As the season is drawing to a close, I was curious as to how the fans have weighed up the pros and cons of the whole Niculae situation? Has it all been worth it, in your opinions?

As the season is drawing to a close, I was curious as to how the fans have weighed up the pros and cons of the whole Niculae situation? Has it all been worth it, in your opinions?

No. His signing has unfortunately been the catalyst for all our dressing room troubles and we didn't have strong enough football people to resist his signing.

I like him!!

he has scored good goals and has saved us!!

but he wasn't as good as I thought he was goimg to be!!

I personally think Cowie has done well, he's supposed to be in midfield and has scored 8 goals and has only had one  :32:!!!

He has a touch of class but hasn't lived up to expectations or been value for money. But if we could generate a transfer fee in the summer, it could all have been worthwhile.

If any other player had played like Marius has played this season, he would be up for our player of the year.

I have noticed little things with Marius recently, his fitness is improving, he is getting on with the rest of the team, and he is beginning to work out Scottish football.

Do I think he has been "worth it" is an entirely different question. I am yet to see a direct quote that says the players give a pump about Marius' wage bill, we have all been told that Marius has been the route of the problem, but I have never seen any substantial evidence to back this up, in the interviews I have read with players, they never have a bad word to say about Marius.

IF he has been the route of all the behind the scenes problems, then no he has not been worth it.

However, I don't think he has.

NO - and he is one of the main reasons fer Savage's departure - not becos of the individual - but Marius was used to get rid of CC - was used to reinstae Brewster etc.,etc.

He aslo caused unrest as the Orion influence demanded that he played in the first team well before he should have and upset the players and coaches - he broke a wage structure that kept this club alive - and he dampened the spirit of togetherness - Influences from outside the playing structure made us chamnge our system to accomodate Marius - and the "swansong" international game was done and dusted many months ago.

It just seems a bit unfair that we start playing Marius into our system and he plays a blinder against the Dons and he is clearly on his way out.

As fer Marius himself - I have said it all along and I will not change my opinion - sounds like a sound guy with evident class - but is clearly a shadow of his old self and has no pace and no movement and will always struggle in a heler skelter league like the SPL.

NINE goals - two against Gretna and two against Arbroath in midweek League Cup matches - just NOT good enuff.

No. The whole affair has comprised the ethos of our club.

A businessman imposes a player on a manager. The player earns five times as much as the rest of the squad

He then plays for months contributing very little while clearly unfit.

Over time we see how classy the player is - he improves his fitness and makes more of a contribution, but still it's too late - the club and its supporters have lost more than they have gained from the presence of Marius Constantin Niculae.

NINE goals - two against Gretna and two against Arbroath in midweek League Cup matches - just NOT good enuff.

Says it all really.

IMO we could have payed the wages of 2-3 decent players who would have scored more goals and created more chances for others to score. Not worth it, not even nearly worth it.

In a word, No  :029:

however if he plays his heart out after the split and gets himself scoring goals and into the Romanian Euro 2008, we might get some decent money for him in a summer transfer or he stays with us and plays wonders next season and turns it around then yes it will have been worth it.  :003:

Marius its upto you. :symbol_exclaim01: sort it out or see your career nose dive further, this club has given you that chance and you have only shown patches of what you can do and they are spread out far too much for your salary to have been worth it. :018:

Good luck whatever you do either here or elsewhere (except against us) :022:

One thing which I can no longer remember - did Marius himself demand his current wage before coming?

One thing which I can no longer remember - did Marius himself demand his current wage before coming?

I'm not sure about the ins and outs but I'm sure there was talk that his original demands were for what he earned for Mainz in the bundisliga (?10k per week or thereabouts). Fact is he has taken a huge pay cut to come here and could have earned double had he gone to Bursaspor.

Has he been worth it? I'm gonna reserve judgement. He hasn't had a pre-season in 3 years or so and that takes its toll. Even if you miss one probably wont even catch up for the whole of the season.  We certainly haven't seen the best of him but he's still been above the mediocrity of the rest of the team (and most of the SPL at times).

The best bit of Eye Candy in the team  :love10:

One thing which I can no longer remember - did Marius himself demand his current wage before coming?

He demanded more.

A resounding NO.

NO! Marius was only going to be judged on the goals that he scored for the team. He has not delivered. It has not proved to be a worthwhile experiment. The issues surrounding his pay seem to have caused some bad feeling not only amongst the squad but perhaps with the board as well?

