Lee Johnson has claimed the uncertainty surrounding players contracts coming to an end is affecting some of the players , as Manager he should be actively encouraging players to EARN new contacts if they want a future at SAFC . Let’s be honest we are a big club in EFL1 and if I was a player I would be busting a gut to stay here with the possibility of moving up to championship level if we are fortunate enough to be promoted . EFL 1 tends to work on short term contracts in any case so a lot of players will be accustomed to being released from time to time as circumstances dictate so if you are an EFL 1 player get used to it . I would be quite surprised if a lot of the players did not have a promotion bonus built in to their contracts . Now is the time where the Manager has to sort the wheat from the chaff , identify the players who are being affected and replace them with players who will bust a gut to pull on the shirt and who knows where that will take us .
This shouldn't matter one jot, players are constantly running down contracts especially in league's 1&2 as they tend to get shorter ones so it's nothing new to players. Our horrendous injuries especially in the back four has caught up with us and LJ constantly moving his midfield around has also worked against us, we lose our next two and I seriously think our owner might be looking for another manager even if we succeed and go up. As others have said we went 14 unbeaten but only won about two convincing which was also a worry. Will Kyril trust LJ to identify what could be a completely new squad for next season, it's definitely going to be an interesting summer whatever league were in. It's never dull at SAFC.
most who are playing **** now, know they are not good enough to step up, as they are being found out now and don't want the gravy train to stop at that station.we will still be paying out wages to the likes of Grigg Graham ect we need to start playing the lads who will step up and who would play their hearts out for the club given the chance not league 1 journeymen
Donald's short-termism and cost cutting has cost us this season. Time we all moved on and focused on the next five years.
The only thing I can think of is some are trying to avoid long term injury. If willis was out of contract he would be in a tricky situation.
Need to move on 90‰ of the bottling ****s. Kind of resigned to another league 1 promotion push next year but hopefully without a squad of spineless no hopers
Maybe it's being of an older generation but I can't get the not trying , not giving best, attitude -if that is what is happening. I , as I'm sure many other posters have, have had **** jobs or elements of jobs that they hated, but still gave unconditional 100% , not necessarily for the companies benefit, but so that nobody could accuse you of slacking and to preserve your good reputation
I've said more than once. It suits these players that we're in league one. Biggest club they're ever gonna play for. Close but no cigar each season, oh well another season in league one, better the devil you know, bosh a year extension.
Its true that the lower leagues generally award shorter contracts. Will players from other League One clubs not be in the same position though? Looking for excuses imo
The gamble is is that they are hoping/expecting a contact somewhere else if they run theirs down. There is no guarantee of that. On that basis alone I expect they would play for another contract here, hoping that should we be promoted the club will offer them one. I dont see players not trying however, like 3 or so seasons ago. They are just not that good.
I think Jordan Jones could be one of these players hence his exclusion from the starting 11 lately. He said a while back that he wanted to stay, Rangers have said he can go and so far we've made no effort to sign him up permanently. He'll be in abit of limbo not knowing where he's going to be playing next season.
Therefore, as has been said about others, he should be trying to make himself indispensable to S.A.F.C.
Exactly. And, as we have seen with Willis, there are a few players in that squad where we have extension clauses in our favour (might be the only thing Donald did right)
Yes i agree. Unfortunately most footballers are full of self pity and are not in touch with the real world.
been mentioned many times over the years that some players are not trying but i agree with you, why ruin any reputation you might have built up...if the club decide to move you on surely you want to appear as a player who gives everything for the team, even if lacking in a bit skill. being a complete lazy bassa seems pointless in this game unless you have some excellent ability to make up for it but i don't think any of our players fit that category.
I don't get it either, these comments that players aren't trying as the know they aren't good enough for the championship is a bit strange. If you aren't good enough for the championship and we get promoted then your time here is finished, if we don't get promoted the chances are the recruitment team will probably look at 90% of the squad knowing they have been unable to get us promoted so their time here will be done. So if I was a player who knew he wasn't good enough for the championship I'd still be trying my best simply to get a move to a decent L1 team next season. If you look at most teams that are promoted in any division, the players they release normally end up at teams that will be challenging for promotion. So I don't get this " they aren't trying as they aren't good enough for promotion. " Fact is they just aren't good enough, we've ridden our luck in some games and Johnsons tinkering is now having a negative affect
For what it is worth I would prefer to have George Dobson back than either keeping Scowen or Winchester. I know he wasnt everybody's favourite and he wasnt the finished article but he is young and showed more than what these two have up to now.
Could do with his battling spirit couldn't we. Say what you like about his ability but he never shied away from a challenge, never went missing.
The thing I always said about Dobson was how many second balls he won and stopped the opposition from playing, don't get me wrong when he had the ball was the problem but he certainly won the vast majority of his battles