my mind it doesn't make him a hypocrite so much as a guy who didn't get the opportunity he wanted and had to choose between two lesser choices.

And again, I'm certainly not trying to say that everyone has to agree with me. I was just saying I was a little surprised at some of the... animosity might be too strong... but maybe lack of good feeling as compared to Cork or Schneiderlin.

 

I have no animosity towards Clyne at all, for what it's worth.

Put it another way. People don't think RK will sign another contract when his expires. Will we feel animosity towards him for that?

 

I don't feel any animosity towards him. I don't understand how he can't see Saints are the best club in the world or why he'd even want to leave; we are magic FFS.

I won't be able to look at him fondly though from now on, because he's going to ****ing Liverpool.

I was brought up on football from the mid 70's through 80's and Liverpool were unbelievable. I enjoyed watching them play and really admired them. That's all gone now and I really dislike them and that fake grinned twat of a clueless gnome that manages them.

Brenda.

 

Our players leave for Liverpool so they earn more money. The one guy who joins Liverpool for a reason not based in greed rots away on the bench.

We could finish above them this season, and there will still be players leaving for them to improve their wages.

Sometimes I hate football.

 

Last summer was when my eyes were (finally) properly opened to what football is like, makes me appreciate the NFL that little bit more, and has probably taken over as my number one sport now.

 

I'd never go that far

 

10.1 if it was skying a ball over a crossbar from 12 yards.

 

And Gaston. Both clearly better decision-marks than football players.

 

Yes, he was referring to the financial Champions League. His wallet is now seeded.

 

Ugh, NFL is horrible and even with its flaws and disparities i'll take football every time. In between the incessant ads, constant swishy graphics flying across the screen, yokel commentators and the fact you get maybe 8 seconds of actual 'playing' per minute i find it unwatchable.




Still better than baseball though.

 

NFL could be a decent game if it didn't have all those stop/starts, ad breaks, and circus like entertainment....we could call it rugby.

 

I know what you're saying, but I cant stand American Football personally.

I've always appreciated rugby though, those guys don't act like they've had their spleen machetted after a tap on the ankle. I don't know anything about the politics / money side of it though.

 

Big Ron is going national is he not?

 

Not going to go into why the NFL is far better than rugby/most sports as that wasn’t the point I was making. The way it is run is what is much better, where every team actually has a chance to be the best, what with the draft and salary caps. I believe it is the same in most American sports (though I hate Basketball and Baseball so not sure if it follows the exact same model as I have never looked into it)

This obviously wouldn’t happen in football for various reasons, but in terms of competitiveness I have yet to come across a sport that rivals American Football.