I believe he will go in the summer but doubt there will be a large fee, I cannot believe his agent will not have insisted on a clause allowing him to go if a certain offer comes in. If ICT get more than ?100,000 I will be amazed (very happily). ICT was clearly part of his rehabilitation and a stepping stone to bigger things - he was never here for the long haul. If Wyness or Bayne had played all the games that he has played this season I believe we would have scored as many goals.

Brilliant player but too expensive for us.  He's probably the best forward we've ever had, the performances of Bayne and Wyness together in his absence shows us up.

Rumors at the time of his arrival put his wages at MAinz on around 10k a year and over 16k at Sporting Lisbon (!)

It wouldve been interesting to see Marius at ICT under healthier circumstances, I suspect he wouldve had much more of an impact.

PS.  Was the risk/experiment worth going through with at the start of the season?  YES

PS.  Was the risk/experiment worth going through with at the start of the season?  YES

No, he was clearly unfit and lacking in confidence, he was not going to shine for quite a time. The difference in his class/goal scoring would be the great leveller re his salary compared to the other players. He was unlikely to do this given the above and it was obviously going to create tension and resentment in the squad, which it clearly has.

I hardly ever post on here these days due to the utter garbage posted by the vast majority of posters but it you can't see the class of Niculae then you might be better off watching formation morris dancing on Saturday afternoons.  Same mince posted with regards the respective value of Duncan, Rankin, Black, etc., etc.

Hang your heads in shame clueless whoppers.

Not really a question of the class of Marius but wether it was the right move for ICT, the answer is clearly no.

Ok, I withdraw my earlier comments. We'd clearly be better off bringing in brainless SPL plodders.  Heaven forbid we get ideas above our station...... :029:

Taking your advice YMIP I will not comment other than philosophically  since I have never seen said player in action.Philanthropically his salary seems to be out of whack with his impact. Philately may be his secret passion  (rumour heard in the corridors of the Hall) but he has failed to put his STAMP on the proceedings  --generally speaking that is.

Based on goals, probably not. Based on general play he seems to have class but whether he is played too far forward or too far back back he appears to have been relatively ineffective for the large part  due to the fact that he does not appear to philipping know which part of the park to play in.  :002:--generally speaking that is. :023:

However, since he has improved  of late ,methinks he will be given another season to blossom, don't you think so petal as in F.W. ? :004:

And that will allow a lot of face to be saved on a lot of faces. But as the Southern Blues song goes.....

" You're having a good time ,but I know these faces and they are watching you; if you don't watch your step you won't be here long!"

In short...he had better be outstanding next year  in whatever he does or he won't be here long. :buttkick:

Rumors at the time of his arrival put his wages at MAinz on around 10k a year

:029:

PS.  Was the risk/experiment worth going through with at the start of the season?  YES

No, he was clearly unfit and lacking in confidence, he was not going to shine for quite a time. The difference in his class/goal scoring would be the great leveller re his salary compared to the other players. He was unlikely to do this given the above and it was obviously going to create tension and resentment in the squad, which it clearly has.

My question wasnt necessarily specific to Marius but rather a question of the boards ambition, in attempting a relatively high profile expensive signing.  I think it was a bold move and was a risk worth taking.

I think it couldve turned out very different if we were in a healthier state, had Marius come in during Robbo or Brews first spell we may have seen the best of from day one.

As it happened we were going nowhere at the start of the year, if we finish this season strong, put thoughts of Wyness, Hart, Rankin, Wilson and go knows who else to bed over the summer then I've no doubt we'll see Nicolae fly out of the traps when the season starts in 4 months.

I hardly ever post on here these days due to the utter garbage posted by the vast majority of posters but it you can't see the class of Niculae then you might be better off watching formation morris dancing on Saturday afternoons.  Same mince posted with regards the respective value of Duncan, Rankin, Black, etc., etc.

Hang your heads in shame clueless whoppers.

I like you. Post more

Although the answer is no, it's not the full story.  Had he been played in the proper formation with a manager with more tactical drive, then I think he could have been our most skillful player since Christie.  Marius was always going to be a 'hole' player, providing goals and chipping in with a few.  Imagine playing Peter Beardsley up front on his own - I'm sure he would have done just the same.  Oozed class but not prolific.  Imagine him playing just behind Wyness or Dargo.  Cowie and Rankin filling in the other two attacking midfield positions, with Black playing the general in front of a defensive midfielder, like Proctor or Duncan.  That's a decent team.